What is Exterior Detailing?
Exterior Detailing means to fully enhance and restore the vehicles paintwork by eliminating light scratches and swirl marks that have been inflicted over time and that reflect the light in such a way that they give an unsightly cob webbing effect on the surface of the paint or clear coat.
Before this is undertaken though, the exterior has to be thoroughly washed and cleaned in order to remove as much dirt and as many contaminants as possible. The first step of the exterior detailing process is usually to chemically decontaminate the wheels and paint to remove iron contaminants. These may come from brake or rail dust. These are mostly invisible to the naked eye but would lead to rust on the paint if not removed. Next step is to foam the vehicle completely and allow it to soak, this helps to soften up any dirt and lift it off from the surface prior to pre-rinsing. Whilst soaking, a soft bristled detailing brush may be used to agitate areas like the window rubbers, plastic grills, trim details and badges. The foam, along with the loosened dirt and grime is then thoroughly rinsed off.
Before washing the paintwork, wheels and wheel wells/arches are usually cleaned as these tend to be the dirtiest and most contaminated parts of a vehicle. Specialist brushes and wheel cleaning products are used to remove grime and baked on brake dust from all areas of the wheels and wells/arches including suspension components, brake calipers, around lug nuts and even from the wheel rears.
After the wheels and arches have been thoroughly cleaned, the paintwork can then be washed from top to bottom using plush wash mitts instead of sponges and soft micro fiber towels instead of chamois leathers in conjunction with the two bucket technique and grit guards, which all help to prevent any damage (in the form of light scratches and swirl marks) from being inflicted. The complete wash process including the wheels and arches can take anywhere up to two hours to complete, depending on the size and condition of the vehicle.
After washing, paintwork is clayed using a specialist automotive clay bar and lubricant which gently removes any bonded surface contaminants that washing alone cannot remove. This is an important step in the car detailing process as these contaminants can hinder the polishing process and prevent a top quality finish from being achieved.
After the paintwork has been properly cleaned and prepared it is then polished to remove any light scratches, swirl marks, hazing, oxidation and other surface imperfections. This is usually done with a rotary or dual action polishing machine as they allow the polish products to be thoroughly worked into the surface and broken down and so generally create better results.
The polishing process is usually a multi-step task, as differing abrasive grades of polish are used to correct and refine the finish and it can take a number of hours or even days to complete, again, depending on the size and condition of the vehicle. This is usually the most involving, labor intensive and time consuming part of the car detailing process.
After being polished and corrected of any imperfections, the paintwork is then protected and sealed. High quality natural carnauba based waxes and synthetic polymer sealants are used to provide months of tough, long lasting protection and create an incredible shine. Not too long ago was the creation of a ceramic coating, application of such creates a nail hard layer on top of the vehicle's clear coat and leaves a candy gloss that will last for years not months.
Once the paintwork has been sufficiently polished, enhanced and protected, the other exterior parts are then dealt with. Windows and glass are also polished and protected, as are any metal and chrome parts. Rubbers, plastics and vinyls are revived and dressed to help bring them back to life and protect them from the elements. The wheels and even the brake calipers may also be polished and waxed using designated products which further enhance and protect them and give a level of detail beyond that of a normal vehicle clean.
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