When many people buy a used car, they are often able to find imperfection or the car is dirty, so this is when learning to detail and wash your used car to restore beauty and value is important.
How to Detail and Wash Your Used Car to Restore Beauty and Value
After purchasing a used car, many people just park it and learn to live with the imperfections of the body. However, by following this simple guide, you'll be able to bring new life to the look of your car, and make it look as close to new as possible, immediately increasing its value tremendously.
Exterior Soap and Rinse
The first thing to do is thoroughly wash and rinse the car. The basic tools you need include the following:
While simply washing a car seems, to most people, to be a very simple project, there are actually a number of precautions you need to take. The art and science of the detailing industry comes from methods to thoroughly wash the surface of a car without causing scratches. Unfortunately, scratching the surface of a car is extremely easy. All it takes is a single dirt particle under a washing mit to lay a fine scratch on your hood or door. Even an overly-strong stream of water from your hose can cause dirt particles on your car to scratch it. Simple rule of thumb - be gentle.
To wash your car correctly, follow these steps:
1. Thoroughly rinse the car with a gentle stream of water. Some professional detailers use a hose with the nozzle removed and just allow the water to flow out at its natural rate.
2. In the bucket, fill with warm water and car wash soap. Use the amount of soap advised in the instructions on the bottle.
3. Wash the car in sections and immediately remove the soap. If you wash the whole car and then rinse, the part of the car you started on will dry with a soapy residue. Instead, wash the roof, then immediately rinse it. Wash one side, rinse. Wash the hood, rinse, etc. Never allow time for a film to develop or you'll ultimately lose some of that final glow. If the bucket gets down to 1/3rd of the water left, empty it, rinse it out, and refill with more soap and water.
4. When washing particularly dirty, bug-encrusted areas, don't give up. Use 0000 steel wool and glass cleaner on any class or metal that has bugs pasted to it. On painted surfaces, just keep using warm soapy water and you'll get all of the grime off - be patient!
5. When you're through, rinse the entire car once again, and pay close attention to small nooks and crannies where soap can hide. Want a super-clean and shiny car? Then repeat steps 3 and 4 one more time.
6. Time to dry your car! Take your soft cotton towel (which you've been very careful to keep extra clean and free of any dirt particles) and fold it into a square. Rub down all surfaces of the exterior of your car to remove every trace of water.
Touch Up Paint Scratches
Used cars have scratched paint. It's a fact of life. If you've been able to find a used car without one, consider it a miracle. There are some great products from 3M that help to remove or hide scratches (aside from buying touch-up paint from your dealer and carefully applying evenly). Scratch removal or cover-up products include Finesse It, Swirl Mark Remover, Perfect It, Imperial Hand Glaze. Some are more abrasive than others, so read the instructions carefully.
Polish Glass and Lights
If the headlights are older and yellowed, you may need to wet down the headlights and use 800 grit sand paper to wet sand the material off the lamp. Make sure to have clean water with a sponge in it handy so that you can squeeze water onto the surface to keep the sandpaper clean and unclogged. Once the foggy color is more white, use 1500 grit paper and wet sand some more to sand out the remaining scratches. Finally rinse and then move on to the next step - polishing to remove the foggy coloring.
3M makes good plastic polish as well. Apply a small amount to a clean polishing cloth and apply it to the headlight. Some professional detailers believe in circular polishing, others believe in straight-line. Do whatever appears to work best for you. When you're finished polishing according to the instructions on the bottle, the lamp will be clear and shiny.
Apply Wax to Protect Your Paint
Time to wax! Make sure to research which wax product is best for you. Some will last longer than others, while some products are far easier to apply. I always go for ease of use, but often those products won't last quite as long. Using microfiber towels, apply polish to your entire car in careful front to back motions on horizontal panels, and up and down motions on vertical panels. Rub softly so that you don't cause any damage to your paint. Make sure to follow the instructions on the wax product carefully to obtain the highest quality shine for your efforts.
Gloss Up Your Wheels
Over time, wheels can become faded and dusty-looking. There are a number of products created for wheel polishing, but the best ones are spray-on products that you apply evenly to the outer surface of the wheel. It applies as a foam, and as it dries, it renews the shine and color to old faded wheels. Make sure to do this on gravel, because when these products drip onto a tar driveway or concrete garage floor, they can cause staining.
For more information about quality used cars, including vehicle listings, vehicle information and even used car credit information, visit Harry Coker at www.blueskymotors.net.
