What is auto detailing?

Auto detailing is the process of reconditioning your vehicle to make it look like new and then maintaining it that way. This is accomplished through craftsmanship, high grade reconditioning products and detailed work. Detailing can include a lot more than vacuuming and waxing. Usually, we clean all surfaces inside and out; then we protect and condition those surfaces to keep them looking new. Considering normal wear and tear, the goal of detailing is to make your car look as new as possible. No vehicle looks new forever, but we're trying.

How often should I detail my car?

Your vehicle owner's manual recommends frequent waxing/polishing on the paint, and cleaning the interior as needed. However, how often you need detailing can depend on several things. Primarily the more you use your car, the more frequent detailing will be recommended. Imagine if you kept your car in the garage and never took it out, you not need detailing at all. But most people drive their cars daily., so that means exposures to the sun, road dirt, pollution and sometimes messy passengers. Even frequent washing will eventually leave the paint in need of wax. The interior should be vacuumed regularly and shampooed at least once a year. We recommend three visits a year to keep your vehicle looking great inside and out.

 What is wax, and why do I need to apply it?

Wax is a product designed to give your car's paint a temporary micro thin layer of protection from the environment. Wax makes the paint slippery and resilient so things don't adhere to the paint. Pollution, dirt and grime, tree sap and bird droppings all rest on the wax coating instead of directly on the paint. Wax actually helps your car stay cleaner. Regular wax applications are an important preventative maintenance procedure, just like regular oil changes are an important maintenance procedure for your engine. That thin coat of wax does a lot to protect and prolong the life of your paint.

 How do I know when my car needs waxing?

  Wax is a clear substance and is impossible to actually see. One way is to slide your hand over the surface and feel if it is slippery or smooth. Or, you can just look at the car and sense it doesn't have that shine it once had. Painted surfaces are subject to aging from weather and chemical fallout that can their tool over a period of years. Scheduled waxing is the best way of protecting your paint.

 How long does the wax last?

The answer will depend on how well you maintaining your vehicle. In general, the wax will last 3-4 months or approximately 5,000 miles under normal conditions. The ideal way to make your wax job last is to park your vehicle in a garage and clean it regularly.

The foremost deteriorator of your vehicle's wax is leaving your car our at night exposed to moisture. At night most pollutants in the air settle from the sky and join the normal road dust that's already on the paint. The evening moisture mixes with the surface dust creating an aggressive chemical solution that eats away at your paint surface. Another enemy of wax is the sun. Exposure to sunlight and heat will gradually reduce the wax's effectiveness. Lastly, normal washing of the car using soap and towels will remove a little wax with every wash.

 My car has a clear coat finish. Do I need to wax it?

  Yes! The clear coat on your car is the thin clear coat of paint of the base coat or color coat. The clear coat has the same vulnerability as regular paint. All the benefits of regular waxing apply to a clear coat.

 I bought a new car, how soon should I get it detailed?

  Regular hand waxing is all that is necessary. The interior should be fine except for regular spot cleaning - stains need to be cleaned quickly before they have a chance to set and become permanent stains. After the first year it would be a good idea to bring in the car for a thorough cleaning. Don't wait until it really needs detailing.

 What's the difference between polishing and waxing?

  First of all, polish is not some magic product you can apply to the pain to make it look better. Polishing is the physical process of shining the surface of the pain to remove hazing and light scratches. Car manufacturers recommend physical polishing about once a year to keep the surface smooth and maintain the original shine of your car's finish. Waxing the paint does not remove scratches, flaws in the paint, or oxidation. A good wax has not cleaners or polishing characteristics, it simply coats the paint with a micro thing layer of paint protection.

 What about all these Teflon waxes, paint sealants that the dealers sell and waxes that last 2-5 years?

  Most of them are gimmicks or down right lies. "If it's too good to be true, then it probably isn't true!" The longest any paint protection will last is 6 to 8 months. There's just no substitute for regular waxing.

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