List of basic steps involved in car detailing. What is car detailing? Car detailing is the process of thorough interior and exterior cleaning, polishing, waxing and restoration of a car to produce a high quality appearance and detail. Cars collect a lot of dust inside and outside. A regular car wash and interior vacuuming doesn’t necessarily clean your car thoroughly because a lot of contaminants get stuck to the paint, upholstery, roof, chassis, engine bay etc and these can be cleaned only through detailing procedures. Car detailing deep cleanses your car and protects it with safety coatings as a precautionary measure. Car detailing keeps the car clean and in fabulous condition thereby increasing the resale value.
What does car detailing include? Paint Care A 4 step process is involved in restoring the paint. The car is first washed thoroughly using a car shampoo, to remove dirt and grime and then dried. The next step is application of clay bar to remove contaminants such as road tar, metal particles, construction fallout that get embedded /stuck to the paint and don’t come off with water. Clay bars safely pulls of the contaminants from the surface without damaging the paint. It is used with a clay bar lubricant to reduce friction between the bar and the car surface. The surface is then wiped clean with a microfiber cloth. The surface will be now as smooth as glass. Clay bars don’t remove scratches, swirl marks or help in restoring the paint gloss. This where the next step of polishing comes into play. The purpose is to smooth the surface of the paint making it shine and make the vehicle look newer. The final step is waxing the car which will over time absorb stains, contaminants and minor scratches and prevent them affecting the paint of your car.
Chassis Cleaning The under body and chassis of the car, the wheel wells, suspension, splash guards etc are cleaned thoroughly and anti rust coating applied to the under body if needed.
Wheel and Tyre Cleaning A wheel cleaner is used to remove the dust from the wheels and brake dust that may have crept into the pores of the tires. Brake dust left for long periods tends to contaminate the coating and the metal. Therefore the cleaner must be powerful enough to remove the caked-on brake dust. The wheels are then scrubbed with a feathered bristle brush. Some cleaners can be used both on wheels and tyres. The car service center will most likely use one that is non-acidic and that which doesn’t affect your tyres. Tyres are cleaned separately by first wetting the tyre, applying the cleaner or degreaser to pre-soak the tyre and scrubbing the tyre using a stiff bristled brush soaked in soapy water, to remove stubborn grime stuck to nooks and crannies of the sidewall. After the wheels and tyres are dried off, a wax (works similar to car body wax) is applied to the wheels & buffed and the tyres are dressed. The tyre dressing solution is applied to protect from UV rays and also to reduce dust attraction.
Headlights and Taillights detailing If the headlights and taillights show signs of oxidation, the detailing servicer will apply a polishing compound and use a rotating polishing machine. Sometimes a wet sand paper is also used to buff the exterior and then polished again. Finally a plastic sealant is applied for protection from oxidation in future.
Exterior trim detailing
The exterior trim often gets ignored when compared to the treatment the car paint gets. Most of the exterior trim is plastic, rubber or vinyl and a common degreasing solution is used on the surface to restore the trim. This will usually remove stubborn stains and you’ll notice a darker and shinier finish. A dressing is applied to protect from UV rays and to prevent fading. Chrome trims and exhaust are also cleaned and polished using a degreaser and metal polish.
Engine bay cleaning The engine bay is sprayed with a degreaser after covering the filters, air intake, alternator and any other part that mustn’t be sprayed with liquid. The cleaning liquid is also applied to the inside of the hood. Any dust build up is manually cleaned with a rag. The bay is then rinsed with a fine mist of water and dried thoroughly. A sealant ideal for the hot temperature under the hood is used for painted surfaces. Plastic, rubber or vinyl components are dressed and protectant applied to prevent from cracking.
Interior detailing Interior detailing is the thorough cleaning of the carpet (including the trunk), upholstery steaming or shampooing, interior trim and leather cleaning & restoration. The mats are vacuumed and scrubbed clean. The detailers blow compressed air to remove dust from all corners and then vacuum the carpet. A stiff brush is used to loosen dirt from the carpet and stains are removed using fabric cleaners. In the absence of a leather seat cover, the fabric is vacuumed and shampooed or steam cleaned. The car ceiling is cleaned using a appropriate upholstery cleaner and wiped with a microfiber cloth. Leather seats are cleaned, conditioned and polished to keep the leather soft and durable. The interior trims (doors, dashboard, steering. cup holders, gear shaft) are mostly a combination of plastic, vinyl, rubber and leather. Usually a compatible solution that is suitable for all the layers is applied and cleaned thoroughly. A protectant is then applied to give a nice dark finish while also providing great UV protection. The AC duct is also cleaned by blowing compressed air to remove the dirt. All the corners of the dashboard/console are cleaned with a soft bristled brush and wiped clean. The cabin air filter will also be cleaned/ replaced if needed.
Glass cleaning Glass is cleaned last to avoid re-contaminating it. An ammonia free cleaner is used on glass and buffed using a microfiber cloth to remove the residue. The windows are rolled down half way to clean the top edges. Water drop marks on the glass are hard to get rid of. But there are glass restorers that are used to gently polish the glass and buff it to remove the stain. Some car detailing centers apply a sealant that protects the glass and causes water to bead even during heavy rains. Car spas will also apply wax on the rear and side windows as this prevents staining.
What we’ve listed above are some of basic steps involved in complete car detailing. Some service centers provide advanced detailing packages that go into greater car restoration methods. You may also want to check out specific car body care tips that we wrote about a few days ago. Please let us know if we have missed out any steps and also recommend your favourite car detailing centers in Bangalore.
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