Automotive Detailing in Detail E-Book

Dom Colbeck

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Automotive Detailing in Detail takes the combined experience and expertise of three leading detailing commentators to provide a thorough and expansive overview of automotive detailing techniques. From the pre-wash, wash and preparation stages, through machine polishing to paint protection and maintenance, every detailing stage is covered: surface types, contaminants and products are analysed, before the actual processes are laid bare. In the age of the internet and social media, a plethora of detailing knowledge is available online, yet it is strangely difficult to discover completely, or harness usefully. This book redresses the balance.

Leseprobe

AUTOMOTIVE DETAILING

In Detail

A Guide to Enhancing, Renovating andMaintaining your Vehicle’s Appearance

Dom Colbeck, Jon Steele and David McLean

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2016 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2017

© Dom Colbeck, Jon Steele and David McLean 2016

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 243 4

Disclaimer

No responsibility can be taken by the author or publisher for direct/consequential or indirect/inconsequential loss or damage caused to a motor car or other vehicle or surface by the reader applying products, processes or techniques described in this book. All guidance is in general terms only and merely the opinion of the authors; no specific recommendations or suggestions should be acted upon without the reader carrying out all necessary forms of due diligence beforehand. If the reader is in doubt as to the effects of a detailing process, that process should not be undertaken.

Acknowledgements

Firstly, the authors would like to thank their respective families for their patience, support and understanding; writing a book is time-consuming and robs minutes, hours, days and weekends that could otherwise be shared. For inspiration, thanks are due to Mike Phillips, a transatlantic legend, for paving the way for professional, intelligent and sophisticated detailing. For high end content, our gratitude goes to Kelly Harris at KDS Keltec, arguably the UK’s finest detailer; Kelly shared some of his personal notes and observations with us in the creation of this book, with no reciprocation required. For photography, we thank Simon Walters, Kelly Harris, Andy Flack, P. J. Aass and Jon Beattie for their photographs and assistance. For the opportunity, thank you Mr Paul Wiltshire, MiniWorld magazine’s original Buff Daddy. Without you, there would be no book. And finally, for faith, patience and professionalism, our thanks go to Crowood. If you sell a copy of this book for every missed deadline, you’re sure to have a bestseller on your hands.

CONTENTS

PREFACE

1 INTRODUCTION

2 SETTING UP

3 EXTERIOR PAINTWORK

4 OTHER EXTERIOR SURFACES

5 WHEELS AND TYRES

6 UNDERBODY AND ENGINE BAY

7 INTERIOR SURFACES

8 DETAILING AS A PROFESSION

GLOSSARY

INDEX

PREFACE

Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are.Franklin D. Roosevelt

Thanks to the explosive growth of the internet, car-care advice and information is abundant and accessible. After all, every car owner has experience of car care, and therefore an opinion on the subject. And there are a myriad of ways of looking after a car cosmetically, from slotting a token into an automatic car wash or driving to a hand car wash, to spending hundreds of pounds on a machine polisher and creating a finish that could rival – or better – that of a professional spray shop.

Detailing has risen in popularity, creating an abundance of readily accessible information; the problem is separating the valuable hints and tips from the chatter and chaff.

The variety of processes, products and techniques, coupled with every car owner’s personal experiences, spawns millions of posts on forums and social media sites every year. That’s a lot of suggestions, recommendations and advice.

Some of the content is, of course, extremely good. Videos can show processes in detail, and many forum/group members are knowledgeable, whether car-care professionals or not. The problem is that so much information – and no clear way to define what is good, bad or downright misleading – creates a lot of confusion. There is, in effect, more chaff than wheat. Add in compromised information disseminated by those with vested interests in certain products (such as car-care manufacturers), the peculiarities of internet behaviour (where the loudest and most argumentative posters often have the most authority) and long-standing myth and misinformation, and the waters get muddier still. Which leads us to this book.

The idea is to create a more definitive guide to car care, which the shifting sands of the internet simply can’t provide. Competitive books on the market tend to be a little out-dated and invariably US-focused (the birthplace of ‘detailing’). By investigating the surfaces of the car, the contamination and defects found on them, and then the products and techniques to decontaminate, perfect and protect those surfaces, the aim is to break down detailing to its fundamentals and provide a system that everyone can follow – and follow to good effect. A systematic approach, based on solid and established principles that can be applied time and again (whatever the surface or car), will be far more valuable than a dozen differing opinions given in reply to a narrow and specific question on a forum or group.

That said, this book isn’t intending to supplant car care information on the internet. It should always be seen as a supplement to it, a common-sense fallback when confusion reigns or suggestions conflict.

