1) what do most people use to clean the non-exterior painted surfaces like inside the trunk lid where you dont want to use water. Several spray cleaners are bad for painted surfaces.<p>2)I wash my A4 once a week but I still have all these little black marks that don't come off during the wash. Whats the safe way to get stubbern marks off?<p>3)how much wax is enough? Can you wax the entire hood with one squirt as long as you can barely see that there is wax on the paint or do you keep reapplying the wax so you KNOW its there but still not use too much?<p>4)what do you use to do the final buffing. I alway get marks and little 'scratches' when I use terry of polishing cloth but the car was perfect when the dealer detailed it. I guess I should call ank what they used but.....<p>thanks,<br>(new car, now I went from never cleaing my car to being afraid to clean it)

1. use mild soap, preferrably car washing soap, not dish washing detergent, to wash your car. Make sure the sponge you use to wash is clean itself, or you will be rubbing the dirt onto your paint! Wash the car under the shade, not under the sun. Use cold or warm water, not hot water. Don't wash the car just after driving it, the hood and especially the wheels will be hot, and spraying cold water onto them will cause rotor damage. Rinse often, and don't let the soap dry on the paint. After the car is washed and rinsed, take off the hose nozzle and let the water run down the paint, so there is less drying to do. Or you can use a leaf blower to blow off the water, especially useful around panel seams where water sits. Use lots of clean towel. Don't forget to dry the inside of the trunk lid, doors and hood. Water tend to accumulate there for a long time.<p>2. You should polish and nourish your paint once or twice a year. Clean the car according to #1, and use a mild polish product, don't use ones that are abrasive. I use Zymol product called HD-Cleanse. It really smoothens out the paint and is safe for clear coat. The polish will strip wax and other contaminents, so make sure you don't wait more than 1 day or 2 to put the wax back on to protect the finish.<p>3. Use natural carnauba wax to protect the paint. Use only enough, don't use too much. If you see white streaks that means you used too much wax. You will buff off the wax anyway so it will be wasted. I use Zymol wax, it is expensive so I won't use excessive amount :-) After you finish waxing, the paint should bead water into little droplets. If the paint lets water sits on a big patch it's time to wax again.<p>Wong from North<br>98 A4 1.8TqMS Tropic Green<br>

Each of my vehicles has its own sponge, and I have a separate sponge that I use to clean tires and to wash off the brake dust (it's really nasty looking too). I have an older Toyota pickup that's white -- I don't know what the paint and/or coating on the thing is, but using the same sponge to wash it and a black Pontiac Grand Am I used own, made the clear coat on the Grand Am get permanently hazy. So beware if you own multiple vehicles. That's why I use separate sponges.