Can Auto Detailing Remove Scratches?

Scratches are one of the most annoying things that can happen to the exterior of your car. Nothing ruins a great looking car’s exterior more than some unsightly scratches.

It is made even worse by the fact that so many things can cause scratches, which makes them nearly impossible to avoid. Driving in an area with a lot of pebbles on the road can cause scratches.

Even something minor, like wiping your car down with the incorrect brush or towel can cause scratches.

So, clearly scratches are a major annoyance, but how do you get rid of them? Well, one way is to get professionals to deal with them, namely auto detailers. You may be thinking “but can detailers get rid of scratches, isn’t that more of a job for a body shop?”

Actually, depending on the type of scratch, a professional detailer should be able to get rid of them.

Types of scratches

You do not often think of there being such a thing as different types of scratches, but there are, and the type of scratch determines what sort of actions need to be taken to fix it. Think of your car’s surface as being made up of 4 separate layers.

The bottom layer is the metal of your car. The next layer is made up of primer, which is meant to protect the metal of the car, make the paint adhere better to the car surface, and increase the longevity and durability of the other layers of paint.

After the primer layer is the main coat of paint, often referred to as the base coat. Finally, the last layer is the clear coat, which makes the car’s finish shine. So, what does this have to do with scratches?

Well, depending on which level the scratch reaches, the detailer may or may not be able to remove them. Scratches that have only penetrated the clear coat or the main coat of paint can be dealt with by the auto detailer.

However, if the scratch goes further and reaches the primer level, or even worse, the metal of the car, then you are in trouble and will have to get your car dealer to get replacement paint.

Thankfully, telling how deep a scratch goes is not difficult. You can bring it to the detailing shop, where someone will be able to tell you how deep the scratch is.

You can also do an easy test on your own. All you need to do is stick your fingernail into the scratch. If your fingernail catches in the scratch, then you know it goes pretty deep.

How exactly do detailers remove scratches?

Car detailers will first give your car a thorough washing. This is done to prevent at loose dirt from being caught in the buffer and giving your car more scratches.

After the washing is done, the detailer will put some buffing compound on their rotary buffer and use it to buff out the scratches. It may sound simple, but if it is not done right, it could end up damaging your car’s finish even more, which is why you want to use a professional.

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What Does Auto Detailing Entail?

If you care about keeping your car looking like it just rolled off the assembly line, then your best option is professional auto detailing. But, what exactly does an auto detailer do to your car?

A lot of people might hear a description of detailing and think that it sounds just like having a car wash, but they are wrong. Professional detailing is a lot more in-depth than just plain old car washing.

So, we are going to quickly give you a breakdown of exactly what detailers do, which should show you just how in-depth the process is.

The Exterior

The first place detailers start is the exterior of the car. Getting the exterior of the car as clean as possible is important because when it comes time to wax and polish the car, any leftover dirt particles can get caught in the buffer and scratch the car’s surface.

The person working on your car may choose to use either a high-pressure hose or just go the classic route and use some sponges, or they may choose to use a combination of both. Either way, every part of your car’s exterior will be washed with water and special car soap (regular soap does mix well with car paint).

After the car has been washed, it will be dried with microfiber towels to avoid scratching the finish. But, the detailing does not stop there. Once the car is completely dry, a lubed clay bar will be wiped across the surface of the car to help get up any dirt that was not removed during the initial washing process.

Once the car exterior has been thoroughly cleaned, the detailer can move on to actually polishing the car and applying protective wax to help keep the car exterior looking nice long after the detailing is done.

The Interior

Once the exterior has been completely done, then it is time to do the interior. The same amount of effort is put into cleaning the interior as was put into cleaning the exterior. The interior of the car will be vacuumed with a very powerful vacuum.

Once that is done, the detailer will strip out things like mats and give them an individual cleaning with a brush and some soap. The seats will be cleaned next. Finally, the detailers will do one last vacuum before putting everything back in place.

Depending on what package you buy, the detailer may also deodorize the car, but not every company offers that service.

The Windows

Last but not least is the windows. Windows are always done last to prevent cleaning solution from splashing onto freshly cleaned windows. Cleaning windows is a fairly simple process, the detailer will simply use some ammonia free window cleaner and a microfiber towel to get the windows looking spotless.