Also, remember that whilst it intends to be as definitive as possible, some aspect of detailing, or a crucial piece of car-care information, may be inadvertently missed out. How do you get a rhino-skin gear selector clean? What is the best way to polish a titanium sill guard? So the authors apologize in advance if the advice falls short, and reiterate that it is just that: advice. The advice may be considered, thoughtful and informed, but it will always be the thoughts of just a few people – what the authors have learned, what they have found to be useful and what they have found to be false. Given an infinite number of monkeys with access to typewriters and machine polishers, a superior book would surely result. . . and maybe in less time than a millennium or two.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Dom Colbeck is one of the founders of Dodo Juice, a manufacturer of hand-made car-care products. He has worked with some of the world’s best detailers, and became proficient in detailing techniques early in Dodo Juice’s history, when he realized that this would dramatically improve his understanding, testing and development of the products he was bringing to market. His passion is in dispelling the myths and misinformation that litter the car-care industry (and the internet) through his unique insights into the way products are made, and the way that they work. He has regularly held training and tuition days, for both amateur and professional detailers.

‘DaveKG’ is a famous name in internet detailing circles, and belongs to David McLean, an early pioneer of forum detailing guides. During his time testing and reporting on products, he has sourced five identical brand new cars (black Vauxhall Corsas) to minimize variables, travelled thousands of miles to detailing meets and training events, and written tens of thousands of words of advice. A reluctant legend, Dave enjoys great respect and recognition on detailing websites, but can thankfully walk the aisles of his local supermarket without undue harassment.

Jon Steele is a semi-professional detailer with an insatiable thirst for product knowledge and an evangelical desire to improve detailing processes. ‘Semi-professional’ means that he has a ‘normal’ day job, but has previously been commissioned to undertake extensive details on supercars as part of an exclusive detailing team. His academic and analytical style suits a deeper and more investigative approach to detailing matters.

Internet forums and groups are an important source of information, but need to be treated with caution; often the ‘loudest’ member holds court, rather than the cleverest.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

ABOUT THE BOOK

Detailing guides tend to follow tried and tested formats – every task is tackled as a separate project, leading to a specific end result. But this inevitably means a large degree of repetition throughout the book, and it is a fragmented approach that often fails to empower the reader. The authors therefore decided that it would be better to interrogate the surfaces tackled and the products/equipment used, rather than just dictating a string of processes that would be followed blithely. After all, if you realize that your wheels have the same (or a similar) clearcoated finish compared to the bodywork of your car, then you can employ the same fundamental techniques to decontaminate and protect them. And if a detailing spray cleans a particular surface and adds gloss without leaving a chalky residue, there is nothing to stop it being used on textured black plastic exterior trim, or even the dashboard.

Some products are very versatile and can multitask. Never pigeon-hole a product, but learn what it is, how it works, and what it can do (for you).

Therefore, this book places more emphasis on specific surfaces, contamination types and detailing products than other guides (which tend to be obsessed with a narrow process). Of course, for simplicity, the book is still divided into a number of sections, so the structure will feel familiar and information will remain easy to reference. The second difference is the underlying philosophy of the book: less is more. Instead of encouraging a heavy-handed approach involving machine polishers and sanding paper, which may seem exciting and exotic, the virtues of a ‘handsoff’ or ‘minimal interference’ approach are extolled. The paint already on your car is finite, and restoring the finish is – in technical terms – a destructive process. Avoiding damage, and using the least amount of products and processes to correct it when it does happen, will always be preferential.

Aggressive techniques should be avoided in favour of a gentler regime. It is easier to repeat a gentler process than rectify damage caused by more aggressive actions.

In other words, if all your car needs is a wash, then just wash it. If it doesn’t need a second coat of wax, stop after the first layer. This may appear to be an alien concept when other guides (perhaps created by car-care product manufacturers or resellers) encourage process after process, product after product, time after time. Yet it makes far more sense economically, environmentally and also philosophically.

Finally, an advanced apology for the heavy reliance on Dodo Juice products in photographic terms. Whilst this may seem like a subconscious sales technique, the simple reality is that photographing a product with a visible registered trade mark sometimes leads to legal complications for the authors and publisher. Using a Dodo Juice product will have no such implication. There are, of course, many alternative brands and products available. Choose the ones that suit you.

A HISTORY OF DETAILING

What is detailing exactly, and where did it come from? How does it compare to valeting? These aren’t unreasonable questions to ask. Detailing has, after all, sprung up quite suddenly in the UK and usurped the less glamorous pastime of ‘valeting’, and has made the stuffier concours scene seem strangely remote and old-fashioned.

The Hot Rod scene was the forefather to modern automotive detailing.

The reality is that valeting and detailing have a large overlap, whilst concours preparation, although championing extremely high standards of car care (including many detailing techniques), is perhaps more concerned with originality, tradition and even mechanics. The term ‘detailing’ originates from the United States, where the Hot Rod scene has resulted in an enviable heritage of custom paintwork and amateur car modification and maintenance. Pinstriping and airbrushing show that a great deal of importance is placed on the exterior finish of a car – an irony perhaps, given that the original ‘Hot Rods’ were solely focused on performance rather than styling, with front wings, bumpers and other fixtures being removed to save weight. The modern interest in paint finish and exterior styling has generated a lust for lustre, and a desire to protect these finishes.

