Unfortunately like a lot of cars this near new black Toyota Corolla has fallen victim of the car wash café and their poor car washing techniques, after several trips to the car wash café the owner has noticed the paint no longer looks as good as it once did and is now covered in swirl marks and light scratches and lost its gloss.

This Stage 2 Paint Correction was performed at a total of 7 hours work. Machine Polishing to remove any imperfections in the paint work is a lengthy process and produces far better results then a quick cut n polish performed by most car detailers or car wash café’s, a proper Machine Polish is not something that can be done within an hour or two, this process involves Clay Barring the paint work to remove any contaminants then a Two Stage Machine Polish to remove any imperfections in the paint work and bring it back to a flawless high gloss finish, the end result is simply amazing.

Going a few weeks without cleaning your wheels and tyres can make them look very poor, especially the front which collects alot of brake dust and road grime, not cleaning your wheels on a regular basis can cause the brake dust to bake onto the alloy or even the plastic hub caps, this can easily damage the surface and it will need to be carefully cleaned with an acid based wheel cleaner which should only be used by a professional car detailer.

You should use a good quality car wash shampoo, a wheel cleaner product (non acid) or degreaser, sponge and a brush if necessary to get between the gaps and behind the spokes, and also rubber or latex gloves to protect your hands from the wheel cleaner / degreaser.

When washing your car always start with your wheels and ensuring they are cool, your wheels should not be washed with the same water and sponge you use on your car, firstly because the dirt and grime in the water and sponge from washing your wheels will harm your paintwork and leave scratches and swirl marks, always have a sponge dedicated to cleaning the wheels, a car wash sponge cut in half is the best option so its small enough to get between the gaps.

Firstly spray the wheels with a wheel cleaner or degreaser to break down the dirt and grime, allow this to sit for atleast 30 seconds, this will make it easier to wash the wheel and also break down any stubborn dirt that washing with a sponge and soapy water will not remove, it also helps remove grime from those tight areas like around the wheel nuts. Then grab your soapy sponge and wash the wheel ensuring you get between all the spokes and corners, if desired you can use the same process to clean the inside of the wheels with a long brush, if the inside of your wheel has not been cleaned for some time then the brake dust and road grime may be baked on which will need to be removed with an acid cleaner, once you have done this then either use your hose or high pressure washer to rinse the wheels down. We then suggest drying them with a chamois or microfibre waffle weave drying towel.

Many detailing enthusiasts and quality detailers use a two bucket method when washing a car, one bucket with soapy water and the other with clean rinse water. The rinse water bucket is used to rinse the dirt off your wash mitt after washing a section of the car. This method has two benefits, firstly it keeps the dirt and grit out of your soapy water where it could do damage to your paint work, secondly it makes the suds in your soapy water last longer. Never use the same water or wash tools on your paint that you have used on your wheels.

Most high qaulity car wash shampoos are very gentle on the paint, plastic and rubber. A good car wash shampoo provides good lubrication between the wash mitt and the surface of the car to prevent scratching.

TIPS:

1. Do not wash the car in direct sunlight – If possible, work in the shade. A hot surface causes the water to evaporate too quickly, which will cause water spotting. It is best to park on a slight incline, this allows rinse water to run off moldings, trim and recessed areas better.
2. Wash the wheels first – If you wash the car body first, the water will dry and spot on the paint and windows before you can finish washing the wheels. Do not use the same wash water on your car’s paint as you used on your wheels.
3. Use a car wash shampoo only – Do not use any detergants such as dish washing liquid as these will strip any wax and also dry out the rubber door seals. Car wash shampoos are gentle on the car and designed to lubricate while washing to prevent scratches and contain conditioners to keep a gloss to the paintwork.
4. Use a quality wash tool – Lambswool Wash Mitt, Microfibre Wash Mitt or Foam Wash Mitt are the safest. These tools have a large number of fine filaments or crevises that draw dirt and grime away from the surface being cleaned into their internal structure. Sponges and washcloths can trap dirt, grit and grime on the surface, which will scratch your car’s paint.
5. Wash from the top down – This ensures your not working all the heavy grime at the bottom of the car to the top causing it to scratch the paint.
6. Harsh car washes – Stay away from harsh car washes such as do it yourself car wash bays or automatic car washes, the bristles on the brushes will leave minor scratches all over your paint.

One of the most common mistakes people make when washing their car is improperly drying and using a poor qaulity chamois. This is also one of the main causes of adding imperfections to your paint such as marring, swirl marks and scratches.

A lot of people use leather or synthetic chamois; whilst there is nothing wrong with this they are however the most common to add swirl marks into the paintwork. People often excessively wipe the paint when drying until it leaves no streaks which induce scratches and swirl marks.

We can highly recommend a Microfibre Waffle Weave Drying Towel, they are soft, made from microfibre and hold 5x their weight in water meaning you can dry and average size car without ringing the towel out. One simple wipe of the paint work and they will absorb all the water without leaving any streaks meaning less wiping is required to dry the car and less likely to induce swirl marks. These towels are textured so they help pull remaining contamination away from the surface they may have landed on the paint after washing, rather then dragging it across the paint like a normal leather or synthetic chamois.

At Superior Shine Mobile Car Detailing we also hold contracts with prestige car manufactures, this requires us to detail and wash their cars for corporate events, tv and film shoots and vehicle launch days ensuring they are in showroom condition through out the event. These events range from the cars being on display from a couple of hours to several days at different locations for static displays and also TV Shows, TV Commercials and Film Shoots, other events the cars are tested on race tracks to potential high profile clients to show the performance of the car.

We have previously detailed cars for the Footy Show Grand Finale, Gladiators, Backyard Blitz and more.. We have performed work for Landrover, Jaguar, Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Hyundai & Kia just to name a few.

Here are a few pictures from Jaguar Displays we have done in 2010 at different events.