There is almost nothing as satisfying as a freshly waxed car, or at least I think so. To me, there’s just nothing like the feeling of a smooth paint job. Although I need to warn you, waxing a car at home is extremely time consuming and sometimes you just can’t get the residue by hand. However for those who wish to try waxing their car at home, here is the step-by-step procedure.

But before you start , please read my post about safe home car washing. Although it’s fairly obvious that you need to start with a clean car before  you apply wax, you will want to make sure it’s done as described to get the most out of all your hard work.

After washing your car appropriately, choosing the wax is the next step. There are several brands of wax you can purchase at your local auto parts store that will do a superb job on your car. I would go with either 3M show car paste wax, Meguiar’s car care product tech wax or Mothers wax. All of these waxes have a high percentage of carnauba wax in them. Carnauba is the key ingredient in a superior paste wax.

Now, gather your  car waxing equipment. You will need your carnauba wax, microfiber towels, and either a foam or cotton wax applicator pad. As noted in my posts about exterior auto detailing, the microfiber towels are indispensable for gently coming into contact with your paint. They remove the wax product without leaving any rub marks.

Waxing should be done one body panel at a time. First, dampen your applicator and wring it out. Using a damp applicator allows the wax to flow smoothly onto the car paint. Begin by rubbing the wax onto the panel using side to side overlapping hand strokes. Never wax in a circular motion! This will cause visual swirl marks in the paint.

Now, allow the wax to flash dry for about sixty seconds. Your want to wipe it off with your microfiber towel before it has had a chance to completely harden onto the paint. This is done for two reasons. First, wiping it off at this point is far easier than waiting for it to dry like concrete. Second, it leaves almost no powdery white residue that is hard to remove. The wax should also be buffed off using the same overlapping side to side hand strokes. Work your way around the car panel by panel. Just as a reminder, never try and wax your car in the sun. Since car waxing takes a long time, make sure you pick a spot that will remain in the shade for hours. If you wax any portion of your car in the sun it will result in streaking and make the wax almost impossible to remove. Work in the shade with the car’s surface cool to the touch.

Once the whole car has been coated and wiped down, it is time to deal with the car seams. Open up all of the doors, hood, trunk and gas cap. Car wax always seems to be hiding in these nooks and crannies. Take a clean microfiber towel and wipe down these areas to remove any excess wax build up. That’s it. There is no buffing machine necessary. Buffing machines are used for removing dull paint and surface scratches. In fact, I suggest leaving the high tech buffing to a professional luxury auto detailer because you don’t want to have to deal with nasty swirl marks or accidentally removed paint. We’ve had to fix several cars over the years that suffered from home wax buffing errors.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions on waxing your car at home. I am always happy to help!

One of the most important areas of your car that needs regular care is the leather. Having leather seats is a true luxury and they need to be cleaned and conditioned. You can think of leather as living skin. If left dirty and unconditioned, it will become hard, brittle and cracked.

Cleaning The Leather Hide

The first step in leather care is cleaning the hide. Great care needs to be taken in order to gently clean these leather surfaces. It is best to use a very mild soap mixed with warm water. You can use a very diluted mixture of Simple Green multi purpose cleaner. I would suggest mixing one ounce with ten to twelve cups of water. The first thing to do is get a clean soft terry cloth towel. Dunk the towel into your cleaning mixture and wring it out. From here wipe down the seat using gentle pressure. Be careful not to “scrub” the leather. Always use a small spot in out of the way area as a test spot. Automotive leather is surface dyed and you don’t want to remove any of it. Rub out the seat and make sure it is kept evenly damp throughout the process. Rinse out your towel several times as you do each section of the leather seats.

Removing the Cleaning Solution from Leather

The next step is to fully remove the cleaning solution. First, towel dry the seat to remove the cleaning mixture from the leather. Now using a towel dampened with clean water, gently wipe down all the leather seats. This will remove the soap residue from the leather. This step needs to be done at least two times. Next, wipe the seat completely dry with another clean soft terry cloth towel, being certain to rub very gently.

Conditioning Leather Car Seats

Next, we come to the leather conditioning step. There are several good leather conditioners on the market. Some of the best brands are Connelly Hide Food, Meguires Leather Conditioner and Lexol. The key thing is not to use too much of the product. Apply the leather conditioner with a clean, soft sponge,not one with a scrubbing side! Soak the sponge with the conditioner and apply it to the seat evenly. Work on one leather seat at a time. The best thing to do is to apply the product and let it soak into the leather for a few minutes. Next, take a soft clean cloth and rub off all of the excess conditioner. This creates a beautiful mat finish that is not slippery. If the leather is a little hard or rough, apply a second coat. Keep in mind that all leather develops wrinkles. The important thing is to keep the leather soft so the wrinkles don’t eventually turn into cracks.

