The Detailing Process
Detailing is a lot more thorough than a normal car wash or valet. It is an in depth decontamination of the car both externally and internally. This happens in several stages that are outlined below.
Stage 1 - Exterior Pre-Washing & Washing
The vehicle is deep cleansed using quality pre-wash solutions including wheels and arches. It will then be snow foamed and left to dwell for 5 minutes before being washed with a citrus based shampoo to thoroughly clean the outside and to remove all existing wax. The paintwork will then be clayed with an automobile clay bar leaving a glossy smooth surface. This surface is then ready for machine polishing or paint correction. Final steps are to seal the alloy wheels prior to waxing the faces, clean and wax all door, bonnet and boot shuts and clean and nourish the seals.
| Stage 1 - Pre-Washing & Washing | All Surface Protection Detail | Minor Paint Correction Detail | Full Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spray vehicle with APC. | Yes | No | Yes |
| Pre wash whole vehicle inc. engine compartment. | No | No | Yes |
| Pre wash wheels & arches. | Yes | No | Yes |
| Snow foam vehicle. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wash with Citrus Shampoo inc. door, bonnet & boot shuts | Only Car | Yes | Yes |
| Clay bar whole car inc. wheels. | Only Car | Only Car | Yes |
| Remove all road tar & bugs. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Re-wash and dry. | No | No | Yes |
| Final wipe with IPA to remove old waxes. | No | Yes | Yes |
Stage 2 - Exterior Preparation Stage
We will measure the vehicles paint thickness using a Paint Thickness Gauge and record the readings. This will then allow us to determine how much correction can be achieved. The objective is to level the paint to achieve that Mirror Finish.
| Stage 2 - Exterior Preparation Stages | All Surface Protection Detail | Minor Paint Correction Detail | Full Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Take paint depth readings. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tape up all plastic trim. | No | Yes | Yes |
Stage 3 - Exterior Correction
The machining process is to remove the usual paint problems associated with using an automatic car wash, bad washing practice and cheap £5 valets that usually do more harm than good. Swirls and scratches are usually inflicted with this type of washing and will immediately start to dull the shine. Tree sap and bird droppings are also responsible for paint problems that we can remove. Once the paint work has been corrected we will then wipe over the whole car to finally remove any compounds with an Isopropyl Alcohol wipe ready to prepare the paint for the next stage.
| Stage 3 - Exterior Correction Stage | All Surface Protection Detail | Minor Paint Correction Detail | Full Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine polishing of all paint work with cutting compounds to remove swirl marks & light scratches. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Final wipe with IPA to remove cutting residue. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Appraise paint work under different lights to determine proper correction. | No | Yes | Yes |
Stage 4 - Exterior Sealant & Wax
We will then seal the paint with a sealant. We would usually apply two coats to get the gloss showing through the paint, and then we would wax the car with a high quality carnauba wax. This will then finish off the protection of your vehicle.
| Stage 4 - Exterior Sealent & Wax | All Surface Protection Detail | Minor Paint Correction Detail | Full Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply one or two coats of paint sealant then buff off. | One Coat | One Coat | Two or More Coats |
| Apply high content Carnauba Wax to all painted areas. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Stage 5 - Interior & Wheels
Next we will then move onto the interior that will be steam sterilised (only fabric, leather and plastic surfaces) all carpets and trim hoovered and all plastic dressed with a water base cleaner and detailing spray to give a satin finish. Water based detailing products often give a false shine and oily sticky residue that actually attracts more dirt. The windows will be cleaned and the leather cleansed and nourished. The boot will be cleaned out and hovered with all metal surfaces being cleaned. Finally we will dress the tyres with a satin tyre gel and dress all exterior plastic trim, all exterior windows and mirrors will be treated to a rain repellent spray and the paint work given a final wipe over with a detailing spray.
| Stage 5 - Interior & Wheels | All Surface Protection Detail | Minor Paint Correction Detail | Full Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam sterilise carpets, fabric, leather and plastic Surfaces. | No | No | Yes |
| Wet and dry vacuum carpets/mats. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clean all surfaces and dress plastic. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clean and polish interior windows. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clean leather trim and nourish. | No | No | Yes |
| Clean boot area and vacuum. | No | Yes | Yes |
| Clean and seal all plastic trim. | No | No | Yes |
| Seal and wax alloy wheels. | Yes | No | Yes |
| Apply dressing to tyres, trim and arches. | Yes | No | Yes |
| Rain repellent spray to all glass and external mirrors. | No | No | Yes |
Contact Mirror Finish
For bookings and enquiries, please call Mirror Finish on 07709 393 615 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Alternatively, you can email Mirror Finish with your detailing and valeting questions, mirrorfinish@ymail.com.
Payments can be made by cash, cheque (with card) and PayPal.
