Now that I have a new CR-V. I wanted to get some general feedback on taking good care of it. A refresher. I do not know about other car owners but it feels like over the years you forget about the things that can help keep a car in good shape. It's been 8 years!

The car dealership offered one of the Simoniz polyurethane car coating. I didn't think it was worth $600. And it probably will not make a huge difference with out without it. BTW - what kind of coating is on the car anyway?

1. What is the best way to take care of the car in the winter time? The car will be parked outside but in a covered spot. What is the best way to clear the snow without scratching the finish? I used a brush and didn't realize till after I cleared the snow that it left these faint scratches on the surface.

2. Car washing. I assume a car wash that has the pressure water/soap sprays is best. These handless car wash places also uses these huge mechanical spinning chamois brushes during towards the end of the cleaning cycle. Is this bad? The dealer said to stay away from chamois and hand drying. He says that any stray dirt would be simply rubbed into the surface causing scratches. So should I even avoid the going to car washes that manually waxes the cars?

3. As for the the rubber that runs along the car frame's window and sunroof. How do you keep them in good shape so they do not shrink/crack/dry up too quickly?

For general spot cleaning. Are Maguire products good for spot cleaning (e.g. tar, bird doo).