Top 11 Car Detailing Secrets

[Pro Detail]

Secret #1: Use Two Buckets to Wash

Detailers know that the two bucket method is the best way to get your exterior clean. Use one bucket to hold your clean suds, and another bucket to hold clean water. Before you dip your cleaning mitt into the clean suds, rinse it off in the clean water bucket and wring it dry. Then, you're always putting a clean mitt into the clean suds that will go on your car. If you only use one bucket, you're just moving dirt off of your car, into your suds and back onto your car. use the Grit Guard insert, a $9.99 tray that helps sediment settle to the bottom of your wash bucket, instead of getting stirred up in the water and recollected on your wash mitt.

Secret #2: Join the Microfiber Revolution

We're living the microfiber revolution. Pro detailers use color-coded, task-specific microfiber cloths and towels for greater efficiency, lower friction and scratching and easier washing, rinsing and drying. Mike from Pro Mobile Auto Detail, emphasizes that it's important to wash your microfiber as a separate load, not mixed in with the regular laundry and rags. Microfiber will trap the lint from cotton towels, defeating the purpose of the wash. Use very little detergent and skip the fabric softener, which will coat the fibers and inhibit microfiber's qualities. Double up on the rinse cycle, and your microfiber will perform at its best. Remove any labels and stitching before you use your towels to avoid scratching. And remember, you get what you pay for -- those cheapo packs of microfiber from the warehouse store are not nearly as good as the ones you can find at online specialty stores.

Secret #3: Detail Your Trim First

This tip comes from Mike at Pro Mobile Auto Detail, I suggest using a trim protectant/restorer before waxing your paint. Wash and dry your vehicle, then apply the trim protectant. The product will repel polish and wax that might otherwise stain your trim. Some pro detailers use masking tape to protect the trim during waxing -- this application can help save time and cleanup.

Secret #4: Use a Buffer to Apply Product, a Towel to Remove

Consumers sometimes get confused by the name of the tool, and use a power buffer to remove wax or polish from the painted surfaces of their cars. A buffer can leave erratic swirl marks in your clear coat and paint if used to remove product, that's not what it's for. Use the buffer to apply wax, and then use a soft, dry cloth to remove it. You'll avoid burning the paint or damaging the clear coat, and you'll wind up with a thin, even coat of wax.

Secret #5: Get a Dual Action Polisher

For just a little bit more than you'd spend on a good direct drive polisher and an orbital polisher, you can get the perfect blend of both tools with a dual action polisher like the Flex XC 3401 VRG, which retails for around $280. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, Flex has been making tools since 1922, and has been building dedicated auto finish polishers since 1988. I say that it will handle 80% of the polishing chores you will encounter. Meguiars' Dual Action Polisher ($149) is a little more consumer friendly, and a little less expensive than the Flex. It doesn't have the forced rotation, which keeps the tool moving even under a heavy load. Forced rotation is a great feature for an expert who knows how to use it; in inexperienced hands, it can do more harm than good.

Secret #6: Use a Clay Bar System

This secret may be out of the bag already, but it's such a good one that it bears repeating. There's no better way to remove surface contaminants from paint than with a good clay bar system. Mike at Pro Mobile Auto detail been using clay for years, and consumer versions have been on the market for at least a decade. A good clay bar system includes a spray lubricant, usually a detailing spray, an 80 - 100 gram clay bar, and a towel. According to Mike from Pro Mobile Auto Detail, after washing and drying your car, you rub the clay bar on the paint to remove "bonded environmental contaminants" without removing paint thickness. The smoother paint surface takes polishing and wax better, and extends the life of subsequent treatments.

Secret #7: Use a Plastic Grocery Bag to Check the Paint Surface

Hers's another tip from Mike at Pro Mobile Auto Detail. Once you have cleaned your paint's surface of contaminants with a clay bar system or other cleaner, it's important to make sure that you've really removed all the dirt before you seal the surface with wax. Put your hand in an ordinary thin plastic grocery bag, and run it over the surface of the paint. The plastic bag will amplify any bumps and imperfections, so that you can go back and detail again. Keep rechecking until the surface is totally smooth, then polish (if necessary) and apply protective wax.

Secret #8: Dry Your Glass in Two Directions

Here's a great tip from Mike at Pro Mobile Auto Detail: Dry your glass in two directions. Get into the habit of doing your final wipe of interior glass in a horizontal direction, and the final wipe on the exterior in a vertical direction. Then, when you find the inevitable streak, you'll instantly know whether it's on the inside (horizontal) or the outside (vertical) of the glass. You'll get perfectly clear glass without jumping in and out of the vehicle chasing that streak.

Secret #9: Brush It First

Mike at Pro Mobile Auto Detail says that when it comes to cleaning interiors, mechanical agitation is always better than chemical intervention. That means that your first line of attack is a good brush. For instance, before vacuuming your carpeting, de-mat the fibers by using a stiff nylon brush. Then, when you vacuum, the dirt will be free in the carpet, and will be much easier to extract. The same goes for door panels, though you'll want to use a gentler brush. If more aggressive cleaning is necessary, start gently, use a gentle solution of fabric cleaner, and dry with a soft cotton cloth.

Secret #10: Make Static Electricity Your Friend

To remove stubborn pet hair from your cars carpets, put on a pair of latex gloves (readily available in boxes of 100 from any home improvement store) and then rub your hand over the carpet. The static electricity caused by the latex glove will help bring the pet hair up to the surface of the carpet for easy removal by hand or vacuum

Secret #11: Leave the Headliner Alone

According to Mike, there's one part of the car that detailers avoid if at all possible: the headliner. Even a little bit of agitation can cause the glue in a headliner to fail, causing way more problems than it is worth. Keep your ministrations to a minimum when it comes to cleaning, brushing and tending to the headliner fabric. If you positively must clean your headliner, use very little moisture, and never allow it to soak through the outer fabric.

Auto detailing can be a great way to bond with your car, and to make your automotive investment go farther, last longer and look better. Hopefully these Top Secrets of the Auto Detailers will help you and your ride along the way.