Restoring Your Car To Its Former Glory

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Car Detailing
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Restoring Your Car To Its Former Glory
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Table of Contents

• What is Car Detailing?
• What is it all about?
• What does a full car detailing service provide?
• What to look for in a Car Detailing Service
• Cleaning and Protecting the Chassis and Wheels
• Restoring the Interior
• Cleaning the Engine Bay
• Cleaning the Glass Inside and Out
• The benefits of having your car detailed
• Professionals vs. Keen Hobbyist
• Car Detailing Costs
• Conclusion

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Car Detailing

• Car detailing is a relatively new term in the UK
  as predominantly the tasks associated with car
  detailing was typically described as car
  valeting.
• However, in the US it is a well-defined service
  distinguishable from car washing and valeting.
  Recently in the UK the term has become more
  widespread and it has come to represent a more
  thorough and comprehensive service than the
  typical car valet.
• As a result car detailing is now seen as being
  the meticulous cleaning of a car inside and out
  with the purpose to restore the vehicle to close
  to showroom condition.

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What is it all about?

• In broad terms car detailing is an enhanced
  valeting service which has the aim to restore the
  cars paintwork to enhance the appearance of the
  vehicle. After the paintwork has been restored
  and polished it will then be protected and sealed
  before the windows and external elements of the
  vehicle are washed and cleaned.
• The wheels, under body and brake calipers will be
  cleaned and polished and the tyres treated before
  moving on to the interior. The interior cleaning
  involves vacuuming and shampooing all the
  upholstery, scrub cleaning any leather and
  reviving any vinyl, plastic or trim.

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What does a full car detailing service provide?

• Every car detailing service is likely to have its
  own service differentiators in order to make it
  stand out from its competitors but generally they
  will follow the basic broad areas of cleaning,
  polishing and protecting the vehicle from top to
  bottom and inside and outside. However that is a
  very broad categorization so to drill down into
  the specific tasks that you should expect from a
  professional detailing company let us consider
  some of the details

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What to look for in a Car Detailing Service

• The most obvious visual enhancement to a car will
  be to brighten, enhance and restore the paintwork
  to its original showroom luster. What this
  entails is that the paintwork will first be
  thoroughly washed and cleaned to remove any
  obvious surface dirt, grease, oil and grime.
• After the initial wash and dry the next stage in
  restoring the paintwork is to use a clay bar
  application that is aimed at removing any other
  contaminants affecting the top clear coat of
  paint. This process will remove ingrained foreign
  objects, tar and grime.
• The next stage is to polish and fine sand the
  paintwork to restore the paints original
  brightness and remove any minor scratches, swirls
  or defects in the top layer of paint. It is at
  this stage that some professional detailers may
  use touch-up paint applicators to correct small
  chips in the paint but that by no means should be
  considered as a standard service. Finally the
  detailer will wax the paintwork to seal and
  protect it from the elements.

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Cleaning and Protecting the Chassis and Wheels

• As part of any standard car detailing service you
  can expect a professional detailer to clean and
  protect the external parts of the car. This
  should include parts that are underneath the
  vehicle such as the chassis as well as other
  external components.
• This means cleaning, polishing and protecting the
  wheels, as well as enhancing the appearance and
  protecting the tyres and mud flaps. As these are
  typically the dirtiest parts of any car they need
  to be thoroughly washed and dried before a
  protectant is applied to both protect and restore
  their luster.
• Other external trim that needs to be treated is
  any chrome such as headlight casings or exhaust
  tips. Again most car detailing services should
  not only polish the headlights and tail lights to
  restore their gleam by removing any traces of
  oxidation but also ensure sealant is applied to
  protect against the elements.

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Restoring the Interior

• One of the biggest differences between a car
  cleaning service and a car detailing service is
  the attention taken to restoring the interior of
  the car to its pervious splendor. This will
  require vacuuming, shampooing and scrubbing clean
  all the interior fabrics to remove any stains or
  dirt. However it will also entail polishing the
  vinyl and plastics as well as any interior trim.
• Professional car detailers will take a lot of
  time and care on the interior as restoring that
  new car sensory experience is an important
  factor in car detailing as it has a highly
  noticeable effect on customer satisfaction.
  Restoring the vehicles upholstery and interior to
  its showroom condition greatly improves driver
  and passenger experience.

