The Top 15 Car Detailing Secrets

Ever wondered how professional valets and detailers are able to make cars look so shiny, and keep them that way for longer?
If you enjoy taking care of your car but are often left disappointed with the results, you’ll feel the benefit of our top 15 car detailing secrets, which offer hints and tips on how to get the most from your washing, waxing and polishing efforts.

Learning how to detail your car to a professional standard isn’t just a matter of vanity, it’s a smart way to maintain your car’s value, and make sure you get the best possible price when it comes to selling it on.
Here, we offer a selection of car detailing secrets from the Simoniz experts, as well as a handful of further tips from the experts at Professional Valeters & Detailers (PVD).
1. Dry glass surfaces in two directions
When cleaning and drying your car’s windows, you’ll almost certainly come across an annoying streak on either the outside or the inside of the glass. To make the process easier, get in the habit of drying the exterior glass in one direction and the interior in another (horizontal and vertical for instance).
By making the effort to dry the glass this way, you’ll know whether the streak is on the outside or inside of the car by the direction it’s facing — so you can deal with the problem quickly without causing any more streaks and blemishes. (Using a product like Simoniz Anti-Glare Glass Cleaner will also help to avoid streaks.)
2. Don’t forget to clean the very top of the windows
One simple tip that can help you avoid unwanted smears is to wind down the windows to clean the topmost portion of the glass. Excess product can build up in the window jamb, and could result in streaking, dripping and other marks. By winding the windows down an inch or two, you can make sure every inch of the car receives a professional clean, so that all dirt, debris and excess product is removed.
3. Treat your trim first
Black plastic trim requires different care and maintenance from the rest of the bodywork. To keep plastic trim looking its best, we’d recommend treating it with a black restoring product before waxing and polishing the surrounding metalwork.
Why? Products like Simoniz Back to Black Bumper Shine are designed to not only restore the colour of the plastic, but protect it from grime, chemicals and abrasion. Waxes and polishes can actually stain the bare plastic, which is why it’s a good idea to treat these areas first.
4. Apply wax with a power buffer — don’t remove it with one
A power buffer is a great way to get professional results, but it’s important to know how to use one properly. Often, people make the mistake of removing wax and polish with a buffer, but this can lead to an uneven finish and swirls in the clear coat.
Instead, you should apply wax with a power buffer, before removing with a soft, dry cloth. By covering the buffer pad in wax, you’ll prevent the machine from burning the paint layer and end up with a thin and evenly distributed coat of wax.
5. Check the surface with a plastic bag
Before sealing the paintwork with a fresh coat of wax, you should always check to make sure all areas of dirt and abrasion have been removed. But how do you do this without getting annoying fingerprints all over your freshly washed and polished bodywork?
One of the simplest ways to feel for areas of dirt and abrasion is to put your hand in a standard plastic carrier bag and run it over the surface of the car. This will allow you to feel for any bumps and bits of dirt, without the risk of getting greasy fingerprints on the paintwork.
6. It’s all about the type of cloth
Traditionally, sponges have been the go-to tool for washing cars, but no longer. Now it’s all about soft, microfibre cloths, which make it easier to wash, rinse and dry your car’s paintwork without the risk of scratching or scrubbing.
Microfibre cloths offer lower friction and greater efficiency for fast, effective washing and rinsing. Just remember to keep your wash and dry cloths separate, and make sure you remove any labels or tags from the cloths to avoid scratching.
7. Invest in a dual action polisher
Polishing is one of the most important jobs when it comes to professionally detailing your car, so it pays to invest in the right equipment to get the best possible results.
We’d definitely recommend buying a dual action polisher, which will easily handle any polishing jobs you throw at it. Perfect for ironing out areas of abrasion, and removing layers of old wax, these motorised polishers will ensure your car always has a smooth, even finish for a lasting just-bought shine.
8. Use static electricity on carpets
Carpet fibres trap dust, dirt and bits, making it very difficult to remove them when it comes to vacuuming. There’s nothing more annoying than scrubbing your car’s carpets with a vacuum brush, only to find the bits are just as ingrained as they were previously — if not more so.
One tip to easily remove these stubborn bits is to use static electricity to draw the bits upwards and out of the fibres, making them easier to remove with a hoover. You can do this using a latex glove, and gently rubbing your hand across the surface of the carpet. The friction will generate static, and pull the bits upwards for easier removal.
9. Brush the carpet first
Another great tip to get rid of annoying bits is to brush the carpet with a stiff nylon brush. This will agitate the carpet fibres, making it easier to remove the bits with a vacuum cleaner. Be careful not to rub too hard, however, as this could damage the upholstery and lead to fraying. Our Upholstery and Carpet Cleaner has a brush attached to make this easy.
10. Use compressed air to deodorise your vents
If your car no longer has that new car scent, and you’ve tried a range of air freshening products without success, use a can of compressed air to give the vents a quick blast. Dust, dirt and moisture can build up on the inside of air vents, causing stale odours to circulate through the cabin whenever they’re in use. Compressed air will remove the offending muck, grime and bacteria, giving your car a fresher, more neutral smell.
11. Always wash your car when the bodywork is cool and out of direct sunlight – water evaporates faster on hot cars which can leave water marks.
12. Always dress your tyres last as tyre dressings often contain silicone, which you don’t want on bodywork when you wax it.

