Cars are an extension of ourselves and how we present them can give people an impression of who we are. You want to have your car always looking correct, you never know what it is making someone think. Here are some tips from the detailing professionals to help you keep making the right first impression with a bright and shiny vehicle.
Maintaining Your Look With Regular Washing
The first job is a simple, but thorough wash. It doesn’t matter what condition the exterior of your car is in, whether it has just been professionally detailed or it hasn’t seen soap in months; give it a good clean at a top tier car wash like Sundance to get the ball rolling. Their facility has easy to use automatic washers and hand car wash bays for the enthusiast. Either way, your car comes out sparkling in the sunshine. Hand washing is the best method for a car lover to maintain an expensive detail, regular drivers can use the automatic service to give their vehicle a surface level clean every month. Hot waxes help protect your car from water spots by giving your car a water repellent layer on top and will slow down the build up of dirt and dust on the bodywork too. Don’t forget your screen. It should be well maintained too and know how much screenwash to put in car.
Interior Cleaning Is An Everyday Job
The secret to keeping a car clean inside is to do a little each day. Take out the trash when you get out of the car to keep clear of clutter. Try to spot a trash can when you have found your parking spot and make the job a part of your exiting routine. This will help reduce car odor too, especially if you enjoy an occasional drive-thru burger and you are guilty of leaving the leftovers in the bag stashed behind your seat. Once the smell starts to settle in after a few days you will not be lovin’ it. Keeping some plastic grocery bags in the glove box is a good idea too. These will be handy if you need to do a big cleanup. Try to give it a vacuum at least once a month, but weekly is better for prouder automobile owners.
Sealing The Detail With Surface Protection
If you have had a pro detail done, you are thinking of having one completed on your car, or you want to protect the high quality look of your last car wash you need to investigate ceramic coatings. These are the latest finishing tech in automotive detailing and are several levels above waxing your car to keep the rain off. These easy to apply ceramic coats provide an added layer of protection to your bodywork and keep heavy dirt from sticking around. With ceramic coats rain washes the dirt off for you, it never has the chance to stick. Though they require a hefty investment for what they are, with some hitting a hundred bucks per application, they maintain your car’s shine for much longer than a regular wash and wax can.
Engines Need Cleaning Too
When you feel it is time to take your car detailing to the next level it is time to consider getting your engine cleaned. This isn’t about changing the oil or decarbonizing your pistons, this is cleaning the exterior of your engine so that it shines and year’s worth of oil and grime are gone. Already, this sounds like a tall order. Don’t worry, there are professionals and high tech techniques to help.
Dry ice cleaning is the latest method, and it is quick. You do need to be a trained pro, so expect to have to pay someone to do the job before you and there might be a waiting list. Dry ice particles are blasted around the engine and find every crease and crevice. The air pressure blasts the ice onto the dirt which sticks to it instantly before falling off. This takes a few hours to do completely and usually means putting a car on a lift to get every last bit of oil and dirt off your engine. It will sparkle afterward.
Leave Paint Correction To The Professionals
For the ultimate finish, invest in a paint correction treatment. This will usually mean handing your car over to a professional for a couple of days or longer depending on their waitlist. When your car comes back to you it will look better than brand new. When cars are painted at a factory it is a rushed job, and many imperfections and errors slip through the net. Carefully examine the quality of the paint on your car and you may be surprised at how many issues you can spot.
This process can also fix small scratches and chips in your bodywork that the car has collected over time. The cost of the job will be a little more if your car has suffered some knocks in its lifetime, but an experienced and qualified paint corrector can make these pockmarks melt away. Bright colors pop again, and sun damage can be corrected too if some of your body panels have a washed out look.
Don’t Forget About Odor Control
The final piece of the car detailing puzzle is the way your car smells. That ‘new car’ smell can be replicated if you want it, but it is best to avoid that old-school odor; it came from the powerful adhesives used to bond the dash and the plastics of the interior. Go for a natural scent from your preferred air freshener line. Keep a full-size air freshener and upholstery conditioner in your car cleaning arsenal too. When you decide to clean up your interior you can use these to freshen up the odor too.
Washed, waxed, ceramic coated, and paint corrected; your car is looking back to its best. How far you take your car detailing is up to you, but if you are a motoring enthusiast or drive an exotic you should try some professional level detailing at least once in your car’s life. For regular maintenance, you can always rely on your local car wash for a good clean.