Polishes, waxes, sealants and glazes have been created in their thousands by an industry eager to help car enthusiasts make their cars look good, and keep them looking good throughout the year and for years to come. Naturally, the most thorough and impressive results come from attending to every surface, of every component, on the vehicle – so nothing the eye can see, or the concours judge can inspect (such as the inside of a glovebox), is left dirty, marked or dull (should a glossy finish be desired). Preparation of these ‘details’ leads to a natural extension: ‘detailing’. A suggested definition is:

Detailing: The systematic and total decontamination, preparation and protection of the interior and exterior surfaces of a vehicle.

There are limits, naturally. Few detailers are going to remove an alternator to clean behind it, or attend to surfaces that cannot be easily seen or inspected. For many, the engine bay will remain untouched. This means that detailing will always have personal limits and a definition that is individual to detailers themselves.

It is attending to the smallest detail that sets detailing apart from mere car cleaning or valeting, but it falls short of full restoration (where paint is sprayed on to the car, rather than being merely corrected/refined).

If the authors were to suggest any limitations, it would be that detailing ends at heavy restoration of a finish, or mechanical work. Spraying rusty wheel nuts with paint, touching in stone chips and even replacing a flaking bonnet badge, would still fall under ‘detailing’. But a complete respray of a car would not. Removing rusty sections of bodywork and welding in replacements would, once again, be classed as mechanical restoration and beyond ‘detailing’. Nevertheless, write-ups that include this kind of mechanical restoration are particularly fascinating because they often show how a simple aim to ‘spruce up’ a car cosmetically through detailing, can lead to a much more comprehensive project.

So where does valeting fit into all this?

‘Valeting’ is less glamorous than detailing, but far more prevalent as a profession due to the demand for lower-end services at more affordable prices.

The easiest explanation is that valeters clean – and even ‘detail’ – cars, but do so on a purely commercial basis, and offer a faster, less intensive service than fully fledged ‘detailers’ (perhaps omitting to ‘mop’ – that is, machine polish – a vehicle). Originally, ‘valet’ came from the French word for servant, and in the United States a ‘valet’ is the man who parks your car for you when you arrive at an upmarket hotel or restaurant. Valets are also those male service staff who wait on wealthy individuals, and who are employed (even to this day) by hotels, to look after guests. When the drinks have been served and the shirt collars pressed, it would perhaps be a natural extension of the role for a valet to see to his master’s motor car.

Whilst employing a valet is rare in the UK these days, the role of gentleman car cleaner – or perhaps of a servant undertaking a chore – remains ingrained in public consciousness, and the job title of ‘valeter’ has resulted. From a theoretical point of view, a valet should clean a car to his employer’s liking, rather than ‘valet’ or detail a car to a specific standard. But that is splitting hairs. ‘Valeting’ became a popular concept in the UK in the 1980s and 1990s, and effectively became a byword for ‘car care’ until ‘detailing’ came along: an exotic American concept that promised a higher level of fastidiousness and even greater car care results. It means that today, valeting is often seen as detailing’s lower end relation, with paint correction regarded as the main differentiator between the two activities (perhaps because the Americans had more of a propensity to machine polish their cars).

Whether the lack of such a strong Hot Rod culture in the UK gave rise to valeting rather than the more intensive ‘detailing’ is difficult to say. Could it have led to a greater reliance on third parties to clean cars for owners (rather than the owners doing it themselves)? There is certainly less of a historical car modification scene in the UK compared to the United States, although this isn’t so true today, partly due to UK motor-sport expertise. If the average Englishman had been more likely to get someone to ‘valet’ his car rather than to ‘detail’ it himself (like his American cousin) it won’t necessarily be the case currently, especially within the specialist car-care enthusiast ‘detailing’ community. English-owned sites such as Detailing World (www.detailingworld.co.uk) now rival (or even overtake) the largest American sites, and the content is recognized as being amongst the most authoritative in the world.

Just as valeting involves an element of ‘detailing’ (to a certain degree), concours preparation will, by necessity, involve detailing. Most detailers find themselves entering the less formal, less traditional and less élitist ‘Show and Shine’ competitions, where cars are judged generally on the standard of detailing employed, rather than the originality or mechanical aspects of the car. Concours (or Concours d’Élégance, in longhand) competitions are arguably an even higher form of Show and Shine competition due to the additional criteria that entrants must meet, and the emphasis on the originality or quality of the restoration work. That said, Show and Shine competitions may be more concerned with paint correction, whereas that could be a smaller part of an overall concours score. What remains true is that every competition judging the appearance of a vehicle, whether Show and Shine or concours, will have different interpretations and assessments of preparation and finish, and so it is difficult to categorize them completely or compare them accurately.

