For better chance of winning, you can buy new set of tires for car show use only and reserve your inexpensive tires for daily use. Apply a tire cleaner that will allow the black rubber shine and take away any dirt that are stuck to the tires during transport. Cleaning the Interiors See to it that the interior of your car is clean and clutter free. Exterior detailing involves cleaning the whole outside of the car and making it a whole lot shinier. The paint, chrome trim, wheels, windows and tires are all treated to give it that special glow. Various auto detailers will need to use a variety of products like detail clay, wax, detergents, polishes and many cloths and applicators. Natural finishing wool, although costly, is recommended because it has a natural oil that lubricates the buffing process keeping the pads soft. Foam Pads Foam pads are used for light compounding and polishing. They don t cut nearly as much as wool pads but they generate more heat than the other. Foam pads are prepared for final polishing of the paint finish to get rid of the minor damage left over. Interior or Exterior Detailing? As noted above, each professional detailing company have their own field of specialization. Would you want interior or exterior detailing for your vehicle? Either way you choose, there are more options of services to choose from wherein they also differ in scope. This is one example of each company's specialization. Sadly though, these are not as effective as current specialized detailing machines that make your car look and seem brand new. Not only do the above mentioned traditional methods for car detailing lacking in cleaning power, it could also risk your vehicle to damaging car paint and developing scratches on the surface. Avoid masking off the trim for it will only increase your job significantly. Make sure to use compounds in the same way as you would a sandpaper and avoid applying more than 2' by 2' in a given area. But if you would like to stick with spot treatment for scratches or uneven paint, then try to focus application of compound within that given area.