Like many automobile enthusiasts, you probably find yourself wishing you could keep that bright, showroom shine all the time. The problem is, most people do not have the spare time to spend hours each week on their vehicle, and even more people do not have or do not want to spend the money for a detailing company to do the work for them.
The fact of the matter is, there are a handful of secrets, tips, and tricks that can make detailing easier, less time consuming, and longer lasting. You really do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on those 5-hour step-by-step kits you find in stores. With the right knowledge and a few basic items, you can have a professional looking detail job for a fraction of the cost and very little time commitment.
1. The Clay Bar
Clay bars have been a long-time secret employed by almost every detail shop in existence. In fact, it has been such a well-kept secret, that commercial, consumer-level detailing clay hadn't even seen the shelves until around 2003. This is, for sure, going to be one of your best tools when it comes to detailing your vehicle.
The trick to a solid, long-term detail job is applying polish and wax on the cleanest possible surface. When you wash your car with soap and water, you will notice that, after drying, you can rub your hand across the seemingly clean surface and feel tiny bumps. These are minor bits of road gunk and other imperfections, and that's where clay comes in - to remove this debris.
Detailing clay is used with a spray-on lubricant (usually silicon-based) and rubbed across the surface of the vehicle. The clay will pick up all the little bits of grime that normal washing leaves behind, and also strip away any remaining wax on the vehicle.
2. Multiple Polishes
Most detailing kits come with a single hand-applicable polish. A trick that many detailing shops use is to apply polish at more than one level, in multiple coats.
You will need to select the level of polish right for you, based on the condition of your vehicle. Typical use consists of using a medium-heavy polish that cuts into the clear coat fairly aggressively, and then a second coat with a very light polish to remove even the smallest scratches and marks.
3. Electric Polisher
The biggest, most effective tip in detailing your vehicle is to use an electric polisher. This step alone will greatly reduce the amount of time and arm work required to get the job done. One coat of polish by hand will generally take an experienced detailer about one hour, whereas using an electric polisher, that same coat can be applied in 15 minutes.
Many people never look into using a polisher because of fear of damaging their cars finish. That would be a valid concern with older style rotary buffers, but in the highly technological world of today, it is no longer a concern. Random orbital polishers are very gentle on paint, and can be used by a complete novice safely.
Look into applying these three tips, and your own car detailing can be easier, faster, and can last longer.
Thursday 17 December 2009
Wednesday 25 November 2009
Auto Detailing: Making A Used Car Look Like New
Auto detailing is a strategy and activity to make any used car look like new. Throughout the years, the practice has transformed into an art itself. Through auto detailing, an old and used car is transformed to look as if it is a brand new car in an effort to win the admiration of car onlookers.
Auto detailing is important to car grooming. In turn, this is very significant especially if the car owner is intending to divest or put up the car for sale. The old or used car definitely would not be attractive to potential buyers no matter what model it is if the overall physical and exterior appearance is not very appealing.
Prior to any auto detailing activity, there is a need to fully evaluate the car. When taking the usual and effective procedures to auto detailing, you surely would be asked to take three auto detailing primers. First and foremost would be the paint evaluation.
The exterior of the used car is the first recognizable and seen part of the vehicle. Impressions are made and unmade just by mere looking at and evaluating the car's exterior. Thus, for auto detailing, the initial aim is always to groom the car through good spray painting.
The second auto detailing procedure would be wheel and tire evaluation. Wheels of old cars usually suffer from black stains caused by the accumulation of tar from brake dust. If the wheels do not receive usual and regular washing and the necessary waxing, chances are greater that you need to spend more effort to groom the car parts.
Third consideration would be the car interior. After you have taken care of the exterior concerns, auto detailing would lastly require you to take care of the insides.
Remember that the car interior is the general indication of how the car has been used and taken care of the user. That is why as much as possible auto detailing would always set it as a goal to make the interior look very superior and in good shape, just like the exterior.
Here are additional simple tips that would surely help make auto detailing a worthwhile and more effective practice.
1. During the auto detailing procedure, make sure the car is in a shade, probably a cool garage or a roofed space. This is because majority of usual and effective auto detailing products like paint and wax do not work well when applied to hot surfaces. Thus, washing the car exterior under the sun is not as advisable as well.
2. When washing the car clean from the top first down to the bottom. The law of gravity would be self explanatory.
3. Do not wash or auto detail a car that has just been from the road. When using cold water when washing, remember that cold water can very much damage the car's hot parts, like the exhaust components, the brake rotors and the engine itself. Before auto detailing, let the hot car cool for about 20 minutes to half an hour.
4. Use detailing towel, brush or spray to wipe away excess wax on the car's exterior. It is inevitable that the wax would eventually form residue around the trim. Now you know how to remedy the situation.
As you carry on an auto detailing activity to make your car look new again, remember that through patience and determination, you can really make your car looking elegant and extravagant once again.
Thursday 19 November 2009
Tuesday 17 November 2009
How to Detail the Exterior of your Car
If you investigate you will find that there is no formal definition for taking care of the both the inside and outside of your vehicle. You would assume that there would be some common agreement on a process that may cost several hundred dollars. Most people assume that they know what car detailing means. Since there is not a common agreement on what car detailing, be careful when you ask someone to do it to your car. Insure they are planning on doing what you want and expect to receive. We suggest you ask very specific questions and understand what the company is planning on doing.
However there are certain common steps that are done in a typical car detailing project. Usually the average car detailing job consists of doing a thorough washing, cleaning, polishing and waxing the exterior of the vehicle. There should also be a through cleaning of the interior, but this article will not address those interior detailing techniques.
Some companies start on the exterior of the car, and others begin on the interior. Most of the professional detailers will begin on the interior. This is because if any of the chemicals used in the interior wind up on the outside of the car, they will be removed as part of the cleaning step.
