Why Detail?
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT
You may be buying a brand new car or a used car and that was money hard earned money spent. Some people save for a car for years, maybe even decades so having your car regularly detailed is a great way to keep it looking as good or better than the day you bought it. Detailing is like any other maintenance on a car, it is done to prevent the breaking down of the clear coat on your car, prevents plastics from fading prematurely, keeps the car looking its best and minimizes interior wear. Just like anything else you maintain it will last longer and have more value when it is taken care of. Preserving the car’s appearance and resale value: Having the car on a regular detail schedule is a great way to keep the car looking newer longer. Using proper techniques and quality products will ensure that the car is being protected. Using a quality wax, sealant or coating on the exterior surfaces will help preserve the paint underneath. Not only does the wax, sealant or coating protect the underlying surfaces from the sun’s UV rays, it also makes washing the car much easier and the paint stays glossy. When the paint has some sort of protection on it less dirt and buildup sticks to the actual surface of the vehicle. This means that it’s less likely to develop heavy scratches, swirls or marring of the paint from excessive buildup of surface contaminants. The exterior plastics will not fade as quickly when protected and the rubber seals will remain soft and hydrated so they will not dry out as quickly. Interiors greatly benefit from regular detailing. The plastics need to be protected from the sun as well. Make sure any product you or your detailer use has some sort of UV protection. This can prevent cracking and fading of the dash, door panels, center console and rear deck lid area. If you have leather be sure a good conditioner or coating is applied regularly to prevent drying out and cracking. If a coating is applied to leather it will help prevent dye transfer from clothes onto the seats and makes clean up very easy. Cloth seats and carpet should be regularly vacuumed to prevent the cloth from becoming matted down. This will also prevent buildup of odors or dust in the car.
PREVENT INTERIOR ODOR
Interior odors can be caused by a number of things.. Lotions can be transferred from skin to interior surfaces, dust from outside and eating in the car seem to be the main cause of odors. Most of these causes are unavoidable. Running errands, driving to work, road trips and keeping the kids happy are things that happen in everyday life. Even being as careful as possible remnants will remain and over time can make the car smell. Getting these particles out of the car as quickly as possible is the best way to prevent odors from becoming hard to remove. A regular vacuuming and wipe down will aid in the prevention of odor buildup. Always be sure that the area under and next to the front seats since dirt, food and dust loves to hide in those areas . Anything on your shoes or clothes will also be transferred into the fabric and can cause odor. This again is why regular cleaning is so important. Fabric coatings can aid in preserving the interior as well. They make spills easy to clean up and prevent staining. Some odors are harder than others to tackle even with regular maintenance. Smoke odor is extremely hard to prevent from soaking into the interior surfaces. Most people who smoke don’t notice it as they are accustomed to it over time. If you do choose to smoke in your car it’s more important than ever to regularly clean the interior. If an interior is smoked in and neglected there is more than likely irreversible damage to certain surfaces and an odor that is virtually impossible to remove. It keeps your car clean and fresh and more importantly it’s better for your personal health. If you have a dog then using a seat cover that covers the seat they sit in helps oils and odors from there fur transferring to the seats. The fur is less likely to stick into the seats when they aren’t sitting directly on the seat itself. The hair will still get on the interior surfaces but the covers catches most of it and makes cleaning it up easier.
RESELL VALUE
When it comes to selling the car there is no doubt that a properly cared for car fetches more than one that just had the bare minimum to keep it going. When a prospective buyer comes to see your vehicle and it’s been properly detailed they will more than likely know you have cared for the car they are about to buy. It gives them a boost of confidence in the purchase. This also will deter tire kickers and low balling from happening when it comes to price. Clearly you cared for the car and it can’t be compared to the condition of other vehicles on the market.
Why Should You Wash Your Car?
Washing and drying is the foundation of any detail, whether it’s simply maintaining your vehicle with a wash and dry or the start of a long detailing process. It’s often overlooked that properly washing and drying your vehicle is the single most important step in any detailing process. This is due to the fact that most imperfections (swirls, scratches, water spots, etc.) are added to your paint during the washing and drying phase. With the proper tools, products and technique, you can easily minimize adding imperfections to your paint.
How Often Should You Wash Your Car?
We recommend washing once every week or two.
What Does a Clay Bar Do?
Using a clay bar will remove embedded surface contamination that still remains after a maintenance wash. Sometimes the contamination removed is not always visible on the paint to the naked eye. After using a clay bar on your paint you will be left with a surface that is as smooth as glass and properly prepped. It is now ready for polish or for you to apply layers of protection. Not only can you clay your vehicles paint, but glass, wheels, lights and more.
How Often Should You Clay Bar?
We recommend using a clay bar roughly twice a year, or before details where you plan on polishing the paint. If your car is subject to industrial fallout or heavily contaminated areas, using a clay bar more often may be required.
