As you are reading this, we already assume that you are a car owner or enthusiast. Now many people associate car detailing with car washing. Detailing a car takes washing to a whole new level. As the name suggests we spend much more time on the small stuff to massively improve the final result. 

Well, what is car detailing in the first place?

Car detailing is the process of cleaning and protecting your vehicle to keep it looking brand new and protected from the elements. Unlike basic car washing, it involves a lot more work. Before we even touch the car we go through a minimum of 2 stages of pre washing. All the exterior and interior parts of the car gets cleaned on our full valets and details.Scratches,swirls stains, dirt, dust, smells, or any other types of contaminants can be reduced or removed entirely. Our car detailers carry out all the necessary procedures to ensure that your car looks & feels fresh and appears like it just came from the showroom.

With our full day valet  we start with a thorough wash, our detailing team will work on the interior, exterior and engine bay. The leather-work gets cleaned precisely with quality products. The carpets & boot will also be deep cleaned and air freshener used.  To finish the exterior we can polish and layer protective coatings to restore the finish and make it easier to maintain. We can even train you to maintain it yourself.

Detailing Processes

Car detailing is best defined as a detail oriented person using a wide selection of tools and products to clean, restore and protect your vehicles many different surfaces to a high standard.  A simple way to break down the processes is to dividinto two parts: interior & exterior. The interior of the car means the seat cushions, leather work, carpets, boot, rooflining, trim etc. And exterior means all the outer parts of the car; trim, paint (clear coat), lights, potentially soft top roofs etc. The exterior car detailing is highly focused on restoring the cars look. Sanding and machine polishing reduces and can even remove scratches and swirls entirely as well as wash marring picked up at cheap car washes and car dealerships (always best to ask them not to wash your car). This restores the depth and gloss of the paint and gives it a finish & shine like it had when you first bought it.

Pre washing

We start with a rinse and then Citrus Wash to break down bug splatter, grime and the worst of the traffic film and follow it with snow foam which clings to the paint and softens dirt much like steeping the dishes at home. Special pre wash products are also available in our store.

Next we get to work on the wheels with a range of specialist brushes, mitts and wheel specific cleaners designed for the heavier duty work required. And finally,the whole exterior is washed using the 2 bucket method using washing mitts and soft microfiber towels to dry. If you want to take a look at our car washing kits they are available in the store.

Decontamination

1. Tar removal - this will chemically soften and remove tar spots and lots of other contaminants stuck to the paint making them safely easy to wipe off.
2. Fallout removal - this breaks down rust making it safe to rinse off before it gets a chance to get in deep and rot the car. You’ll often see it in the form of orange spots if you own a white car. 
3. Clay bar treatment - It pulls all remaining contamination from your paint leaving it glassy smooth but has the negative effect of leaving marring marks. This is why we only carry this out if machine polishing after. Not sure if your car needs clayed? Put a sandwich bag over your hand and lightly rub the paint. Feel that? That gritty feeling is contamination that has built up and stuck to your paint. Once removed and polished the change is incredible.

Polishing to remove scratches, swirling and other defects

After decontamination, we move on topolishing the car. It is a very crucial step in car detailing. The exterior of the car is polished with special polishing products, machines and pads. Scratches, swirls, etching, holograms and more can all be removed or at least lessened to draw the eye away and leave an even finish. . The total time consumed for the polishing is based on the paints condition. New cars often only need light enhancements to remove the lightest marring and enhance gloss but most require a stage of heavier cutting and then a stage of refining at the least, we call this a “2 stage” paint enhancement. Multiple stages can even be required which would include sanding for deep defects or flatting, heavy cutting and multiple stages of refinement on the softest paints. It can take anywhere from a day and a half all in to a couple of weeks for the most extensive services but the end results can transform a car and reignite the owners passion in it.

Surface Protection

After polishing, this step ensures that your car is well protected from all the environmental conditions such as acid rain and UV fading. As well as protecting though it makes it easier to maintain offering what is known as “the self cleaning effect”. However much easier this makes cleaning all coatings do require maintenance though, they can’t be left indefinitely if you want to retain that effect for the life of that coating. We of course offer aftercare training and services here. 

Waxes and sealants can last from 1 to 12 months. Ceramic coatings we install can last  up to 7 years. (Trinity - exclusive to only the most highly trained in the SB3 network, this coating is a three layered ceramic system offering 7 years protection. Coatings can also be applied to wheels, glass, trim, leather and fabric if desired, see our Ceramic Coatings page for more information.

Now it's time for the interior

Many car owners ignore the interior of the car the most. But this is where they make a big mistake. All the filthy stuff such as stains, smells, food leftovers, sweat, drinks, dirt from shoes, etc gets deposited inside the car. The more it builds up, the harder it is to motivate yourself to clean it and the harder it is to clean properly, so let us do it if you don’t want to or use this guide to try it yourself.

Rubbish removal and vacuuming

We start by going through the car and removing any light loose rubbish we find and bagging anything potentially valuable so it isn’t lost in the vacuuming process, we advise you work out what you do and don’t want to keep before arriving to avoid anything being lost. We then remove and clean the mats and thoroughly vacuum the car all over.  

Leather & fabric cleaning

Just like your leather shoes, the car leather also requires utmost care & cleaning. Our detailers use special leather & fabric cleansers to ensure its longevity. With fabric and carpets we steam and shampoo the area and wet extract to pull out all the dirt and grime (or as much as possible).

Internal parts cleaning 

All the internal parts such as AC vents, dashboard,, trim and all other hard surfacesgo through deep cleaning processes using steam and specialised cleaners and brushes etc.

The final touch of fragrance

After a thorough cleaning of all the interior and the drying process is started, our detailing team will finish the by spraying an air freshener of your choice (we have a wide range in our store). Additional protection products such as sealants and coatings can be applied to interior parts also if requested.The feeling you get when you pick your car up from one of our details is a hard one to describe. It can bring back the passion for a car you fell out of love with or can protect a new one so it stays in the condition it left the showroom in so you never lose that in the first place. We’ve seen people bring a car in to prep it to sell and decide after that they’d prefer to keep it. We have a long list of reviews dating back to when we started professionally in 2014 attesting to this and welcome all customers to leave their honest thoughts on our work. 

The clear benefits of detailing

• The routine car detailing adds a lot to the market value of the car.
• The owner can get the best resell value.
• It retains the overall look & shine of the car.
• The life span of the car increases.
• And, just for bonus points...you enjoy the experience of driving it more!

The bottom line

Here we have discussed the car detailing on the surface level only. There is a lot more to it. If you want to know more, feel free to contact our team. We hope this article has solved many of your doubts regarding car detailing. 

And for any car detailing related inquiries, feel free to give us a call on 0141 266 0048 or email us at sales@monstershine.co.uk. It would be a pleasure for us to solve all your doubts. Thanks for reading!