Thought i would share with you all some of my knowledge of car detailing, today wasn't the best day for it as it was raining on and off, but fortunately the rain stayed off long enough for me to get the whole car Washed and Waxed!
To Start you will want to buy a good Car Shampoo, as stuff like fairy liquid and other soaps you may use are degreasers and will remove any polish/wax that may already be on the car, Autoglym and Meguirs both do great car shampoo's, i am using the autoglym shampoo as it doesnt have much Lather in it which means less bubbles and IMO better cleaning.
First off the car was rinsed with a hose before putting the sponge on the car, this helps remove dust and other stuff that could scratch your paint while cleaning
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180001.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180002.jpg
as my car was Waxed just last week the water runs off easily making less of a job when you come to dry it
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180003.jpg
The Car was then drying using a cloth that absorbed water, other people prefer to use a leather chamois.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180005.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180006.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180007.jpg
once the body was dry i didnt want to get my cloth dirty when drying the wheels/tyres so i take my car for a short drive to dry off the standing water on the tyres
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180009.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180010.jpg
Now that the whole car is dry it is time for the wax. I Will be using Meguars Tech Wax for my car as its non metallic, this wax can also be used on metallic cars with great results, but depending on your preference Autoglym do a great Deep Shine Polish for metallica cars.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180011.jpg
only a small amount is needed to cover each panel of the car, i am using a pad that came with my Wax to put it on with, but a 100% cotton cloth will do a good job aswel.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180012.jpg
People apply wax/polish in different ways, but the most affective method is swirling, applying the wax in circular motions to the bodywork.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180013.jpg
Since when using a wax you must let it dry before removing it, doing each half of the car separately to ensure easy removal of the wax, be sure that the wax goes from a clear coat to a haze before removal.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180014.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180015.jpg
When applying the wax, overlap each panel to ensure you dont miss any area. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180016.jpg
Now for removal, Most car shops sell cotton rolls that are cheap and great for using to removed polish/wax.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180017.jpg
of course im not going to use the whole roll, cut a decent size off the roll
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180018.jpg
remove the wax in the same way that it was applied, this ensures the wax is applied well to the paint.
you will now end up with something like this
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180019.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180020.jpg
Keep this Dirty cotton Cloth as it will come in useful
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180021.jpg
You may notice that there are some bits of hardend wax that are hard to get off the paint, for this I recommend using a Micro Fiber cloth for a Final Buffing of the wax, this will get rid of any hard to remove excess wax.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180025.jpg
Now that the body is done, the tyres get treating, for this i am Using Meguiars High Endurance Gloss which takes ages to use a full bottle and lasts for a good while longer than any of it counter parts, To put it on some people prefer a small jar and a paintbrush to apply it, i use a foam pad with small cotton bristles, Once Applied use that dirty cloth we talked about ealier to remove any excess Gel to stop it slipping off the wheel and onto your lovely clean car
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180022.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180024.jpg
Hopefully this will help you when next cleaning your car for Fantastic Results.
Unfortunatly it starteed raining as i was taking the last bit of wax of, but fortunatly it gives me an opportunity to show you how the wax desperse's water from the paint.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/Marc_CRX/2007_05180028.jpg