8 Basic Car Detailing Tips | Car Detailing Guide

August 26, 2021 9:02 am

Car cleaning is not just about washing your car, it is all about the other details, which is the very same reason, and you will be charged more when you’re visiting a garage for car detailing than just washing it. However, with the right tools and products, any individual car owner can be an expert in car detailing. Let’s, therefore, have a look at the 8 Basic Car Detailing Tips that can ensure you get the best cleaning & detailing for your car:

 

1.  Always get under some shade

One of the first car detailing tips while trying to detail your car is that it’s not parked under somewhere that receives direct sunlight. Under the heat, water and cleaning products could evaporate too quickly, leaving behind a residue that would be more difficult to remove than the original contaminants.

Therefore, it would be ideal to wait for a cooler day or time or finding a cooler spot or garage to detail your car. However, make sure to avoid working underneath a tree that might be shedding leaves and other debris or is raining sap.

 

2. Invest in the right tools and products 

Not just car detailing, even if you are someone who prefers to wash your car yourself, make sure to get the right materials for the job. Some of the essential products or tools for vehicle detailing your car would be:

• Brushes for wheels, wheel wells, and tires
• Cleaning liquid or chemicals (Car wash soap/shampoo, degreasers, wheel cleaner, tire bleach, tire dressing, wheel sealant, automotive glass cleaner, polish, glaze, wax, sealant, etc.)
• Clay bars or detailing mitt
• Micro-fine sandpapers
• Orbital and dual-action polishers
• Polymer sealant, ceramic coatings
• Microfiber towels and cloths
• Vacuum, carpet extractor
• Leather cleaner and conditioner
• Odor eliminator
• Brushes
• Vinyl and rubber dressing

 

3. Avoid cross-contamination

Using the same materials (towels, brushes, buckets, etc.) to wash every part of your car can introduce contaminants from one area to another and make the car cleaning process a rather untidy process.

Therefore, make sure to allot different materials for each cleaning purpose or part/area (wheels, hood, engine bay, etc.). Also, ensure to use specific cleaners for each purpose or area and have separate buckets with soap, water, or shampoo.

 

4. Always work from the top to down

As a general rule-of-thumb, always work from the top of your car to the bottom. That way you’ll avoid bringing contaminants from the dirtier lower areas of the car to the more sensitive or smooth upper areas. Therefore, be it rinsing, washing, or drying, always start from the top and finish at the lower regions of your car.

Also, do not try to soap up your entire car at once as even in a cool or shady location, the soap can dry too quickly and cause wastage of water and detergents.

 

5. Wash the wheels first

One of the most recommended car detailing tips for the beginner is to wash the wheels first. Although it might seem like a direct contradiction to the above tip, starting with the wheels is the most preferred by detailers as those areas of the car tend to hold the worst of dirt and debris.

Considering it as a pre-cleaning, try to get rid of those embedded contaminants or debris from the lower body panels and wheels and later re-wash or rinse those areas with soap or shampoo.

 

6. Save your glass for the last

Being the most sensitive area, the glass or windows of your car should be the last thing or area you tackle while car detailing. And in order to maintain a perfect glass, a lot more effort should be put in while car detailing, than just spraying the windows and wiping them with a towel.

Use the right glass cleaner to achieve a streak-free shine and instead of using the household paper towels which can leave behind particles, prefer microfiber towels. Waffle weave towels offer a slightly more abrasive surface than regular towels and it’s always ideal to have an extra pair of them.

 

7. Keep it wet

Another most important thing to make sure while doing vehicle detailing is to avoid leaving out the panels to dry out too soon. Dried soap or chemicals can also leave watermarks on the surface, which are often more difficult to remove than dirt and can also damage your paint,

Therefore, it’s better to keep everything wet as long as possible, especially if the panels are coated with cleaning products.  And in order to dry your car effectively, use a soft microfibre towel or chamois.

 

8. Protect yourself

Last but most important car detailing tip which we always need to remember to wear protective gear, especially gloves (nitrile gloves), while you are detailing your car as you don’t want all those chemicals to go through the pores of your skin and get carried into your body.

Also, make sure to wear protective eyewear like glasses when you’re spraying any chemicals or paint and wear masks; especially if you are working within a closed environment with poor ventilation so as to prevent your breathing in of toxic gases.

Pal auto garage provides the best car detailing service in Dubai. We have Dubai’s best auto detailing experts with competitive packages. Why do you need to choose Pal Auto Garage for your car detailing service? Explore our car detailing service details for your answer.