THE ATTRACTION OF DETAILING

There is one last topic to cover in this introduction: why do we detail? What is it about making a vehicle clean and shiny that propels this hobby and industry forwards at such great pace? For many, detailing is seen as a waste of time. ‘Cars are there to be driven, not looked at’, is a commonly held view amongst non-detailers: ‘I’m too busy. . . it’ll just get dirty next time it’s driven.’

Naturally, detailers would beg to differ.

Show and Shine competitions should only be concerned with the standard of detailing, compared to ‘concours’ competitions that also tend to award or deduct points according to the originality or ‘patina’ of the vehicle.

For a start, there is a financial reward from detailing your car. A well kept exterior not only looks impressive but hints at a higher level of maintenance overall, attracting a higher price and more buyers at sale time. Paint defects, typically corrected by the dealer during pre-sales preparation, will not need to be rectified, saving the dealer some costs (that may otherwise have been reflected in the bid price). In short, detailing helps combat depreciation. And even if the financial reward is minimal or largely irrelevant, a detailed car often ‘feels’ better, perhaps like a new car, or one you could love again. It could save you the expense of trading it in, or even encourage you to drive it more considerately.

Man versus paint: eliminating swirls is a hugely rewarding aspect to detailing; the battle is then to keep the paint ‘swirl free’.

There is also a classic emotional effort/reward ratio with detailing that makes it an extremely enjoyable and satisfying hobby. Correcting paint takes patience, knowledge and skill. There are also many variables that can challenge the detailer throughout the process. Instead of man versus machine, it is man versus paint. The quest is a swirl-free, corrected paint finish that is glossy and long lived. Once the paint has been corrected – which is no easy or quick matter, in most cases – there is a never-ending battle against contaminants that all contrive to spoil the finish. Keeping the paint swirl free is the second part of the challenge.

Being in control of the process and products, and then seeing the improvements that result at first hand, has the potential to become addictive. Does the perfect finish actually exist? Would you be happy to settle for 85 or 90 per cent instead of perfection? Or do you chase out every swirl and spend every spare moment refining or maintaining the finish? The level of involvement (or obsession) is up to the participant. Just as hours can be spent in a snooker hall or on a golf driving range, hours can be spent with a machine polisher correcting paint, and improving skill levels and knowledge of the craft. Whether you detail once a year or every day, whether you correct paint or just wash off a month’s worth of grime, there is an innate and fundamental appeal to detailing that looks set to continue well into the future. If spacecraft need cleaning, suffer from marks and scratches or lose their shine, detailing may remain a popular hobby in millennia to come.

Some may also find detailing therapeutic. It can be a calm, solitary pursuit with few distractions (after all, neighbours, partners or children rarely want to get involved for fear of having to help!) and even the high-pitched whirr of a rotary polisher may become more relaxing than annoying after a while. That’s not to say that it can’t be a social pursuit: detailing meets and shared details (with a friend helping to lighten the workload) are quite common, and indeed are often the only way to fully correct paint in a day. But detailing is generally a good source of ‘me time’, to use the vernacular of contemporary lifestyle advice columns, and that is no bad thing if you have a busy or stressful existence.

CHAPTER TWO

SETTING UP

EXPECTATIONS AND LIMITATIONS

Firstly, don’t expect this book to turn you into a detailing expert overnight. Whilst it should prove to be highly informative and instil some very useful principles of car care, detailing is as much art as science. It needs practice, experience and enough talent to nurture. But don’t worry – you will be a better detailer if you follow the recommendations and advice that follow. Expertise needs to be built on solid foundations, and this book will provide them. The confusion, conflicting advice, and incorrect or misleading information found throughout the internet will be neatly side-stepped. Does it provide better information? Maybe not. But it could take you a long time to cherry pick the necessary information online.

Secondly, detailing can only do so much. Heavy paint defects, such as deliberate key scratches, may only be improved rather than removed. Apart from a little localized paint application (to chips and suchlike), detailing doesn’t add permanent products to the surface and a respray could be necessary if detailing techniques prove unsatisfactory.

Deep key scratches may be impossible to ‘correct’ by detailing methods; they usually require paint repair of some nature.

It is also best not to expect too much, too soon. Whilst the techniques and processes described in this book are well within the skill levels of the average car owner, practice (and patience) will inevitably be required. Furthermore there could be some frustration if a technique is perfected on an isolated panel (or other surface) on just one vehicle: this is because paint types differ wildly, even between the same make and model of car, as these may be made in different factories around the world – so learning to correct the paint on your Nissan may not lead to instant success when correcting the paint on a Porsche. It will help, though. The process will remain fundamentally the same, but the products, techniques and time taken to complete the task may alter.

From a physical point of view, detailing isn’t generally that demanding unless you are machine polishing. This can be back-breaking work, especially if a heavier machine is being used on the centre of a bonnet. Spreading a detail over a number of days makes the workload easier, psychologically as well as physically. Spend time in advance finding a technique that works on a small area, then tackle the rest of the job. . . in stages if there’s an acre of paint to correct. And when you start to lose interest, stop, as this is when mistakes get made – and you won’t be enjoying yourself anyway.

