It can be difficult to know where to begin when you start anything. It can be difficult to know where to begin when car detailers. There are many levels of detail, each with its own techniques and theories. But we will help you get started. Although it may sound too basic to be true, we can guarantee that this is the most basic detail you will find.
WHEELS
Always, always, always, always start at the wheels. It’s a fact that we cannot emphasize enough. The wheels are the most soiled area on the car. This is why you will need to give them a thorough pre-soak using a high quality wheel cleaner. To reach the toughest areas you will need to use brushes. A separate bucket and wash mitt are also needed.
PRE-CLEANER STAGE ONE
Use a pre-cleaner. A pre-cleaner that is specifically designed to remove stubborn grime and bugs. Our Citrus Power is an infused citrus cleaning agent that can safely and effectively reduce road grime. It also has the advantage of being gentle on wax or sealant layers. This will make it easier to clean your car in the future. Spray it on the car’s lower parts, and any areas that have been bug-splattered.
SNOW FOAM STAGE TWO
The snow foams are used to remove dirt and particles from vehicles before they go through the contact wash process. It is important to remove as much dirt and grime as possible before you contact wash the vehicle. Most swirls are caused by the washing stage.
THE ALL-IMPORTANT TWO-BUCKET METHOD CONTACT WASH
It’s four steps before you can even paint. You should use a high-quality shampoo to reduce the chance of marring, light scratches, or swirls. The deep pile allows any particles to be absorbed into the mitt, rather than being pressed and dragged across a surface. One bucket should be filled with the wash solution and the other one with water. Wash the vehicle with the wash solution. This ensures that you don’t accidentally contaminate the wash solution.
THE DECONTAMINATION STAGE
Before you do anything, spray an iron dissolver. Our Iron Out product works great at this stage. This will dissolve ferrous contamination like industrial fallout and rail dust. To remove any tar stuck to the paint, you will need to use solvent tar remover. Rewashing the vehicle or the affected areas with solvent is a must. Clay bars can be melted by solvents and will interfere with the next steps. Clay bars are great. You can rub the block on the paintwork with a slip or grease and it will do the rest. It effectively removes any contamination, such as tree sap, or overspray. The clay bars should not have to pick up too much after the first two steps. Use a lubricant like Auto Finesse Glide to lubricate any clay bars. Rinse and wash again.
DRYING
Begin at the top and work your way downwards. It will be easiest to tackle each panel individually so that you don’t leave any streaks. To avoid water spots, it is important to work quickly and not leave streaks after drying. A quick detailer can be used to remove any water spots.
POLISHING
Either you can polish by hand, or use a machine polisher. Although polishing by hand can give you a great finish, it will not be as good as using a machine polisher (if you are skilled). Both are possible with our products. Without experience, we advise against applying any machine polisher on your car. We recommend that you practice on a separate panel before applying any machine polisher to your car. These panels are simple enough to be picked up at scrap yards. It’s better than burning through your car’s paint. This can result in a complete panel respray, or even a complete car respray.
GLAZE
We would then add our paint glaze between the waxing, polishing, and sealant stages. Ultra Glaze, our non-abrasive acrylic polymer-enriched glaze, is designed to enhance paintwork, and reduce fine swirls. It’s especially good for metallic and darker colours.
WAX / SEAL
Each stage is equally important, but sealing or waxing is the most important. All your hard work, from step 1 through 8, will be protected by a wax layer or sealant. Take a look at our wax explanation piece to help you decide what wax to use for your paint.