Welcome to Detailer Pro, the home of vehicle detailing. Vehicle detailing is the art of cleaning the interior and exterior of a car to achieve a show-ready quality using specialised products and techniques. Detailing often also includes exterior paintwork restoration to remove age-related damage to a vehicles bodywork such as swirl marks and blemishes from polishes and lower-quality washing. Some detailing service providers also extend their offering to include alloy-wheel restoration, engine care and much more.

The products used for vehicle detailing are often of a higher quality than that found in your local car store. Polishes are typically graded to indicate the cut and finish, most detailing waxes contain carnauba wax (also known as Brazilian or palm wax) to produce the perfect finish and many detailers use wool-based mitts for cleaning rather than a sponge or cloth. Interiors are usually vacuumed but may be steam cleaned or chemically treated depending on whether this is required. Vehicle interiors that contain leather may have leather preserver applied and non-porous surfaces may have gloss or matt protectors applied to preserve or enhance their condition.

In the UK, detailers can be trained to use various products and are approved by the product manufacturers themselves. Examples include 'Swissvax Authorised' and 'PVD Approved' detailers.

Can I Detail My Own Car?

It is possible for anyone to detail their own vehicle, saving the expense of paying for a professional detailer. However, car detailers are often fully trained in the products they use and have built up years of 'tricks of the trade' methods for getting vehicles to a near-perfect condition but with time and effort it is possible to achieve similar results.

Start with the interior of the vehicle giving the matts, seats, parcel and dashboard a complete hovering throughout. Make sure you hover around and underneath the seats pushing the seats to the extreme positions to cover all areas. Once hovered, use a foaming cleaner to remove any marks and stains on the carpets and if possible, clean the matt thoroughly. With a damp cloth, clean all interior surfaces removing any dust and built-up grime. If your vehicle has leather seats apply a leather conditioner or preserver to maintain the appearance and condition. Grills and tight areas can also be cleaned using cotton swabs.

Once the interior clean is complete move on to the exterior. Using a quality car shampoo as directed and a wool wash mitt carefully wash your car. If there are stubborn particles use pre-cleaning chemicals to gently remove them from the paintwork ensuring they are fully rinsed afterwards. Clean alloy wheels using a brake-dust remover such as Iron Max or equivalent. Once washing is complete rinse your car down with water and dry using a microfibre cloth or towel. When your vehicle is dry apply some tyre dressing for extra flair and clean the windows using a high-quality glass cleaner with excellent beading properties - This will ensure when it rains, the water runs straight off your windows.

Once the exterior of your vehicle is clean and dry, inspect the paintwork for scratches and blemishes. Most minor scratches can be removed with most waxes or a mild polish, deeper scuffs will require a more abrasive polish and possibly a machine polisher. Ensure you buff off any polish once complete. If any wax remains around car emblems or tight crevices, use cotton-wool swabs to remove.