Cheap ‘convenience’ products applied regularly may be a false economy in terms of cost and effort. The shine and protection could be short-lived.

A full detail can usually be completed over a number of days without any ill effects (in technical terms), although cars left outside could become re-contaminated quickly. Never let a detail become so spread out that it becomes self-defeating, with a large amount of time having to be spent on repeating stages that have been previously completed. Try and establish a ‘baseline’ whereupon the car is detailed to a level you are happy with, then maintain that finish. You can then re-establish that ‘baseline’ once or twice a year, or before a show, without exerting a lot of time or effort in between. A typical car owner using mass-market products of convenience may spend the same annual amount of time on his (or her) car’s finish by regularly applying cheaper products that don’t last very long. Two hours every fortnight for twelve months is roughly equivalent to a whole week of intensive detailing.

Financially, detailing is within everyone’s reach. A bottle of polish, an applicator and microfibre cloth are enough to create a dramatic improvement in the cosmetic appearance of a car, and could be purchased for just a few pounds. And a lower-end machine polisher currently costs no more than a single tank of fuel. Of course, enthusiastic amateurs and professionals can spend thousands on detailing products and equipment, but process tends to be more important than product – and a lot of the equipment is unnecessary for most detailers, most of the time. Indeed, a professional using less sophisticated, lower-end products could probably achieve better results than a novice with access to the finest detailing equipment and products known to mankind.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS AND EQUIPMENT

One of the most pleasing aspects of detailing as a hobby is that it doesn’t require a specialist environment (no track, court or field is needed) and that the equipment required is minimal – initially at least – and within any car owner’s budget. It’s a hobby that every motoring enthusiast can enjoy, and one that only starts to become expensive once machine polishing is involved, or the hobby becomes a profession. Even then, hundreds of pounds, rather than thousands, can furnish the detailer with equipment that can produce results at the highest possible level. Because we deal with specific equipment at each detailing stage throughout the book, we won’t be compiling an overly detailed or exhaustive list of what you may – or may not – need here. Budgets, interest levels and desired results will vary, and one person may feel ill equipped when another has more tools than he or she will ever use.

However, we realize it may be useful to attempt a basic inventory of ‘home detailing’ equipment and consumables, so we have compiled the following lists below.

THE BASIC INVENTORY

Even a modest assortment of equipment can lead to impressive results; the pressure washer (or ‘power washer’, or ‘jet wash’) is arguably the most important single piece of equipment in a detailer’s armoury, assuming the paint is in good condition.

An inventory of detailing equipment may comprise the following items:

Hose and/or high-pressure washer equipment (this may include a foam lance assembly –

see

the ‘pre-wash’ stage later in this book)

Hand-wash equipment: ideally two or more buckets and the sponges, mitts or brushes required for contact washing of bodywork, wheels and so on

Drying cloths or equipment (this may include everything from the much maligned ‘water blade’ to hot-air drying systems)

Clay bars/elastic polyclay media (clay mitts, clay pads) and clay bar lubricant (although these may better fall into a ‘consumables’ rather than an ‘equipment’ category)

Hand-polishing applicator pads; wet sanding discs/paper (and block, if required)

Electric machine polisher, various sizes of backing plates and machine polishing pads, masking tape and dust sheets (if required)

‘Swirl-spotting’ torch, halogen/LED tripod work lights and other light sources

Wax/sealant applicator pads

An assortment of various grades of buffing cloth, from ultra-soft microfibre cloths for final buffing of paintwork, to more aggressive types of cloth for polishing glass or exhaust tips; check the softness of edging and stitching as well as the main fabric, and always remove manufacturer’s labels or tabs

An assortment of spray bottles, should concentrated products need to be diluted to strength and then used

Detailing swabs for attending to badges, door locks and the like

There are thousands of specialist detailing products available to help the detailer in his or her tasks. Dedicated detailing products may offer more performance than multi-tasking alternatives.

Consumables required may then include:

Traffic film removers and other pre-wash products

Car shampoos (detergent, maintenance, gloss-enhancing or protective)

Clay bars or equivalent clay media (fine, medium or coarse grades) and clay bar lubricant

Tar removers, fallout removers and general degreasers/all-purpose cleaners

Wheel cleaners, wheel sealants and tyre products

Hand polishes, glazes and machine polishes (compounds)

Waxes, sealants and other paint-protection products

Glass polishes, cleaners and sealants

Plastic trim cleaners, dressings and/or sealants

Interior leather, vinyl, upholstery and fabric trim cleaners and sealants

Specialist products, such as convertible roof cleaners and sealants

Remember, the above shouldn’t be seen as a shopping list, but it does indicate what a detailer may end up acquiring in the full course of their hobby. Many high-street products try and consolidate tasks, for purposes of convenience; this may mean that one product suffices as a tyre and trim dressing, simplifying the inventory and decreasing costs. However, specific products for each task may offer more performance, so a considered approach needs to be taken.

