- Jan 21, 2007
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I am often asked by those new to detailing, "How do I get started?".
We often get carried away with post on details of exotics such as:
Porsche GT2...
Ferrari 355...
Porsche GT3...
Or extreme makeovers on more mundane but no less important rides such as:
Honda Accord...
Honda Civic (at one of our many detailing clinics)...
Nissan Latio...
BUT what the average car owner wants to know is how to properly care for their precious rides.
All of the examples posted above require a professional grade rotary polisher with the rights products and pads to achieve, as the defects shown above are all BELOW the surface of the paint or in other words, the lines or swirls seen in the pictures are actually scratches. The only way to 'remove' them is to level the surrounding paint down to the same level as the lowest point of the scratch so that the paint is completely level again and hence free of scratches or swirls.
Which is why great care must be taken to ensure that your cars paint is NOT scratched in the first place!!!
HOW TO GET STARTED? Stop scratching your paint!!!
With the right set of products and tools, ANYONE will be able to clean ABOVE the surface of the paint while minimizing and chance of scratching the paint itself.
In summary, detailing is cleaning without damaging the paint.
STEP 1: CLEAN
Get a quality car shampoo that is specifically formulated to clean automotive surfaces without damaging the surface of the paint. (Hint: if all detergents and cleaners are the same we would all be washing our cars with dishwashing detergent). The best car shampoos should clean and yet not strip off any existing protective sealant or wax which is applied to protect the paint. There are also rinse less and waterless washes available on the market to make cleaning your car even quicker and more convenient.
When washing, take particular care to constantly clean the washing medium whether it is a MF towel or a car cleaning sponge regularly and also to wash the cleanest sections of the car first (from top to bottom) to ensure that any scratching that could be caused by the dirt that is being removed is minimized. The idea is to minimize any possibility of scratching. A separate bucket of water to rinse off the washing medium would also separate the dirt from the washing solution.
For more stubborn stains, it is advisable to get a stronger paint safe cleaner that is able to remove the stains without requiring any rubbing or excessive pressure which will caused...... scratches! The proper cleaning products make the job of cleaning effortless.
Automotive clay can then be used with a lubricant to safely remove any bonded contaminants on the surface of the paint as well.
Once the surface is totally clean, it is now time for STEP 2.
STEP 2: PROTECT
After cleaning the next step is to protect the surface of the paint. This step is often the favorite for many detailers as there are many, many, many different products that can be used and detailing forums are filled with much discussion about the gloss and protective properties of these products. This might be a valid discussion if you are detailing a show car but for a daily driver, this is where I beg to defer.
The most important property for a daily driven car is that the protection is FAST and EASY to apply!
There is no point in using a wax that contains various exotic ingredients and claims to give the deepest, wettest gloss if it has to be kept in a refridegerator, warmed by body heat before being applied with your bare hands, left to cure for a few hours and finally removed by gently misting the cured wax with chilled mountain spring water before being removed with a pure organic lambs wool mitt..... All of which takes hours and hours of your precious time! Then you decide that it would probably be better to layer your protection and you start the process all over again!!!???!!!
I don't doubt that this 'might' give you the deepest gloss and shine possible but if you drive your car daily, our weather will decimate your wax in no time and will soon require another day or so of your time to reapply it again!!!
To me, for a daily driven car it is imperative that whatever choice of protection you choose that it is fast and easy to apply as nothing beats topping up your cars protection regularly as this not only ensures that your cars protective layer keeps up with the degradation caused by our harsh environment but it also makes it easier to clean as well. An application every week or every two weeks would be ideal.
Another big thing is to check whether your choice of protection has the potential to stain any plastic or rubber trim on your car as that would also add to the difficulty and time required to apply the product.
STEP 3: MAINTAIN
After painstakingly cleaning and protecting your cars paint, it is now time to consider maintaining it properly to extend the window when another heavy cleaning is required.
Regular washing should be carried out with a product that doesn't strip off the protection that you so painstakingly applied in STEP 2. A quick detailer can also be considered to help clean a lightly soiled surface while boosting the gloss and protection of what has already been applied.
Once you have mastered 1, 2, 3 and you want to progress further then it would be time to learn STEP 4: CORRECTION.....
But thats the subject of another thread....