Overall, it is a good idea to clean and condition your cars leather seats two or three times a year. The conditioner wears off over time and is also affected by heat, UV exposure and oils from human skin. If your seats don’t appear soiled, you can skip the cleaning steps. This is especially true with fancy sports cars that don’t see much use other than those special weekend drives. So, keep it clean and keep it soft.

If this sounds like too much work, remember leather conditioner is  included with the Full Auto Detail and Interior Auto Detailing Service packages at Bradley’s Auto Detail. If you actually read this whole blog post on how to clean leather car seats, let me know and I will give you an additional $10 off a Full Detail.

Safe methods of car washing are your first line of defense in preserving your luxury auto detail. There are several steps to safely wash your car following after a visit to a professional auto detailer. The ultimate goal is to keep that “just detailed” look for as long as possible. As a rule, the only way to safely wash your car is to do it by hand – its a bit of work but it trully pays off! Avoid drive through car washes at all costs. Even the ‘no-touch” car washes can be damaging after a professional detail.

The first thing to do is gather your hand car wash accessories. You need to begin with a clean five gallon bucket, real car wash soap (nothing from the kitchen is allowed… if it strips off spagetti sauce it strips off wax too), a fresh wash mit and a synthetic chamois. The first step is thoroughly rinsing the car.

When hand washing your car at home, always wash your car out of direct sunlight and make sure  the surface of the care is cool to the touch. Take your hose and literally blast the car off from the top down. The goal is to rinse off the heavy dirt and rough particles that have accumulated on the paint. Now, mix up your car wash soap and water solution. Follow the dilution ratio on the bottle carefully, because too much soap can leave a film on the car. Always use cool to luke warm water. Hot water hastens the break down of your wax, which you don’t want to do right after a luxury auto detail.

When it comes to how to wash the car, it is important to consider your hand strokes while in contact with the paint. Washing one section of the car at a time – starting at the top, only wash with side to side strokes. Never wash in circular motions. This can creat a swirled looking finish. Parallel strokes don’t show up in the sun as swirls in the paint. Rinse each panel as it is washed. Be careful not to let the soap solution to dry on the car – once again this can dull the look of the finish.

Make sure that you dunk your car wash mit each time your cover about three square feet. Only dunk your mit in the first third of the bucket. The goal is to avoid any particles that have sunk to the bottom of the wash bucket. Look at your wash mit repeatedly. If you get a heavy accumulation of dirt on it be sure to rinse it off with your hose, before you dunk it back into the soap and water. Quite ofter, I suggest that my customers use several wash mits during the cleaning process. The first mit is only used for the top one third of the car. A second mit is used to wash the middle third of the car. Finally, the last mit is used to wash the lowest third of the car — the portion of the car where most of the dirt accumulates. Once the car has been thoroughly washed, be sure to spend a good deal of time rinsing off all the soap off of the car.

The next step in safe car washing is to clean the wheels. If the wheels don’t have a huge amount of dirt and brake dust accumulated on them, they can be safely be cleaned of with just soap and water. If the wheels have become very dirty is may be necessary to use an actual wheel cleaner. There are several good brands that are available at auto parts stores. Make sure you choose one that is safe on all wheel types – polished, painted, chrome or any other material. Once again, it is important to rinse the wheel well. Also, wheels should be cool when washed. A hot wheel will dry up your cleaning solution before you have had a chance to wash the whole wheel. Rinse the wheel thoroughly. I like to do one wheel at a time, but then I am overly OCD about cars in my old age.  Once all of the wheels have been washed, roll the car forward a bit so you can check to see if they are completely cleaned.

The next step to a perfect car wash at home is porperly drying the vehicle. Keeping in mind that we want to do a safe and gentle wash, it is best to use your synthetic chamois. Unlike towels which are slightly rough, a chamois is very soft and absorbes water so much faster. Dry the car from the top down. Once again use side to side hand strokes to dry the water off the car. You can now dry the wheels. The final step in drying the car is to open up the doors, hood, trunk and gas cap to dry these areas out.

Now step back and take in the shine! If you have the time, you should wash your car on a regular basis. It is important to wash the car before a serious coat of crud has built up on the paint or you might have to visit me for a VIP detail.

