Steps in the Detailing Routine
Most of your vehicles surfaces can be both cleaned and protected including the: leather, glass, fabrics, vinyl, plastics, metals, paint/clear coat, wheels, tires, exterior trim, convertible tops and more. Sometimes you can clean and protect in one step while other surfaces are more commonly treated with a separate cleaner and protectant. Some surfaces can also be conditioned by replacing properties that fade from UV rays, heat and normal wear and tear. The type of environment your vehicle is exposed to on a regular basis will impact what steps are most important to you. If you regularly have young children in your vehicle you’re probably going to need to care for the interior more regularly. If your vehicle regularly travels past construction sites then you may need to care for the exterior more regularly. Try to understand the variables that affect the condition of your vehicle and mitigate them as you see fit. Examine the information and charts below to see what steps and products are available to you to help you clean and protect your vehicle.
Pre-Wash Treatment - Before starting a wash you may want to go around the vehicle and apply a pre-wash spray to areas that have bug smear, tar, tire sling, road grime and other areas with heavy contamination build up. This will help loosen these contaminates and save you from scrubbing the surface and potentially harming the surface.
Washing & Drying - Washing should remove loose surface contamination. When you dry the vehicle you only want to remove water from freshly cleaned surfaces to prevent getting contaminates on your drying tool. Washing and drying is where most swirls are added to the clear coat so be sure to use proper techniques with the right tools.
Clay Bar - Remove surface contamination bonded to clear coat or stuck in the micro ridges of the clear coat. You can also use these products on coated wheels, metals, coated plastic, glass and more.
Polish - Polishes are designed to remove surface imperfections such as swirls, fine scratches and oxidation. When you polish you want to use the least aggressive polish possible and only use more aggressive options if needed. We categorize polishes in to three categories: compounds, cutting, finishing. Compounds are the most aggressive polishes and can buff out the deepest imperfection in the clear coat but will leave a haze that must be buffed out by lighter polishes. Cutting polishes have strong cutting power and will generally leave a light haze on the surface. Finishing polishes will help buff out the haze left from more aggressive polishes, correct very light surface imperfections and leave the surface very smooth and glossy.
Glaze - Glazes use oils that cling to surface imperfections and help fill them in and reflect the surrounding paint. This gives the illusion of flawless paint and adds a lot of gloss to the surface.
All In One (AIO) – All-in-One products are generally referring to products that both chemically clean the surface and leave a coating of protection on the surface. This means that you can help clean the surface while simultaneously protect the paint and enhance the shine. Generally polishing and protecting the polish with two different steps is more effective but these products are good time savers.
Paint Sealant - Sealants are created in labs to replicate what waxes by extracting any properties that don’t add to increased shine, protection, ease of use, etc. Sealants typically provide the longest lasting form of protection which lasts 3 – 6 months depending on conditions. Sealants generally apply extremely thin, wipe on and off very easy and add a fantastic shine to any color paint.
Wax - Waxes are a strong form of protection but do not last as long as sealants (approximately 2 – 8 weeks). Waxes provide a very deep reflection with lots of gloss for maximum shine. Waxes are commonly layered over sealants for the ideal combination of protection and shine.
Quick Detailers & Waterless Washes – These products can be used as clay lube to help glide the bar across the surface and safely remove contaminates. It can also be used to clean the clear coat, wheels, glass and more with a clean microfiber towel. Spray it on the surface and wipe it off with a clean microfiber towel. These products are great for cleaning freshly detailed vehicles that have very light contamination build-ups.
Spray on Protection - These products add a layer of wax or sealant to further protect and shine the surface. Typically you spray it on the clear coat and wipe it off with a clean microfiber towel. These products are perfect to use after a maintenance wash so your vehicle looks like it’s freshly detailed.
Buffers - There is a wide variety of buffers on the market that can help you complete your detail with better results and using less energy. Rotary buffers are very effective tools but potentially dangerous if you’re not an experienced user. Orbital buffers are very safe and effective tools depending on what model you have. The Porter Cable 7424 orbital buffer has quickly become the industry favorite for both professional and weekend detailers alike. To learn more about how to use the Porter Cable 7424 for any of the above steps please read our How To section.
Microfiber Towels - Microfiber towels have quickly become the standard tool for safe car care. Microfiber towels are extremely good at cleaning virtually every surface (console, glass, clear coat, wheels, etc) on and in a vehicle. Using microfiber towels helps ensure that you don’t add micro-scratches to the clear coat, gauges, navigation screens, etc.
Below is a chart explaining what surface each process applies to, the function of the process and some recommended products for each process.
Here is a chart of varying surfaces that explains where these surfaces are typically located, as well as suggested products to clean, condition and protect each surface.
Goals
Now that you have assessed your paint and understand what kinds of products are available to you can start formulating more specific goals. You should go through all the products and steps listed above and see what ones are most important to you. We recommend doing full details 1 – 2 times per year and then develop a maintenance schedule. Some steps you’ll want to do regularly with your maintenance schedule while others can be done less often during a full detail.
Selecting your detailing goals also depends on what values are most important to you. When you trade in or sell your vehicle the condition of your vehicle can often affect the price by several thousand dollars. To maximize the value of your vehicle you should try to clean and protect it as much as reasonably possible. While detailing your vehicle when it’s being sold is important, regular maintenance will help prevent major problems that detract from the sale price. A potential buyer will often have a much higher confidence in the quality of the vehicle if they talk to an owner who has passionately cared for the vehicle. Vehicles that look their best often sell faster and at a much higher value.
To see just how much the condition of your vehicle affects the resale value we examined some figures from Kelly’s Blue Book. The chart shows four different vehicles and the only variable that changed for each vehicle was its condition, rated fair or excellent, with a scale of poor, fair, good or excellent. The chart clearly shows the significant differences in the value of maintaining your vehicle. The average difference was over three thousand dollars or 16% more when comparing the value from fair to excellent.
Your vehicle is a direct reflection of you so it’s important to represent yourself well. Having a clean vehicle with glossy paint is a tremendous source of pride that really boosts ones self esteem. Watching the sun reflect off the paint and create a head turning shine has always made detailing a fun and rewarding hobby. Many people find the detailing process to be therapeutic and relaxing as well. Detailing is a positive hobby that gives you a chance to escape from other pressures and just focus on your vehicle. There is an undeniable joy to owning an automobile that is well taken care of and looking its best! Therefore with regular care you’ll really enjoy getting in to your vehicle on a regular basis and be rewarded with an increased resale value.
