How to Wash Your Car Like a Pro

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If you care about your car’s exterior, you’ll avoid those quickie car washes with the big brushes that can do more harm than good and do a DIY car wash that will achieve the best results.

Most people that a wash and wax is the best way to keep their car shiny and clean. Their heart is in the right place, but there is much more to washing a car than those two things. We spent a day with Mike Pennington and Rick McDonough of Meguiars, who demonstrated the proper way to wash your car and maintain a clean exterior.

We regularly hand wash our 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D using a pressure-washer and mitt with soap and water, that helps remove the dirt we can see, but we’ve been neglecting a few important steps.

1 Evaluate the Condition of Your Vehicle

 Evaluating the condition of your vehicle will steer you towards how it should be cleaned. A new car or one that already has a good coat of wax on it, may only need a wash and wax to maintain it, but a car with an average to neglected exterior may need to be clean and polished as well.