Car Detailing. How To Do Car Cleaning Correctly

When it comes to car detailing, there's no doubt about it in Australia, the UK and the US, we have a serious love affair with keeping our cars looking great with a killer shine on the outside! Unfortunately our cars are exposed to environmental damage every single day. From road grime, to weather elements, salt, dirt, dust, water, sun, smog and the list goes on and on. How are our cars to survive these elements ?

When you need to carry out car detailing on the outside of your car, you need to be very vigilant with your paintwork to prevent scratches and swirl marks. What detailing products you use and how you use them matters. Damage left behind is results of incorrect washing and treatments. If you can avoid scratches and swirl marks you can keep your car looking great!

Unknowingly, when you use a sponge, even an automotive one, you are actually compounding dirt into your paintwork, which is what you see as swirl marks, or what is otherwise known as webbing. Therefore you need to remember that anything that will come in contact with your car's paint has to be ultra soft. Sponges, Brushes, or anything to do with coffee car washes, or even automated washes is strictly out. This is the most valuable car detailing tip I can give you. The only person that can look after your ride is you, or a detailer who loves what he does in car detailing and not how quickly he can do it.

How you protect your car from environmental elements is also important. The best tip I can give you in protecting your car is to park it in a garage or under a carport, but many people don't often have this little luxury. It comes highly advised your car is sealed with a paint sealant or wax to block out any of the environmental fallout.

If you have carried out  proper washing and polishing, then the next step is to start by applying a good paint sealant or car wax to your car. You need to apply wax on a regular basis, as a carnauba wax will only last an average of 3 months where a quality paint sealant generally  lasts 8-12 months. This also comes down to preference.

Carnauba wax, although it doesn't last long has a natural deep beautiful reflection. Waxing or sealing will accomplish a few things. It will make it easier for you to remove bird droppings and other debris with minimal effort, and it will stop the paint from oxidizing. Sealers tend to give more of a reflective look, while Carnauba wax tends to give more of a deep wet look.

If you have a look at some of the photos below, there is no reason why even black cars can not look this good when done properly. Car Paint restoration which achieves results such as this is otherwise know in the detailing industry as paint correction and not car detailing. This generally requires two to three passes to achiev results like this To get glass finish results like this on black is mind boggling if you don't know what your doing. Do it wrong on Black, and you are in serious trouble. Bad quality detailing products can have adverse effects on paint instead of giving you a beautiful shine.

When carrying out car detailing, you always need to park the car in a cool shady area. Applying car wax on a vehicle under sunlight just doesn't work. Do not wax your car in extreme hot temperatures. Use an applicator pad to apply the wax and not rags, some waxes can be applied by hand, but my preference is using an orbital like these guys. Orbitals just spread wax or sealers really evenly and makes wipe off that little bit easier

If rubbing by hand, rub the wax onto the car in a straight forward and back motion. Do not use circular actions. This is what gives a webbing effect Keep your actions at about thirty centimeters per stroke and avoid getting the wax into the seams or molds because it can be difficult to remove with some waxes. Do your car in sections starting from the top working down the body. Once you have completed the vehicle, allow anything up to an hour for drying time. Apply thin films of car wax or sealers. The thicker it is, the harder it will be to remove.

What you will require for removal of any car wax or car polish is a microfiber cloth. Don't use rags. Microfiber don't scratch paint when removing polishing compound or detailing products. There are some excellent products available that will cover all aspects of your car.

Only top quality products are used by professional detailers in order to obtain results of that as above in the photos

As the saying says " you get what you pay for "

For your car to look good, it will require periodical car detailing. If you give up on the car care yourself, at least give it to someone who loves what they do, and don't see it as a job.

People who enjoy what they do, not just in car detailing, but any industry, provide results. Find the right people, and you have those results