Why Polish Your Car?
Polishing is the step in the detailing process that yields the most dramatic difference in your paint’s appearance. The objective of polishing is to remove imperfections in the clear coat that cause the paint to look dull. Surface imperfections can include swirls, scratches, water spots, etchings, industrial fallout, oxidation, etc. These surface imperfections cause light to fragment instead of passing directly through the clear coat yielding less gloss and depth. When these imperfections are removed, you will reveal the true potential of your vehicle’s paint. A swirl mark is a very thin and shallow scratch on the surface of your paint, that often comes from washing and drying improperly. Waxes, sealants and most glazes will not permanently remove these surface imperfections at best they will hide them temporarily. To eliminate these imperfections safely and permanently you want to polish the surface starting with a less aggressive polish and using more aggressive polishes as needed. The chemical polishing agents and/or the polishing particles will safely remove the extremely fine imperfections.
When To Polish Your Car
We recommend only polishing as needed, which is typically around one to two times per year during a full detail. After a thorough multiple step polishing process has been completed you can maintain the finish properly using the correct washing and drying products and techniques. Keeping the paint in good condition will ensure it needs less frequent polishing.
What Does Glaze Do?
A glaze is often an optional step of the detailing process, but when used correctly can help add an additional layer of gloss and depth to the paint. Glazes are essentially polishes that leave behind oils, kaolin clay or some other substance that is designed to increase the depth and gloss while being able to mask or hide some minor imperfections in the paint. Glazes are great products to use right before a car show as it can help increase the depth and gloss, especially on lighter colored vehicles where this is often hard to accomplish. One of the downsides of using a glaze is that it may reduce a sealant or wax’s ability to bond to the paint with its maximum potential. The sealant and wax will still protect very well, it just may not last quite as long as it would if it was used on the bare paint. Many people’s expectations are often too high when it comes to a glaze filling in minor imperfections. If your car is filled with swirls and scratches, you are much better off investing in a polish to remove the marks, which is also a permanent fix, the results from a glaze are temporary. Your car should be washed, clayed, and polished prior to using a glaze for optimal results.
Do I Need To Apply Glaze?
It’s never absolutely necessary to apply a glaze so it can be done as little as you would like or as much as you would like. For best results we recommend applying a glaze during a full detail, therefore it would be after washing, clay and polishing and before your sealant and/or wax. At a minimum make sure the vehicle has been freshly washed, apply the glaze and lastly apply the sealant and/or wax of your choice.
What Do Sealants Do?
The primary purpose of a sealant is to properly protect your vehicle from the elements. Sealants are designed to bond to your paint and provide roughly 3 to 6 months of protection. This is significantly longer protection than what a carnauba wax offers, which is typically 3 to 8 weeks. The barrier of protection that sealants provide help minimize contamination from embedding into your paint and makes maintaining your vehicle significantly easier. Another benefit of a sealant is that it will enhance the look of your paint by giving you sharper reflections and more depth and gloss.
How Long Do Sealants Last?
In general, sealants typically last between 3 to 6 months. There are many factors that go into determining how long a sealant will last. Some of the major factors are if your car is stored in a garage or outside, how many miles are driven, the type of weather conditions your vehicle is exposed to, how well your paint was prepped prior to applying the sealant, the frequency of washing your vehicle, and type of shampoo. The key is to reapply your coat of protection before the previous coat runs out. As you maintain your vehicle, keep an eye out for how well the water beads and sheets off your paint. If water begins to pool on your paint, then chances are there is little to no protection remaining and it’s advised to apply another coat of sealant. A good rule of thumb is to reapply a coat of sealant once a season (4 times a year).
What Does Wax Do?
Carnauba waxes are a great way to protect your vehicle against the elements. Carnauba waxes often offer stronger protection than sealants do, but will not last as long. Waxes typically last 3 to 8 weeks, where a sealant can last up to 6 months. Carnauba waxes often bead water better than sealants, which makes your vehicle easier to maintain. Carnauba waxes are what you want to use when you want the absolute wettest finish possible.
How Often Should You Wax Your Car?
In general, carnauba waxes will last anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks. There are many factors that go into determining how long a wax will last. Some of the major factors are if your car is stored in a garage or outside, how many miles are driven, the type of weather conditions your vehicle is exposed to, how well your paint was prepped prior to applying the wax, the frequency of washing your vehicle, and type of shampoo. The key is to re-apply your coat of protection before the previous coat runs out. As you maintain your vehicle, keep an eye out for how well the water beads and sheets off your paint. If water begins to pool and look flat on your paint, then chances are there is little to no protection remaining and it’s advised to apply another coat of wax. A good rule of thumb is to re-apply a carnauba once a month (12 times a year).
