Whilst we all love driving and being seen in a clean and well-kept car, actually finding the time to keep our vehicles in pristine condition is not as easy as it seems, especially with our rather hectic and chaotic lifestyles. I am sure many of us remember the days when weekends always seemed to include a few hours spent washing, waxing or polishing and vacuuming our vehicles, ready for the coming week. Our cars were included as part of our family unit and received plenty of love and attention, which is understandable when the cost of vehicles is taken into account.
Time – the thief of leisure
Things have, inevitably, changed over the years, and our vehicles are now driven and parked, but otherwise generally go unnoticed. This is to be expected, as life has become more time- and results-driven, even during our leisure hours. With the present global lock-down situation, many people have had to dip into their leisure time whilst working remotely from home. Even when things ‘normalise’ at some point in the future, it is unlikely that our personal time will ever return to what it once was, which leaves us with the problem of keeping our vehicles clean, sanitary, and smelling and looking good.
Car wash and detailing services to the fore!
Luckily, we have car wash facilities at many of our petrol stations and situated elsewhere around town. We may be offered the choice of a simple wash, be it by hand or via the drive-through automatic car washing tunnels, as well as a quick interior clean, or be lucky enough to find a facility which offers a car wash AND detail service. Now THIS is the jackpot, if ever there was one! If you choose this option, your car will be given the full treatment, both outside and inside, and come out looking as good as possible. Auto detailing includes services such as washing, waxing, headlight restoration, polishing, vacuuming, shampooing and deodorising the carpets and cloth upholstery and deep cleaning the engine by steam cleaning. How often have you collected your car from a service centre after its scheduled maintenance service to find it spotlessly clean, both inside and out, with a freshly scented interior? That is what car detailing is about.
What is the purpose of car polish and wax?
Simply washing a car is a different matter to giving it a full deep clean. It needs to be polished and waxed in order to preserve the outer clear sealant layer which is the vehicle’s first line of defence against damage. Application of car wax every month or so will help to preserve this protective layer as wax is non-abrasive and acts as a filler for tiny dents in the paint finish which are inevitable once the car is taken onto the road or parked in a normal parking area. Car polish, on the other hand, has a slightly abrasive quality which facilitates in the removal of surface grime, dirt, grease, scratches and scrapes from the paintwork, thereby bringing back much of the rich original colour of the paintwork. Since many car polish products contain solvents such as turpentine, they are able to remove impurities from the paint and result in a high shine, which is the main purpose of using a polish.
External car detailing services
You might be lucky enough to find a car detailer who offers additional specialist services such as engine steam-cleaning, ‘blacking’ or polishing of the outer tyre walls, and restoration of headlights which have become yellowed and foggy due to harsh UV rays. Believe it or not, it IS possible to restore these to a bright clear finish which makes the car look newer than it is and gives you the best light when travelling at night. Some people recommend using a toothpaste rub on the polycarbonate plastic to restore clarity, but a better option would be to let the car detailer and his specialised products do the job professionally. Polycarbonate plastic is used on modern cars due to its ability to stand up to harsh road conditions (and in this sense is stronger than glass) but it is susceptible over time to harsh UV sun damage. Sun and polycarbonate plastic are not the best of friends! Some car detailers may offer an undercarriage high-pressure steam clean, but you might be hard pressed to find such service.
Services covered in interior detailing
Internal detailing involves more than just vacuuming and wiping down the interiors, which are standard services. Leather upholstery can be given restorative treatment and protection, whilst cloth interiors benefit from deep steam cleaning or shampooing to remove stains and scuff marks. Dashboards, steering wheels, central consoles and rear window shelves can be preserved against UV damage through the application of a special protective sealant which also leaves a slight shine and brings out the original depth of colour of the PVC components. Many of these sealants have a light fragrance which make the car smell fresh and clean, but special deodorisers can also be independently used by detailers. I am not referring here to the standard ‘air fresheners’ which are hung from the rearview mirror or attached to the air inlets and which can be bought from any shop which offers automotive products.
Cost versus value and convenience
There is no doubt that taking your vehicle to a car wash and detailing service will provide far more benefit than trying to find the time to do everything yourself, both from a time and value standpoint. Apart from the fact that these specialists have the professional high-powered equipment and products to carry out a deeper wash and clean than the average vehicle owner, they have teams which do the job in a shorter time. And, of course, there is the sheer luxury of driving your vehicle to their premises and relaxing or getting on with life and work whilst the ‘valet’ service is carried out for you. If you decide to indulge in this sort of luxury every now and then, using an online site such as Uptasker will speed up your search as well as providing customer reviews and ratings for your peace of mind. Let’s face it – your vehicular best friend deserves the pampering as much as you do, so why not take the plunge and contact one of these specialists today?
