SquaredArches.com Detailing Guide

Written By SquaredArches.com

• Applies To: Everything!
• Example Vehicle: VN Calais
• Estimated Time In Beers: How long have you got? Better make it a carton
• Tools Required: See below.

I would like to say that I am not an expert on car detailing by any means and most- if not all- of the information contained within this article comes from searches I have done to build on my own knowledge and keep my car looking as good as I can. There are a number of specialist detailing web sites all offering quality advice and definitely worth a look.

Being proud owners of the VN / VP range, we are also proud owners of what would rank as one of the worst factory paints in the history of the universe. The scariest thing is, that isn’t even too much of an exaggeration.

However that doesn’t mean strip it back to bare metal and start again, nor does it mean to neglect it because no matter what you do it’ll look terrible. By doing a little bit of research and putting in a whole lot of effort you can get the most out of your paint and you might just be surprised by the result.

The best part is it doesn’t have to cost the Earth so anyone can give it a crack.

To make life a little bit easier I have broken this down into three parts- firstly how to select your products, actually doing the deed and finally how to best deal with some of the common problems you will come across.

Part One - The Tools

The first thing you will need to do is collect an assortment of products to get the job done. Buy the best you can either afford or feel comfortable paying. There is a whole new world of products out there other than the off the shelf jobs and a lot of them far superior for a little more or the same cost. It’s worth mentioning that the list below is in no way exhaustive and as time goes on you will personalise your kit by adding items that you think are beneficial.

Car Wash

Everyone buys carwash which is why- I presume- there are so many gimmicks on the market and flashy packages to attract your dollar. However no matter how good the bottle looks if the product inside is crap you may as well be using water alone.

The key area to look for in a car wash is firstly how it affects your water. While suds look good, they don’t tell the full story. First and foremost, the carwash is to provide a level of lubrication between your paintwork and cleaning tool to prevent scratches and swirls so you are looking for a wash that essentially ‘thickens’ the water or gives it a ‘slick’ feel.

Another problem with some washes is that no matter how hard you try it is almost impossible to avoid streaking. Obviously no one wants to spend all afternoon cleaning a car only to have it look worse than when you started!

Finally- unless you want to strip the wax off your car- you are looking for a wash that will clean the paint while being gentle to your wax coat and thereby improving the length between waxes.

Oh, and dish washing detergent doesn’t cut it people. Yes, it can be used if you want to strip wax to basically give your paint a fresh start, but I wouldn’t use it under any other circumstances.

Tyre Shine

Like clean windows, clean, black tyres make all the difference to the overall appearance of any car. There are a number of products on the market that have varying degrees of gloss and cleaning properties as well application methods.

Spray and aerosol types have the advantage in speedy application and most have no problems with spin off which can stain plastics but over spray is a problem and they can make quite a mess if you aren’t extremely accurate. I prefer the gel types that are either painted on or applied with an applicator as over spray is not a concern however as they are typically applied heavier you will have to wipe off the excess to prevent spin off.

If your budget does not extend to a designated tyre shine often a protectant can be used although not as effective and ultimately more costly in the long run.

Wheel Cleaners

Often a light corrosive to get brake dust and other road grime off your wheels in quick time. As a result of that, you need to be careful that the product you buy is suitable for your wheel type (the metal it's made from). There are different varieties for various materials and careful shopping should find a product suited to your needs.

Personally, I no longer use a wheel cleaner and instead use an microfibre noodle sponge thing and some carwash to give them a safe tub up as some of the warnings on the products scare me and they aren't exactly cheap.

Glass Cleaner

The cleanest, shiniest paint in the world can be let down terribly by filthy or water spotted windows. Not only is it a safety concern but in less than ten minutes they can be so clean they’ll have reflections to match the paint.

The biggest problem with using a house – hold window cleaner is that many containing ammonia and other chemicals that will ruin a tinted finish in seconds. With an absolute plethora of automotive glass products on the market spanning a whole range of prices it is better to be safe than sorry and splurge on a designated product.

