How To Detail Your Car:
detailing made simple

The topic of car detailing and how to detail your car is full of many opinions and much confusion. With hundreds of products on the market, all screaming for your hard earned dollars, let me take my twenty years of experience and break the areas of cosmetic car care into simplified and doable tasks of detailing.

Not only can you keep your car looking in tip top shape day after day, but year after year for a decade or more. All that is required is a few critical points:

• The right techniques.
• The right products.
• Done consistently.

how to detail your car

Car Washing

I must add a special note with this first one since it is highly debated. The overly zealous and purists among us would never let anyone else touch their cars. While many find pleasure in washing their own cars and do so with a sense of pride, what tends to happen is you blow all your time and energy in that first hour of washing alone. Then when it is time to do the actual detailing work like waxing, shampooing, etc. you are too tired or out of time. So outsource to the car wash and maximize your efforts.

• This is grunt work; outsource this to your local car wash.
• By outsourcing this task, you save yourself all the time and effort that can be put into efforts that will really make your car shine and last.
• Dirt is your cars biggest enemy, so washing weekly is ideal.

how to detail your car

Paint Care

Paint care can really be broken into 3 areas of concern that are basic and simple to perform when you have the right information.

• Washing.


• Clay bar use.


• Waxing for protection and beauty.

how to detail your car

Washing

We already covered this; outsource and save your time and effort for the good stuff. The more you keep dirt off, the better.

Clay Bar

Pollution, commonly called fall-out, is something not only bad for our health, but bad for the paint on our cars. Pollution comes in many forms, and there is no shortage of opinions as to what this fall-out actually is. This fall-out will stick and become embedded into your cars paint, causing your paint to have a texture to it. Texture is not good; the clay bar will fix this.

• Use whenever your paint has any texture feel to it.
• Use prior to waxing.
• Will keep your paint smooth and silky.

Waxing

Waxing is done for beauty enhancement and protection. Your specific goals in the moment will determine the type of wax you want to use. There are 3 types of waxes to choose from:

• Paste
• Liquid
• Spray

how to detail your car

• Paste Wax
  The staple among purists. Lots of work and effort. Typically will provide superior covering of superficial flaws and depth to paint. Unless you have black or other dark colored car, save your time and effort by using a spray wax.

• Liquid Wax
  This is where you will find the ultimate in protection in the form of liquid polymers. Don't get hung up on the natural and synthetic blends; we want the true protection of chemical engineering here, so go with a straight liquid synthetic polymer. The trade off will be less than perfect visual results that can be had with a straight carnauba paste wax.

• Spray Wax
  Modern day spray waxes represent what I call the winning combination with ease of use, protection, and visual depth. Because some spray waxes are so user friendly, I actually use them as a quick detailer and get some actual protection out of my efforts. So easy to use you will find you are willing to wax much more often now.

Car Upholstery Care

People tend to be overwhelmed quick by the many materials contained within a cars interior. Despite all the many materials you might come across, a few basic tools and one basic product is all you need. It really comes down to 3 areas of concern:

• Vacuuming


• Dusting


• Shampooing

Vacuuming

No big mystery here; just vacuum everytime you wash the outside. If you are outsourcing the car washing to the local car wash like I suggested, then they will also be vacuuming at the same time. Dirt is the enemy to everything; unless you happen to be a plant or a worm or something.

• Any vacuum will do; don't over-think this moment.
• Be consistent. Remember, dirt is the enemy here.
• Size does not really matter here; even the smallest of shop vacs have ample power.
• If you vacuum with a dusting brush, you can vacuum up this dust at the same time.

Dusting

Buy yourself a nice paint brush, make-up brush, or artists paint brush, and use on the vents, dash, and gauges where dust collects.

• By keeping up on this from the start, the dust will never build up and get out of hand.
• Use along with the vacuum to suck up dust as you break loose with dusting brush.

Shampooing

Shampooing of your cars interior can be very straightforward and uncomplicated despite what anxiety you may have towards the thought of it. Most interior shampoos are relatively equal as most dirt is easily removed. If you have a popular product called Simple Green already around the house, this can also be used.

• Vacuum loose dirt up first.
• Spray area to be shampooed and agitate with plastic brush.
• Wipe up area aggressively with terry cloth towel.
• This same process can be used on virtually every surface and material in your car; including leather.
• If you are starting out with a new car, simply wiping the interior materials down once a month, with a terry cloth towel dampened with interior cleaner will suffice.

Interiors are often neglected in how to detail your car, mostly I believe, because people get intimidated with all the materials. There are a couple things to remember when shampooing:

• Colored stains and spills will always leave a permanent stain. The only exception is if the carpeting has been treated with some form of fabric guard.
• Common sense needs to always be applied; don't use scrubbers on clear plastic or delicate wood veneers.

Hopefully this has shown that how to detail your car can be easier than you thought.

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