Thanks guys for the waxing tips. I now finally have a garage so that should help keep her looking nice as well.

 

spent some time here: Autopia. This is one of the better auto detailing forums. I' m sure you can get lots of advice for taking care of soft paint. FWIW, I swirled my rear bumper pretty good by cleaning it with a MF cloth and some alcohol just before putting on the rear bumper protective tape. RG

 

I watched a youtube video a few months back on car washing. It was from the UK. The guy was washing a Mini. One of his solutions to swirl marks was, when washing don't use a circular motion. Instead, wash in a straight line, back and forth. And don't keep rubbing in the same place. A few passes were enough.

 

Many adhere to the two bucket method with a Home Depot or Lowes grout sponge. It's cheap but takes a little time. The grout sponge can be had for under $2. Get two five gallon buckets, fill one up with 2-3 gallons soap/water, the other with 2-3 gallons water. Use the soap bucket just before applying the sponge to the car, use the rinse (water only) bucket just after to rinse the sponge and isolate the dirt from the car.

Another popular method is something called Optimum No Rinse.

There are many variations on the above. Some prefer wool mitts, others prefer MF wash cloths. If you want to learn auto detailing, spend some time on Autopia. You will be surprised how little most know about keeping a car really clean.

FWIW, I'm a rank amateur by autopian standards. RG