It is largely going to be trial and error with selecting a cleaner that does not streak however to kick things off, I find Autoglym Fast Glass to be among the best of the off the shelf products. A secondary consideration should be the smell of the product- no one likes an eye burning chemical smell, especially not in a small space like a car’s interior!

Protectant

As the interior is going to be where you spend most of your time with your car (hopefully) it makes sense to keep it well maintained. As an added bonus, interior protectants will also make sure your interior stands up to the elements and over time won’t fade or crack.

For all the rumours of Armour All leading to cracked dashes, it seems they changed the formulation many years ago but the urban myth remains. However, it does have other problems- namely an extremely ‘oily’ finish that attracts dirt and dust like a big sticky magnet. Any protectant containing silicon isn’t preferable and personally I’m not out to disprove the Armour All myth.

As with tyre shine, various products have different degrees of shine and it is up to you to determine whether you prefer the high gloss look or a more subdued clean appearance.

Metal Polish

It’s a bit of a no brainer, but if you have no metal to polish you don’t need a designated metal polish. Most people would have something however, even if it is only an exhaust tip.

I have not used a polish designed to be used with a machine of any sort and if you are going to polish by hand, ensure you don’t get a product designed for machines. It’s complicated and has to do with the structure of the polish- just stick to what you actually need.

If your metal is in good condition, most metal polishes are gentle enough to make it shine without damaging the finish. For restoration type stuff, often a stronger, more abrasive polish would be required. Read the label and ensure the polish will be safe for your metals.

Clay Bar

The clay bar has really only found favour over the last handful of years with the home detailer. Basically it is a black of tacky clay with a mixture of light abrasives that you lightly slide over the surface with the intention of removing embedded contaminants. As the level of shine and reflection you get from your paint is directly proportional to the smoothness of the surface a decent claying will really give your polish a leg up although it isn't entirely essential.

Typically a clay bar is used with a quick detailer to provide lubrication and when bought comes as a kit. The higher quality bars will usually last longer before they reach a point where they are unusable however as you should really only be claying once or twice a year it is up to you to find the point of depreciating returns.

Quick Detailers

Basically a light liquid wax in a spray bottle. Most companies make them now days and I can't personally tell the difference between most of them.

Quick Detailers are quite handy after a quick wash to top up an existing wax finish and can be used in other areas- I use one on my painted engine bay components. Admittedly it gets too hot for a wax to last but it does work as a gentle clean. I also soak a cotton bud in some quick detailer and use it for removing wax from panel gaps and hard to reach places. For something that a lot of people overlook, it is a handy product- just don't expect it to replace a good polish and wax!

Polish / Wax / Sealant

Polishes, waxes and sealants are easily the most confusing products of the lot to buy- there are just so many on the market, each with subtle differences and many with not so subtle claims.

With a polish, the first thing you need to decide is what exactly you are hoping to achieve with the polish. Is the paint work clean and clear? Does it have minor swirls or large scratches? Is the paint faded? The most important difference in polishes is the ‘cut’ essentially how much of the top layer of paint it will remove, so before you start rubbing away you need to ask yourself the questions above.

If your paint is in otherwise good condition most of the ‘generic’ type off the shelf polishes will maintain the finish and not cause too much heart break in the process. Although I’m not a big fan of the colour boost type polishes- they usually cause more mess than they are worth- different polishes do work better on lighter or darker cars so definitely take your paint colour into account when buying a polish.

If instead your car needs some paint correction done and you want to give it a go yourself you best bet is to look into a series of polishes that gradually decrease in cut. The old Kitten Cut and Polish isn’t the best option- one size fits all approaches never are- and how heavy duty you start depends on the level of correction needed as we will cover later. I like the Poor Boys line of products which start at a fairly severe level and work down to gentle polishes. Think of it much like using lighter grades of sandpaper when sanding metal.

Once you have refined your paint’s surface with the polish, it should have some wax or sealant applied to protect it and make sure you get the longest period of time possible between polishes. Waxes and sealants are quite different products and each has their own group of supporters and detractors.

