Summer is here and with it great driving weather, so I thought I’d share some basic vehicle detailing tips.
You’ve seen work I performed on my BMW 435i and my neighbor’s Porsche Cayenne and Jaguar F-Pace, but those jobs took a a lot of products and tools to complete. Not many people are crazy enough to make that kind of investment, or are willing to put in days worth of work on a single vehicle.
You don’t have to go to such extreme measures to keep your vehicles looking good. When I talk to a conscientious vehicle owner about detailing, I try really hard not bury them in information about types of products or tools. Instead, I focus on a few simple steps and a couple inexpensive products to keep things looking good for a very long time.
The Basics
There are two very basic things anyone can do to keep their vehicles looking good for a long time.
- Keep it clean
- Keep it protected
Simple, right? Actually, it is! Faded and peeling paint or the stained, shiny, sticky, and dingy interior is quite often the result of neglect; not poor quality materials used by the automaker (though that does contribute to the problem). Let’s take a deeper look at both ideas,
Keep It Clean
Even if you never put a drop of wax on the paint, or any product on the interior, keeping things clean helps more than you realize.
Exterior
The obvious step here is washing your vehicle, but many people don’t think too much about it. A car that is never totally clean will start to loose it’s shine over time.
Washing
To get your vehicle really clean, you need to wash it by hand. Nothing will get a car cleaner than a good old fashion “bucket wash”. Automated car washes never get the surface totally clean and the soaps they use tend to be very harsh on exterior surfaces. The touchless variety won’t leave fine scratches (or worse), but they still won’t get it totally clean. The types with the brushes and cloth strips will scratch the paint each time you go through them.
For those who live somewhere with snowy winters this point needs extra consideration. The salt and other nasty ice melting chemicals applied to the roads are really harsh and very hard to remove. There have been times when I had to double wash every panel of our vehicles twice to get everything off. In the dead of winter a touchless car wash or a trip to a coin-op bay to power wash off the ice melt chemicals is necessary, but once things warm up a hand wash is in order.
Another important part of preserving the paint is the rapid removal of bird droppings and bug splatters. Both can be highly corrosive eat away at the paint right after impact. A soft towel and a quick detail spray will easily remove either before they can do any damage. A heavy layer of bugs splatters or a large number of bird droppings will force you to drag out the bucket and hose to do a full wash.
Wash Products
Don’t use Dawn dish washer soap or other non-automotive based products for you soap. Most are too harsh for routine automotive use and might damage plastic and rubber trim. Instead, use wash soaps from reputable auto detailing brands like 3D, Duragloss, Griots Garage, Optimum, or Megiuars professional line. My current favorite is Meguiar’s Hyperwash, but I’m also a big fan of Optimum’s Car Wash. Many of these products may seem expensive, but higher dilution ratios and better cleaning ability make them worth the price.
For people who living in apartments or places with water restrictions which make a traditional bucket wash impossible, don’t despair. There are waterless and rinsless wash products on the market now designed for those types of situations. There are several friendly detailing forums like Autogeek Online or Autopia Forums where members can guide you through the process.
Keep a bottle of quick detail spray handy. It’s a great product to get rid of random messes like bird droppings, sticky fingerprints, or dog drool. One of the best detail sprays out there is Meguiar’s Quick Detailer. It’s easy to find and very inexpensive.
Wheels
Wheels need a special mention. I’ve lost count of the number of cars I’ve seen which initially look well cared for, but have wheels black with brake dust and grime.
Many people don’t realize brake dust is fairly corrosive when it gets wet. Brake dust sitting on the wheels for a long time will eat away at the finish of the wheel. I’ve personally experienced brake dust pitting the finish on wheels left dirty too long due to winter weather. Even minimal effort will preserve your wheels and keep them looking nice.
I would recommend mixing up a bucket of soap and wash your wheels first. Then empty the bucket and start the car with clean soap and water. If you use the same wash mitt, be sure to rinse it before moving on to the car. A soft wheel brush can make things much easier, especially a long, thin one for cleaning the wheel barrel.
Interior
Just like the outside of your vehicle, the best way to keep an interior looking good is to keep it clean.
The first step in keeping any interior well maintained, regardless of the type of upholstery, is vacuuming. Dirt and crumbs will grind into the surfaces and causing the colors to get a dingy appearance. Little bits of dirt, sand, hard crumbs or other debris work like sand paper causing seams and fabrics to fail prematurely. The same goes for carpeting on the floor. It will hold up longer and stay looking better with a little attention. Any shop vac, household vacuum cleaner or coin-op vacuum will work fine.
You need to keep all of the hard surfaces as clean as possible. Most hard surfaces like plastic, vinyl, rubber, and even leathers can be kept clean by wiping them down with a quality interior cleaning and protection product on a regular basis. Fabrics can be cleaned with a mild fabric cleaner.
Keep in mind that surfaces you touch frequently like steering wheels, gear selectors, and hand brakes will get dirty really quickly. Sweat, oils from your skin, and lotions will build up on those surfaces and need a deep cleaning every couple of months. For those areas, interior quick cleaners just won’t do the trick and you’ll need to use an all purpose cleaner. For leather leather surfaces a reputable leather cleaner is recommended..
