Been thinking and just seen a video that made me ask the question.

My routine is as follows, if I don't drop it off at my detailer friend..

Items Used:

Vacuum
Pressure Washer
Snowfoam (varies on make)
Bucket
Sponge
Wash & Wax
Chamois
Glass Cleaner
Interior/Co*kpit Spray
Microfiber cloth
Toothbrush

My Method:

Take rear seats, all floor mats out and parcel shelf.
Tilt the front seats back
Vacuum front to back
Vacuum the bits taken out, and as each one has been vacuumed replace in car.
Rinse the car over with P/W.
Attach the Snowfoam and go over car from bottom to top.
Leave it for about 5 minutes - grab a cuppa and fill the bucket up with the Wash & Wax.
Rinse off with P/W on a lighter pressure - Top to Bottom.
Use the 2 bucket method
Rinse again with P/W
Chamois all over until dry.
Clean the multi-spokes with clean bucket of water and the toothbrush (long and boring job).
Go over the inside glass with the cleaner and Microfiber cloth
Finally clean the plastics with the spray and done.

 

Rarely Wax/Polish it as it's such a long process although the results are fantastic especially on a red car.

 

I do interior last myself , the very last job I do is vacuum the interior

You might want to consider a Sheepskin Wash mitt/pad and a MF drying towel in place of the Sponge and Chamois, which will inflict damage over time

Also..if you dont wax or seal your paintwork, it will be damaged as well

Red paint can also fade with UV light...something a good wax/sealant will protect from

Apart from that..The washing is fine

might consider a couple of things to make life a little easier with the wheels...

 

Firstly a dedicated wheel brush sounds easier than a toothbrush, maybe a detailing brush too.

 

Sealing the wheels, either with a conventional sealant or a ceramic (siloxane?) sealant will make much less of the dirt and brake dust stick so will take less effort next time.

 

Lastly a dedicated wheel cleaner spray will break down the crud a little easier, just be careful not to pick up one thats too harsh.

 

 

And if you really cant stretch time to protecting the paint with a sealant or wax everynow and then you might consider a spray on wipe off quick sealant type product like sonax bsd or autobrite project 32.  Not quite a full fat LSP, but will get you a few weeks protection.  Can be used to bring a little gloss back to your lsp (wax or sealant) layer and prolong the protection slightly.

Good advice above.

 

I use Finish Kare 1000p to seal the wheels and although it may not be as good as some of the others like Carbon Collective's, at £4 for a sample pot it's certainly offers excellent value for money.

 

Also like Laff said it makes cleaning the wheels a much easier job, I quite often just use the remains of my shampoo in my bucket with a brush and they come up pretty good.

Recycling bag and morrisons jet wash once a fortnight, or 1000 miles, whichever comes first.

:clap: Thats one large bag..Do you drive into it?