How to Detail Your Car’s Exterior
In an earlier blog, we talked about how to detail the interior of your car. Well, what good is having the inside cleaned without having the outside done too? Today, we will talk about how to detail the exterior of your automobile. Don’t worry, the outside is much easier to do, less nooks and crannies.
First you are going to want to park your car out of the sun, especially on a hot summer day, you are going to want the metal to be at a reasonable temperature. Then you are going to give it a light wash with a soft sponge and soapy water. This will get the first layer of dirt off your car.
Next spray tires and wheels with wheel cleaner. Let it soak for around five minutes and then give it a scrub with a soft bristle scrub brush and rinse. This is yet another reason to park the car in the shade, if it’s too hot, some of the wheel cleaner may not soak in but evaporate.
After this, you are going to use a clay-bar. This will remove fine grit from the car, so that it won’t scratch the paint when you’re polishing and waxing. Use the clay-bar lubricant and run the bar back and forth, but don’t use any pressure. This will make your surface nice and smooth.
Now comes the polishing stage. Add polish to a cotton cloth (about the size of a quarter) and starting at the hood, polish in small circular motions. Keep rubbing until the polish stops being hazy. Do small sections of the car at a time until the whole thing is done.
Apply the wax with an applicator, which is usually provided in the kit. This time, it will give your car a hazy look, but it’s supposed to. Once on the whole car, let it sit about 10 minutes, then you can buff it off with a microfiber cloth.
The major work is now complete. A couple more touches and you’re good to go. Use a plastic and rubber protectant on the trim pieces like the weather stripping and windshield cowl. After that, clean the windows with automotive glass cleaner.
With all the specialty cleaners and polishes, it may seem at first as more expensive than going in and getting it done, but remember, you will use these products more than once before they run out. The next time you detail your car, you shouldn’t be spending anything. Now go out and show off that beautiful car of yours.