People have told me over the years I should run my own mobile car detailing business because the paint on my cars always looks freshly waxed from the factory.

Here's my process, I recently bought a 2001 Acura CL Type-S and took the exterior from looking like a 16 year old car to one that looks better than brand new. I don't use a rotary wheel because I prefer to do it by hand and get a pretty good workout out of it.

1) Wash the car aggressively with a bunch of Dawn dish soap to strip the old waxes and such, I usually use roughly half a cup to 2.5 gallons of water.

2) With some detail spray (with no wax/sealant in it) for lubrication and an automotive clay bar, clay bar the entire car to remove the remaining grit embedded in the paint.

3) Rub out any scratches/scuffs with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound, but be sparing with how much you use, this stuff is pretty strong.

4) Wash the car again with Dawn to remove anything else before the next step.

5) Polish the entire car with Klasse All-In-One Polish, make sure everything is buffed off.

6) Apply the first coat of Klasse High Gloss Sealant Glaze, wait about an hour and buff it off with Chemical Guys V07 High Gloss Detailer spray.

7) The next day, at least 12 hours later so the HGSG can cure, wash the car with Chemical Guys Glossworkz shampoo, dry and apply a second coat of Klasse HGSG. Apply a third coat the following day etc.

8) After the third coat of Klasse HGSG has cured, wash with Glossworkz and wax with Colinite 845 Insulator Wax. This stuff was invented decades ago to seal industrial wiring, and somewhere along the way, someone realized that it's one of the best bang-for-buck waxes you can buy. It will literally last year's between coats and provides incredible gloss and water beading.

That's pretty much it. The first few steps of prep are really important, and take a few hours to do, and in the subsequent handful of days, it should only take an hour or so of actual work, but the results are worth it.