How to Detail and Wash Your Used Car to Restore Beauty and Value
After purchasing a used car, many people just park it and learn to live with the imperfections of the body. However, by following this simple guide, you'll be able to bring new life to the look of your car, and make it look as close to new as possible, immediately increasing its value tremendously.
Exterior Soap and Rinse
The first thing to do is thoroughly wash and rinse the car. The basic tools you need include the following:
- A bucket
- Sponge or Car-Washing Mit
- Semi firm car-washing brush
- Extra-soft cotton towels or microfiber towels
- Car washing soap (NOT dish detergent!)
- 0000 steel wool and glass cleaner
While simply washing a car seems, to most people, to be a very simple project, there are actually a number of precautions you need to take. The art and science of the detailing industry comes from methods to thoroughly wash the surface of a car without causing scratches. Unfortunately, scratching the surface of a car is extremely easy. All it takes is a single dirt particle under a washing mit to lay a fine scratch on your hood or door. Even an overly-strong stream of water from your hose can cause dirt particles on your car to scratch it. Simple rule of thumb - be gentle.
To wash your car correctly, follow these steps:
1. Thoroughly rinse the car with a gentle stream of water. Some professional detailers use a hose with the nozzle removed and just allow the water to flow out at its natural rate.
2. In the bucket, fill with warm water and car wash soap. Use the amount of soap advised in the instructions on the bottle.
3. Wash the car in sections and immediately remove the soap. If you wash the whole car and then rinse, the part of the car you started on will dry with a soapy residue. Instead, wash the roof, then immediately rinse it. Wash one side, rinse. Wash the hood, rinse, etc. Never allow time for a film to develop or you'll ultimately lose some of that final glow. If the bucket gets down to 1/3rd of the water left, empty it, rinse it out, and refill with more soap and water.
4. When washing particularly dirty, bug-encrusted areas, don't give up. Use 0000 steel wool and glass cleaner on any class or metal that has bugs pasted to it. On painted surfaces, just keep using warm soapy water and you'll get all of the grime off - be patient!
5. When you're through, rinse the entire car once again, and pay close attention to small nooks and crannies where soap can hide. Want a super-clean and shiny car? Then repeat steps 3 and 4 one more time.
6. Time to dry your car! Take your soft cotton towel (which you've been very careful to keep extra clean and free of any dirt particles) and fold it into a square. Rub down all surfaces of the exterior of your car to remove every trace of water.
Touch Up Paint Scratches
Used cars have scratched paint. It's a fact of life. If you've been able to find a used car without one, consider it a miracle. There are some great products from 3M that help to remove or hide scratches (aside from buying touch-up paint from your dealer and carefully applying evenly). Scratch removal or cover-up products include Finesse It, Swirl Mark Remover, Perfect It, Imperial Hand Glaze. Some are more abrasive than others, so read the instructions carefully.
Polish Glass and Lights
If the headlights are older and yellowed, you may need to wet down the headlights and use 800 grit sand paper to wet sand the material off the lamp. Make sure to have clean water with a sponge in it handy so that you can squeeze water onto the surface to keep the sandpaper clean and unclogged. Once the foggy color is more white, use 1500 grit paper and wet sand some more to sand out the remaining scratches. Finally rinse and then move on to the next step - polishing to remove the foggy coloring.
3M makes good plastic polish as well. Apply a small amount to a clean polishing cloth and apply it to the headlight. Some professional detailers believe in circular polishing, others believe in straight-line. Do whatever appears to work best for you. When you're finished polishing according to the instructions on the bottle, the lamp will be clear and shiny.
Apply Wax to Protect Your Paint
Time to wax! Make sure to research which wax product is best for you. Some will last longer than others, while some products are far easier to apply. I always go for ease of use, but often those products won't last quite as long. Using microfiber towels, apply polish to your entire car in careful front to back motions on horizontal panels, and up and down motions on vertical panels. Rub softly so that you don't cause any damage to your paint. Make sure to follow the instructions on the wax product carefully to obtain the highest quality shine for your efforts.
Gloss Up Your Wheels
Over time, wheels can become faded and dusty-looking. There are a number of products created for wheel polishing, but the best ones are spray-on products that you apply evenly to the outer surface of the wheel. It applies as a foam, and as it dries, it renews the shine and color to old faded wheels. Make sure to do this on gravel, because when these products drip onto a tar driveway or concrete garage floor, they can cause staining.
For more information about quality used cars, including vehicle listings, vehicle information and even used car credit information, visit Harry Coker at www.blueskymotors.net.
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