Step 1 Detailing
Washing and Cleaning inside and Out
The first step in detailing is... detailing! The process of detail cleaning a vehicle can use many different tools and products but the end goal is the same... Cleanliness!! For the exterior, we remove all of the dirt and contaminants from the paint, glass, engine bay, door jams and underbody of the vehicle. There may still be other work to be done, but there is no dirt now
For the interior we use a combination of vacuuming, hot water extracting, spot removal, leather conditioning and surface cleaning to remove dirt and salt and to hydrate the leather for long life. We are going to clean everything, cup holders, vents, glove boxes, shift boots, under the seats and even spot clean headliners as needed. Our goal is to get your interior as clean as the day you bought it!
dirty deeds
the details of detailing
Exterior
We have several techniques that we use to fully and safely clean the exterior of your car. Foam cannon loaded with either Ph Balanced soap, or a more aggressive decontamination, then a multi-bucket method is utilized to assist in avoiding marring the surface of the paint. For the wheels we use a pH balanced wheel cleaner that is safe for all wheel finishes. Then to finish the vehicle we use electric hot air blowers to gently whisk away the water and minimize contact with the paint.
Decontamination
The 2nd part of the overall process is to fix the defects in the surface of the paint. Unlike most quickie shops and dealerships, we never use any fillers to smooth the surface of the paint. We fix the paint’s clarity by removing the damaged layers of clear coat to make a permanent impact in the beauty of the paint. This process removes the various defects such as micro marring, rids, oxidation, etc... With those defects removed, the clarity of the paint will be improved exponentially and you will be able to see the vehicle’s truest color. Polishing will remove the most visible defects for budget-friendly gloss enhancement. Paint Correction is a more involved process that will eliminate as many defects as can be safely removed leaving the paint in its most beautiful state. Once the vehicle's paint has been refined, a strong protection should be chosen in order to protect the paint from being damaged again.
Interior
When we clean the interior, we don’t use any greasy treatments to any of the surfaces. Products like Armor All are very bad for your interior surfaces. They use a silicone base which will eventually turn white and can be extremely difficult to remove (don’t worry, we know how) it also it leaves the surface sticky which will retain dirt and dust more and actually make your interior dirtier. Shiny dashes are also bad for reflecting onto the windshield and impairing your view on a sunny day. Our goal for interiors is to leave them clean and new looking and smelling. We actually remove the dirt and contaminants, we don’t cover them up.
Many cars come with faux leather, which can be cleaned in the normal manner as the rest of the interior. Actual leather requires a much more involved approach and more frequent care for proper longevity. Dirty, Shiny and hard leather can get damaged more easily then properly cleaned and conditioned leather. The dirt and contaminants in the pores can have a grating effect on the fibers of the leather, every time you sit down you’re causing abrasion to the leather. By removing the contaminants and making the leather more supple you are providing the right environment for long lasting, good smelling and soft feeling leather!
To clean leather a special cleaner must be used, along with a gentle agitation from a soft bristled brush, this agitation will help the pores of the leather release their dirt and debris. This will get us about 50% of the way there. For more soiled leather, a second cleaning step may be required. We use a product called Leatherique to help soften the leather to further exfoliate the additional contaminates that are buried deeper in the leather. The final step for leather is to hand apply a quality conditioner. The heat from bare hands helps activate the enzymes in the conditioner to really leave the leather soft and supple as it was when it was new. This process should be completed every year to keep the leather clean and supple
