newmb

I finally received my magma red C240 with sport package and some other stuff!!! I was wondering if anybody had any suggestions on taking care of the car, as in what the best cleaning products to use are, and how can I protect the leather without making it look shiny and without getting rid of the new car smell? Also, it was already waxed at the dealer, so how often should I wax it after that? I will try to put up a pic as soon as I can! I think I am in love with my car....:p

David N.

Here goes:

Wax: Blitz Wax by One Grand -once every 2 months
Wash: Meguirs car wash. It's readily available, and it suds very well. - once a week.
Mitts: Use chenille wash mitts.
Drying towel: P21S super absorbing drying towel.
Leather cleaner: Lexol - Once every three months.
Leather conditioner: Lexol or 303 - Once a month.
Tire care: Shiny - Eiman fabrik black opal. Matte - 303
Glass cleaner: Rubbing alcohol and water. 70:30 mix.
Towels: Fieldcrest charisma.
Dash care: 303. 303 is amazing stuff. It has a high UV protection, and it is 100% safe.

How to wash your car properly. This is an important step in avoiding swirl marks:

Use two buckets to wash your car. One with clean water, one with car wash soap. Use three mitts when washing. One for the top parts of the car(everything above the middle of the doors). Use the other for the areas below the middle of the doors. These areas are dirtier, therefore the mitt will be dirtier. You don't want to drag a dirty mitt over your vehicle's paint unless you want scratches and swirls. The third mitt is for your wheels.

Before washing, rinse your car with free flowing water to loosen the dirt. Next, take your mitt for the top parts of the car, dip it into the soapy bucket, glide it over a section (half the hood, half the roof etc) of the paint in back and forth motions as air would flow over the vehicle. Immediately rinse it off with free flowing water. Dip the mitt into the clean water, swish it around a bit to remove the dirt from the fibres, ring it out, dip into soapy bucket, and repeat on next section of car.

All of this should be done in the evening, or in a shaded area. Otherwise you'll get nasty water spots.
Dry the car off with a wizards water bandit or a p21s super absorbing drying towel. Leather chamois are crap. If necessary, follow up with a Fieldcrest charismas to dry. The cheap towels in can tire/pep boys etc are no good.

Don't use lambs wool wash mitts as they will scratch. Use ONLY chenille wash mitts. Don't use harsh wheel cleaners on your rims. USE ONLY CAR WASH SOAP. Your rims are clearcoated just like your paint. Would you use wheel cleaner on your paint? No. So why use it on your clearcoated rims? I use carwash soap on my rims with great success.

How to clean your interior properly. This is courtesy of DavidB at the autopia detailing forums:

To clean, I put an ounce of Pinnacle or Lexol Leather Cleaner in a bucket of warm water. Using a small sponge, I wipe down the whole interior. The I do the same procedure with clean water to rinse. I dry with a clean Viper Towel (green). After the interior dries (15-30 min), I give all of the plastic, vinyl and leather surfaces a coat of 303 using a foam applicator. I give all of the surfaces I 303'd a final buff with a damp Viper Tower (rinsing frequently to remove the excess 303). The result is what you see above. The final wipe with the Viper Towel is the secret to the even finish without lint.
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All the products mentioned can be bought online from this retailer. http://www.properautocare.com/detailingtips.html

Read thru the articles. You will learn alot. Trust me.

As for your car right now. Yes it has been waxed by your dealer. They probably used cheap spray wax. I'd blitz it within the month.

Anymore Q's, let me know. Magma red is beautiful. Please do post some pics.

Take it easy.

benggolf

Please click on the link below for a wealth of car care tips and products. Congratulations again and enjoy your new drive!

Carcareonline

newmb

I will try to see if I can get these products here in Miami so that I can start the wash this weekend. Thanks for your advice! btw if you know where I can get these products in Miami I would really appreciate it.

MarkL

As benggolf mentioned, www.carcareonline.com carries a lot of the products mentioned, and has a lot of additional information. They also have an 800 number and can ship products anywhere. Some of the products may not be readily available in retail stores.

David N. - I mentioned in a previous post that I've tried the P21S towel, and though it sucked up the water quickly, I think I got a few light scratches with it. I've gone back to using cotton terry towels exclusively. I think the smooth surface of the P21S (or even a "real" chamois) may tend to scratch because 1) I think there is more surface friction and 2) there is nowhere for any small particle to go (i.e., no cloth "loops" to catch it) and it is more likely dragged across the paint surface. Just my $.02.

SoCal240/6

I keep it pretty simple:

1) Wash every 2 weeks with a good quality car wash soap (type doesn't really matter, as long as its detergent free). My car is driven by my wife, only a few miles a day, and is garaged 23.4 hour a day, so it doesn't get that dirty. I just use a standard sheepskin type wash mitt, and dry with a clean, 100% cotton bath towel.

2) Every few days, I wipe the front wheels down to get the brake dust off! If you keep a good coat of wax on the wheels, brake dust just comes right off (I am working with a brake pad mfr. to develop dustless pads for the new C).

3) Wax every 3-4 months or so with a good quality carnauba wax.

4) Lexol for the seats (full leather interior).

5) Semi-damp cotton towel wipedown for the rest of the interior, including the dash, etc.

That's it.