Wax is produced with a percentage of naturally occurring carnauba wax taken from the carnauba palm– the more expensive waxes usually having a higher percentage and higher quality carnauba (extremely specialised waxes can be matched to your paint and cost as much as $3000 for a tub!!).

The advantage of wax over a sealant is that it has a much deeper, wetter looking shine. It is also available as a liquid, cream or a paste so there are many options as far as application is concerned.

When buying any wax it is best to buy one that is suited to either light or dark colours depending on your paint and the highest quality you can afford. Better quality waxes tend to have a higher level of clarity and therefore shine, while cheaper waxes often give a cloudy appearance.

Typically, waxes last 6-8 weeks before requiring reapplication but high temperatures and car washes that strip wax will lower the time between applications.

Sealants are only available in liquid form and are a chemical designed to give the protection of a wax but increased longevity. Many people argue that the shine isn’t on par with a wax but the greater time between applications is ample compensation. When purchasing a product- either wax or sealant- it pays to keep this in mind and choose accordingly.

Buckets

Get one or better yet get two and preferably sturdy enough so you can carry them around by the handle when full.

Holes are bad.

Sponges & Alternatives

Although it was probably all you saw your old man use, sponges are not the best product you can use for washing your car. Often dirt and other crap will become trapped between your paint and the sponge surface which can lead to scratching and swirls.

Far better alternatives are now out there from lambs wool mitts, to microfibre products and new sponges designed to trap the dirt away from your paint. The key area to look for is the 'nap' of the product which basically gives the dirt somewhere to go rather than getting caught like the traditional sponges can. If you look at a lambs wool mitt you will often see they are quite deep and fluffy- good because it means the dirt is swept up and held deep within the mitt. Microfibre works much the same way and is pretty much the wonder product of the detailing world. This diagram pretty well explains the difference between microfibre and cotton and this one is a good microscopic look at the fibre itself.

A word of warning on the lambs wool mitts- there is a lot of variation between each mitt by the same manufacturer as there are no specially bred lambs wool mitt sheep with ultra plush wool. Carefully go over each one on the shelf and select the best quality- if your aren't happy, look elsewhere.

Drying

There are a variety of synthetic and natural leather chamois on the market however they are also prone to the same problem as the old sponges- dirt gets trapped and dragged across the surface. As a rule of thumb, friction is your enemy when it comes to caring for your paint. That noise when you pull a chamois across the paints surface? That's friction.

That's not to say that using a chamois is going to immediately lead to scratches- if you've done everything else right you should be pretty safe. But if 'pretty safe' isn't good enough other options are the air drying which is often impractical at home or a microfibre drying towel which not only gives the grit an escape route but can also hold something like five times its own body weight in liquid thanks to the shape of it's fibres. They can be costly though and it's up to you whether your pick one up or just take extra care with a chamois.

Cloths

You'll need a number of these for the glass, interior, polishing and buffing. Microfibre is definitely the way to go here as they don't drop lint like other cloths which can ruin the effect of a nice clean surface- they also pick up dirt like a magnet and are the safest cloth to use on any surface. To be most cost effective you can plan which areas actually need such high quality cloths and which can make do with old terry towelling- a bit of lint in your engine bay probably won't be the end of the world on your daily driver!

When buying microfibre there are a number of different qualities at a number of different price points- go for the best you can afford as they will usually last longer. Take special note of the stitching around the edges of the cloth as some manufactures use a thread that can be quite abrasive. I'm no scientist but if you can feel the cloth go for a nice soft fabric over one that feels heavy and coarse.

Bits & Bobs

This pretty much comes down to the nice to haves and the strange items that will make life a bit easier. For instance a paint brush can come in handy on the interior and you'll find just about 1001 uses for the cotton buds that you see people shoving in their ear canals.

There is no end to the more specialised products available that claim to be the best invention since sliced bread- if you think it looks helpful chances are it will be!

Take a look at Part Two for advice on how to use your new products.