Detailing Engine bay

We spend countless hours detailing the interior and exterior of our cars, but how many people give the needed attention inside the engine bay? Having your engine bay properly detailed not only looks great, but it also helps fight potential corrosion as well. With a few simple tools and supplies, you too can keep the area under the hood looking like it was professionally detailed.

Precautions

I’ve spoken with a tremendous amount of people who don’t detail the engine bay simply because they’re concerned about damaging the car. It only requires a few preventative measures along with some common sense, and you can clean your engine compartment without worry. The biggest concern is that water will short out electrical connections. In most modern cars, key electrical components and housings are tightly sealed from the elements of daily driving. As long as you’re not directing a strong stream of water (or a pressure washer at close range) directly into these components, you will be fine.
Precautionary Tips:

• If the air intake opening is directly in sight, then you can either stuff it with a towel, or cover it up with plastic wrap and a rubber band (don’t forget to remove it when you’re done!).
• If you have an aftermarket intake system with an exposed air filter, then cover it up with a plastic bag and secure it with a rubber band.
• If you have a fully exposed alternator you can either cover it with plastic wrap, or even better yet use aluminum foil. The foil is easier to mold and fit around the alternator without having to tightly secure it.
• Use the wide spray pattern on your hose nozzle as opposed to a strong stream. You only need a light rinsing as the cleaners and brushes will be doing all of the work.
• Working on a warm engine is fine, but if it’s hot, then let it cool for a while

Decontaminating Paint

Over time, it is not unusual for automotive paint finishes to become slightly rough to the touch. Such roughness is caused by the gradual accumulation of surface contaminants that are too firmly bonded to be removed by normal washing alone. To determine whether your paint has acquired firmly bonded surface contaminants you should wash and rinse your car thoroughly and then run your fingertips over the wet panels. Clean paint should feel perfectly smooth (if your fingertips aren't particularly sensitive you can magnify your sense of touch by putting your hand inside a thin cellophane wrapper first). If you can feel rough spots or a gritty texture then unfortunately your paint is affected. Also, in some cases you may even be able to see such contamination upon close inspection, particularly in the case of tar spots. Surface contamination is deposited on cars from a wide variety of sources, but can be neatly divided into two categories based the typical size of the particles and what they are made of.

Waterless wash

In our busy lives it is hard to find the time to wash your car and with water restrictions and concerns for the environment it is even more difficult. Fortunately, product makers are adapting with fast-acting, environmentally friendly waterless wash formulas.
Both Detailer's Pro Series and Ultima have their own excellent waterless wash products. Ultima Waterless Wash Plus+ and Ultima Waterless Wash Plus Concentrate are both Boosted by Polycharger™. Detailer's Pro Series Waterless Auto Wash and Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate are made to leave a slick, protective shine.

Waterless washes are a safe and effective solution to the concerns of water shortages, environmental issues, and car washing location restrictions. The special high lubricity of such products encapsulates dirt and grime so that it is safely and easily wiped away without the fear of scratching. Simply spray, wipe, and walk away. It’s that easy - no hoses, no mess and this process not only cleans, it actually protects, enhances paint clarity, slickness and gloss.


The Ultima Waterless Wash Plus+ Concentrate is a hyper-concentrate that can be used to make the Ultima Waterless Wash Plus+ spray wash formula or as a no rinse car wash solution in a bucket.
Detailer's Pro Series Waterless Auto Wash Concentrate also offers the value of a concentrate and the same great performance as the pre-mixed wash.


All four products QUICKLY and SAFELY clean painted surfaces, chrome, plastic, glass and wheels without the use of water. No hoses! No rinsing! No drying!

Polishing

Preparation, preparation, preparation... is the key to achieving amazing car care results. No matter how good your fancy wax is, or how many coats of it you apply, you will not achieve a perfect finish unless you spend time preparing your paint properly. Proper preparation involves two key steps. In the first, firmly bonded surface contaminants are removed using tar removers and detailing clay, to leave painted surfaces feeling perfectly smooth. In the second, sub-surface defects sitting below the paint surface are removed by polishing, which is a broad term for a range of processes that remove or mask paint defects and enhance surface gloss in preparation for the addition of protection.

The polishing step is often skipped or misquoted by many car care enthusiasts (in the latter case we mean that many people often say they have polished their car as a catch all term for whatever they have done to it). This may be because they do not fully understand what polishing does, or because they are not confident enough to try it, or because they believe it requires equipment that they do not have. As a result, many enthusiasts are left dissatisfied with the appearance of their paint. In this guide, we will attempt to shed some light on the subject of polishing by (i) illustrating common sub-surface paint defects, (ii) describing the different types of polish currently available on the market, (iii) demonstrating how to polish paint by hand and (iv) demonstrating how to polish paint by machine.

What do we mean by sub-surface defects? Sub-surface paint defects are any forms of damage that are cut into the uppermost layer of paint on your car, and include marring, swirl marks, scratches, stone chips, water spots and acid etching caused by bird droppings and bug remains. By far the most common form of sub-surface defect is stone chips, particularly on the front ends of cars. However, many paint finishes also suffer from swirl marks and etching, and scratches are almost guaranteed if you park in supermarket car parks on a regular basis. Another less common form of defect is buffer trails or holograms, which are lines of swirl marks inflicted by poor machine polishing attempts.