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Cleaning the Engine Bay

• Detailing the engine bay may not be a part of
  every service but it is worth paying extra for if
  necessary. It might at first seem like an
  extravagance but in cleaning the engine bay it
  shows the car in the best possible light, When
  cleaning the engine bay the engine itself is
  steam cleaned and degreased before being rinsed
  clean and dried.
• In most modern cars this is not as essential as
  the engine unit is often encased in a sealed
  reinforced plastic casing protecting the engine
  block and all the components from any detrimental
  environmental conditions. But in classic or
  vintage models this procedure goes a long way to
  adding value to the car by displaying the
  gleaming engine in all its engineering glory.

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Cleaning the Glass Inside and Out

• Finally the professional car detailers will clean
  all the windows and mirrors inside and out to
  obtain a smear free sparkling finish. This is
  typically because the professionals will use a
  different technique on the inside of the glass
  such as work horizontally to when they are
  cleaning the outside glass whereas they will work
  vertically. . By adhering to this method they can
  instantly see if a smear is inside or outside by
  its direction.
• This saves a lot of time finding and rectifying
  ugly smears that catch the sunlight and makes the
  glass appear dirty. It is this type of attention
  to detail that separates the professionals from
  the amateurs. In addition professionals will also
  apply water resistant chemicals to the exterior
  glass to prevent water collecting on the glass
  surface.

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The benefits of having your car detailed

• Despite the obvious aesthetic benefit of having
  your car back to showroom condition and looking
  and smelling inside as if it is brand new there
  are other practical reasons. Firstly detailing
  the car doesnt just buff up the paint work and
  make it look great it takes a lot of preventative
  and protective measures.
• Waxing and sealing the paintwork protects the
  underlying metal from contaminants and
  oxidization. Similarly, applying protectants too
  many of the external and engine bay plastic and
  rubber components will likely extent their
  lifetime and prevent faults occurring at a later
  date. Needless to say though that the biggest
  benefit is realized by the increase in resale
  value as a vehicle in great condition is going to
  sell for a higher price - all things being equal
  - than one that has just been through the car
  wash.

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Professionals vs. Keen Hobbyist

• There is no simple answer as to who is better as
  the professional is working to a schedule a price
  and a list of tasks whereas the hobbyist can
  spend hour upon hour lovingly restoring their
  vehicle to its former glory. However for most of
  us cleaning our car by hand or putting it through
  a car wash does not compare with valeting let
  alone car detailing.
• This is simply because the professionals have the
  tools, products, techniques and skills to
  transform the vehicle quickly and efficiently. A
  DIY enthusiast may well invest in these tools and
  products as well as develop the techniques and
  skills. However, it will be ultimately more
  expensive than taking their car to a professional
  detailer as they have the advantage of offsetting
  the cost over a broad customer base.
• Crucially the professionals also have the
  advantage of honing their skills on a daily basis
  making their activity highly efficient. The
  hobbyist may have time on their side but at what
  cost? Would they be not better driving their
  vehicle and simply enjoying it for what it is
  rather than spending hours buffing and cleaning?
  There is of course no simple answer but when we
  consider the pricing of a full professional car
  detailing service it is certainly worth taking
  into consideration as it cost effectively keeps
  the vehicle in tip top condition.

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Car Detailing Costs

• To understand whether a car detailing service is
  for you it is important to realize not just the
  time saved or the results obtained by using a
  professional service but also the costs involved.
  However with every service what you get is down
  to what you pay for.
• Therefore evaluate the service and what tasks are
  included in the service plan as not all are
  standard. As a result prices and the time
  involved can vary depending on what you need
  done. A basic valet style service may take two or
  three hours but a full detailing may take all day
  so expect to pay accordingly. Of course where you
  live will have an effect on the cost as the cost
  of living can vary tremendously depending on the
  geography. Another point that can affect the
  price is whether you deliver the car to the
  detailer or whether they have to travel to you.
  The size of the car will also have an effect as
  an SUV or van has a lot more paintwork than a
  small family saloon so expect to pay a higher
  price. Similarly if the car has leather
  upholstery you can expect to pay a premium as
  cleaning it is more time consuming and hence more
  expensive. It will at the end of the day come
  down to a cost versus benefit balance so you need
  to shop around to find the best service that
  meets your needs and budget.

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Conclusion

• Car detailing is an enhanced service that goes
  beyond car washing and valeting and is fast
  becoming an ideal way to keep your car in show
  room condition. Detailing can maintain the
  condition and hence the value and as your car is
  possibly the most expensive item other than your
  house that you have made it is well worth
  considering.
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• To learn more please visit
• https//cardetailingshop.ca/mobile-car-detailing/
• https//cardetailingshop.ca/gallery/