What is the difference between a valet and a detail?
Where as a valet will generally focus on a quick wash and perhaps some type of
spray wax to clean your car and have it looking ‘acceptable’ from a distance,
detailing goes far beyond simply cleaning your car. A ‘clean’ car can
technically be free of dirt but can still lack that lustrous shine only found in
a high quality paint finish. Many quick valets can actually cause more harm than
good, often with dirty washing implements being used throughout the day on
numerous cars. Poor washing methods with the main aim of speed rather than
quality can all too quickly leave your cars paint looking dull and lifeless.
Detailing especially with Paint Correction, is more of a rejuvenation of the
cars paintwork. From the wash stage, where every care is taken to ensure we do
not damage the paintwork in any way by using a tried and tested pre wash and
wash method, through the decontamination stage where we start looking at your
paint in more detail, carefully removing tar or sap deposits, onto the cleansing
or correction stage (depending on your chosen detail), where the paints depth of
shine is improved and finally onto the finishing stage where we can use a number
of different carefully chosen protective products the ensure the paint,
plastics, rubbers and glass look at their best for as long as possible after
detailing.
Perfection however takes time, anywhere from 6-36 hrs, and this coupled with the
higher cost of the high quality products we use means that detailing does cost
more than a typical valet. With our fixed pricing system though there are no
hidden surprises no matter how long the detail actually takes and with most main
dealers now charging around £100 per hour for servicing work, we feel we offer
excellent value when you also consider that the resale value of any vehicle is
affected by its condition and aesthetics.
What is Paint Cleansing and Paint Correction?
In both the New and Used Car Protection details your cars paint will be
cleansed. The products we use vary between details but essentially the cleansing
products contain very minor abrasives that can be worked by hand. These do act
to very mildly polish the surface but in this instance we are not looking at
correcting the paint, rather getting it as clean and as smooth as possible ready
for the protective finishing layer. For the Used Car Protection detail we will
usually use a cleansing product that also fills or masks minor swirls and
hazing. This masking effect will last for as long as the protective layer.
Usually around 3-6 months depending on the storage conditions and the daily use
of the vehicle.
In
both the Gloss Enhancement detail and the Paint
Correction detail we will use a machine polisher
to actually remove a very fine amount of the
cars paint and polish past the swirls that rob
the paint of its depth and gloss. This is a
skilled process and takes years to perfect.
Working the polish for too short a time will
leave buffer trails and hazy paint as well as
not actually removing the original paint
defects. Working the polish for too long can
lead to the paint overheating, getting too thin
and in some extreme cases, burning through to
the undercoat. Cambridge Autogleam however have
proven time and time again on a variety of
different paint types and finishes that we do
have the skills required to leave a perfect
finish.
After taking digital paint depth readings to
ensure there is a safe amount of paint to work
with we will select a polish and pad combination
from a large range available to us and working
on small areas at a time will start correcting
the defects in your paint. For the Gloss
Enhancement detail this polish and pad
combination will be the strongest we can choose
while still finishing down to a refined finish
with just one polishing phase per section. While
this technique will leave some of the deeper
swirl marks, it will typically remove around 40%
and increase the shine of your paint. The Gloss
Enhancement detail would also be ideal if you
have previously had your cars paint fully
corrected and over 12-24 months some minor marks
have crept back into the paint and you would
like these removing.
For the more discerning customer, where
compromise is not an option, our Paint
Correction detail offers around 95-99% paint
correction. We will choose a polish and pad
combination that is slightly harder and will
polish down to some of the deeper marks, all
while still checking the paint depths to ensure
we are working without endangering the integrity
of the paint. After each polishing phase we will
examine the paint under various lighting
conditions and re polish (when safe to do so)
until we are satisfied the finish cannot be
improved upon. Once completely corrected we will
then swap to a finishing polish and pad and
refine the paint even further giving an
unbelievable depth and shine that needs to be
seen in the flesh to truly be appreciated. It is
not uncommon for customers to exclaim “that
looks better than when it was new”.
This Paint Correction process usually removes
around 10 microns from the clear lacquer coat
from a total of around 130-150 microns on most
modern cars and it is this process that provides
the greatest improvements to your paint.
How long will my freshly
corrected paint stay swirl free?
With proven wash techniques we have seen cars
remain swirl free for 12-24 months. We can
happily give you tips on washing methods and
products while we are carrying out the detail or
why not take a look at our wash guide.
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The paint on this Range
Rover was displaying signs of heavy swirling
having been cleaned in drive through hand car
washes all its life. The paint was examined
under halogen lighting and the paint depth was
digitally measured prior to the polishing stage.
Vulnerable panel or
plastic edges were taped up for protection and
the paint was polished with a medium - heavy
cutting compound and a medium grade pad. This
particular car needed 2 phases with this
combination, with the paint examined under the
lights to determine if all the defects had been
corrected after each phase. |
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Happy that
the paint had
been
sufficiently
corrected the
same area was
then refined
with a finer
finishing polish
and a softer
finishing pad,
removing any
marring marks
left from the
heavier compound
polish. This was
again checked
under various
lighting
conditions to
ensure that the
finish is
perfect. |
|
The result
and
transformation
is clear to see.
The shine is
deeper and the
colour is richer
as the subtle
metallic flake
is no longer
obscured by the
unsightly swirl
marks. This
photo was taken
before any
protective
finishing
product was
applied. |
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