I'm just a dumb Brit but I see many threads where you clever American chaps mention "detailing". Now, I'm guessing that it doesn't mean removing the trunk and that it means some kind of cleaning but I would appreciate knowing exactly what it means. Like, is it a wipe over with a damp cloth or 10 minutes cleaning each and every individual nut, bolt and screw in the engine bay as if the car was going in for a concourse competition?
Cheers for any info,
Steve

 

"Definition of DETAILING
...the act or process of meticulously cleaning and refurbishing an automobile"

Miriam-Webster's On line dictionary...

In the case of true lovers of their Jaguar, this means several hours, sometimes over the course of two or more days, of washing, polishing, vacuming, buffing, scrubbing, and conditioning. This means a deep appreciation for the invention of microfiber and cotton swabs. The feel one feels when one glides the back of two fingers across a freshly polished finish (smooooooooooth). Ahh, the smell of leather cleaner in the morning.

And finally....

The trip to the autoparts store in your freashly "detailed" ride, so that you can carefully inspect shelves filled with the latest in car care products, looking, looking, looking, for that one new product that will carry your jaguar to an even higher level of perfect....

That my British friend, is "detailing"

 

Thanks Stillwaters, in no way could I have discribed it any better! Not only the process but also the subsequent trip to the "Toy Store" to look over all the freshly stocked shelves to go "wow" over!

 

very nice details in defining detailing .