galleries and fun

body care and detailing

First view across hood	Second view across hood (less glare)
Fender reflection	Feeling a little "self reflective"

You bought an Xterra, which can't be more than a few years old at this point - so why not keep it looking nice? A little maintenance from time to time called "detailing" will ensure that your truck stays looking fresh, improves resale value and prevents rust and corrosion. Here are a few tips that I generally go by:

• If you drop a sponge, mitt or rag on the ground - use a new one if feasible or wash it out very thoroughly if not. You don't want it picking up dirt and grit from the ground and rubbing scratches into your paint! Use two sponges, or a new and old one in rotation. Use the "good sponge" for the body and body only. Use the other or older sponge for wheel wells, rocker panels, bumpers, wheels - anything low down on the truck, where heavier dirt and grit usually lurk.
• Always give the truck a thorough hosing off under pressure from the hose before laying a sponge to it, to get as much loose grit off as possible. You might even want to wash some of the obvious funk off by quickly rubbing your hand over under running water.
• Use only specific car wash soap and never dishwashing liquid as it will remove all the wax from your finish! Occasionally when I'm going to do a full clean, polish and wax job I'll use it to "start fresh" as it were, and remove all the old wax first.
• After you wash, use a chamois to dry it - again, don't do this in the sun if you can avoid it, and keep the truck wet all over until you're done washing and start to dry it to prevent water spots and attracting dust to your freshly cleaned truck.
• If, after washing and drying the truck - the paint still feels kind of rough, bumpy or anything other than smooth - you might want to look into a clay bar product or try applying a cleaner product. I recommend Meguiar's "Deep Crystal Cleaner (#1)" for this. I usually use cleaner twice a year.
• After using a cleaner especially, but also ever other time you wax the truck, use a polish. I recommend Meguiar's "Deep Crystal Polish (#2)" for this, or go one step better and get the "Show Car Glaze (#7)."
• Finally, to protect your paint and hard efforts, apply a quality wax product thinly and evenly. Do this every other month or so, and you can do the truck in sections (hood and front fenders one wash, doors the next, etc.). I recommend Meguiar's "Deep Crystal Wax (#3)" or better yet, "Hi-Tech Yellow Wax (#26)."

paint care products and tips

• All three Meguiar's products mentioned above form the "three step program" and when used in procession on your X, is guaranteed to leave you with one squeaky, shiny clean truck. Aside from the cleaner, using the better products for steps #2 and #3 will give you better results, IMO and the better wax definitely lasts longer.
• Apply paint care products with dedicated applicators of the cotton terry-wrapped sponge variety, which should be damp and turned frequently. Occasionally wash the applicator briefly with the hose when you've used both surfaces completely. As with the towels for removing product, always keep the working surface fresh.
• Go buy a bag of cotton terry cloth rags, 100% cotton, made in the USA. They come in about a dozen to a bag. Rip the labels from each one, as they might cause swirls. Always wash these towels without fabric softener in the washer or dryer and use them ONLY for removing cleaner, polish or wax. Fold them in half, and then half again, using each surface for a brief period while turning it occasionally under your hand as well. Change/fold surfaces frequently and use each one of the entire towel (eight altogether).
• When applying or removing product, do so in a straight, back-and-forth motion from front-to-back of the truck. Do NOT use the circular pattern as you may have seen in the past. This leads to swirls, or at the very least - more obvious ones since circles reflect light more easily than lines would. It's all visual, here.

engine detailing

Keeping the outside of the truck fresh is only part of detailing. Every now and then it's a good idea to take a look under the hood and see how the engine looks. Keeping it looking new isn't as hard as it may seem and only occasionally requires any real effort, unless you off-road frequently. You'll need a can of Gunk "Foamy Brite Engine Cleaner" and a can of CD2 "Engine Detailer" for the process and just follow along below:

1. Start with a hot engine and prop open the hood
2. Spray engine evenly with Gunk and allow to sit for a half hour
3. Rinse everything off thoroughly with a hose
4. Start and run engine to operating temperature
5. Allow engine to dry and cool fully
6. Apply CD2 "Engine Detailer" liberally and evenly to engine
7. Allow detailer to set for a half hour or so

