I find the best way to start a nice Saturday is to wash my car. With the Wrangler, I simply didn't care since the dirt added character. However, with a black hatchback, washing weekly is a requirement. Luckily it's something I enjoy.
I have to start early on Saturday because even though it's starting to cool off a little, by 10:00 the sun is out and the water will dry before I get to the other side. This is a problem, washing your car in Florida, because the water is extremely hard and if you let it dry, you'll get water spots that take a grinder to get rid of.
After I wash, I run a chamois over her to get 90% of the water off, then a clean, old T-shirt to finish the job. Unfortunately, this will still leave hard water streaks over the entire body, but that's ok for now. Then I open the door and hatchback to clean and dry all the jambs.
If I'm detailing, I'll pull the car into the garage, flip on a fan, and get inside with a duster and vacuum, but that was last week. This week I just pulled inside and let the skin cool off a bit (I told you, the sun is brutal here).
After it had cooled enough, I used Meguiar's Quick Detailing spray. This stuff is the bomb. I told you I get water spots and streaks, so I use the Quick Detailing spray to lightly mist the surface, gently rub in the stuff, let it dry for a few seconds, then buff it with a clean, terry cloth. The results are nothing less than spectacular.
Look how deep you can see into the paint. Keep in mind, you're looking into a black hood.
An even better view is the illusion created at a narrow angle of the roof. It's hard to tell where the reflection in the roof stops and the real world starts.
The next trick to learn is how to do the windows and windshield correctly. Windex doesn't do a great job and leaves streaks and smudges. I need to find a product that will cut through any grease and leave the surface perfect. Then I can slather it with Rain-X ;)