|
Call: 888-333-4642 |
Detailing DIY Articles
Wash & Dry Engine Compartment Tires & Wheels Clean with Clay Swirl Marks & Water Spots Polish Wax & Seal Quick Detailing Glass & Plastic Trim Interior Convertible Tops Tar, Sap & Bugs Detailing Accessories Sonic Blast Are you Over Polishing? Carnauba Wax a Dinosaur? Orbital Polisher Use |
Washing & Drying If there is a single maintenance that offers the biggest benefit to your car's appearance, it's keeping your car clean through regular washing. Washing is the process of removing loose dirt and road film on the top of your car's paint surfaces. That means more than just a good hosing. You have to scrub it with shampoo and a sponge or wash mitt. Engine Compartment Did you know a detailed engine increases the resale value of your car? It's a well known fact that people who take the time and effort to detail their engines also take better care of their cars. Mechanics, too, realize that a clean engine belongs to someone who cares for their car, and they will take the time to do the repair or service work correctly. Tires & Wheels History didn't record his name. He may have been a warrior designing a battle chariot. Perhaps he was a stone mason struggling to complete a building, or a mourner providing a smoother ride for a departed loved one. But on that special day, sometime in the fourth millennium BC, in the delta between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, this unknown Sumerian changed the history of the world and all mankind. He invented the wheel. Clean with Clay Every car finish shares a common enemy: pollution. It relentlessly pursues your car from the second it leaves the factory until your car meets its ultimate demise. It's in the air we breathe, it's on the roads we drive, and it attaches to your car's paint, where it bonds and begins a process of oxidation. Swirl Marks & Water Spots I get a lot of questions from people regarding water spots and swirl marks. Water spots and swirl marks are different problems, but most often the solution is the same: polish the paint. I'll address each problem separately. Polish Many people assume that waxing and polishing are synonymous. In fact, they are two different processes. Professional detailers and show-car owners know the secret to an award-winning finish is properly cleaning and polishing the surface prior to waxing. Wax & Seal It was European coachbuilders that first applied coatings of animal fats and wax to protect the custom paint on their horse-drawn carriages. This tradition has endured over 100 years and is still a great way to protect the paint on modern-day coaches. Quick Detailing Washing your car every week can be a time consuming proposition. In this day and age of rushing about, 12-hour workdays and traffic jams, the last thing you have time for is washing the car. Yet, if you're like me, you hate to have a dirty car. So, what do you do? Glass & Plastic Have you ever noticed how much better your car looks when the windows are perfectly clean? Yet, many of us ignore the windows when we wash because it adds a few precious minutes. Forget the time involved in keeping your glass clean for a moment, have you ever thought about how hazy, dirty windows can be a safety hazard? Driving your car with dirty, hazy windows on a rainy night or in heavy traffic, straining to see, is a driving impairment. You should consider this a true danger. Trim Trim is anything the manufacturer or you apply to the car to enhance its style and appearance. It is trim that makes the difference between an otherwise plain-looking car and a sharp automobile. However, due to the time involved in maintaining trim, it is often overlooked. Interior Regular vacuuming and dusting of your car's interior is the best way to keep it looking good. However, surface cleaning alone is not enough. Two to three times a year you will need to detail the upholstery to keep it looking its best. Convertible Tops The modern roadster is a masterpiece of beauty, performance, and superior engineering. We own these wonderful machines because they warm our soul. Like you, my blood stirs each time I twist the key and the engine comes to life. Top down, sun on my back, wind in my face, eating up the road... could anything be better? Tar, Sap & Bugs Summer is tar, sap and bug season. In the summer months, bugs are at full population, trees produce more sap, and the heat softens the asphalt, producing tar balls on tires. While tar and tree sap can be difficult to remove, they do not present a threat to your paint's finish. Bug stains, like bird droppings, are very acidic and represent a significant danger to the beauty of your paint and trim. This chapter discusses the proper way to deal with these common detailing problems. |