CLOTHING

There’s a simple rule for clothing: it mustn’t snag or scratch. This means that zips, buttons, poppers and any other fasteners must not be in a position where they can come into contact with the paintwork. Generally, front-zipped clothing causes problems, especially when unzipped, but a half-zip fleece would generally have the zip high enough not to cause an issue. Take care with belt buckles and jean studs, to ensure they are protected by outer layers of clothing. Cuffs should be rolled up, or checked to ensure that they do not have features that can rub or scuff the surface being worked on. Also items of jewellery such as bracelets, rings and watches are best removed, as these could all come close to delicate paint – and being metal, the outcome of accidental contact is obvious.

Always wear snag-free clothing that won’t scratch.

Detailing can be a wet or filthy pursuit on occasions, so don’t wear your best clothes, although full wet-weather protection is largely unnecessary – and probably far too hot in practice. Just make sure that you can move freely and that the materials closest to the car are as soft and fastener-free as possible. There are even detailing aprons available, typically to guard against the splatter or ‘sling’ of wet compounds when machine polishing. These often have a handy front pocket, but they would hardly be considered essential. Old sweatshirts and fleeces tend to be cheaper and offer similar practicality.

Knee pads or a kneeling cushion may increase comfort when working on the wheels and lower parts of a car (some detailers will even buy a mechanics’ rolling seat or ‘creeper’). And whilst there may be some technical attraction towards using soft, thin cotton gloves to prevent finger and palm prints on paint, they are rarely – if ever – employed, even by professionals. Nitrile or latex gloves make far more sense, protecting hands from chemicals and dirt, whilst also preventing grease marks or fingerprints on clean panels. There is a limit to detailing attire. Common sense is all that is generally required, and avoiding unnecessary contact with the paint, whether in terms of skin or clothing, will eliminate potential problems.

SPACE AND LIGHT

It is important to be able to ‘work around’ a car during the detailing process, so ensure at least 1–2 metres of clearance. This may not always be possible in a small garage, so consider moving the car during the detailing process to create space, detailing outside if the conditions are suitable, or even detailing under temporary cover (for example, a sturdy and well-anchored gazebo).

Good lighting is essential. Use ‘daylight’ spectrum bulbs or light sources, if possible. The sun is a great light source, but ambient conditions (heat, humidity) may be less than ideal.

Natural light is ideal, but detailing outside can be problematic. Halogen or LED work lights are frequently employed, but note that halogens may run at very high temperatures – a bonus when working inside in winter, but not much fun in cramped conditions in summer. Fixed detailing lighting is often commissioned for professional detailing bays, usually metal halide lighting (for a high-powered ‘white’ light, in comparison to the ‘warm’ light given off by halogen bulbs), high-powered LED lights, or standard fluorescent tubes with ‘daylight’ tubes (not as intense a light source as metal halides, but much less expensive). However, these options could be considered an expensive luxury for hobby detailing. As much lighting as possible with white or daylight bulbs will generally suffice, especially if the walls and ceiling are painted white to maximize reflection.

AMBIENT CONDITIONS

There are two ambient factors that may affect the detailing process, whether detailing inside or outside: temperature and humidity.

Temperature is immediately obvious. Hot panels – whether heated by sunlight, halogen work lights or even the action of machine polishing – will cause products to behave differently in comparison to cooler panels. Generally, accelerated curing and decreased workability will be seen. Claying a hot bonnet in direct sunlight, for example, becomes extremely tricky – the clay lube will dry out far more quickly, preventing the clay from being able to move freely. Or if a protection product has been applied, it may cure far more rapidly than the manufacturer’s guidelines dictate, making it more difficult to buff.

A very humid environment will have the opposite effect. This is not because the air is moister and therefore keeps products ‘wetter’ for longer, but because the water in the air prevents the solvents in the product ‘outgassing’ as fast as they normally would. This gives products longer cure times and more workability – and may also lead to some strange effects. For example condensation may form on the freshly detailed surface, often showing up as a fine mist on recently waxed or sealed paint. This occurs because surfaces cool quickly when solvents are outgassing on them, and the moisture in humid air then has an opportunity to condense.

Condensation may form on panels in humid or damp conditions, especially if they have been recently waxed or sealed, due to the solvents outgassing and therefore cooling the panel slightly.

Detailing outside at dusk or dawn, when temperature changes are more rapid and condensation even more likely to occur, is therefore best avoided. This effect is exaggerated in cold or wet climates, or tropical climates with high humidity. If the hot midday sun causes issues, and dusk and dawn are problematic because of the potential for condensation, this gives a very narrow window to detail outside in some parts of the world. A covered or fully sheltered detailing environment is therefore always going to be preferable, whether a simple gazebo to keep working areas in the shade, or a fully climate-controlled garage.

