2 weeks tomorrow into ownership and I decided it was looking rather dirty after all the snow and grime so I decided to deploy all the washing gear I purchased last week. Not into detailing but I do give it a decent clean. First port of call though was deploying the Dyson to give the interior a thorough vac and I have a special dusting brush attachment for the dashboard top and the bristles are soft so they won't leave scratches on shiny surfaces.

So, the outside. First up was Car Plan Wonder Wheels to cut through the grime on the alloys and then I used the pressure washer and after a good blast all over the car, I used the Car Plan Ultra Shine shampoo using a microfibre sponge. It was strange because there didn't seem much lather but I had used the measurements as instructed and it did the business anyway.

After rinsing it all off, I used one of those wiping blade thingy's to clear the excess water. Finally, I deployed the rather excellent Auto Glym microfibre drying towel which left no streaks or drying marks. With the car now dry, I finished off by using Mr Muscle window and glass cleaner to get the windows gleaming and some Car Plan Tyre Silk to give the tyres a nice healthy shine. I do have some Car Plan Triplewax polish which I intend to use every so often but today was just a wash. Oh and I did query the chrome strip on the boot with the dealer and it was acknowledged that as standard it is colour coded not chrome on the ZS. He didn't know why it was and said I could have it changed under warranty but I said actually, I think it looks great so I will keep it thanks! Here it is in all it's glory:

Looks awesome and even without polishing it looks super shiny!

I'm getting a guy to come out and professionally clean mine tomorrow (Sat 30/03/2013) so I shall post a few before/after shots!

Loving the black interior of the ZS versus the "silver" in my 2009 Titanium.

Hydro-dipping inquiries might have to be made.....

yes looking great , and yes that black interior plastics look ten times better

Looking very nice indeed, also like the black interior a lot.

Looks great mate, the red comes up so nice, beautiful shine and gloss. Going to get mine washed and polished tomorrow, bit of a spring clean!

I always loved car cleaning, don't ask my why lol I find it really therapeutic! 😀

Looks great mate, the red comes up so nice, beautiful shine and gloss. Going to get mine washed and polished tomorrow, bit of a spring clean!

I always loved car cleaning, don't ask my why lol I find it really therapeutic!

I like doing it, but I am so poor at getting it properly shiny (lack of patience or skill? You decide) that I have just been getting it done professionally, this will be the second time since I've owned this car. :)

Thanks guys. The black interior does look very smart and shines nicely but not in an OTT way. As for cleaning, I go to great lengths to get everything set up and ready to hand before I start so that I can move from one task to another without faffing. Also give yourself plenty of time so that you don't end up rushing it and check the weather forecast.

The Dark Knight cars looking great, definatly makes me want to get one aha, i love the new colour dials/display