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INTRODUCTION




Overview:
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Car detailing defined [*]
Evaluating your car for detailing [*]
Detailing tips and hints [/ul]





The term car detailing has a lot of different meanings. To some, it means having their car washed and waxed. To others, it's a full cleaning and protection service, including having the interior shampooed and the engine steam cleaned. To the car enthusiasts here at Sonus, a fully detailed car is a work of art to be displayed.
Whatever your intentions for detailing your car, this chapter will introduce you to the detailing process and terms commonly associated with detailing.






This beautiful BMW 2002tii belongs to Brad Bloomquist. Brad restored the BMW back to original factory specifications and keeps it perfectly maintained and detailed. The car is a daily driver, but it remains in showroom condition.
DETAILING EVALUATION
The most difficult part of any new skill is knowing what to do first. Detailing a car is no different. Ask any three professional detailers what to do first, and you'll get three different answers. So, perhaps the most important step of all is to evaluate the work required.
Paint Evaluation
The first step in any detailing program is the evaluation of your car's paint. Take a quick walk around your car. Do you see bug stains, water spots and tar spots, or is it completely free of contamination? How does the paint feel to your hand? Is it rough (small bumps), or is it smooth like glass?







Even though the paint surface on this car was just waxed by the owner, running detailing clay over the hood reveals bonded contamination that waxing cannot remove. This contamination makes the paint feel rough and allows oxidation to begin.
If your paint is smooth and free of contaminants, the only cleaning maintenance it needs is regular washing (30 to 45 minutes a week). If the paint is stained and rough, it needs a good cleaning. Clean paint feels like silk. Cleaning your paint can take 30 minutes or 3 hours, depending on the level of perfection you want to achieve. Detailers use a paint pre-wax cleaner (a special cleaner/polish) or a paint-cleaning clay to remove surface contamination. It's like exfoliating your skin to deep-clean the pores.
Once your car's paint is clean, you can more closely inspect the paint for scratches, swirl marks and water spots. All of these minor imperfections can be fixed with a good polish and some elbow grease (1 to 2 hours), and should be taken care of prior to waxing. If you prefer, use a good orbital polishing machine for faster results.
If your paint has deep surface scratches (not scratched through to the primer or metal), you may need to use a scratch remover polish formula. Most scuffs and scratches can be polished so they will no longer be seen or noticed (1 to 5 minutes per scuff or scratch).
When your paint is contamination-free and polished to a high gloss, it's ready to be waxed (45 minutes to an hour). Most cars will require deep-cleaning and polishing twice a year, whereas wax should be applied at least four times a year. With proper care, the paint finish will remain in good condition for many years.
Tire & Wheel Evaluation
Neglected wheels take a lot of care to bring back to life.If they don't receive regular washing and waxing, they will become pitted and develop black stains from brake dust and road tar.
Evaluate your tires and wheels. Are the tires brown and dull? Do the wheels have brake dust buildup? If so, plan on spending 15 to 20 minutes on each wheel with brushes, tire and wheel cleaners, and a bucket of soapy water.
Interior Evaluation
Once you've sized up what needs to be done on the exterior, you can turn to the inside. Some people care more about the interior of their car than they do the exterior. This makes some sense, as that is where we spend our time. The condition of the car's interior generally reflects how you use the car.
If you haul kids around, the inside of your car will likely have more dirt and stains than that of a businessperson who travels in a suit. Likewise, if you drive a truck and use it for construction, you have a completely different set of cleaning needs.







The interior of this BMW needs a complete detailing. It will take 4 to 5 hours to properly vacuum, shampoo and treat the interior so it looks and smells nice again.
Evaluate your car's interior. Does it need heavy or light vacuuming? Is it dusty? Does the upholstery need cleaning? Is the leather dry? Do you have stains or spills to clean? How does the interior smell? Is it musty?
A good interior detailing can take as long or longer than an exterior detailing. If you vacuum regularly (twice a month), it takes no more than 10 to 15 minutes. If you vacuum infrequently, vacuuming can take 30 minutes or more. If you wipe down the interior of your car (3 to 5 minutes) each time you wash the exterior, keeping the dash and upholstery clean is a cinch. If you wipe down infrequently (or never), cleaning the dash and upholstery can be a 1- to 2-hour chore. Doing a little interior detailing maintenance every time you wash the car is a lot easier than trying to do a full interior detailing once or twice a year.
If you don't detail your own car, consider having a full interior detailing once a year. A full interior detail includes vacuuming and shampooing the upholstery, carpet and floor mats, as well as cleaning the dash, console and vents. After cleaning, leather and vinyl dressings and fabric protection should be applied.
To maintain a full detail, have the interior vacuumed each time the car is washed, and apply dressing to the dash, vinyl and leather each time the car is waxed (every 3 months). This is the minimum interior detailing that will keep your car in good condition.
If you plan to detail your own car, divide the work into manageable tasks. It is a lot of work, and if you try to do it all in one day, you will likely never want to do it again. Keep after the interior a little bit at a time. Plan to do your shampooing and fabric protection in spring or summer, as nice weather helps speed the drying.
Dressing for Success
A big part of the car detailing process includes applying dressing to those surfaces that can't be waxed or otherwise protected. As just mentioned, your dash and other vinyl and leather surfaces need regular protection. Leather, vinyl and rubber dressings protect and beautify. For best results, dressings should be used sparingly and frequently.
Many detailers go overboard with applying protectants and dressings. Maybe they think that if a little dressing is good, a lot is even better. Not so. Porous surfaces, such as leather and rubber, can absorb o