Talk about an exercise in frustration. Go into any mass merchandiser, walk down the car care product isle and try to pick out the proper cleaning supplies for your hot rod. You'll find dozens of companies each offering two or three polishes and the same number of waxes. When you add in multiple types of washes and cleaners, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out which ones you should use. Beyond the obvious profit motive, why do companies make so many different car-care products? The answer lies in the details of detailing.
Of course, detailing means different things to different people. To some, it means taking the car to the local car wash; to another, washing and waxing the finish and vacuuming the interior. For high-dollar show queens, detailing means a professional prep job that can run as much as a grand or more. Since hot rodders are hands-on types by and large, however, you probably want to know the best methods and products for doing it yourself.
For some tips and advice in this area, we contacted Meguiar's Director of Training, Mike Pennington, and he took us step by step through the process of detailing. "You need to answer a few critical questions before you start." Pennington says, "First, what is the condition of the car? Second, what is your goal? What do you want the car to look like when you're done? Are you going to a car show or down to the local cruise night? Third, do you have the tools and experience to use the products?"
The reason there are so many types of car care products is because each is like a tool in your toolbox, and no single tool can handle every task. Each one has a definite purpose and use. The reason there may be multiple products is the same reason you have more than one screwdriver&—not every screw is the same and not every car's finish is the same. "There are no miracle products," Pennington notes. "Car care is hard work. The bottom line is that you're going to work your butt off."
Pennington has a definite sequence in cleaning a car. Each step is done in order to prevent creating more work in duplicate effort. As an obvious case in point, you wouldn't wash the car, degrease the engine bay and then spray water all over everything again. The easiest sequence is:
1. Degrease the engine
2. Clean the wheels and tires
3. Wash the vehicle
4. Clean the interior
5. Evaluate the paint
6. Polish or wax the finish
7. Shine the brightwork
8. Dress the tires
9. Clean the windows
To completely detail a car that has not been neglected, Pennington generally uses as many as 10 different products. He starts with Extra All Purpose Cleaner for the engine and Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner on polished aluminum wheels. Then washes the car with Soft Wash Gel. The interior is cleaned with Carpet and Interior Cleaner and Natural Shine brings vinyl back to life.
Removing deep surface imperfections took elbow grease and Scratch X. To remove surface blemishes, he rubbed the car with Quik Clay. After the surface was smooth, Deep Crystal #2 polish put the shine on the paint. All Metal Restorer made the brightwork sparkle. The last step was to dress the tires with low-gloss Endurance Long Lasting Tire Protection Gel.
The good news is once your car is detailed you will need only four products to keep it in top shape you (assuming the car is stored inside and not driven daily). You would need a polish, vinyl cleaner, tire dressing and spray on detailer, such as Quik Detailer to wipe down the entire car. It will take about five hours a month to maintain your hot rod at this level, but it sure beats standing around the store aisles trying to figure out which car-care products to buy.
