Why your car needs to be detailed

It is our opinion that 99% of the vehicles on the road today have significant flaws in their appearance, whether new or used, average or exotic. Some examples of these flaws include swirls, water etching, clearcoat failure, paint contamination, and carpet stains. Unfortunately, the majority of these problems are caused by the owner's lack of knowledge in the care of a vehicle's appearance. If your vehicle looks like it may have any of these symptoms as described below, it would be of your best interest to have us correct these flaws, which could lead to rust or a significant reduction in your car's resale value.

Swirls: The most common paint imperfection on the road today, these are extremely thin scratches within your clearcoat caused by improper washing and drying technique. They are best described as spiderweb-like in appearance and are most noticeable on darker colors, especially in direct sunlight. Do you take your car to the automatic car wash? Doing so is probably the number one source of paint damage. Car washes with bristles and so-called "soft-scrub" materials can easily scratch your paint by transferring the dirt accumulated from other vehicles onto your fragile clearcoat. Many thousands of scratches result from the movement of these dirt particles on your paint. Going to the "touch less" car wash can still create scratches. The high-pressured water jets used to rip away the dirt on your vehicle will press those dirt particles into the clearcoat, causing scratches. Furthermore, in both types of automatic car washes, workers will typically dry your vehicle improperly with dirty beach towels. The dirt in those towels coupled with the polyester strands, equivalent in strength to steel nails, will ensure that you paint is as damaged as possible.

Water Etching: These are water-spots that have been permanently attached, or "etched" into the clearcoat of your vehicle, typically found on exterior paint and windows.. Water spots are caused by the evaporation of water on your vehicles surface and the remainder of minerals on the surface. Over time, as these water spots are "baked" into the paint by the sun, they become permanently attached to the surface of the paint due to a chemical process. If this problem is not taken care of soon, some of the water etching on a surface cannot be removed without expensive repainting of a painted surface or replacement of glass.

Clearcoat Failure: This is when the clearcoat on your vehicle no longer exists. A common way for this to happen is when strong acids and bases are exposed to the paint surface and they start eating-away at the paint surface. Strong acids and bases are found in animal droppings and plant bi-products, therefore these threats to the paint should be treated to as soon as possible to prevent significant clearcoat damage. Clearcoat removal also occurs from improperly trained detailers removing all the clearcoat remaining on a painted surface due to overly aggressive compounds and cutting pads. Today's high-speed, high torque buffing machines are capable of removing clearcoat from a painted surface in seconds if used by an untrained operator.

Paint Contamination: This is the accumulation of dirt, industrial pollutants, and more into the clearcoat of a vehicle, which cannot be removed through everyday washing. Paint that is not properly protected with sealants and waxes will become exposed to contamination, therefore dulling the color of the paint and creating a sandpaper-like surface texture.

Carpet Stains: This is a discoloring of fabric due to the introduction of a foreign piece of mater or liquid into a fabric. Dirty shoes, foods, drinks, and more all contribute to these accidents. These stains can also become permanent if not treated in a timely manner.