Car Care: The Details of Detailing--Washing a Vehicle

Stan, a Beverly Hills Car Washer for the Stars, shows viewers how to wash a Mercedes (which looked good dirty, for Trump's sake), while offering occasionally weird drill sergeant commentary such as "don't ever lean on an automobile." Viewers will learn how to clean a floor mat and wipe a dashboard (no big secrets revealed here), as well as wash a vehicle using water (but no soap), a chamois, and a Turkish towel. While washing a car is, admittedly, not exactly trigonometry, serious car buffs will gain a few pointers on cleaning inside door jambs and that notorious dust collector, the trunk lid. Of course, people who really care about their cars either a) hire guys like Stan and don't need this level of detailed instruction or, b) already spend more time caressing their cars than their significant others. And people like me (I drive a second-hand 1986 Hyundai Excel, whose appearance, quite frankly, would put Stan into shock) approach the car wash issue pretty much the same way we approach a pinball machine: with a pocketful of quarters. Two other titles in the series are also available: Interior Detailing ($24.95) and Buffing & Waxing ($29.95). For those who are really serious about keeping their cars ship-shape (and didn't learn all of this from the only truly meaningful afternoons spent with Dad), this is worth considering. Optional. Aud: H, P. (R. Pitman)