And yes, cars even need to be washed if it is raining. I get this question about car washing all the time. I know this isn’t fun but it will keep the car looking professionally detailed much longer and keeps the resale value of your car much higher. Gently hand washing the car frequently will really make a difference in how long the detailed shine lasts.

I hope you found this post helpful. Please feel free to ask my any questions about hand washing your car by leaving a comment.

For many people having a luxury detail done on their car, one of the biggest reasons are car scratches and scuffs. To begin explaining how these marks can be minimized or removed it is helpful to understand how cars are painted. The vast majority of cars are painted in a “base coat – clear coat” method. This means that cars are painted in two layers. The base layer is the colored paint. This layer is then covered with a layer of clear paint. This results in the deep reflective shine that today’s cars have. Also, this is a much more durable method of painting a vehicle. The clear coat acts as a clear lens that reflects the vivid color of the car. It also acts as a UV protector, which helps the paint resist oxidization. Oxidization results in a dullness in the finish which makes the cars paint look flat.

The good news is that today’s paint reacts extremely well to buffing, polishing and waxing. For the most part light surface scratches are confined to the top clear coat of the car. As long as you cant catch your finger nail in the scuff mark they will generally come out.

The first step in scuff and scratch removal is a process called buffing. This step is done using a rotary power polishing machine. A soft foam pad is attached to the polisher. Using this soft pad a mild buffing compound is worked into the paint. This step levels the paint out and removes the surface scuffs and scratches. The buffing product used is one that quickly breaks down so that it does not remain abrasive while it is being worked into the paint. Once this step is done to the whole car, all of the residual compound is wiped off of the car using a soft microfiber towel. (Microfiber towels are designed with a thick nap and an absorbent material that wipes the paint clean without streaks.)

The next step involves the polishing of the car. Using the same rotary power polishing machine and a finer grade of foam pad the entire car is worked over. The polishing step is the one that brings out the deep reflective shine in the paint. Further, it removes any swirl marks left by the car buffing process. Paint polish is a thick liquid product that also breaks down as it is applied. At that point it produces an oil like film on the car that allows the polish pad to smooth out the paint even further. Once again, the entire vehicle is wiped down with a fresh microfiber towel to remove any residual polish.

Next, we switch machines to a random action orbital polisher. This machine is used with a super fine and soft foam pad. This step removes as many of the remaining paint damage as is possible. Also, this step removes all swirl marks left from the rotary polisher. This is the most lengthy step in the process because the goal is to produce the deepest shine possible.

Finally, the last step in the scuff and scratch removal process is the waxing of the paint. Waxing is best done by hand. Using a soft applicator the wax is gently applied to the vehicle using light overlapping side to side strokes. The goal here is to apply the wax without causing any swirls in the finish. The best waxes have a high percentage of carnauba. This type of wax is extremely good at resisting the elements as well as regular washing. It provides excellent protection from the sun as well as road contaminants.

By following these steps the professional luxury auto detailer is able to produce a brilliant shine. Almost all surface marks are removed and the car looks as close to new as possible. If you are going to try to remove car scratches on your own, be very careful about following the steps laid out above. You don’t want to end up doing more damage to your car than was there to start with. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on my blog or give me a call.

The interior of a freshly detailed car makes a huge impression, since this is the part of a professional auto detailing service the client experiences most intimately.

Interior auto detailing consists of numerous cleaning steps. At Bradley’s, we begin by searching the car for loose personal items and put them in a safe place for the client.

The first step in the interior auto detailing process involves compressed air and a soft brush. We use a rubber tipped air gun with the brush to clean all of the tight spots, nooks and crannies throughout the car. We blow out and brush the air vents, between the seats and around every part of the car. Following this we do an initial vacuuming of the interior to prepare it for the shampoo process.

Shampooing the interior of a car begins at the top – the headliner. The headliner is the interior roof cover. These are generally delicate fabrics but can also be vinyl. Using a soft hand wash mitt we gently wipe the headliner with a mild interior shampoo. We use a soft terry cloth towel to gently blot it dry.

The next area we clean is the dashboard. This is a very delicate area because of all the electronic controls, navigation screens and instrument panel covers. The dash is best cleaned using a damp microfiber towel without any soap. The towel gently removes all dust and grime from the dash without getting it wet. We dry the dash with a clean microfiber towel, carefully wiping off the instrument panel covers, navigation screens and audio displays. We take great care to ensure we don’t get these areas wet. You should, too: water on or behind these displays can ruin them. We use the same process in cleaning the center console and door mounted window switches.

