Car detailing can be a complex process, and it goes far beyond simple cleaning and polishing. In fact, interior and exterior detailing means bringing the car’s lustrous look and feel back to life through cleaning, vacuuming, waxing, and restoring various wood, leather, aluminum, and plastic materials. It’s a lot of work, but if you love your car, you’ll be happy to do it every once in a while.
Of course, you can always drive up to your local auto body shop to get ceramic coating car detailing done for you, but if you’re in the habit of doing things yourself and not in the habit of wasting money, you can definitely take on this challenge yourself in your spare time. That said, you wouldn’t want to waste time and energy by doing it wrong, so today we’ll be revealing some handy little secrets the mechanics know that make the process quick and rewarding.
Cleaning and restoring the interior materials
Many people think that car detailing is all about making your car look good on the outside, but what about the feeling you get when you’re sitting inside, driving, or just trying to enjoy the interior of your car? It’s important to note that the interior look and feel of your vehicle will play a big role in your overall driving experience. This means that you shouldn’t stand for any unpleasant smells, dirty upholstery, cracks, scratches, and the like.
So, be sure to start the detailing process with the interior. Note down everything that needs to be fixed or touched-up. Typically, you will need to restore the leather seats, seal cracked wood and plastic, and clean the interior thoroughly. Begin by vacuuming and washing the interior with a proprietary cleaner for every material and a damp cloth. Be thorough. Then, you can use a proprietary restorer for leather, plastic, or wood to fix any small irregularities to make the interior look like new. For a final touch, perfume the car to change the interior aroma.
Shampoo the car and don’t use a sponge
Making your way to the exterior, you want to start detailing by giving your car a thorough scrub-down. Now, you want to protect the paint job throughout the process and avoid making any scuffs and scratches, so it’s important to use a mild detergent, lukewarm water, and the right cloth. Notice that we’re mentioning a cloth and not a sponge, because sponges have a tendency to smear dirt and debris and produce those unwanted scuffs, especially if you apply pressure.
Start by hosing down the car. Apply the soapy water with the cloth using circular motions, making sure to cover the whole car in a lot of foamy water. Let it rest – this will drag the dirt and debris off the car. Rinse it all out with a hose and then use a clean cloth to guide the water down the paint job, leaving a nice, sparkling finish.
Get the perfect shine with ceramic coating
Now that you have cleaned the exterior, you want to make sure that your paint job is protected and that the exterior can withstand the elements. If you don’t add protection to your paint job, you can expect the car to get dirty again quickly, but you can also expect scuffs and scratches to appear. Dirt, dust, debris, and various other elements can quickly ruin the paintwork.
To prevent this, it’s important to add a coat of nano coating to your car, otherwise known as ceramic coating. This is a tool that professional mechanics use to give the paintjob that extra shine but also to protect it against the elements. Nano coating safeguards the exterior from dirt and debris, minor scuffs and scratches, and even acid rain.
Dry glass surfaces in opposite directions
When the windshield and the windows of your car, it often happens that you’re left with those annoying streaks that you just can’t get out no matter how much you wipe in all directions. The key here is to stay calm and follow a simple two-way approach.
Wipe the exterior part of the window in a horizontal line, and the interior in a vertical line. This way, you will be able to see where all streaks are very clearly, allowing you to wipe them off. It’s a little secret that makes the whole process quicker and less stressful.
Clean the tools regularly
Last but not least, always remember to keep your tools and supplies clean. There is nothing that can ruin your car detailing project like a dirty cloth or sponge, or the wrong kind of cleaning product. Find the products that fit the materials you’re cleaning, and make sure to clean the sponges and cloths thoroughly after every cleaning. This will prevent leaving any streaks, scuffs, or scratches the next time you decide to detail your car.
You don’t need to go to a mechanic to get your car detailed. Use these tips to handle the whole thing yourself quickly, and restore your car’s luster in no time.