Detailing can make you money

Did I say that car detailing could be financially rewarding? Yes in my opinion it can. The first way is when you keep up on your own vehicles exterior appearance. This will also protect the book value. When you look at the vechicles book value it provides 3 average figures.
Basically this breaks down into low, medium and high. On high end cars like the 2007 Aston Martin Vanquish pictured on the right the steps up in value are large. Regardless of the type of automobile you will never be able to receive the highest number (full retail value) unless your vehicle is in outstanding exterior condition. You can achieve this with regular car cleaning and detailing.
Another way that automobile detailing can be financially rewarding is to start your own modren auto detail business from the ground up.
This is one of the last in a box type businesses that can be started from grass roots with no franchise fees, without large overhead and reasonable initial start up costs.
There is no question that the mobile car detailing business can be very profitable and flexible. You will need 2 important things to succeed and grow.
High quality of service and learn how to market and sell the business particularly online. People love the convenience of having the perfect service performed at their home or work location.

 

waxing your car

There are many choices when it comes to car wax, paint sealants and paint protectants. When it comes to choosing, you will want to make sure your protection choice includes durability, looks and don’t forget, slickness. With these key characteristics in mind let’s move forward and take an in-depth look at the chemistry of paint protectants.

• Traditional Paste Wax – Paste waxes are usually older technology and are a hard wax substance that contains silicone and petroleum distillates to create a temporary shine. They are often difficult to put on as well as remove. In fact, the pressure it takes to remove the wax residue will also wear away part of the wax protection that would ideally be left on the surface for protection.



• Carnauba Based Wax – The true Carnauba Based Wax are soft, easy to use waxes that are usually a little pricey and known for looks, not longevity. These waxes are commonly called toppers. They are commonly used to top acrylic paint sealants that need a little shine. The carnauba works well on all colors but will show more on darker or deeper colors. The downfall of the protection is that pure carnauba melts at about 160 to 170 degrees so the look fades fast and the protection doesn’t hold up on hot sunny days, especially on dark colors, which tend to draw the heat. Basically, put it on when you want to look good but don’t expect it to last.



• Cleaner Wax – A cleaner wax is a one step product that has some polishing ability as well as a protectant. They work well for those who have a surface that is free of defects and plan on using further protection. The cleaner wax is generally about the same aggressiveness as a pre-wax cleaner. The problem with a cleaner wax is that because of the cleaners you are not able to leave as much protection on the paint surface so you will want to follow up with more serious protection that is not a cleaner wax.
  
  
• Synthetic Paint Sealants – Man perfected the Wax! Newer technology reveals synthetic paint sealants that offer serious, long lasting protection. Unlike traditional waxes, synthetic paint sealants can withstand temperatures over 1000 degrees which make them much more durable. When choosing a synthetic paint sealant you need to know the difference between the two basic types of synthetic paint sealants. While they both offer good protection, they will vary in shine and slickness. A quality synthetic polymer based paint sealant will generally offer your best protection, shine and slickness, while the acrylic based sealant will provide good protection but is not as slick and may need a little help from a carnauba topper for shine.

Now that you know the difference between traditional waxes and synthetic sealants, you can make an educated decision on what will work the best for your needs. There is no right or wrong choice, just make sure you protect your paint and keep it protected!

For just a little bit more than you'd spend on a good direct drive polisher and an orbital polisher, you can get the perfect blend of both tools with a dual action polisher like the Flex XC 3401 VRG , which retails for around $280. Based in Stuttgart, Germany, Flex has been making tools since 1922, and has been building dedicated auto finish polishers since 1988. The XC 3401 VRG is detailer Randy Lowe's favorite tool for exterior finishes. He says that it will handle 90% of the polishing chores you will encounter. Meguiars' Dual Action Polisher ($149) is a little more consumer friendly, and a little less expensive than the Flex. It doesn't have the forced rotation, which keeps the tool moving even under a heavy load. Forced rotation is a great feature for an expert who knows how to use it; in inexperienced hands, it can do more harm than good.
This secret may be out of the bag already, but it's such a good one that it bears repeating. There's no better way to remove surface contaminants from paint than with a good clay bar system. Pros have been using clay for years, and consumer versions have been on the market for at least a decade. A good clay bar system includes a spray lubricant, usually a detailing spray, an 80 - 100 gram clay bar, and a towel. According to Mike Pennington from Meguiars, after washing and drying your car, you rub the clay bar on the paint to remove "bonded environmental contaminants" without removing paint thickness. The smoother paint surface takes polishing and wax better, and extends the life of subsequent treatments. Meguiars' Smooth Surface Clay Kit retails for $19.99; Mothers' California Gold Clay Bar Paint Saving System is $19.95.
Hers's another tip from Jim Dvorak at Mothers. Once you have cleaned your paint's surface of contaminants with a clay bar system or other cleaner, it's important to make sure that you've really removed all the dirt before you seal the surface with wax. Put your hand in an ordinary thin plastic grocery bag, and run it over the surface of the paint. The plastic bag will amplify any bumps and imperfections, so that you can go back and detail again. Keep rechecking until the surface is totally smooth, then polish (if necessary) and apply protective wax.