I recently purchased a 2005 Prius with a Black exterior and a Light Grey interior (including carpeted floor / cargo mats), so I'm new to the PriusChat family. I've been reviewing the forum threads here (as well as the contributions by contributor "PB" on the Toyota Nation Forum site) to see what other Prius owners say about how they take care of their cars' exteriors and interiors. I'm impressed, and it's great to see how thorough people are with caring for their car; many treat their Prius' exterior and interior like an expensive super car. As they say, "to each his own," in terms of a person's preferences for which products they use on their Prius' exterior and interior, but I want to find out if there's any consensus about what products work best to tackle the different aspects of a car, which I've broken down into the following categories along with the products I've noticed that get recommended often: No-Water Wash: Optimum No-Rinse Bug/Tar/Tree Sap/Bird Dropping Remover: ??? Wax: Meguiar's NXT or Pro Honda Spray Cleaner & Polish Exterior Finish: Mothers Clay Bar Exterior Finish-Scratch Remover: Mother's Scratch Remover Exterior Plastic (Window Frames): Mothers Back to Black Plastic Restorer or Meguiar's General Interior: Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer Cleaner Vinyl/Plastic Interior: 303 Aerospace Protectant Cloth/Fabric Seats: Aerospace Fabric Guard (is it a stain remover too -- if not, what's a good seat cleaner / stain remover?) I've seen some products by Zaino (i.e., Z-5) and Griot's Garage (i.e., Speed Shine) mentioned on this site a bit; how do these two brands' products measure up to their competition? Also, what are some good places (independents, major retail chain stores, online, etc.) to purchase these supplies inexpensively? Thanks in advance for your help and input.
For bug/tar removal, I suggest peanut butter (seriously). Obviously smooth so you don't risk scratch the paint with chunks of peanut. It's quite effective and it's an "everyday" household item. (unless you're allergic to peanut).
