Regardless of whether your car was maintained well or poorly, it is always wise to perform an iron decontamination (along with a mechanical decontamination) as preparation for a wax, sealant, or coating. The reason for this is that if you are going to apply an LSP (last step product) such as one of these mentioned, you don’t want to be sealing in any iron contaminants, which could continue eating through your paint. If you ever plan to apply a protective wax, sealant, or coating, consider doing an iron decontamination with an iron remover.

detailing enthusiasts. This data was pulled from various car detailing forums, as well as detailing-related Facebook Groups and detailing-oriented YouTube channels. By combining all of these reliable sources, I believe this list is largely comprehensive in identifying the best ceramic coatings available on the market today.

In this guide, I focus on using a plastic cleaner/polish called Meguiar’s PlastX. This product is generally used to polish plastics, but I’ve found it to be useful for mild hard water spots on glass that can’t be removed chemically. The level of abrasion with this formula is quite mild, so it has negligible effect on the clarity of the glass. You don’t even need to use a machine polisher, you can actually do all of this by hand with either a microfiber towel or a microfiber applicator pad (preferred). If you have a considerable amount of glass that needs water spot removal, then you might consider using a machine polisher, although you can still do it by hand; you just need a bit it of elbow grease.

The short answer is YES, using dishwashing soap is likely okay to use to wash your car. You’re going to get different answers depending on who you ask. Much of the information around this subject is due to the marketing indoctrination saying that you must use a dedicated car wash soap. Reasons given for doing so include: using a non-car soap will damage the car’s paint, a pH-neutral soap MUST be used otherwise it will also strip existing protectants, and dish soap will strip the car of its existing wax/sealant/coating. I don’t believe these claims to be true and I set out to test if a dishwashing soap is ok or not to use wash your car.

What is the Two Bucket Method? Simply put: the two bucket wash method is way to hand wash your car that minimizes the chance of creating scratches or swirls on your car. It involves (as the name suggests) two buckets: one for washing and one for rinsing your wash mitt.

Below is a list of car waxes that I’ve ranked in order of most recommended by auto detailers and detailing enthusiasts in various car detailing forums. This is a subjective list obviously, but it is what I believe to be a credible list of the best car waxes as these recommendations come from those car detailers who have used and compared these different products. I did not include spray waxes as they are even further diluted formulas that do not offer the same kind of durability as these paste and liquid waxes.

My wife and I found an awesome new Mexican food restaurant while we were out of town, and we were excited to try it out. We ordered food to-go and drove there to pick it up. Typically, we place anything that can spill, on the floor where I have all-weather rubber mats, but we had a ton of stuff on the floor that night, and we were in a rush to go as I was double-parked waiting for my wife. We placed the bag of food on my passenger seat, went home, and had an incredible dinner. Fast forward a couple days later, and I got into my car and look over only to discover one nasty looking greasy food stain on the passenger seat.

Here is a list of car wash soaps that are ranked by the most recommended by auto detailers and detailing enthusiasts in various car detailing forums. It is impossible to know what is “the best” car wash soap out there as it really depends. However in my opinion, I would trust the recommendations of the folks who use many of these products on an everyday basis and therefore can make working comparisons across the field. Without further ado, here is the list of the best car wash soaps based upon recommendations that come up time-and-time again.

When compared to other fabric guards (such as 303 Fabric Guard, Scotchgard, etc.), this one has a higher effectiveness for repelling water and stains. After evaluating my options, I was going to apply the fabric guard on my new truck. So, I only wanted the best possible formula; out of these three choices for fabric protection, Gtechniq Smart Fabric was the clear winner although it did cost the most as well.