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Detailed a neighbor's PT Cruiser two days ago. Was a spectacular day with cool, dry air and crystal clear skies. Everything dried fast. The car was not terribly dirty or beat up; it just needed a good cleaning and buffing the surface. So here is my process:
1. cleaned the interior first. Lots of hard plastic with leather seats. Used vinyl cleaner on the plastic and Meguiar's leather cleaner on the seats. Vacuumed thoroughly. I spent about 2 hours on the interior. Also cleaned all the windows.
2. Cleaned the wheels. As you can see in the picture, they were dirty with brake dust. I was unable to remove it all, even after spraying and washing twice and polishing with metail polish. 
3. Rinsed off the entire car and washed it. I used a very soft brush to gently wash the canvas top. Still got alot of fuzz on top.
4. I clayed the entire car. I am always amazed at how much dirt claying removed from the finish. Then I wash the car again. This assures me that I start with a very clean surface.
5. Tape off trim.
6. Buffed out the surface with #80. I had to change pads three times. I had let two pads get too saturated with product and they wouldn't spin if I applied even the lightest pressure.
7. Waxed by hand using NXT 2.o. I find hand-waxing is faster and less tiring than using the PCDA.
Results? My customer was very satisfied, especially with the interior. Since this is a cream-colored car and the sun was directly overhead, it was difficult to get a good reflection shot. Here is one:
Total time was around seven hours.
1. cleaned the interior first. Lots of hard plastic with leather seats. Used vinyl cleaner on the plastic and Meguiar's leather cleaner on the seats. Vacuumed thoroughly. I spent about 2 hours on the interior. Also cleaned all the windows.
2. Cleaned the wheels. As you can see in the picture, they were dirty with brake dust. I was unable to remove it all, even after spraying and washing twice and polishing with metail polish. 3. Rinsed off the entire car and washed it. I used a very soft brush to gently wash the canvas top. Still got alot of fuzz on top.
4. I clayed the entire car. I am always amazed at how much dirt claying removed from the finish. Then I wash the car again. This assures me that I start with a very clean surface.
5. Tape off trim.
6. Buffed out the surface with #80. I had to change pads three times. I had let two pads get too saturated with product and they wouldn't spin if I applied even the lightest pressure.
7. Waxed by hand using NXT 2.o. I find hand-waxing is faster and less tiring than using the PCDA.
Results? My customer was very satisfied, especially with the interior. Since this is a cream-colored car and the sun was directly overhead, it was difficult to get a good reflection shot. Here is one:
Total time was around seven hours.
Did you use a cleaner and protectant on the ragtop?
on, people! 
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