Maintaining a Flawless Finish

Now that your vehicle has been detailed, it is important to follow a few of the Dos and Don’ts of proper washing.  NEVER take your vehicle through the automated car wash; even touchless car washes can cause damage.  Touchless car washes use strong cleaners to remove dirt and debris in a matter of minutes.  These same cleaners also remove any wax or paint sealant from exterior vehicle surfaces (glass, paint, wheels) leaving them unprotected from the elements.  It is important to maintain a layer of protection on all exterior surfaces to prevent expensive and sometimes permanent damage to your beloved vehicle.

        

Hand washing is a must if you wish to keep your vehicle looking as good as the day it was detailed.  At Critical Details, we always encourage our clients to use the Two Bucket Method.  One bucket is filled with car shampoo and the other bucket is filled with rinse water.  After each vehicle panel is cleaned the wash media (mitt, sponge, towel) is wrung out in the rinse bucket releasing the dirt and debris into the rinse bucket.  Once the wash media is free of contamination it is ready to be placed into the shampoo bucket and be used on another vehicle panel.  Always wash in a straight line and use a designated mitt, sponge or towel to clean lower vehicle panels to prevent swirl marks.  Washing in a circular motion or with contaminated wash media is a guaranteed way to inflict countless dollars of wash induced damage.

          

Now that we have covered the basic technique of maintaining a flawless finish it is time to discuss the necessary tools and products.  Grit-Guards are five gallon bucket inserts that act as a baffle to limit lower bucket water turbulence.  Grit-Guards trap dirt and debris in the bottom of the buckets and help prevent wash induced damage.  A foam gun or foam cannon if you have access to a pressure washer is another way to further reduce the chances of inflicting wash induced damage.  Foam guns/cannons work by applying car shampoo to exterior vehicle surfaces loosening dirt and debris before physically touching the vehicle.  Equally important to using proper tools and techniques is buying quality products.  It is important to buy a quality car shampoo and never use household soaps or detergents to wash your vehicle.

If you have any questions about proper car care please feel free to call or email Critical Details.