AIRBORNE CONTAMINATION

Detailing outside has a further disadvantage: the risk of airborne contamination is far higher. In extreme cases this could be in the form of cement dust or fence-stain droplets that drift in the wind from neighbouring properties. More commonly it means dust, pollen, tree sap and iron particles (‘fallout’). Whilst less hazardous to a painted finish than cement dust or paint flecks, these contaminants can still be obstructive to the detailing process, requiring removal prior to work being carried out, or even necessitating the repetition of a previously completed detailing stage.

Insects landing on bodywork can be annoying, but this is rarely a major detailing issue; they are attracted by the coolness of the panel caused by the application of water/detailing products, more than the colour of the car or the fragrance of attractivesmelling products.

Finally, there is the potentially annoying problem of flies and other insects landing on the car. Drawn to the coolness of drying bodywork, or the coolness of outgassing panels recently coated with curing products, they may also be attracted by heavily fragranced products or even bright paintwork. Settling on the car in their masses, these flying visitors may cause irritation to the detailer and disruption to the detailing process – but they rarely have any detrimental physical effect to the detailed surfaces. They are quite simply another reason to detail inside, as soon as practicality allows – once the pre-wash, wash and rinse stages have been completed.

SAFETY

Detailing is rarely considered a dangerous or risky pursuit – there are thousands more injuries sustained snowboarding or mountain biking than polishing the paint on a car. However, there are points of caution that should be observed.

Trip and slip hazards are common detailing dangers, but also watch out for strong chemicals, polishing dust and so on.

Firstly, water from the wash stages will present a slip hazard, and any electrical equipment such as halogen work lights and machine polishers must be kept away from buckets, and used only with circuit breakers.

Secondly, trip hazards will be plentiful. Cables for machine polishers, pressure washers and work lights will potentially run underfoot. Ideally, these should be taped down or placed inside flat conduit.

Also consider that certain pieces of equipment will have unique dangers. An ultra-hot halogen light may cause burns if the casing is touched. Orbital polishers may vibrate, potentially resulting in a loss of sensation in the fingertips if used for extended periods of time. Rotary polishers may entangle neck chains, long hair or loose clothing. Polishing dust may be dangerous if inhaled, and the noise of loud machine polishers may affect hearing. Even polishing the centre of a bonnet may result in a bad back, if a heavy machine polisher is used. Therefore, check the instructions for each piece of equipment carefully, and note the safety information before use.

Cleaning wheels should be carried out in a way that ensures the wind blows the product away from the detailer, rather than towards him/her.

Products can present their own risks, too. Whilst anyone with sensitive skin may struggle with stronger detailing shampoos, most detailers will only be troubled by the more aggressive product types – caustic traffic-film removers, acidic fallout removers, strong wheel cleaners and potent solvents for removing tar and rubber deposits. These can dry or irritate skin, and splash-back or overspray during application can be particularly unpleasant (and even potentially dangerous), whether in terms of contact with eyes or inhalation. Sensible precautions should be taken when dealing with stronger products, making sure that they are not applied ‘into’ the wind, for example, or applying them with nitrile gloves (and even a face mask and safety glasses, if required). Always read the label, and if in doubt, look for the manufacturer’s MSDS – the safety information they legally have to provide for hazardous products (usually via the internet).

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

Whilst there is already extensive legislation covering pollution created by car cleaning, whether on private land or on the highway and public areas, it tends to be a consideration of professional enterprises, such as commercial car washes and mobile valeters. The average car owner rarely gives it much thought. But we live in an age of ecological awareness, so it is good to be aware of your responsibilities, and how detailing can be undertaken with the minimum amount of environmental impact.

BEING FRUGAL WITH PRODUCTS

This little 30ml jar of wax can coat a car three to four times over, making it far more efficient and economical to use compared to a sprayable liquid.

Some mass-market products promise to enhance the gloss of paintwork, and even protect it, perhaps whilst simultaneously washing or cleaning your car. The convenience is obvious, but the down side is that regular application of the product may be required to ensure ongoing protection. Using a lot of product (one 5ltr sealant on the market lasts only twenty applications – a staggering 250ml of product per application) regularly could be far less ecologically friendly than applying a concentrated sealant after the cleaning process, where perhaps a tenth or twentieth of the product may be required for a similar (or greater) effect. For example, just 8ml of a concentrated sealant or advanced wax could protect an average-sized car for up to six months, and only a mild shampoo and detailing spray would be required for maintenance.

Furthermore, a higher concentration of chemicals is likely to end up in the storm drain with the ‘wash and shine’ product, and the increased packaging, transportation and storage of a highly diluted massmarket product could have a hidden environmental impact. An efficient regime, split into precise but carefully understood and calculated detailing stages, should allow the right products to be used at the right times, in no greater quantity than would be required to do the job in hand. This may result in better results and less cost over the course of a year – even though mass-market products invariably appear cheaper, and more convenient and time efficient at first glance – and prevent the unnecessary application of car-cleaning chemicals.

