Everyone knows that having a clean shiny vehicle is a great feeling. Fresh out of the detailing studio looking like it just came out of the showroom. But how do professionals make a vehicle so eye-catching? Well, there's no secret, we take specific steps in specific order to clean, decontaminate, and protect your vehicle. Giving your vehicle the treatment it needs to restore that factory shine it’s meant to have. In this article we will be going over the steps that professionals do for the exterior detailing process.
Wheels
Every professional knows that when starting an exterior detail, you always clean your wheels first. Why? Simply because the wheels are the dirtiest parts on your vehicle, they collect the majority of the brake dust, road grim, and salt when driving. If we were to do it the opposite way and clean the paint first, when time comes for the wheels all of the debris would just splash back onto the paint. Therefore we get the dirtiest parts clean first.
When it comes to the cleaning process, detailers will use a variety of different brushes and chemicals to get your wheels looking brand new. It’s important to assess the condition and finish of the wheels to match up the necessary products to get the job done. Non acid formulas and iron removers are good for regular use on wheels as they are safe to use on coated wheels and all finishes. If your wheel has heavily caked on brake acid, a designated acidic wheel cleaner might be used. Although, it is used with specific direction or else can be very harmful to the finish of the wheel.
A combination of brushes, woolies, and mitts will be used to get into all the cracks and crevices of the wheels as well, to ensure that both face and the barrel is thoroughly detailed. Once the wheels are completed it’s time to move on to the body of the vehicle!
Pre Wash
As detailers we like to ensure that our techniques minimize the amount of scratches that could possibly happen. Therefore in this case we like to add a pre wash step to our exterior detailing process. The pre wash may contain a citrus or all purpose cleaner treatment followed by the foam cannon to help lift and encapsulate the dirt on the surface. As the treatment sits, the foam carries the dirt to the ground reducing the risk of scratching when proceeding with the contact wash. Once the pre wash has treated the surface it is followed by the pressure washer to rinse off remaining loose debris in preparation for the contact wash.
Although the pre-wash stage is highly effective and recommended, it is an optional step if you are a DIYer or just starting out detailing and don’t have all the necessary equipment.
The Contact Wash
The contact wash is where the majority of the dirt gets removed and the paint becomes “clean”. We advise that the contact wash is done by the Two Bucket Method. This will ensure safe washing technique minimizing the amount of potential swirls. Depending on what we are trying to achieve as detailers, whether it is to strip off any protection we may use a “strip wash” car shampoo. Or if it is just a maintenance hand wash our choice would be to use a PH balanced car shampoo to sustain any form of protectant on the vehicle.
After following our Two Bucket Method techniques and washing the vehicle from top to bottom. The vehicle is now ready for the next stage of our exterior detailing.
Chemical Paint Decontamination
Now we are getting into some of the more indepth aspects of exterior detailing. Paint decontamination is the process of removing contaminants from the paint that are beyond the surface. This can be done with a variety of chemicals to assist the job. Bug & Tar removers can be useful to remove any excess bugs that weren't removed during the contact wash! Also, efficiently removing any road tar can get stuck to your paint from driving.
Another part of the paint decontamination process is removing the embedded iron particles that can accumulate from brake dust build up. These iron particles may appear as small orange dots, “surface rust” spots that may sometimes make your vehicle paint look dull. These iron contaminants are much more noticeable on light coloured vehicles but they are present upon all colours. How detailers remove these contaminants is with a chemical called an “iron remover”. When an iron remover is sprayed onto the surface they react with the iron deposits, turning purple, and making it then easy to rinse off with a pressure washer. A very effective way to remove these contaminants while doing it in a efficient amount of time.
Mechanical Paint Decontamination
There are two types of paint decontamination when it comes to exterior car detailing. Chemical and Mechanical. Mechanical decontamination is using physical force to remove contaminants embedded in the paint. In this case auto detailers will use a clay bar to remove remaining contaminants. The clay bar is paired with a clay lubricant which allows the clay to glide over the surface collecting contaminants throughout. The clay is flipped and kneaded throughout the process to ensure minimal scratches and cross contamination. After the full contamination process is completed you will notice your paint is extremely smooth, but us detailers still like to take it that extra step further.
Polishing & Correction
Now depending on the service you are opting for may determine whether your detailer proceeds with this step or skips it. The paint correction process is to remove any swirls, scratches, and imperfections within your vehicle clear coat. During a “regular” exterior detail some individuals may just want to skip this step and go straight to the protection stage to save on cost and time. If you are opting in for a paint correction service, this stage of an exterior detail will get your vehicle looking its absolute best. We talk in much further detail about the paint correction process in another article, but to be brief. Paint correction will level out the clear coat of your vehicle removing any scratches, therefore light reflects back crystal clear giving your that perfect showroom finish.
Again, this stage in the exterior detailing process all depends on client budget and time given. It is not a mandatory stage in the process but as a client if you want your vehicle to look its absolute best then this is the way to go!
Protection
After your detailer completes cleaning and correcting your vehicle, this is the stage where we protect the work that has been done. When it comes to protection there are a few options to choose from. A lot of clients may come into a detailing shop asking for a wax on their vehicle and yes waxes do provide great shine and hydrophobics. But, they may only last you a couple weeks to a month of longevity. Most detailers today when doing an exterior detail will top off their work with a polymer sealant or SI02(ceramic) infused sealant. It is more durable than a carnauba wax, lasting about 6-8 months and depending on the formulation can be applied more efficiently.
If you decided to opt in for the paint correction service as a part of your exterior detail then your best option for protection would be getting a ceramic coating. A ceramic coating is a semi permanent layer that is applied to a clean, swirl free, paint corrected surface. That provides outstanding protection and benefits for 3-5 years. If your curious to learn more about ceramic coatings, we have a dedicated article for that topic which covers all the benefits it provides.
Overall whichever form of protection you decide to put on your vehicle may depend on budget, as a ceramic coating would be considered a separate service and comes with a much more significant cost.
After all these steps the exterior detail is complete. These are the steps a professional will take to thoroughly clean, refine, and protect the exterior of your vehicle to have it looking like it just came off the showroom floor! Us detailers take pride to ensure we get to every crack and crevice as we understand that feeling when you know your vehicle was in good hands.
This article was not intended to be a full tutorial on detailing your own vehicle but more so a walkthrough on the steps a professional takes to do an exterior detail, while briefly explaining each process.
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