So, now you know what auto detailing entails. This may not sound difficult, but it is actually quite a difficult job and requires a lot of effort, experience and expertise.

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How Long Does Detailing A Car Take?

One of the most common questions auto detailers get is “how long does a typical detailing session take?” It is understandable why, after all, car detailing requires you to leave your car with the detailer and people need to be able to plan their day around that.

But, it is difficult to give an estimation about how long the process takes since it is entirely dependent on a variety of factors. Is your car extremely dirty and damaged? If so, it is going to take longer. Is your car an SUV or a pickup truck?

If yes, then obviously then that is going to take longer to clean than a standard, medium sized car. So, there are a variety of factors that you need to account for. To help you out, let’s try and go over every factor that you need to account for to determine how long it is going to take for your car to be detailed by a professional detailer.

How Long Does it Take?

So, let’s start off with how long the detailing will take under ideal circumstances. Assuming your car is not excessively dirty and is medium sized, then the detailing will take anywhere from 3 hours to 5 hours.

That may seem like a while, but remember that professional detailing services are incredibly thorough; a detailer will completely every outside panel on your car, the interior and the windows in one sitting.

It will obviously take less time if you go for a basic package that does not include things like shampooing or other cleaning options that take a bit more time. Likewise, if you go for a deluxe cleaning, then you should expect it to take longer.

It is also worth noting, that while the process may only take 3 to 5 hours, you also have to account for other things like other appointments they have to deal with. So, if you drop your car off, there is no guarantee that you will be getting your car back in 3 to 5 hours.

Factors That Make it Take Longer?

Certain factors will increase the amount of time that it takes to detail the car.

Is Your Car Really Dirty?

If your car is really dirty, then the detailer will likely have to spend another hour or two cleaning up the car. Now, the car being a bit dirty is not a big deal.

But, some people do not take care of their car and let garbage accumulate in the interior and never bother cleaning the outside. If, for some reason, your car is like that, then expect the process to take a bit longer.

Is Your Car Bigger?

Most professionals will tell you that if you are trying to get a big truck or an SVU detailed, then it is simply going to take longer. If a regular sized car takes around 3 to 5 hours, then you should expect a big sized car, like an SUV, to take around 6 hours, if not a bit longer.

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How Do Car Detailers Clean Engines?

Many people are not familiar with how to properly clean an engine. It is a complicated process, as there many sensitive components in an engine and making a mistake could result in the engine being damaged.

That is why auto detailers use a very careful set of steps when cleaning engines to ensure that they do not damage any part of the engine. If you are interested in knowing how detailers clean car engines, we will quickly go over the steps they go through to clean a typical car engine.

Cooling The Engine Down

The first thing a detailer will do is check to ensure that the car engine is cool. You never work on a hot engine, it is too dangerous.

Some experts recommend warming the engine up to loosen dirt, but that is not necessary. In fact, most detailers will just work on the engine when it is completely cooled down.

Covering Up Parts of The Engine

The next thing the detailer will do is cover up vulnerable parts of the engine to prevent them getting filled with water while the engine is being cleaned.

Specifically, a bag will be used to cover the alternator, any filters that are exposed, the air intake, and any other areas that the person working on the engine feels might be vulnerable to water.

Applying The Degreaser

After the engine has been cooled and the sensitive parts covered, then the actual detailing can start. The person working on the car will start by applying powerful degreaser to the engine.

For those who do not know, degreaser is a solvent that eats through caked on grease and grime. They will slowly work their way up from the bottom of the engine to the top, this prevents degreaser from dripping down into areas they already cleaned.

They have to be very careful when applying degreaser since it could potentially damage car paint if it were to get on the car’s fender. Depending on how caked on the grease is, the detailer may have to use a brush to get off some of the tougher portions of grease.

Rinsing The Engine Off

After the degreaser has been allowed to work for a few minutes, the degreaser will need to be washed off by a hose. A high-pressure hose will be used to thoroughly wash the engine and get rid of all the loosened grease and left over degreaser.

The detailer has to be careful not to hit any of the vulnerable parts of the engine with the high-pressure hose, or it could result in those parts becoming loose.

