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.
See Original Post Here!
No comments:
Post a Comment