What is detailing? Is it just as simple as social media advertisements make it seem?  A lot of people see what their neighbor does for an hour on a Saturday morning and rationalize, that is detailing.  But there is so much more.  Even a basic wash for a detailer is a different process than what you would experience at a car wash.  There is an emphasis on being gentle and thorough which will take more time, focus, and likely more diverse (and expensive) cleaners.  And then there is what also goes into it beyond the initial wash that really makes a detail a detail.

But I will start with what detailing is not.

It is not any particular wax, or buff, or anything that involves one or two steps to solve all problems.  Detailing is a process!  Detailing is a process that involves a series of steps that our tailored to the condition of the car being worked on.

1. Inspect Paint – This is where you take special lighting tools and inspect the problem areas of a car.  This definitely includes the paint but is not limited to the paint, as other areas of the car may require unique and special attention.
2. Careful Wash – As mentioned before it is more than what you may see at a $25 local car wash.  Quality mitts, soaps, and clean buckets with grit guards are often used to remove grime in the most gentle method possible.
3. Chemical Exfoliation – Your paint often has embedded grime that you usually cannot see.  These bonded contaminants are removed chemically and mechanically.  The first step is a chemical clean.  Iron removers, tar removers, and water spot removers are good examples of chemical cleaners that remove bonded contaminants.
4. Detailing Clay – The second step is the more well-known detailing clay treatment (mechanical decontamination).  Clay is the ‘jack of all trades’.  Although using different chemical cleaners (particularly iron removers) make the clay process more effective, it is not realistic to always remove all contamination without using some clay process.  Ideally both are used, but if only the clay bar is the preferred choice.
5. Measure Paint – Depending on what level of polishing you are going to perform, the measurement of the paint thickness becomes more important.  The clear layer of your paint which is what is being polished (6) is microns in thickness.  Think of the thickness of a post-it-note.
6. Polishing – Many people confuse waxing and polishing. This is in part due to so many all-in-one type products found in your local department stores.  Polish is an abrasive used to microscopically abraded the surface, making it more level.  A level surface reflects light evenly making the shine crisper, bringing clarity to the paint.  When removing or diminishing what appears to be spider webs (swirls) it is referred to as paint correction.
7. Surgically Clean – Many people do not realize the importance of a surgically clean surface with respect to applying protection.  This is the cause of many ceramic coating failures as well as paint sealants not lasting as long as they should.  Cleaning in this step involves the removal of polishing lubricants that are left on the surface.  A high quality and appropriate panel prep is important to ensure the surface is ready for protection to be applied.
8. Protection – Many people look at this step whether it is a wax, sealant, or coating as the other step after washing, overlooking how important the rest of the system is to ensure a quality detail.