Understanding the products and processes themselves will also help. By sealing a wheel after cleaning it, all that may be needed to keep it clean over the coming months is plain water from a pressure washer or a mild biodegradable shampoo. Without this simple and relatively cheap ten-minute detailing stage, the wheel may be at far more risk of bonded contamination (due to brake debris and suchlike) and require the use of a much stronger wheel-cleaning product at regular intervals – something that may have been entirely avoidable.

AVOID RUN-OFF INTO STORM DRAINS

Any detailing run-off that flows into a storm drain will end up in the water course. This is not an issue if it is 100 per cent pure water, but it may also contain product residues and contamination removed from the vehicle (solvents, oil, grease, tar and so on).

Roadside drains – or ‘storm’ drains – don’t go into the waste-water system: typically they end up back in the water course. This means that you should always try and avoid run-off into these drains, especially if the detailing waste contains harsh chemicals, or heavy pollutants such as oil.

Remember, even if you wash a car with a pressure washer or steam (and therefore use water only in the detailing process), the waste created will contain all manner of contaminants lifted from the surfaces of the car, such as brake dust, engine oil, petrol and grease. So assess not only the detailing materials used, but also the contamination being removed, as the combination of these will dictate how polluting any waste will be. If it ‘runs off’ the car and isn’t contained, it will invariably be washed down a storm drain.

Products that contain ingredients hazardous to the environment will show this hazard pictogram, and need care in their use, handling and disposal.

Therefore, keep your vehicle well maintained (to prevent oil and fuel leaks), remove any ‘extreme’ contamination as far as possible before detailing begins (engine bay and underside detailing, especially), and assess the detailing products that you use. Milder biodegradable shampoos, for example, could be preferable to highly synthetic ‘sealant’ shampoos and caustic traffic-film removers. Stronger products should only be used where absolutely necessary, and with every effort to minimize and contain the residues created. Note that products specifically hazardous to the environment will generally be identified by a warning symbol showing dead fish and trees.

Empty unused shampoo solution into your sink so that it can be processed, rather than into a water course.

Professionals should consider using run-off containment devices, such as lipped mats and booms. These may also save water for filtration and recycling later, if water is scarce in the area at the time.

There is something that every car owner can do, however, at no extra cost and little extra inconvenience. Instead of emptying buckets containing unused shampoo solution into roadside drains, release the waste into the kitchen sink or a domestic soil drain (sewer). This ensures that the waste water gets processed and recycled, rather than being dissipated into the environment. Note that this should only be done for mild detergents: solvents and strong chemicals should never be emptied into domestic soil drains.

If there is unavoidable pollution, either soak up as much as possible with sand and dispose of it responsibly, or use dedicated cleaning chemicals/materials to neutralize the spillage, or dilute it with water if the product is water soluble and diluting the spillage will lessen the environmental impact.

GOING ‘WATERLESS’, OR STEAM CLEANING

Ironically, waterless washes tend to be water based; they are better described as ‘low water’ or ‘bucketless’ wash products.

Waterless wash systems generally use chemicals to clean the car, rather than water. The main advantages are that the waste should never enter storm drains as run-off (because the contaminants and residues are captured in cleaning cloths), and they either use less water or no water at all. Of course there are disadvantages: the chemicals may not necessarily be environmentally friendly themselves; the cleaning cloths need to be washed later (requiring water and detergents); the process may be incompatible with heavy soiling, such as thick mud; and there may be a higher chance of marring paint if the lubricants in the waterless wash aren’t effective enough. Taking everything into consideration, though, it is arguably worth ‘going waterless’ for its ecological merits – but only if the soiling is ‘light to medium’.

Steam cleaning is an even more attractive option. It uses water (in the form of steam) rather than harsh chemicals to release the dirt and grime from the surfaces of the car. The only environmental cost would be the electricity needed to heat the water to turn it into steam, the washing of cleaning pads or cloths afterwards, and the risk that any contamination dissolved in the steam could create a polluting run-off (although this run-off would be cleaner than if chemicals were also used, and some steam cleaning techniques may prevent run-off altogether). Being potentially the most ecological option of all, it certainly deserves further consideration, so we explore it in more detail later in the book.

CHAPTER THREE

EXTERIOR PAINTWORK

THE KNOWLEDGE

Even the earliest motor cars that chugged out of workshops in the late 1800s sported painted coachwork. Indeed, they were effectively horse-drawn carriages (coaches) that had dispensed with the horse and found an engine to propel them forwards. The horseless carriage was born.

Wood had been treated, coated and ‘finished’ for centuries before – often to the highest standards for coach-building – and this heritage of craftsmanship and materials would prove useful to the fledgling automotive industry. Indeed, the inherently flexible nature of wood perhaps presented its own challenges in paint development terms, compared to the hard surfaces of ships, steam trains and metal structures.