To keep the engine looking clean between detailings, simply hose off a COLD engine every other wash or so, lightly. Don't forget under the hood, too. You can wash there easily enough with a soapy sponge occasionally.

maintaining glass (water spot removal)

If you're not careful about drying your X after it gets wet, such as after rainstorms, off-roading, snow or the occasional "rinse and drive" method of quick detailing... You might end up with some "water spots" on your glass. They are formed when the water evaporates and leaves trace mineral elements behind, or attracts airborne contaminants and pollutants. You don't see them on the paint as often if you regularly wax, as that keeps them from building up. So how do you restore your glass to factory-new condition?

I've tried Rain-X "Glass Polish" alone, Meguiar's "Deep Crystal Cleaner (#1)," vinegar, Windex and some other specialty glass cleaner. None of them seem to cut through really heavy water spots but all work to prevent them, if used regularly.

The solution is to take a new razor blade in one of those holders that you see at liquor stores for cutting cases (forming a T handle kind of deal) and scrape the windows! The stuff scrapes off (you can hear, feel and see the spots) but may require a lot of scraping. Take care with the blade so that it stays parallel to the glass - do NOT allow the corners to angle too much, or you could potentially scratch the glass. Likewise, don't use an old blade that could be a little funky. Frequently wipe off the grit from the surface of the glass and the razor blade as you go.

Basically, what you end up with is glass as smooth as a baby's ass once again, perhaps with slight "staining" (trace residue) where some of the spots have been. Now use the Rain-X "Glass Polish" and apply to a dry window with a damp applicator until it dries to a white residue. Using a sponge and running water, wash off the residue and marvel at the sheeting action of the water on your newly polished glass! You may need to repeat this polishing process until all traces of the water spots are gone.

Now that the glass is crystal clear and smooth again, how do you protect it? Many folks rave about Rain-X, but in my experience (and of many others) all it does is leave a streaky, funky residue behind and application of the product is a pain in the ass. Instead, use regular wax! Just wax your glass along with the rest of the body.

carpet and upholstery

Cleaning your carpet and upholstery is generally pretty straightforward. My favorite tool for the job is a "Dirt Devil" handheld vacuum. Since it's like a miniature real vacuum, it's got the rotating brushes underneath and also a hose/nozzle arrangement. Great if you have animals in your truck or go infrequently in between cleanings. What about more stubborn stuff?

They make these weird rubber "sponges" that you rub over fabrics. The thing picks up the hair/fur pretty well, but not great. You have to wash 'em off under water occasionally to get the stubborn hair/fur off of IT.

The Nissan water resistant seat covers are SO worth it if you shuttle animals or children around in the vehicle. Take them out and wash them - easy! Also protects your seat fabrics from harm. You can wash them in a washing machine on the gentle cycle, or soak them down with a hose, spray Simple Green on them and let them soak for ten, fifteen minutes. If you have stubborn stains, use a bristled brush and follow the grain of the fabric. Finally, rinse clean thoroughly and hang up to dry completely. Once dry, apply a good, even coat of ScotchGard(TM) Fabric Protector and repeat application once or twice a year.

Odors from pets, smoking, food and people(!) can be handled with a judicious application of Fabreeze, found in your local grocery store's cleaning aisle. Lysol occasionally is another good alternative and keeps things unfunky and can also be sprayed into the fresh air intake in front of your windshield while the A/C is on high (and not on "recirc mode") to get rid of that musty smell.

special area of attention

There is a tiny, almost invisible seam at the very bottom front - of each front door. You might notice that there is some funk stuck in there, and possibly wet, which isn't too good. If this area remains funky and wet long enough, you'll surely get rust there! This applies mostly to people that off-road, or park under trees, etc. - that is, you have a lot of debris that can get washed down into this rain channel.

The trick is to open both driver/passenger doors, and hose down very thoroughly the gap that's in between the front outer and inner fender (engine compartment). At the bottom, in between the two sit a piece of black plastic. All these pieces-parts terminate at the bottom, where there's a thin seam for the water to escape, and can also trap dirt!

Pay extra attention to wash this area out after runs or when you wash the truck!