Detailing Hacks from the Pros - 8 Step Program
Overview
Sometimes, cars have a hard life. Alli’s car suffers a pretty brutal existence as Alli invents new ways to destroy her poor old Mini Cooper every day. She lets ice-cream melt in the drink holders, spills coffee in the foot wells, scratches the duco with her engagement ring and drags sand and mud all though the car. Throw in plenty of dog hair and random foodstuffs and you’re looking at a science experiment on wheels.
On top of its harsh treatment, the Mini is over 15 years old with 350,000km on the clock. To bring it back to its original condition is going to take something pretty special.
Enter detailing expert Jason De Carlo from Detail Auto House. Using the right products and giving it the full treatment, he reckons he can show us how to transform Alli’s Mini from zero to hero in eight simple steps.
Steps
Step 1. Wheels & tyres — let’s get this mini makeover rolling
Pop the gloves on and use wheel cleaner with iron remover to get rid of any brake dust and road grime build-up. Only use on dry, cool wheels to reduce premature etching. Spray on wheels (not tyres), allow to sit for two minutes, rinse with pressure cleaner.
Don’t be alarmed at the purple liquid — that’s all the iron contaminants lifting to the surface. It’s doing its job.
Another squirt — make sure you get the liquid everywhere — and agitation with a wheel/tyre brush if required to get rid of any remaining iron residue particles.
Finish the job with tyre shine, but only after the car has been washed (see Step 2).
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PRO TIP: Use brushes to get right into the wheel barrels and faces. Then just spray the brake dust and residue away with the hose. And don’t forget the gloves.
Step 2. How to wash your car properly — without scratching the paint
Fill the Polar Blaster foam cannon with Autoglym Polar Blast snow foam and apply over the whole car with a pressure washer, including wheels and tyres. As it sits, it will lift bugs and loosen grime. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, then rinse with pressure washer.
Grab Polar Wash and apply in the same manner. Using the wash mitt, agitate one panel at a time, rinsing the mitt frequently in a bucket of fresh water to remove fine grit and avoid swirl marks. Always clean from the top down and use the wash mitt in straight lines, which further avoids swirl marks
Dry all surfaces with the InstaDry drying cloth. If you drop the cloth during use, rinse it thoroughly to avoid scratching paint!
Wash and dry wheels last to avoid transferring dirt and soiling to the body and paintwork.
The outfit isn’t complete without shiny shoes, so apply Autoglym Instant Tyre Dressing to the tyre side walls.
Finally, always clean and rinse out equipment before storage, ready for the next wash.
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PRO TIP: The Polar Blaster comes with an adaptor to attach to the Karcher K3 , but as the Karcher is rated to 1950psi, make sure not to get the water jet too close to the surface as it may damage the paintwork.
Step 3. Headlight restoration — hallelujah, you can see again!
Apply masking tape to the area surrounding each headlight. We will be doing some sanding and don’t want to damage the chrome.
Apply a dab of the compound in the kit to your foam applicator and buff each headlight in a circular motion.
If this hasn’t entirely restored your headlights, grab the restoration pads from your kit and work your way through numbers 1–4 on each headlight. Use plenty of the included lubricant as you go, and rub in a back-and-forth motion.
Repeat step two with the compound and foam applicator, then wipe your headlights clean with a microfibre towel. They should now look amazing!
They still need protecting. Pop on the gloves and use the lens base coat wipe on each headlight. Allow to cure for five to 10 minutes.
Then do the same with the lens sealing wipe to prevent any further yellowing and dulling. Allow this to dry completely before removing the masking tape.
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PRO TIP: Resorted headlights are a game changer and can make a used car with dull headlights look new again. Plus, it improves clarity for safter driving.
Step 4. Vacuum Alli’s sins away
Because you can, remove the soft top — it will make accessing the back seats and interior a whole lot easier.
Use the cordless vacuum to suck up dog hair, dirt, random chunks of energy bar, chips and coffee dregs.
Dirt can be blown out of cracks with an air compressor.
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Step 5. Upholstery done properly with a wet-vac
For lightly soiled upholstery, Armor All Power Foam carpet and upholstery cleaner is a simple solution. Spray it on, allow the foam to penetrate, agitate with the scrubbing brush attached to the can, then wipe away with a clean cloth.