Leather seating areas are a little different, but still not hard to maintain. Giving them a good cleaning with a quality leather cleaner every couple of months will keep the material soft, flexible, clean, and looking new.
Keep It Protected
Now that you’ve got the vehicle all cleaned up, how do you protect everything inside and out to keep it looking nice? This too is pretty easy!
The Outside
The outside might be the easiest part of the car to do. Older readers may remember a family member with a tub of Turtle Wax it into the paint and then slaving over the car for hours to buff it off. Not to worry, those days are far behind us!
These days there is a dizzying array of choices, but don’t get sucked in to the hype. Plenty of quality products on the market at reasonable prices which will serve you well. For the best results, focus on two types of products:
- Spray Sealants/Waxes: These products may be called waxes, sealants, and these days they might even call themselves a coatings. The truth is, it is most likely a still just a sealant and will last around two to four months. These are the easiest to apply. Lightly spray the product over the area, spread it around with a soft microfiber towel, and then buff it off as needed.
- Liquid Sealants/Waxes: These products take a little more effort to apply, but will protect the surface much longer than spray products and will offer better chemical resistance to things like bird droppings and bugs. With these products you pour out a small amount of liquid onto a soft foam pad and then apply it to the entire vehicle. Let it sit for anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes (based on what the label tells you) and then buff it out with soft microfiber towels. The good ones are really easy to buff off.
The Inside
Interiors will take a little longer to wipe down with a protectant due to all the different surfaces and hard to reach places, but over all it still isn’t an overly time consuming process.
With a quality protectant or interior detail spray designed for all interior surfaces you simply need to give a soft microfiber towel a couple quick sprays and then start wiping down all the surfaces. If the surface looks really wet, you’ve most likely put too much product on your towel and you’ll need to buff it off. You do not want the surface looking wet or shiny, but rather a nice satin or matte appearance.
If you happen to have an an interior cursed by piano black trim or other high gloss trim, be very careful and use very soft towel when wiping down those surfaces.
Also, be careful when dealing with gauge cluster covers and navigation/infotainment screens. These areas have a multitude of different coatings to prevent reflections which may not react well to cleaners or protectants. Not only are the surfaces sensitive to chemicals, but they may also be very easy to scratch. The last thing you want is the most looked at areas of an interior being scratched from wiping or spotting from a chemical that etched the surface. I’m inclined to only use a towel damp with water until I’m able to do a test of a product in a very small discreet area.
Equipment
At this point, you probably already have another browser tab open with Amazon or any number of online auto detailing stores and started loading up your cart will all sorts of products. Before you do that, step back, take a deep breath, and keep reading. You probably need far less than you think to do the basics, and don’t need to spend a lot of money.
Here is what you need.
- Bucket. One or two 5-gallon buckets (for my non-US readers…a big bucket). Nothing fancy. Most hardware or DIY stores sell them very cheaply.
- Wash mitt. You will see these all over the internet for a wide variety of prices. I’ve bought some at stores like WalMart, online detailing stores, and auto parts stores, and I can’t tell the difference between many of them. Just make sure it is really soft.
- Hose. A hose…or two. You need enough hose to get from the closest faucet to the vehicle and then be able to work all the way around it.
- Nozzle. Don’t need to get fancy. One of those from a garden center or hardware store with a selection of spray types is the best. You’ll want to use the “jet” setting to blast of dirt off the surfaces, wheels, and wheel wells, but a more gentle shower setting works best for rinsing off soap.
- Drying Towel. Don’t use the synthetic chamois or terry cloth towels. These days you can get very soft microfiber drying towels from places like the The Rag Company
- which are far softer, more absorbent, and better for your paint. I was surprised how much longer my paint stayed looking nice and free of any marring when I stopped using chamois-like products.
- Microfiber Towel. Lots of them. This is one place you might need to be careful where you shop. I get mine in a big bundle from Costco. Others I’ve seen at parts strores and some retail locations are not very soft and not well made. Depending on your circumstance you may need to buy them from an auto detailing shop online or The Rag Company. Just look for affordable ones which come in big bundles. You’ll be using these towels on both the outside and inside of the vehicle, so make sure you have enough to do the job. I’d start with around 10.
- Sealant applicator. If you decide on a liquid sealant on the exterior of your vehicle you’ll need an applicator. These are my favorite for this purpose.
Products
After reading this entire blog post, you’re probably wondering why I’ve not said anything about specific products. I mentioned very few on purpose. There is an almost endless variety and price points. I’ve tried quite a few, but I won’t recommend a product or brand I’ve not used personally and I don’t want to limit your selection.
I will make a recommendation on places to shop. If you go to a reputable on line detailing shop like Autogeek, Autopia, or Detailed Image, you’ll find everything you need and a variety of price points to meet any budget. The two stores listed here and others like them typically test out many of the products before they sell them. You’ll have a much better chance of getting a quality product there than an auto parts store or a large retail store. These stores also have great customer service and can answer any of your questions.
Wrap up
There you have it. That’s all you need to do. Nothing expensive, nothing complicated. You don’t have to fall off the deep end like I have to keep your vehicle looking good.
If you are looking for more tips or have questions, post them in the comments!