Keeping you car in tip top condition for the road is essential for trouble free motoring and can also save you money in the long run by sustaining residual selling prices at the maximum. There are a number of different products out there to help keep your car gleaming and I will cover these later in the article. But for now I'm going to run through the different steps I aim to cover for my own schedule.

First of all keeping the car clean is a essential, by actually keeping on top of it and even waxing the body work a few times a Year will make your job easier. Contaminates causes by pollutes can easily start to eat into your paint work, these range from road tar, insect and bugs, tree sap and even bird waste. These are normally acidic and eat into the top layers of the paint over time, causing stains and sometimes permanent paint damage.

So by following a good cleaning schedule, you will not only have a smart and presentable car, but also saving on your investment. Even giving the car a good work over can easily put value onto the vehicle at the time of sale and the difference will surprise you. 

Step 2:

Start of by hosing or ideally jet washing the car off, this will take off the grit and lose grime of the car. Work from the top down and if possible, out of direct sunlight for best results, as smears will result otherwise. The more muck and grime you get of now, the easier the other stages are later on. I normally lift window wipers prior to this stage of the process.

Step 3:

Next step would be to put some kind of wheel cleaner on, as brake dust will eat to alloy. There are a  lots of products on the market which are specially designed for this job, but I have on occasions used a foam based oven cleaner product and had good results. Also try to use a small brush to work the alloys, I have again used inspiration from the kitchen and opted for a washing up brush. Don't use this bush for any other areas of the car as it will be contaminated, save it for next time.

Step 4:

It's time to get rid of all that soapy water, ideally you need a pressure or jet washer at this stage, but a good flow of water is the main criteria. Work from the roof and windows going round the car, then paying special attention to wheels and lower body work areas. In the winter or Autumn, it would be a good time to also try and work the wheel arches for build up of mud and dirt deposits. Bear in mind it is quite easy to get a face full of muck looking into the arches with a pressure/ jet washer.

Step 5:

We getting close to the finish now but depending on your overall aim you have a couple of options here. If you now want to wax the vehicle you could apply a liquid wax and hose it off, or If you prefer to apply a hand wax. 

Step 6:

You have another set of options here, to use a leather chamois leather or high quality synthetic one. There is a slight difference of opinion on this subject but which ever is your preference. I would ideally use a rubber blade in the first instants to get rid off most of the water. Then finish off with the slightly dampened Chamois or synthetic leather. Work from the top down, paying most of the attention to the windows. Also remember to wring the access water in between section.Try to leave the lower body work, then wheels to last. I personally try to blast off the leather at this stage with the pressure or jet wash. Or rinse it at least, so it is ready for the next time you want to use it. Also it is possible on a well looked after car to quickly just hose off the car, blade off the water and leather for a quick clean (lazy but effective for a date or picking up the parents).  

Step 7:

So by this stage we have a clean car ready to be waxed, but you could skip this part and go to the interior depending on the last time it was done. Note that we could include the door sills, boot sills at this stage. Just like the wheel arches this is best to be blasted off first and then leather off. Depending on the wax selection or state of the paintwork, normally you apply the wax to a section at a time with a soft clean cloth, leaving for the wax to dry and buffing off to a shine. Best to follow the manufacturer\'s instructions.