The Bissell SpotClean Auto-Mate wet-vac is great for bigger jobs such as coffee and bird poo stains (don’t ask). Spray stains with the Pet Stain Pretreat solution, then fill the cleaning tank with warm water, add the formula — and a touch of the Oxy Boost if things are really in a mess.
The Bissel comes with optional cleaning heads. Choose the best tool for the job. Small one for crevices, wider one for large surfaces.
Turn the machine on, squeeze the trigger to spray the solution and then agitate with the inbuilt brush.
Squeeze the trigger again as you run the Bissell tool back over the surface to suck the stains away.
Neither of those products are designed for leather, so use Armor All Ultra Ceramic Leather Cleaner to soak any stains, then simply wipe them away. Go over the entire leather surface to clean and condition the leather.
Then add the cherry on top by fitting new SCA floor mats.
Shopping List
- Armor All Power Foam
- Bissell SpotClean Auto-Mate
- Bissell SpotClean Spot & Stain Remover
- Bissell Oxy Boost Formula
- Bissell Pet Stain Pretreat solution
- Armor All Ultra Ceramic Leather Cleaner
- SCA car floor mats
PRO TIP: Eliminate those lingering doggy odours with a Make It Super new car scent air freshener.
Step 6. Hard surfaces made easy — including glass!
Soak any stains on hard plastic, vinyl and leather surfaces with a squirt of Armor All Ultra interior detailer. Then spray a microfibre towel with some of the product and wipe over all the hard surfaces in the car (except for clear plastics and control surfaces such as pedals, steering wheel, gear shifter and indicators).
Use a cloth and plain water to clean the control surfaces.
For a finishing shine and extra protection, spray the Armor All Protectant onto a clean cloth and wipe over any hard surfaces, again steering clear of any control surfaces and clear plastics.
Don’t forget the glass. These Armor All glass wipes will pick up any contaminants inside and out, then just brush over with a clean microfibre cloth to remove any streaks.
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PRO TIP: Attack a stain first with a good spray of interior detailer and let it soak in before wiping it off.
Step 7. Buff out those ring scratches
Start by using a clay bar to remove micro contaminants. Squirt some clay luber on the area and rub the clay back and forth. You’ll feel it gripping the paint. Turn it over and you’ll see the contaminants stuck in the clay.
You know you’re done with the clay bar when it stops gripping the paint and slides over smoothly.
Grab the polishing compound and apply three to five dabs onto a foam applicator or machine pad. This is to remove deeper scratches on tricky spots like inside door handles.
Work the pad in a circular motion using moderate pressure. You’re not wiping away dust here, but you’re not sanding a table, either.
If using a buffing machine, start with a low setting and keep the machine moving back and forth. Let the weight of the machine do the work.
Wipe clean with a microfibre towel and repeat the process until the scratches are gone.
Shopping List:
- Chemical Guys Clay Bar
- Chemical Guys Clay Luber
- Chemical Guys C4 Polishing Compound
- Foam applicator pads (or a buffing machine with pads)
- Microfibre towels
PRO TIP: If you run a fingernail over the scratch and your fingernail catches, you may be able to reduce its appearance, but it will not disappear completely. If your fingernail glides over it, the scratch should be able to be removed entirely.
Polish like a pro — time to make it sparkle
Product should be applied about the size of a 50-cent piece. If using a machine, dab the pad with product onto the area you are treating before start-up.
Guide the pad or machine in a cross-hatch motion, going up and down, followed by back-and-forth, to make sure you don’t miss any paint surface.
If using a buffing machine, start with a low setting and keep the machine moving back and forth. Let the weight of the machine do the work.
Wipe clean with a microfibre towel and move onto the next panel.
Hybrid Ceramic Wax is only to be applied by hand using an applicator pad.
Allow the ceramic liquid wax two or three minutes to dry to a haze before wiping the residue away with a microfibre towel.
Stand back and say wow!
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PRO TIP: Always work away from direct sunlight and make sure the surface is cool to touch. This is so the product doesn’t dry on the car, or stick to the paintwork making it difficult to wipe off. The Meguiar’s Liquid Wax will not only enhance gloss levels but deliver long-lasting protection and consistent water beading.
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