Car detailing refers to the act of thorough cleaning, restoration, maintaining and finishing of both inside and outside of a car. On a daily basis maintaining a car needs a lot of work, which is a never ending process. Some people go to the extent of considering it as an art and science. Car detailing can fundamentally be categorized into two aspects – interior and exterior.
As the name suggests, the interior detailing involves a thorough and comprehensive cleaning of the whole interior of a car. Interior detailing requires a lot of care because it consists of several components that are fragile, expensive and valuable.
The exterior detailing, on the other hand, requires cleaning and maintaining the outside surface of the car’s finish, denting and painting, chrome trim, windows, wheels, and tires. Different types of products and techniques are used to do exterior detailing using cleaning products like detergents, detail clay, waxes, brushes and drying towels. When you are going to buy or sell a used car, it is all the more important for you to carry out detailing because it adds to its value as well as boosts its performance.
The following is a list of key tips for car detailing:
1. Carry Out A Proper Evaluation Of Interior And Exterior
The car that you drive on a daily basis needs the care of both inside and outside. The dashboard, carpets, seat covers, roof, wheels, tires, and body need attention in equal measures. So start with the interior and perform the detailing next day as well so that you can address those things that you missed out.
2. Use Compressed Air And Stiff Scrub Brushes On The Carpets
The air compressors are very effective to blow out dirt from the nooks and corners of the carpet and the stiff brushes efficiently loosen dirt from the carpet and upholstery.
3. Clean The Duct For Keeping The New Car Smell Intact
The air conditioning duct needs to be cleaned every now and then so that it continues performing well. The walls of the AC duct get sticky dirt and dust after some time, which causes musty smell in the car. So high-pressure air is allowed to pass through the duct to rid the smell.
4. Use The Tire Cleaners That Are Non-Acidic
The acid based cleaners may be very effective in cleaning dirty tires but they can equally cause the alloy wheels to oxidize. They also damage wheels painted with colors or clear coating. Use a degreaser instead.
5. Use Two Buckets To Wash Your Car
Use one bucket to hold your clean suds, and another bucket to hold clean water. Before you dip your cleaning mitt into the clean suds, rinse it off in the clean water bucket and wring it dry.
6. Polish The Surface To Smooth Out The Paint
Polishing is done so that the surface the paint gets smoothened, which enhances its shine and gives it’s a brand new look. It is always better to use an oscillating polishing machine to do it faster.
7. Protect The Paint With Wax
The coat of your car’s paint wears off as the time passes by, which leaves the paint to fend for itself. However, you can stop this process by using wax. It is very handy absorbing stains and small scratches before the damage could reach to the paint.