I then proceed to wash the rest of the car to let the engine dry as much as it can by itself. I then help it dry by taking an old bath towel.
After drying:
For a dressing and protectant I love to use Armor All Tire Foam. I am fairly generous with the amount used.
After applying foam:
If the weather is warm, I let the foam dry and do it's work by itself. Since today it was only about 50*'s, I cranked up the engine and let the tire foam "bake" on the engine for approximately 5-10 min.
After sitting for about 30 min:
Wheel, Tire, and Fender Well Cleaning
This is usually my first step went not cleaning the engine. Reason is the same as the engine. Overspray with chemicals can be washed off when washing the car AFTER the wheels.
Wheel, Tire before:
First thing I do is rinse and spray the wheels, tires, and fender well. I then squirt the fender well and tire with Purple Power diluted 1:1. I then spray the wheel itself with Meguiar's Wheel Brightener diluted 4:1.
I use a Mother's fender well brush to agitate and scrub the fender wells.
Next I scrub the tires with a heavy duty coarse Meguiar's tire brush:
I then use a soft Mr. Clean wheel brush to clean the wheels. This is something I found at a local retail store for something like $2.00. It's extremely soft and I absolutely love it.