After the dashboard we clean the seats, using a mild interior cleaner and leather cleaner where appropriate. Seats can be cleaned using a combination of soft brushes and soft hand wash mitts. To clean leather seats, we lightly wet them down with a mix of soap and water. We soak the wash mitt in this solution and squeeze out excess moisture before washing down the seat using mild pressure. We towel the seat dry with a clean terry towel. It may be necessary to repeat this step two or three times to get all of the surface dirt out of the leather. We use compressed air to clean around the seat piping and folds to release any remaining loose dirt. It’s best to clean one seat at a time so the solution doesn’t dry on the leather.

We move on to the inner door panels. Once again we use the hand mitt soaked in the cleaning solution to scrub the area down and the compressed air to clean tight spots, then dry the panels thoroughly.

The next area we clean is the parcel shelf between the rear seats and rear window. Most shelves are backed with a thin fiberboard that can warp so we take great care to not get it too wet. We finish this area by blotting it dry with a soft towel.

Only two sections left: the carpets and windows. At Bradley’s we clean the carpets by hand. Other auto detailing service providers use an extractor, which uses too much water on the carpets and pads and can result in mold and mildew within the enclosed confines of the car.

We use a combination of hand wash mitts and soft nylon brushes. We pre-soak stained areas using the water and soap solution. Note that fragrance-free products are best when cleaning any part of the interior. We spray the carpet with the solution and use a nylon brush to scrub it in, then hand rub with a wash mitt.

We remove the dirt by rubbing the carpets dry using several terry cloth towels. This is the best way to get the soils and stains pulled out of the carpet. To loosen remaining bits of soil, we use compressed air. Next, thoroughly blow the carpets with compressed air to loosen any remaining particles of soil. We finish with a thorough vacuuming of the floors and seats, then clean the trunk using the same process.

Finally, the windows. Ugh. Over the years we’ve found that almost every window cleaner—even professional ones—leave streaks. The secret product of our auto detailing service? Plain old water! We soak a lint-free surgical towel, rub the inside windows and dry them with more of the same towels. We use the same magic ingredient on the rear view and visor mirrors, too. ☺

We begin our auto detailing service with a prep wash. This gives us the big picture of what each vehicle will need as we progress through the many intricate steps of auto detailing.

We pre-rinse with a hot water pressure washer to remove the surface layer of grime and to prevent surface scuffing during the detailed hand wash.

Using a biodegradable brake dust remover, we clean the wheels and tires. This removes the layer of brake dust that always builds up on high performance vehicles. We meticulously use toothbrushes and bottle brushes followed by a through rinsing with the hot water pressure washer. We stop just short of using dental floss, though we will if there’s a bit of dust that just won’t let go. ☺ Our auto detailing team’s motto is “No Dust Left Behind.”

We open all of the doors, hood and trunk. The jambs are sprayed with a gentle cleaner and scrubbed out. We also rinse them with the hot water pressure washer. We’ve found that cleaning out the jambs like this really gives your car that new car look and include it with every full auto detailing service.

Last in the prep wash is scrubbing the grill, headlights and tailpipes.

The next step is the detailed hand wash, going from top to bottom. We use soft wash mitts and a mild professional auto detailing soap with water.

It’s very important when hand washing to use only side-to-side hand motions. This prevents rubbing swirl marks into the paint. These marks show up in the sunshine (I know, a rare occurrence in the Northwest) and make the finish look uneven and unpolished.

When hand washing we are careful to re-soak the mitt in the solution for each body panel. This prevents a build up of grit and grime on the wash mitt that could possibly rub scuffs and scratches back into the paint—which would then would result in the need for extra paint polishing to correct the issue. Each body panel should be thoroughly rinsed right away. If the soap dries on the paint it will require extra polishing.

While the vehicle is still wet we come to one of the most vital steps in our auto detailing service. This step is called “clay barring” the finish. In this step we apply a soft bar of pliable clay on the paint. Using the same hand motions as the wash (side-to-side), the vehicle is rubbed out with the clay bar. This is an extremely gentle process that preps the paint for the polishing and waxing steps to follow. The clay bar removes surface contaminants from the paint so the finish is rendered smooth to the touch. In the old days this would have required the use of an extremely harsh buffing compound; this special clay saves on wear and tear on the paint.

