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.
What's the difference between detailing and valeting?
There is much debate around the differences between a vehicle 'detail' and a 'valet'. It
has been said that the difference is regional only with 'valeting' being the British
equivalent to an American 'detail'.
Many in the industry claim a valet uses more general cleaning products like a 'wash and wax'
shampoo and detailing uses chemicals engineered for specific parts of the detailing process,
such as 'pre clean', 'shampoo' and 'signature wax' however most would agree that if a vehicle
receives a valet to a concours level then it could also be considered a 'detail'.
Ultimately, the terms are open to interpretation and many service providers may brand their
offerings as either 'valeting', 'detailing' or in some cases, both.