Tough cleaning and detailing your vehicle may seem motivated by vanity, keeping a spotless car or truck goes far beyond appearances. First, cleanliness makes mechanical problems easier to diagnose and fix. Second, if you’re a contractor, a clean vehicle projects a professional image as you pull up to a potential client’s home. And when it comes time to retire your ride, a prospective buyer who sees its well-maintained exterior may assume that you paid a similar level of attention to the mechanical systems.
Detailing can be a lot of work, but many autocare products are available to make the job easier and yield professional results. To keep the work from becoming overwhelming, you can break it down into separate stages that focus on the interior, the mechanicals and the exterior. You can even divide the work over several days, focusing on the interior one afternoon and the exterior on another. However you approach it, you’ll be pleased with the results — and the admiring comments from neighbors or clients.
Interior work
The first stage in overhauling your vehicle’s appearance starts with the passenger compartment. After thoroughly vacuuming the interior (see step 1-3), use automotive upholstery cleaner and a stiff brush to scrub stains on the carpet and cloth seats — for leather seats, substitute a leather cleaner and conditioner. If the stains are stubborn, consider renting a carpet shampooing machine.
For stains on seat belts, use only mild soap and warm water; strong chemicals found in some cleaning agents may weaken the material. Finally, clean and treat the dashboard and other plastic and vinyl components with an interior protectant.
Cleaning the mechanicals
To clean the engine, first start the vehicle and let it warm up for about five minutes. (A warm engine will allow grease to dissolve easier, but one that’s too hot will cause cleaning products to steam and evaporate too quickly.)
Remove the air cleaner assembly, and cover the throttle body or carburetor opening with aluminum foil or plastic wrap secured by elastic bands. Likewise, protect the coil and any sensitive electrical connections.
Spray engine cleaner (preferably one that’s nonpolluting) onto the warm engine, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Use small brushes to scrub heavily encrusted areas; then let the cleaner stand for the recommended time. Gently hose off the engine — do not use a hard stream or a pressure washer. (see steps 4-6)
Remove the protective coverings and immediately start the vehicle. Let the engine run for a few minutes; its heat will speed drying. To make the plastic drying with less residue.
As you wash the vehicle, rinse the sponge often so you don’t redistribute dirt on the vehicle’s surface. (Dirt can scratch the paint.) Cleaning aids such as Grit Guard can help protect the vehicle’s surface by trapping dirt at the bottom of the cleaning bucket . (see step 7)
But no matter how well you wash the vehicle, surface contaminants from pollution and road and brake dust remain embedded in the paint. Detailing clay (such as Clay Magic) is a surface preparation bar that you rub on painted metal, chrome, fiberglass or glass to lift away contaminants.
Apply detailing clay after washing the vehicle. First spray the surface with a detailing lubricant (recommended or supplied by the clay manufacturer) to help the clay glide over the surface. Press the clay lightly against the surface, and gently rub back and forth two or three times, working on 3ft. sections at a time (see step 9). As the clay becomes loaded with contaminants, simply fold it in upon itself to expose fresh clay.
After you’re done with the clay, stand back and examine the vehicle’s finish. Often you’re ready at this point to proceed to waxing. But if you see scratches or swirl marks in the paint, you should polish the area before waxing.
Polishing differs from waxing in that polish is a mild abrasive, whereas wax is a protectant. As you apply polish (by hand or with a machine or pneumatic orbital polisher), you gently cut into the top layer of paint — usually the clear coat in most of today’s finishes — and redistribute it. Polishing can remove rub marks, light scratches and swirl marks.
Every brand of polish has specific instructions; in general, there are three ways to apply and remove it. The first is by hand, a method best used for small areas. Use a foam applicator to distribute the polish onto the surface and a cotton or microfiber towel with a thick nap to remove it.
The second method is to use a machine polisher. This takes less time, uses less polish and produces a finish that you can’t achieve by hand. But be careful to follow the manufacturer’s instructions, as overly aggressive polishing can leave swirl marks in the paint.
The third method is to use a pneumatic random-orbit polisher (such as the one from Griot’s Garage that we used; see step 9). A pneumatic polisher is much lighter and easier to maneuver than a machine polisher. You’ll need a compressor that delivers at least 8 cfm at 40 psi to power the polisher.
When using pneumatic or machine polishers, never use the same pad to remove the polish as you did to apply it, and never use a polishing pad to apply wax — you’ll redistribute polishing compound, which could scratch the vehicle’s finish.
Adding the shine
To keep the vehicle’s paint in optimal condition, apply high-quality wax immediately after using clay and polishing. Wax prevents harmful UV rays from fading the paint and keeps airborne pollutants from damaging the finish.
One effective way to wax is with an electric random-orbit machine. Put wax on the applicator pad and then apply the pad to the vehicle’s surface, working in a side-to-side pattern. Move across a panel from left to right; then drop down and go to the left. When you reach the bottom of the panel, apply wax up and down in the same fashion. To remove and buff the wax, use a wax-removal bonnet, and follow the same pattern .
The last step in the detailing process is rejuvenating the rubber trim and cleaning the wheels and tires (see steps 11, 12, 13). Though some folks prefer to clean the wheels earlier in the process, I tackle them last because as I wash my truck, dirty water sloshes onto the wheels.
First, spray wheel cleaner on the rims. (Make sure the rims are cool, as cleaner sprayed onto hot rims can shock them and cause stress fractures.) Use a brush to access tight areas; then hose off the rims. If the wheels aren’t clear-coated, use wheel polish and a drill outfitted with a felt polishing cone to quickly remove oxidation. (Do not use this method on wheels that are clear-coated, as you’ll strip off the coating.)
Next, spray the tires with rubber cleaner and allow it to penetrate for a few minutes. Scrub the tires with a stiff nonmetal brush, and then gently hose them off. Finally, apply tire dressing to the sidewalls to enhance the shine. All that’s left is to put away those detailing tools and take your gleaming vehicle out for a spin — or at least pull it safely into the garage.