13. When washing a car, remember to clean the door, boot, and bonnet shuts as dirt and water can gather there and then dribble out over clean exterior bodywork.
14. When drying a car, use an absorbent microfibre towel as older style chamois leathers can mark paintwork, and use a light misting of quick detailer to help prevent watermarks.
15. When washing a car, use two buckets, one with shampoo and one without. This avoids putting dirty water back on to the car. Fifteen litre or more buckets are recommended, ideally with anti-grit grates in the bottom.
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What is Auto Detailing? Is it Different from Car Care?

Put simply, auto detailing or simply detailing is nothing but car care (even bike care). Detailing is just a professional term used in the automobile industry. However, I believe it is a step beyond car care. Read on to know why I think so.

Coming across the word detailing, the word “detail” comes to mind, which means to elaborate or describe, for example – to describe a painting in detail. Thus, we tend to misplace the meaning of the word detailing with detail.

In fact, stumbling upon the phrase “auto detailing” for the first time, I thought it referred to decorating cars with vinyl or “stickering” as it’s commonly known in India. Boy was I wrong!

Google defines detailing as “small decorative features on a building, garment, or work of art”, which is exactly what auto detailing is all about – turning a car or bike into a work of art.

To elaborate further, Wikipedia defines auto detailing as “… the performance of thorough cleaning, restoration, and finishing of a motor vehicle, to produce a show-quality cleanliness and polish. Detailing can be performed on a vehicle’s exterior and/or interior”.

Now that we are familiar with the phrase “auto detailing”, let’s understand the importance of auto detailing. The term is often overlooked – one might think of detailing as cleaning the vehicle with water, shampooing it, dry with a clean cloth and finish with vacuuming the interiors. But detailing is not just about cleaning or protecting; it also involves meticulously enhancing your vehicle. In that sense, it’s probably a broader term than car care.

How Detailing is more than just Car Care
Detailing involves a range of sophisticated tools, processes, equipment and techniques. It involves protection, correction, restoration and enhancement. It involves passion and dedication mixed with intense training and practice. A detailer must possess a great deal of patience as many of the processes involved are painstakingly slow. Depending on the condition and size of a car, detailing it can take anything between hours to a few days!

Take for example, paint correction:

First the car is washed and cleared of any debris thoroughly, which itself is a multi-step process using special shampoos, clay, brushes, microfibre towels, steam cleaning and other tools. Once satisfied with the cleanliness of the paint and ensuring it has no embedded impurities, the next step is to assess the condition of clear coat and paint. The extent of paint defects such as orange peels, swirls and scratches is determined. The paint + clear coat thickness at various point is noted, with a coating thickness measuring device. With this, the number of stages of compounding (in simpler words, polishing), the kind of polishing pads/machines and the type of chemicals to be used is decided and paint correction is started. Throughout the process, surface temperature is constantly monitored with in infrared thermometer to keep it within limits. Finally, after the vehicle is rid of any surface defects, a coating of wax is applied followed by a sealant. With 2~3 trained personnel working simultaneously, paint correction can take anywhere between a few hours to an entire day.

Sigh! Sounds complicated and tiring? What I’ve described is just one aspect of detailing. The investment on tools and products alone can be overwhelming for an individual. That’s where professional detailers, such as Polished Ride step in. With the technical know-how, handpicked tools like “Random orbital polishers” and man power, we can tackle every detailing issue while you sit back and marvel at the transformation we bring about – right at your doorstep! You can check the pricing here!

Detailing as an Industry
The detailing industry is estimated to be around $10 billion and growing, owing to people realising the importance of detailing their vehicles. Vehicle technology is improving over the years, enabling owners to use them for longer periods before being scrapped. This reinforces the importance of detailing to preserve them in the best condition possible till the end.

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