Speaking of glass, there are some tricks we've learned. A good coat of Rain-X really does keep bugs, ice, wet snow, road grime, and yes, even rain, from sticking to the windshield.
Over the years, we have discovered an interesting phenomenon: if you can't clean your truck, at least do the tires and wheels. For some reason, clean rubber makes everything look better. There are several products by Mothers, Armor All, Meguiar's, and Turtle Wax that will remove some of the brake dust and road grime from rims and rubber with just a hose, but what it really takes is a stiff brush and elbow grease. We have found that a bead of Soft Scrub and a stiff, natural bristle brush works the best on sidewalls. Carrand and Clean Tools offer a selection of specialized wheel and tire brushes.
Once your tires are clean and dry, there are many products that will restore the glossy black look of old rubber. Which one you use is really a matter of choice. How much shine do you want? Is it the look of John's Used Car Lot you're seeking, or do you, like us, just want the tires to look like new? Vinylex by Lexol, Mothers Protectant, and Turtle Wax F21 give us the look we like, but our favorite is still the original Armor All. The trick is, you can't just spray any of these products on and walk away. To get the new-tire look, you need to wipe it on and buff it off.
If you've let your aluminum wheels become scratched or pitted, there are some great tools and products that will bring them back to a blinding shine. Polishes by X-Treem Products, Griot's Garage, Flitz, and Mothers work well. Flitz and Mothers have drill-powered buffing wheels to speed up the process. The Mothers PowerBall MD Mini is specifically made for taking scratches out of aluminum
Now that everything is spiffy, it's time for a good wax job. There are so many choices from companies like Mothers, Protect All, Griot's Garage, Turtle Wax, and Meguiar's-it can boggle your mind. What it often amounts to is how much work you want, how long you want it to last, and what results you want. Some products claim to do everything in one step: wash, clean, seal, wax, and polish. Others may involve different products for each of those steps. Providing your paintjob is not over oxidized or otherwise trashed, for ease of application, we especially like The Wax Shop Super Glaze and Turtle Wax Platinum Series waxes, which don't leave a white powdery residue on rubber trim. Many of these companies have excellent instructional DVDs, like Griot's Garage, or informative websites like Meguiar's how-to resource (www.meguiars.com/howtocenter/) and Mothers car care discussion group (www.waxforum.com).
Now we'll turn our attention to the interior. There are several one-step foams and liquids for leather out there, but we like the two-step approach. First clean, and then protect. Lexol has always been our favorite. Lexol Cleaner is used first, followed by Lexol leather conditioner. For dust and static-free cleaning of the dash and other plastic parts, Lexol Vinylex is excellent. Floor mats can be renewed with almost any good carpet-cleaning product. Coleman white gas camping fuel will remove stubborn grease stains.
 The Bucket Taxi rolls behind...  The Bucket Taxi rolls behind you to carry stuff like a wheel brush and a Water Blade--or a can of beer--and the center will hold a full bucket of soapy water. |  The Water Blade's patented...  The Water Blade's patented T-Bar silicone edge easily removes 90 percent of all water from most surfaces in seconds. |  The Reach & Clean wand's multipurpose...  The Reach & Clean wand's multipurpose pads can reach where your hand has never gone. |