AccElan01

I've had my ES350 for 3 weeks now and want to wash it but I'm apprehensive of doing so. It still has that perfect new car finish without a single blemish. I'm afraid once I start washing it the inevitable small abrasions will appear. What do you recommend? I wash our CTS with the Mr. Clean Auto Wash. It does a great job but wonder if I should stick to touch free car wash's. What does everyone here think? Also, do you use leather conditioner on the interior? I have the perferated leather with the heated/cooled seats.

LexBob2

I've used the Mr. Clean system with good results and no problems on our car. I always make sure the car surface is throughly rinsed off and good and wet before doing any wiping. Most of the time though, I use a touch-free drive thru (I think it's Lazer Touch-Free) it has a spot-free final rinse that minimizes spotting. BTW, the Mr. Clean system does a great job on the exterior windows of our house.

MShybrid

As popular as the touchles washes are...there is no substituteto a little TLC.
You will need a few items to get started.
1) A good quality car wash (Duragloss 901 is the best I have found and can be picked up at any Carquest)
2) A good quality wash mit (There are many good ones available)
3) A good quality microfiber towel or two

You will want to put on a good coat of wax or sealant but that is another story

By all means....Leather is just like your skin, it needs moisture or it will dry out

Good luck

Macklin

A touch free car wash will not do what a hands on washing will do. Elbow grease is better than a spray machine every day. Any good car wash concentrate will do. And as mentioned above, dry it with a microfiber towel or chammy which I use. Most important is keeping a good coat of wax on the car. I use Meguiars NXT Tech wax. It got the most votes in the wax poll in the Detailing forum BTW. Unbelievably easy to apply and remove and leaves no swirl marks. And it lasts!! I use a Porter Cable 7424 buffer to apply it and let THAT machine do the work. Then buff it off by hand.

Now, get to work!