The best thing to use is a plush microfiber towel and dab the car dry instead of wiping it. It sounds like it'll make the process longer/harder but if you flood the paint on your final rinse then there'll be very little water left on the car. You can pay lots of money for microfiber towels but I highly recommend saving a few bucks and going to Target and picking up some VROOM brand towels. They make a huge plush microfiber that is perfect for drying your car, it's what I use on mine and I love it. No lint, very soft, plush towel and absorbs so much that you could dry the whole car and not have to wring it out.

 

This is what a Dealership Considers a Showroom Finish


This is what the Average Person Would Consider a Showcar Finish.


But below is what I consider a Proper Finish - A Flawless Finish!



The secret is not how much product you use, rather how level you can put the product on so that it reflects the light perfectly. For that is the only difference between the middle picture and the bottom picture. The top picture was hand applied products and buffed off with micro-fiber towels. The middle picture the products were applied with a standard 10" rotary buffer and buffed off with microfiber towels, the bottom picture the products were applied with a High Speed Cable & Porter DA and buffed off with both microfiber bonnets (DA) and by finished with a hand microfiber towel.

By the way, the top was Meguiar products by hand, the middle a mixture of Meguiars and Mothers, and the bottom was simply Mothers 123 system. The products do not matter, it is the method of application and the method of product removal. THE SECRET IS LEVELING THE FINISH to reflect the most light.

 

First I use Clay Bar. Then I use Meguiers #9 Swril Remover polish with a porter cable orbital buffer. Then I use Meguiers NXT Tech Wax 2.0. I have to drive my car to shows also, so I use Final Detail quick detail spray from Meguiers. Then I use Meguiers NXT vinyl protectant in the wheel wells and dashboard and then Meguires Hot shine tire spray. I take along a small car vac that plugs into the cig lighter to vaccum up any particles. I always use micro fiber towels and have specific towels for clay bar, polish, and wax. Before a show I sometimes throw some Turtle Wax ICE Polish for a final touch. (The stuff dosent last long so that's why I give Monte good wax job as a base).

 

Here is my method, I wash and wax the car and vacumm the day before a show as the sun is going down that way its not too hot outside.

Then you get to the show a hour or two early to register and get a good parking spot and set up and detail your car before the show stars, I use a spray detailer by meguiars on the hood bumper roofand sides of car and wipe witha microfiber towel.

Then I take rain x and go over the outside of the windows, because when driving your gonna get dust or stuff on your glass when you drive to the show.

Then I take mothers plastic polish and put this on the the headlights andthen wipe it off with a microfiber towel, and then i do the tail lights the same.

After that I use the meguairsextreme tire shinethat issprays like a spray can so its easy to get on the tires and makes them shine alot. Then take a wheel polish like mine I take mothers chrome and do mywheel lip and then use the microfiber towel to take it off. I usethe meguirs detail spray on my black caps andwipe them off.

Thats all you got to do, it sounds like alot but it really isn'tonce you get your routine down and keep up thecar washesonce a week.

Also hereis a tip have to sets offloor mats one set thats niceand clean for shows and oneset for every say driving. Thats how the mats stay really clean. take out the old ones in the morning and put the mats for show before you get to there.

It takes me a hour to go over the car before a show and have it ready. Wash wax vacummwash wheels and engine night before detail in the morning and your good.Best of luck at the shows.