11/09/2022
*WARNING, LONG POST ALERT!*
So, the big old question...
What is detailing and why is it different from a car wash? 🤔🧐
Well let me try to offer a not too lengthy explanation 😁
A car wash will simply wash your car. Their aim is to make it look clean, quickly and efficiently. Which is great if that's what you want. However, do you know that this requires fast acting and sometimes quite abrasive products? And soapy sponges straight onto your paintwork that may be covered in grit, is that the safest way to remove grit? By dragging it straight off the paint. Absolutely not, but it's quick and effective.
Lets take wheels for example.. you roll up to the wash, they spray on a substance (probably acidic) use a fairly abrasive brush to agitate the brake dust which can sometimes be embedded, then rinse it off. Quick and effective, but what about the effect it has on the lacquer on your wheels? And what if your wheels are diamond cut? 😱
Some people are perfectly happy with this and it only costs a tenner! But the fact is, this WILL cause damage to all surfaces of your car.
Now let's say you bring your car to me for a £80 decontamination wash, what more do you get?
Well, let's start with the wheels. I will first look at the type of wheel on your car and decided which of my products is most suitable. Most of the time it will be my non-acidic foaming wheel cleaner.
I will lather your wheel and allow the product to do its work for a few minutes. Once it starts foaming and lifting particles of dirt, I will use my super soft detailing brush to work the cleaner around the wheel face in all the gaps and spokes. I will then switch to my microfiber barrel brush to gently work the product around the barrel loosening dirt. Then I will switch to my special tyre brush and work the product around the entire tyre wall. After another minute or 2 this is all rinsed off and the loose dirt is removed.
We are then left with iron filings which come from brakes and embed themselves into the wheels surface. So I will then switch to my iron fallout remover. I spray this on the effected areas and allow it a few mins to work. This stuff dissolves the iron particles, safely removing them from the wheels surface without agitation or the use of acid. The wheel is once again rinsed clean. This is also done one wheel at a time.
So that's just the wheels, shall we move on to prewash to remove dirt from the bodywork without making contact and causing scratches and swirls? 🤔
Hmm, we could be here all day 🤣
Let my try to summarise by saying, as a detailer the process of washing a car is broken down into a step by step process. This ensures your car leaves us without any damage caused to it whatsoever.
A car wash will remove maybe 60-70% of dirt and contaminants from your car, but will also leave lasting defects on it.
A detailer will remove 99.9% of dirt and contamination from your car in the safest possible way, not the quickest.
Our aim is to help your car be in the best possible condition it can be.
This of course can be further enhanced by carrying out paint correction by machine polishing. Our premium ceramic coatings will then seal this corrected finish and if properly maintained they can potentially last 5-7 years. Although the initial cost of having this done is not cheap, it will save you alot of money over the following years of ownership. Keeping your car in showroom condition, and making washing so much easier without the use of abrasive products.
We are all about the details, big or small 😎
If you care about your car and if its your pride and joy, give Total distinction a call 07729699769📲🚙✨✨
