Most beauty shops are independent businesses, sometimes connected to large car washes. But an increasing number of detailers are mobile operators who send trucks and trailers with tanks to work in client homes or office parking lots. Some stores are 100% mobile; others perform basic detail work outside the store and more specialized in-store work. Mobile people can perform all the tasks that physical people do.
A basic detailing job usually takes four to five hours. Most include exterior cleaning, claying, polishing, and waxing; interior cleaning; and tire cleaning and handling. Many shops also offer other services upon request, such as steam cleaning the engine, paint touch-ups, and fitting accessories.
clean it up
Car detailing is mostly a deep cleaning of your wheels. This means that the professional first cleans the exterior as much as possible before proceeding to other tasks such as polishing or waxing. Many beauty shops hand-wash your car the same way you do at home—using a hose, a bucket of soapy water, and a sponge. Some people use a high-pressure hose to dispense clean and soapy water (much like a self-service car wash). Other stores deliver cars through automated line car washes. In general, details including hand washing yield better results, as workers spend extra time cleaning particularly dirty areas.
After the car dries, most detailers "clay" its surface, a low-tech but very effective method of removing dirt, in which a piece of detailing clay is pressed against the paint and rubbed.
The store also vacuums and cleans all interior surfaces, usually using compressed air to remove dirt and dust from nooks and crannies. Most groomers use brushes and cleaners to treat and wipe away scuff marks from doors and vinyl surfaces. Make sure the store only uses water-based vinyl cleaners, though. Compared to grandfather's thick Naugahyde bucket seats, today's thinner, greener vinyls are more prone to solvent damage.
While most stores also use vinyl protector to remove dust and create shine, they should make sure to wipe off any excess protectant as it attracts dust and grime and can stain clothes.
To clean car carpets and fabric upholstery, most shops use specialized hot water extraction equipment. For heavier stains, they can work in warm water and shampoo your hair with gloves before using the extraction device.
If you have leather upholstery, clean and maintain it regularly. If you're not careful, the leather can dry out, crack, harden, or even start to chip. Some manufacturers treat leather upholstery with a protective thin plastic "skin" that's easier to clean (they wipe with a mild leather conditioner); untreated leather can be trickier and requires several coats of conditioner. As with vinyl treatments, stores need to be careful not to apply too much leather conditioner and wipe off excess product.
Some shops include engine cleaning with basic details; others offer it as an add-on. Cleaning won't make the engine run better, but it can make maintenance easier as leaks become easier to spot. Also, a dirty engine may run hotter than a clean one, and moving parts like connecting rods work more smoothly when cleaned. But before doing anything, ask your mechanic if a cleaner engine is needed.
paint repair
Any car groomer can repair minor scratches and scratches, but for more serious damage, you'll need to have a body shop repaint.
For very small scratches and scratches, the detailer will use a few drops of touch-up paint. Larger areas get painted and varnished, then sanded and waxed. Touch-up repairs won't match the surrounding paint perfectly, but if the area is small and workers are diligent, no one will notice.
Some shops don't use touch-up paint, but "wet sand" scratches to remove surface unevenness caused by scratches. Wet sanding initially produces an effect similar to a touch-up method, but it removes the varnish layer from the area. Because the varnish provides UV protection to the car, wet sand areas end up looking lighter than surrounding areas. Therefore, it is usually safer to just patch the damaged area.
Polished and Polished
Washing, claying, and patching up nicks can improve the appearance of most car finishes, but cars need regular polishing for the finish to really shine.
Cars glow because of the light reflected from their surfaces. Dirt and scratches reduce gloss by absorbing light; scratches in the varnish layer do not absorb light, but reflect light in different directions, causing the finish to appear dull. Since automakers have yet to invent scratch-resistant coatings, tiny scratches from small stones, sand, acorns and other sources can build up in a car's varnish over time.
Polishing removes these small scratches with a rotary polisher equipped with a soft pad. It applies a polish to car paint, smoothing out uneven areas caused by scratches. While most shops do a light polish in the basic details, they can improve the finish of a visibly damaged vehicle with additional polish.
When something goes wrong, it's usually during polishing and polishing. If the polisher stays in one spot for too long, it can leave swirl marks; if the detailer uses an overly aggressive compound, they can polish the clearcoat directly, even into the primer and primer. Also, shoddy work can result in a noticeably uneven surface.
After polishing and buffing, apply wax and polish by hand or machine.
Ask any store if they use a three-step polishing process (polishing, polishing, and waxing) or a one-step process. One-step shots are less effective because it's impossible to remove scratches, polish, and wax at the same time.
windows and trim
After the details of the paint job are completed, the shop cleans the windows from the inside out and applies special treatments or finishes to the convertible top, exterior chrome, chrome plastic and vinyl trim.
Wheels and Tires
Shops wash wheels and tires, apply trim to tires, and polish or trim rims and hubcaps. If your wheel already has a clear coat, it should generally not be buffed as this may remove its protective coating.
Miscellaneous work
Shops typically clean the air vents, door frames, steering wheel, speaker grills, window handles, knobs, seat belts, etc. inside the car. Some stores offer additional services such as installation accessories and custom work.