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!