Drying The Engine

Once the engine has been thoroughly washed, the final step involves drying the engine. An engine will never be allowed to air dry as that can leave water spots on the engine.

Instead, a towel will be used to wipe off the exposed parts of the engine and the various coverings will be removed. The engine may also be heated up to help speed up the drying of the water.

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What Is Car Detailing Clay?

When you go to get your car detailed or look up detailing services online, you might see something about how detailers will use a clay bar on your car. In fact, detailing clay is one of the most important tools that is available to car detailers and they use it almost every time they detail a car.

But, what is car detailing clay and what is it used for? A lot of people, especially those unfamiliar with cars, probably do not know what the purpose of clay is. If you are one of those people who are curious about why car detailers use clay, then this short post should help you understand just how important clay is for the detailing process.

What is Car Detailing Clay?

We all know what clay is, it’s that material you can build and shape into little sculptures. But, what exactly does it have to do with car detailing?

Well, clay bars, which are made either from naturally clay or synthetic clay (more and more body shops are switching to synthetic clay), are blocks of hardened clay that have been designed to pick up various kinds of particles, specifically dirt, rocks, dust, and the remains of bugs.

What is it Used For?

So, when a detailer washes your car they get much of the contaminants off the car. But, much of the time, simply washing a car with soap and water is not enough to get rid of all the dirt and debris on the car.

Before a detailer can move on, they need to get rid of the dirt and debris. If they do not get rid of it, when they go to the buff and polish the car, they risk grinding pieces of dirt and debris into the car’s finish. Very often, this dirt is so small that it is actually difficult to see with your eyes.

There is a test you can do at home that will show you just how much small debris is on your car’s finish. Take a medium sized sandwich bag and put it over your hand, then run your hand across the car, you will likely feel small bumps on your car’s finish; that is microscopic dirt that the clay will get rid of.

So, what a detailer will do is take the clay bar and use it much like you would use any other cleaning tool. They will slowly glide the clay bar across the surface of the car and will pick up any leftover debris that they did not get when they first cleaned the car.

The clay bar will be given some lubricant first, to enhance its ability to pick up debris and to help glide across the car easier.

Why Clay?

You may be wondering why they use clay instead of just blasting it with more water or wiping it with a towel. Well, clay is useful because it is not very abrasive. Which means that it is unlikely to scratch or otherwise damage the car’s finish.

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How To Find A Good Car Detailer in Houston?

Your car is probably one of the most expensive things you own, especially if you are not a homeowner. So, you obviously want to keep your car looking as good as you can make it.

One way to do that is through regular car detailing done by a professional detailer. But, how do you find a detailer that is going to treat your car with the respect it deserves?

There are unfortunately some less than skilled detailers out there and it is up to you to find one that will treat your right. Now, the obvious answer would be to read reviews, and while that is a good strategy, it does not always work out.

The local detailer may only have one or two reviews that are not particularly helpful. Likewise, the reviews may be left by people who do not really know much about cars and thus don’t know if the detailing services were actually good or not. So, here are some methods you can use to find a good, trustworthy car detailer.

Ask tough questions!

If you have found an auto detailer and unsure about whether you want to go with them or not, try asking them some questions and see how they respond. Based on their responses, you can tell whether they are the right detailer for your car.

Try asking them precisely what they actually do to a car. You can compare what they tell you with what other auto detailers do. If you are not aware of what other detailers do, you can find this information out easily by looking at a professional detailing website, which will walk you through what they do to a car, step-by-step).

If you notice something important missing, then move on, because it is a sign that the detailer is not professional. Likewise, try asking them about their warranty policy. If they do not have one, then stay far away as detailers without a warranty policy are likely to be amateurs.

Ask Around Online

If you are really scratching your head trying to find a good detailer, why not just try asking around online. There are plenty of auto enthusiast forums and social media groups out there filled with people from all over the country, who should be able to point you in the direction of a reliable detailer.

Plus, if they are on a forum or social media group dedicated to cars, then you know that they value their car just as much as you do.

Get References or Photos of Previous Work

A good strategy you can try is asking a company to give you before and after photos of their past work or to give you references to past customers so that you can hear firsthand how good or bad a job the company did.

Some companies may not be willing to provide photos or references (which is a definite red flag), but other companies will be more than willing to give you these things if it means securing your business.

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