Once the car has been thoroughly hand washed, clay barred and rinsed again with the hot water pressure washer it is time to dry it. We use a synthetic chamois, which quickly absorbs the water.

Next it is time to get the vehicle ready for the exterior detailing process. This involves further removal of water left from the prep wash. Using compressed air, we blow out all the water: from the hood, trunk, door jambs, grill, gas cap, body seams, cracks and crevices. Any leftover water is again removed using the synthetic chamois.

When the vehicle is completely dry we begin the extensive exterior detailing. I want to point out here that we use only microfiber towels throughout the exterior detailing process, and that this is the only material—other than the chamois and wash mitts—that should come into contact with the paint. Microfiber towels are designed with a thick nap and an absorbent material that wipes the paint clean without streaks.

Our first step in the exterior detail process is to remove any road tar from the bottom that the clay bar may have missed. We use a very mild paint-safe detail solvent on a towel (remember: microfiber only!). Once again, we use only side-to-side hand motions.

Next we take an automotive masking tape and cover all of the rubber and plastic trim. This prevents wax and polish from getting onto these parts. Some auto detailers skip this step because it adds at least 15 minutes to the process but in our perspective, it saves at least that much time later.

We then look at the paint under bright light to evaluate exactly what the paint needs in terms of surface damage removal. These lights are only one of the advantages of detailing in a shop as opposed to mobile auto detailing. Those lights don’t miss a spot!

Look for the next step in our auto detailing service: The Polish.

I love this part of our exterior auto detailing service. While our clients know we take great care in detailing both inside and out, it’s the polish that gets others to notice and say, “Wow, your car looks amazing!”

We use a four-step process in polishing. Before I go into them, it will help to know that modern paint jobs consist of what is called “base coat-clear coat.” This means that the car has several layers of colored paint with a durable coating of clear acrylic urethane paint. The combination makes the finish look deep and brilliant. If you’ve ever had a manicure you’ll easily understand this concept and that an extra coat really does add to the look, not to mention the durability, of your car’s manicure. If you haven’t, go and get one. Yes, this advice is also for our male clients. We want you to look as good as your car does!

In our first step we use a clear coat compound to work out any surface scuffs and shallow scratches. We apply it with an electric rotary buffer topped with a foam buffing pad, which provides an even and cool buff that doesn’t “burn” the paint or remove an excessive amount of the clear coat. Next we position the buffer flat in relation to the body panel and work from side to side. We take extreme care to avoid holding the buffer over sharp body seams because this could result in removal of the urethane top coat and require repainting. We’ve had more than a few clients bring in their cars because they’ve done this very thing and it’s not easy to correct. Improper buffing does deep damage to the paint’s surface.

Once we’ve buffed the entire car with the clear coat compound we wipe it down with a microfiber towel to remove all excess compound material. (Read my post about “The Exterior” and why we use only microfiber towels.) Then we begin the milder polishing.

Using a softer-grade foam buffing pad on the rotary buffer, we slowly work the polish into the finish. Here we are deepening the finish and removing any swirl marks left by the compounding step so it’s important to go slow. We often polish each panel several times to bring out the deepest and most brilliant surface. Afterward we wipe the entire car again to remove excess polish. Who can tell me what kind of towel we use?

In the third step we use a random-action orbital polisher with a super soft five-inch foam pad. This removes any fine surface marks and residual swirl marks. Other auto detailing services do not include this step in their process because it adds time. To us it’s time well spent because it creates an even deeper finish that looks spectacular in natural light. It’s what leads to the “Wow, your car looks amazing!” moment. As in the first step, we avoid holding the polisher over body seams. It’s highly unlikely it will do any damage; for us it’s just good practice to maintain when working with paint.

You know what’s next: wiping the car with a towel to remove excess polish.

The fourth and final step in our polishing process is the waxing stage. We always use a clear coat-safe, carnauba-based paste wax with a round foam applicator. We wax one panel at a time, applying it with a side-to-side motion and overlapping each stroke. We wait 30 seconds for the wax to be almost completely dry, then use a towel to remove it, again using a side-to-side motion.

I mentioned that we wax one panel at a time. This ensures that the wax doesn’t over-dry: once it does the white residue is really hard to remove.

After we’ve waxed the entire car we use a towel to remove polish and dust that has accumulated in the doors, hood, trunk and gas cap cover. This is another step that is left out at other auto detailing service providers. We do it because it truly does make a difference in the finished, polished look.

Watch for my post about cleaning and polishing the windows, the next step in our exterior auto detailing process.