DIY detailing w/ clay bar

Why should I have to detail my own car?

The answer is simple!

If giving your car a car wash is equivalent to you taking a shower, then detailing your car is equivalent to doing your hair and making sure you look just a little nicer before you go out for a night on the town.

DIY: Do it Yourself

Why do so many people choose to detail their own cars versus taking it into a shop or a professional to do? Well the answer is relatively simple, not only does it save you money (for labor) but detailing your car builds a personal relationship with your car and makes you more aware of how you treat your car when you clean it up.

Before/After car detailing

Clay Bar image

How to DIY: Detailing 
Before you detail your car here is a list of the items you will need:

1. A Car
2. A Clay Bar (used specifically for detailing a car)
3. Clay Bar lubricant
4. Microfiber towel 

Step 1: Wash your car and dry vehicle thoroughly.

Step 2: (Wash your hands and dry them before performing this step.)
Break a piece of clay off from the main bar and shape it with your hands into a flat surface.

Step 3: Work in a small square section of your car at a time (about a foot and a half or 18 in), mist the clay bar lubricant over the area you are going to work with so that every inch is covered in the lubrication.

Step 4: Gently move the clay bar over the misted area and overlap passes going left and right and then up and down (NOTE: do not rely on downward force to clean the paint, you will want the clay bar to absorb the contamination. Some stubborn contamination will require more passes and time to remove!)

Step 5: Continue to work on the area until all contamination is removed. (NOTE: this will happen when the clay bar glide with little resistance across the paint and you will not hear any contamination being picked up by the bar.)

Step 6: You are now finished with you area! Wipe off the excess clay lube with a microfiber towel. Repeat steps 3-6 over the entire car.

Didn't understand any of the steps? Watch the video below for a visual representation of how using a clay bar on you car should be done.

Visual Representation of DIY: Clay Bar

As always, thank you for reading our blog. For any questions or concerns feel free to shoot us an e-mail at cars.isds265@gmail.com. Thank you for your continuous support!!

Types of Car Detailing

What is Car Detailing?

It is the performance of thorough cleaning, restoration, and finishing of an automobile, both inside and out, to produce a show-quality level of detail.

The two main criteria for Car Detailing are Exterior Detailing and Interior Detailing. 

Exterior Detailing

Exterior detailing is more than just a simple drive down to your local Car-Wash Express. This style of detailing works specifically to wash & restore your cars beauty. Exterior detailing consists of restoring a cars paint, chrome trim, wheels, windows, headlights, spoilers, and any visible component of the exterior of the car. One tool used for this method is called a clay bar.




 A clay bar is pretty much self explanatory
 because its a bar made of clay, but this clay is very, very fine in size. It is small enough to pick the very small contaminants & debris embedded in the paint and remove paint over-spray. These debris & contaminants are the reason why after a regular car wash you start to see 'paint-swirls.' Paint-swirls are the very thin, hairline swirls and around a steady source of light you could see these swirls. A great way to fill in the paint swirl, is to use wax. Coating the car with some wax, helps reduce any new debris and contaminants digging into the newly restored paint.There are also many non-corrosive chemicals to choose from to help bring the shine back into your chrome or plastic parts. 

Interior Detailing

Interior detailing consists of the restoring the upholstery, gauges, steam cleaning, and adding modifications. Interior detailing has changed in the last 50 years or so. Inside automobiles there have been materials used such as leather, vinyl, wood, plastics, carbon fiber composites, and many more. All these materials are great to withstanding a lot of wear and tear from high temperatures resulting from steam cleaning and chemicals. Sometimes these materials don't last for their full life time and need to be replaced. Some companies specialize in reupholstering car seats, ceilings, and basically anything that has fabric or needs fabric installed. When replacing your interior material, you always have the option to change it to your preference. If originally your car had clothed seats and you're not a fan of them, then you can upgrade to leather with little price discrepancy and be happy with your choice.Another key importance of interior detailing is the chemicals used. Make sure you always read the back of the labels and it is correct for the material you are using. Some chemicals may work great on leather surfaces but use that same chemical on wood and it'll destroy its shine.

Stay tuned for next weeks post as we show you how to DIY & learn some new techniques that'll help you detail your automobile!

Plasti Dip Continued

DIY: Plasti Dip

As you may have read on last week's post, Plasti Dip is a very versatile object. It can be used on nearly any surface of the car(that is non-mechanical) and completely change the look of your vehicle while saving you money as opposed to customizing or modding your car in various other ways, that would cost a ton of money. So here on this week's post we will show you the most common uses of Plasti-Dip and supply the best video for each item. Enjoy!

Most Common Uses of Plasti Dip

• Alloy wheels,rims,even hubcaps

• Car Emblems/Badges

• The entire body of the car or certain parts of the car's body(the roof, grille, trunk, hood)      

• Tail Lights and/or Headlights 

Alloy Wheels, Rims, Hubcaps 

This is the most common use of Plasti Dip among users of the product. The reason why many people choose to use Plasti-Dip is because it is a very cheap alternative as opposed to buying rims, because when you  Plasti-Dip your car's wheels it completely changes the entire look of your car. Another reason why many people use Plasti Dip on their wheels is to cover curb rash. Below are 2 videos that shows you how to use Plasti Dip on your wheels by either leaving your wheel on the car or taking it off.

1. Taking your wheel off (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOk7E0lMFns)

2. Leaving your wheel on the car (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek1mRhEIbHA)

Car Emblems/Badges

Another common use of Plasti Dip is on car emblems and badges. There are many reasons why people like Plasti Dipping their emblems and badges Some include to blackout their car(make everything from the body, wheels, windows, tail lights black), to match their rims or car, or simply just because they like it. But regardless of the reason, below is another video with shows you how to Plasti Dip your emblems and badges.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Gfd46AxLw)

Plasti Dipping the Entire Car or Certain Parts

Plasti Dipping your entire car or certain parts of your car like the roof, hood, or the trunk is once again is a cheap alternative to going to the body shop to get your car painted. Alternatively it is also cheaper than buying additional parts like a carbon fiber painted hood. Plasti Dipping your car is safe, durable (yet removable) and also a lot cheaper than going to the shop. Below is a video to show you the process of dipping your entire car.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNY9Dx617N8)

Plasti Dipping your Tail Lights/Headlights

Plasti dipping tail lights and headlights is the last common use of Plasti Dip on a car. Although tinting your car's headlights and/or tail lights is illegal in most states, it gives a stealthy look that many look for. Below are two videos showing the process to give your car that stealthy look, one shows the use of a stencil to make sure your car's turn signal and reverse lights are not covered by the plasti dip and the other is covering the entire light.

1. Using a stencil (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8jTAIZqOb8).

2. Dipping the entire light (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EShgFOC3Bc).

All in all Plasti Dip is an amazing product. It is relatively cheap, very durable, and can used nearly anywhere on a car. We hope you enjoyed this week's post and find the DIY videos helpful.