Here's a couple of links you should check out:
1. The link is a thread by younglion who really has a handle on rendering and modeling cars. After the page loads, scroll down to the 4th reply and younglion has a link to a tutorial he wrote. I think it will help you some.
https://forum.simplymaya.com/showthre...5&pagenumber=5
2. This is a thread that younglion has in the WIP section, look through all the pages to get some more tips and such.
https://forum.simplymaya.com/showthre...&pagenumber=19
Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!