Cheers and happy detailing!
We often get carried away with post on details of exotics such as:
Porsche GT2...
Ferrari 355...
Porsche GT3...
Or extreme makeovers on more mundane but no less important rides such as:
Honda Accord...
Honda Civic (at one of our many detailing clinics)...
Nissan Latio...
BUT what the average car owner wants to know is how to properly care for their precious rides.
All of the examples posted above require a professional grade rotary polisher with the rights products and pads to achieve, as the defects shown above are all BELOW the surface of the paint or in other words, the lines or swirls seen in the pictures are actually scratches. The only way to 'remove' them is to level the surrounding paint down to the same level as the lowest point of the scratch so that the paint is completely level again and hence free of scratches or swirls.
Which is why great care must be taken to ensure that your cars paint is NOT scratched in the first place!!!
HOW TO GET STARTED? Stop scratching your paint!!!
With the right set of products and tools, ANYONE will be able to clean ABOVE the surface of the paint while minimizing and chance of scratching the paint itself.
In summary, detailing is cleaning without damaging the paint.
STEP 1: CLEAN
Get a quality car shampoo that is specifically formulated to clean automotive surfaces without damaging the surface of the paint. (Hint: if all detergents and cleaners are the same we would all be washing our cars with dishwashing detergent). The best car shampoos should clean and yet not strip off any existing protective sealant or wax which is applied to protect the paint. There are also rinse less and waterless washes available on the market to make cleaning your car even quicker and more convenient.
When washing, take particular care to constantly clean the washing medium whether it is a MF towel or a car cleaning sponge regularly and also to wash the cleanest sections of the car first (from top to bottom) to ensure that any scratching that could be caused by the dirt that is being removed is minimized. The idea is to minimize any possibility of scratching. A separate bucket of water to rinse off the washing medium would also separate the dirt from the washing solution.
For more stubborn stains, it is advisable to get a stronger paint safe cleaner that is able to remove the stains without requiring any rubbing or excessive pressure which will caused...... scratches! The proper cleaning products make the job of cleaning effortless.
Automotive clay can then be used with a lubricant to safely remove any bonded contaminants on the surface of the paint as well.
Once the surface is totally clean, it is now time for STEP 2.
STEP 2: PROTECT
After cleaning the next step is to protect the surface of the paint. This step is often the favorite for many detailers as there are many, many, many different products that can be used and detailing forums are filled with much discussion about the gloss and protective properties of these products. This might be a valid discussion if you are detailing a show car but for a daily driver, this is where I beg to defer.
The most important property for a daily driven car is that the protection is FAST and EASY to apply!
There is no point in using a wax that contains various exotic ingredients and claims to give the deepest, wettest gloss if it has to be kept in a refridegerator, warmed by body heat before being applied with your bare hands, left to cure for a few hours and finally removed by gently misting the cured wax with chilled mountain spring water before being removed with a pure organic lambs wool mitt..... All of which takes hours and hours of your precious time! Then you decide that it would probably be better to layer your protection and you start the process all over again!!!???!!!
I don't doubt that this 'might' give you the deepest gloss and shine possible but if you drive your car daily, our weather will decimate your wax in no time and will soon require another day or so of your time to reapply it again!!!
To me, for a daily driven car it is imperative that whatever choice of protection you choose that it is fast and easy to apply as nothing beats topping up your cars protection regularly as this not only ensures that your cars protective layer keeps up with the degradation caused by our harsh environment but it also makes it easier to clean as well. An application every week or every two weeks would be ideal.
Another big thing is to check whether your choice of protection has the potential to stain any plastic or rubber trim on your car as that would also add to the difficulty and time required to apply the product.
STEP 3: MAINTAIN
After painstakingly cleaning and protecting your cars paint, it is now time to consider maintaining it properly to extend the window when another heavy cleaning is required.
Regular washing should be carried out with a product that doesn't strip off the protection that you so painstakingly applied in STEP 2. A quick detailer can also be considered to help clean a lightly soiled surface while boosting the gloss and protection of what has already been applied.
Once you have mastered 1, 2, 3 and you want to progress further then it would be time to learn STEP 4: CORRECTION.....
But thats the subject of another thread....
Cheers and happy detailing!
