A few decades back owning a car was a sign of affluence and luxurious life. In those days car detailing and maintenance were not paid much attention due to the triviality of car detailing back then. Nowadays, the neatness of one’s car is considered as the reflection of one’s discipline, diligence, and care. People are more driven towards maintaining their cars than ever. Also, these days maintenance of cars is quite imperative as the interiors and exteriors of cars are quite complex and need special care to keep them functioning smoothly.
Car detailing is the meticulous cleaning and reconditioning of the car with specific tools and products. The process is usually conducted manually (with hands) and the intent is to make the car look like a new one. Paintwork and repairing are not included in car detailing. On the other hand, car washing is superficial cleaning of the car by an automated wash system.
Car detailing is done in two phases, one is interior detailing, and the other is exterior detailing.
Among the interiors and exteriors of the car, interiors require greater effort to clean them. Interiors are way filthier than they seem to the naked eyes. The process of interior car detailing includes:
More often than not the engine is snubbed in interior car detailing. But experienced car detailers know the significance of detailing the engine bay. The engine is thoroughly sprayed with water, wiped with a degreaser, and then rinsed. Once the engine is completely dried, it’s properly applied with a coating to protect the rubber and silicone parts.
Vacuuming the interiors with a vacuum cleaner ensures the removal of all types of dirt including the ones that are not easily visible to the naked eye. The carpet of the car is swamped with smears and stains that are almost impossible to remove by regular brushing. Shampooing the carpet helps dilute the strong stains and wash them away.
This is usually done with a specific glass cleaner to ensure the retention of the sparkling and shine of the glasses so that the driver’s view is not compromised.
A special leather cleaner and soap are utilized for this purpose to keep the authentic comfort of the leather alive.
A clean piece of cloth is used with a cleaning detergent to wipe the plastic components, windows, and the dashboard. After wiping a special polish is applied to restore the shine.
For an elegant fragrance, a good scent or deodorant is used.
Exterior car detailing provides the car with a gleaming appearance from the outside. It’s not just the regular wash of the car’s exterior, for a pertinent exterior detailing the following steps are followed.
The car is sprayed on with a specific high-powered spray and then the detailer manually (with hands) cleans all the exterior components.
A clay bar is utilized to wipe out any impurities or residues that couldn’t be removed by washing.
A special polish is applied over the components to restore the authentic polish of the components.
Sealant is applied to provide the car with the shine that it had when it was new.
Now that you know how significant car detailing is and the processes that are followed in it, still choosing the right car detailing service for your car could be a head scratcher. There are many car detailing service providers in the market but you need to choose the one that provides the services that your car requires. Here are some simple tips that will help you find the most suitable car detailer for your car.
Do check if the detailer is providing the very services that your car needs. For example, if you are willing to get rid of your pet’s hair in the car and the detailer you approached doesn’t offer to provide such a service, then you must look for other detailers. Detailing services vary depending upon the packages detailers offer. Basic detailing services include vacuuming and cleaning interiors, glass cleaning, car wash, claying, polishing, sealing, perfuming. Expensive packages may include vacuuming boot space, trim painting, engine bay detailing, repairing bumper, etc.
The cost of the car detailing mostly depends on the type of products used. Choose the service that you can afford but at the same time remember that money spent on car detailing is a short-term investment for long-term benefits.
Do check the reviews for the car detailers you are looking forward to approaching.
It takes around 2-4 hours to completely detail a car.
The engine bay is cleaned through rinsing and wiping in car detailing.
In usual packages removal of scratches is not involved, however, you could get it done by paying some extra amount.
It’s entirely the owner’s choice to detail his car. Remember, detailing a car betters its performance, its looks, and its resale value.
Most car detailing experts recommend detailing the car every 4 to 6 months.
