Car Detailing Perth is much more than running a car through a high-powered car wash. Professional detailers spend hours meticulously cleaning every surface of your car to make it look like new. The process begins with decontamination, which removes bound contaminants like tar and iron fallout from the vehicle’s surfaces. Then, the paint is enhanced and protected with a wax or sealant.
The car detailing process often begins with paint correction. This is when a detailer will use an electric polisher, a pad and compound to remove swirls, scratches and other imperfections from a vehicle’s clear coat. Depending on the severity of the damage, it may take multiple stages of machine polishing to get to an ideal finish.
This is an important step in the car detailing process to ensure that the surface of the clear coat is as smooth as possible, which will allow for a flawless Nano ceramic coating or paint protection film application.
Swirl marks are a huge problem on most vehicles. Swirls can be caused by improper washing techniques, poor drying or from flying road debris. If left untreated, they can eventually eat through the clear coat and expose the base coat. This is a costly problem for car owners and can be very difficult to repair, as the clear coat acts as an additional layer of protection and is difficult to replace.
Using an electronic polisher and different combinations of pads, a professional detailer can remove all types of defects from a vehicle’s paint. They will first start with a heavy cutting compound and a coarse pad to remove the majority of the defects, then switch to a medium grit buffing pad for a more gentle removal, and then finally finish off with a fine sanding product or pad for a perfect shine. This process requires a great deal of knowledge and skill in order to achieve the best results.
Before polishing, the body of the vehicle is usually washed and decontaminated. This process is crucial to prevent any dirt, sap or bugs from obstructing the actual polishing stage. It is also important to ensure that all surfaces are completely clean so that the paint will bond properly with the clear coat and provide long-lasting performance. This is why many detailers will only work on vehicles that have had a full paint correction and decontamination service performed in the past.
Another aspect of paint correction is proper lighting. It is very important to have multiple wattage and style of lights available at a detailer’s shop in order to expose all defects. This will include a combination of high and low kelvins in order to view the vehicle’s finish under all lighting conditions.
Paint Sealant
The paint sealant step is a great way to protect your car’s new finish. It is a Teflon-based product that is applied to the surface and then buffed off, providing protection from tree sap, bugs, acid rain, sun fading, bird droppings, and other environmental contaminants for up to 10 years. This is a more durable alternative to a regular wax, which will build up over time and create a hazy appearance.
The wheel and tire cleaning process is a vital part of the detailing process, ensuring that harmful dirt, grime, and brake dust don’t damage your tires and wheels. It also prevents rust and corrosion that may occur over time if the process is not done regularly.
After cleaning and prepping the paint surface, our professionals use a dual action polisher with appropriate pads to further refine and smooth the clear coat, giving it that “out-of-the-showroom” shine. Then, we can move onto protecting the newly-refined surface with a wax or sealant, which will continue to repel contaminants and make the vehicle look like new for months to come.
Choosing the best products is important for the success of the detailing process. With the number of different waxes, sealants, and ceramic coatings on the market, it can be hard for the average consumer to know which product is right for their vehicle or what results to expect.
August Precision professionals go to great lengths to source the best products for their customers, and we have extensive knowledge on how these products will affect a vehicle’s appearance and how long they will last before they need to be reapplied. The automotive detailing industry is full of hype and shady marketing tactics, so be sure to read up on the different products before you buy, so you can make an educated decision about which product is the best fit for your vehicle.
Paint Polish
Over time your car’s paint and clear coat develop small scratches, marks and microscopic roughness due to oxidation. While those who use their cars strictly for transportation might not mind the worsening of their vehicles’ appearance, detailers and car enthusiasts know that with some skill and products, these imperfections can be corrected to give your vehicle a showroom shine and feel.
The first step in the process is washing the car thoroughly, using high-quality detergents that will help remove any dirt and debris embedded within your vehicle’s paint. This will also help a great deal with preventing contamination later on in the process. The next step is clay barring – this will get rid of any contaminants that have managed to penetrate your paint’s clear coat. These are called bonded contaminants and include things like tree sap, tar, glue, iron fallout and brake dust particles.
Once the surface is clean it’s time to start polishing. Using a light compound and polishing pad, a single stage of polish can remove 50-70% of surface defects, leaving the paint significantly smoother and glossier. Depending on the quality of the compound and the skill of the person using it, this may be all that is needed to make your car’s paint look like new.
While the abrasives used in these types of compounds are very effective at removing light scratches and oxidation, they are not capable of removing blemishes that have penetrated through to the car’s base coat. In most cases, these deeper imperfections will need to be addressed with a more aggressive buffing compound and a coarser grit pad, in order to get the best results.
When polishing a vehicle, it is essential that the surface being worked on be kept cool. If it is not, this can lead to overheating of the paint and cause long-term damage. The problem is that most modern automotive paints are cured chemically and therefore can not be re-flowed or melted, like plastics can be.
Once the vehicle is finished being polished it’s time to apply a sealant or wax in order to protect the work. Waxing is a relatively easy process and can be completed by hand, or using a buffer/polishing machine with a foam pad. When done properly, this will ensure that the finish stays glossy and protected for a long period of time.
Interior Detail
Your car interior is more than just a place to travel in. It can also be a source of comfort and satisfaction when it is clean and well-maintained. In fact, it can play a major role in determining the resale value of your vehicle when you eventually decide to sell it. Regular detailing of your car’s interior can help protect surfaces and prevent stains, which will improve its appearance and resale value.
Interior detailing is a multi-step process that includes vacuuming and wiping surfaces. It also involves removing odors and conditioning leather. A thorough vacuuming is essential for removing dirt and debris, especially in hard-to-reach areas. It is also important to wipe down windows. During this step, it is helpful to use a window cleaner that has a degreaser and an odor eliminator. Once the interior of your car is clean, you can put back any items you have removed and give it a final sweep to make sure nothing was missed.
Decontamination is a part of the car detailing process that entails washing the body and wheels of your vehicle. This will remove any non-bonded contaminants, which are the things that can be washed off, such as bird droppings, road grime, tree sap, tar, glue, iron fallout, and brake dust particles. Bonded contaminants, on the other hand, are embedded into your paint’s clear coat and can only be removed through a chemical decontamination process.
After the cleaning and decontamination process is complete, you can apply a wax coating to protect your paint finish. This step is an important one, as it will help to keep your paint looking glossy and lustrous long after your car has been driven around. A good quality wax will provide a protective barrier against scratches and other weather damage.
As a result, your car will look great and be able to stand out in the crowd. Regular auto detailing will also prolong the life of your interior and exterior components, which will save you money in the long run. It is also a great way to show off your car and impress others.