Assuming we start on the exterior the first step in detailing is to wash the car to remove all heavy particles of dirt and related materials. This car detailing step removes surface contamination. Special soap are made for the car's paint and they are designed not to strip off the wax. If you use dishwashing soap, then you must rewax the car.
In the next step a Clay Bar is used with some type of liquid lubricant such as spray wax, window cleaner or sometimes even water. This step should remove road grime, tar, bugs, light rust, tree sap and even some paint over spray. Clay helps removes contamination that is embedded in the paint. The first two steps remove contaminates which are on and in the surface. A good detailing job should always have both of these steps as part of the process. If someone tells you that they do not do the claying step, you are not receiving a professional job.
The third most common step is polishing the vehicle. Polishing is a critical major step as it can usually remove oxidation, swirls, water deposits, light scratches and some other minor surface imperfections. A good car polish can be just a chemical that cleans the surface and removes oxidation for a new car. For heavier needs such as an older car which has been left in the sun a different type of polish containing various abrasive materials will be used. The most severe polish used in detailing is usually called rubbing compound. It looks like a heavy paste but acts like a very very fine sandpaper. Rubbing compound can remove too much paint if done incorrectly. This is why you want a professional to do your work. A professional will use a rotary buffer, while an amateur should use an orbital buffer which is less apt to remove too much paint. Remember that the goal of polishing is to give your car a deep shine. The next step protects the finish, but it does not create the shine.
The last major step in taking care of the exterior is the use of a sealant or a wax. The newest sealants are typically a polymer based product which seems to offer more durability from than the best wax. They are liquid based and applied like a liquid wax. One factor should be kept in mind if you want a sealant instead of wax. Sealants must not be applied over wax or any surface contamination, If you did it can slow down or stop the bonding of the sealant to the paint surface. There is always disagreement between owners if a chemical product or a real wax looks better. The wax can enhance the gloss of the paint and give it the appearance of depth.
You can apply a carnauba based wax or a synthetic wax. Car crazy owners and most owners who show their cars, are on a never ending quest to find the best wax to use. Some car waxes are even being sold today with instructions that should be applied with your bare hands. The heat from your hands rubbing in the wax is supposed to give you a better finish. I have never seen proof that this is a better wax than others.
There are various one-step products which claim to clean, polish and protect at the same time. A professional shop will never use these type of products because of the compromises that must be made for each one of the steps. Reports that I have seen suggest that the synthetic products for car detailing go on easier and last longer than pure wax. But don't try and convince most owners of this. On the typical car, either one will give you a great finish.
Taking care of the chrome, trim and tires must also be accomplished for that truly show car finish.
However there are certain common steps that are done in a typical car detailing project. Usually the average car detailing job consists of doing a thorough washing, cleaning, polishing and waxing the exterior of the vehicle. There should also be a through cleaning of the interior, but this article will not address those interior detailing techniques.
Some companies start on the exterior of the car, and others begin on the interior. Most of the professional detailers will begin on the interior. This is because if any of the chemicals used in the interior wind up on the outside of the car, they will be removed as part of the cleaning step.
Assuming we start on the exterior the first step in detailing is to wash the car to remove all heavy particles of dirt and related materials. This car detailing step removes surface contamination. Special soap are made for the car's paint and they are designed not to strip off the wax. If you use dishwashing soap, then you must rewax the car.
In the next step a Clay Bar is used with some type of liquid lubricant such as spray wax, window cleaner or sometimes even water. This step should remove road grime, tar, bugs, light rust, tree sap and even some paint over spray. Clay helps removes contamination that is embedded in the paint. The first two steps remove contaminates which are on and in the surface. A good detailing job should always have both of these steps as part of the process. If someone tells you that they do not do the claying step, you are not receiving a professional job.
The third most common step is polishing the vehicle. Polishing is a critical major step as it can usually remove oxidation, swirls, water deposits, light scratches and some other minor surface imperfections. A good car polish can be just a chemical that cleans the surface and removes oxidation for a new car. For heavier needs such as an older car which has been left in the sun a different type of polish containing various abrasive materials will be used. The most severe polish used in detailing is usually called rubbing compound. It looks like a heavy paste but acts like a very very fine sandpaper. Rubbing compound can remove too much paint if done incorrectly. This is why you want a professional to do your work. A professional will use a rotary buffer, while an amateur should use an orbital buffer which is less apt to remove too much paint. Remember that the goal of polishing is to give your car a deep shine. The next step protects the finish, but it does not create the shine.
The last major step in taking care of the exterior is the use of a sealant or a wax. The newest sealants are typically a polymer based product which seems to offer more durability from than the best wax. They are liquid based and applied like a liquid wax. One factor should be kept in mind if you want a sealant instead of wax. Sealants must not be applied over wax or any surface contamination, If you did it can slow down or stop the bonding of the sealant to the paint surface. There is always disagreement between owners if a chemical product or a real wax looks better. The wax can enhance the gloss of the paint and give it the appearance of depth.
You can apply a carnauba based wax or a synthetic wax. Car crazy owners and most owners who show their cars, are on a never ending quest to find the best wax to use. Some car waxes are even being sold today with instructions that should be applied with your bare hands. The heat from your hands rubbing in the wax is supposed to give you a better finish. I have never seen proof that this is a better wax than others.
There are various one-step products which claim to clean, polish and protect at the same time. A professional shop will never use these type of products because of the compromises that must be made for each one of the steps. Reports that I have seen suggest that the synthetic products for car detailing go on easier and last longer than pure wax. But don't try and convince most owners of this. On the typical car, either one will give you a great finish.
Taking care of the chrome, trim and tires must also be accomplished for that truly show car finish.
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