Category: Tutorials

Introduction

Regularly washing your car is the first step to maintaining your car and a crucial part in keeping it in great condition over the long term to stop the build up of contamination.

Most imperfections like swirl marks, scratches, water spots are caused by incorrect washing and drying techniques, it is important to use quality products and use the correct technique to minimise this type of damage.

Wheel Washing

It is best to always start with the wheels, if you wash the paint first then you run the risk of the water drying on the car while you are washing the wheels which may cause water spotting.

1. Spray wheel with wheel cleaner / degreaser to break down any tough dirt and grime.

2. If you have an open spoke wheel it is best to use a quality wheel brush to clean inside the wheel.
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A common misunderstanding is the difference between a polish and wax, i hear a lot of people associate the two and believe they do the same thing. This is false, I cannot stress this enough, waxes and polishes are different and do different things, but the marketing people behind big car care brands don’t really care about definitions and will call a product anything that they think sounds good.

Polish
A polish usually contains micro abrasives, they may also contain lots of solvents which clean your paint work. A polish is used to remove light scratches, swirl marks, oxidized / faded paint and to restore and enhance the paint work back to a deep gloss. There are lots of polishes on the market from heavy cutting compounds to mild cleaner polishes, it is best to start with a mild polish first as cutting compounds can cause damage to the paint work if not used [...]

Cleaning the engine bay is something most people never bother to do to their car. It may be because it seems like a lot of hard work however it is very simple and only takes a few minutes. A clean engine bay can add to the value of your car when it comes to selling it, and undoubtedly makes it easier for mechanics to make repairs and carry out inspections to ensure there are no oil leaks.

Many people think you should not spray your engine with water, this is partly true. However, as long as you do not spray any of the electrics or air intake with water then you will have no problems, we have detailed thousands of engine bays with a high pressure washer and never had a single problem.

When it actually comes to the engine bay detailing, the first thing you should do is make sure your engine is cold [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]