Automotive Detailing 101: What is Detailing?

Perhaps the most important and overlooked part of our cars is a simple state of cleanliness. Sure there are a lot of mods going on to catch your eye and the car looks decently clean, but have you ever wondered why the car next to yours at a show or meet just shines so much brighter? It’s not always because they have a newer paint job, but more likely because they properly upkeep and detail their cars PROPERLY. I often get asked (actually pretty frequently) how I keep my car so clean and that I must be crazy for washing it so much. The truth is I only wash my car about once a month. When I tell people this their jaws drop in disbelief because my car rarely so even has dust on it. How do I do this you may ask? Well stay tuned to this first segment of Automotive Detailing 101 as I begin to spill the beans on the big secrets to keeping your car in top notch state.

Here she was at itsJDMyo after a long 45 min drive from hellaflush 2011:

So what qualifies me as a detailer?

The question you should be asking is, what qualifies your local car wash “detailer” to clean your car? This term is so often used to define an overpaid and under-qualified “detailer” that most people do not understand the true value of detailing. Most “detailers” out there simply take a 4 hour course in the time which they supposivily learn everything they need to know about the world of automotive detailing. I highly doubt they even know or understand the chemical break down of dissapatting polymers in certain buffers which throughout usage actually turns into a polishing compound. Hell, I bet they don’t even know the difference between buffing and polishing!   Or even what a nano is in a fiber or what the composition of a microfiber towel really is. Getting technical? Well let me answer the original question at hand.

So what qualifies me as a detailer? I didn’t take a simple 4 hour class from the Smartwax Sunday Workshop. No, I have put in well over 60+ hours of lab time and LECTURE at Cypress College to earn my detailing certificate. My professor and master has been in the business for well over 50+ years and details high end exotic cars for over $500+ a piece.  He is one of a the masters in the detailing industry and has been working really hard for about 18 years to professionalize and set standards to the industry so that these fake “detailers” out there actually know what they are doing to your car. If you are a detailer you know his name, he has taught me a good deal and now I pass on these secrets to you.

What is detailing?

Before we go any further, in this segment I’d like to clearly define what detailing truely is. What makes it different from washing a car? What makes it different from cleaning a car? (notice I use the terms washing and cleaning separately) Detailing is an art, a process by which over long periods of time and years is perfected. It is the proper maintenance, upkeep, and protection of a vehicles value and beauty. It is what determines the winner of two equally beautiful restored classics. But overall and above all else, detailing is more than washing and cleaning a car, it is a state of mind.

Do I really wash my car only once a month?

Up until my 7 month long engine swap and rebuilding process the answer is YES! The key to this is a PROPER detail every 3 months. This allows dirt and dust to glide off the car like butter. I use a California Duster once or twice a day, it not only removes dust, but even dirt that is clumped together on the bottom of my sides skirts and splitters. All is done within 2-3 minutes tops! Water beads up into balls and literally just falls off when it gets moist driving in the night. ONCE a week I will wipe the car down with Meguiars Quick-Detailer or Final Inspection which also takes a maximum of 5 minutes. That keeps the car clean until dust starts to accumulate into small cracks I cannot reach without a full car wash which is usually about only once a month. I garage the car at night, and if not I keep it under a cheap ebay car cover which also does a good job of protecting it. It really is not much work to dust off a car for about 2-3 minutes a day while warming it up as opposed to a 30-60 minute car wash a week now is it?

So then, how do I properly detail my car?

Today I took my car on a 80 minute drive to Riverside and back from OC, when I got out the car prepared with my duster I was delightfully surprised to find that VERY LITTLE dust and dirt accumulated on my car even though I drove on sandy roads at Adams Raceway. I hope to share with you in the next segments of Automotive Detailing 101 about the full process of detailing and give you tips on how to do things properly to achieve such results.  As well answer rumors and myths about detailing products such as dish washing soap being bad for paint, the answer may surprise you. This first segment was a bit lengthy, but I wanted to make it clear that detailing is not an easy thing and is actually quite complicated requiring patience and practice. Because remember, detailing is more than cleaning and washing a car, it is a state of mind.

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