On a car, you basically have 2 areas to detail:
1. Exterior
2. Interior
The exterior consists of:
1. Body (paint)
2. Windows
3. Rims
The interior consists of:
1. Seats, floor, and trunk
2. Windows
3. Plastic & other surfaces
For a starter kit, you need to address the basics. You can always go more advanced later with stuff like chrome polish kit, engine detailing tools, shampooing system, leather treatments, etc. but you don't need all that to begin with. For primary tools, I would suggest:
1. A cheap wet/dry vac (whatever is on sale at Home Depot)
2. Swiffer duster (these are like magic! they act like dust magnets for interior surfaces)
3. A Meguiars MT300 polisher ($200, or $250 if you want a kit some starter pads & stuff)
4. Brush Hero (plus access to a hose)
You can use the wet/dry vac for vacuuming out the interior of the car...seats, floor, and trunk. They come with hose attachments & brushes to let you vacuum all over the place. If you're in no rush, they go on sale on Black Friday for pretty cheap. Swiffer dusters are fantastic for dusting off the plastic surfaces of the car, like the dashboard. They work better than anything else I have used.
The MT300 polisher is the most expensive tool you'll buy, but it's really nice because it's specifically designed for detailing cars. They have cutting, polishing, and waxing (finishing) discs available for it; see the "from the manufacturer" section here:
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-MT300-Pro-Power-Polisher/dp/B00OTK5JHG/
Nice little kit here for $50 more:
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-MT300-Action-Polisher-Express/dp/B013GJUAEM/
As far as waxing goes, I have a simple "ultimate showroom shine" trick for waxing for the wet look, like the super-shine you see on cars at car shows:
1. Wash the car & dry off with a chamois (clay bar if needed)
2.
Gloss layer: Apply one coat of synthetic car wax
3.
Depth & Shine layer: Wait 24 hours & apply one coat of pure carnauba wax. Wait another 24 hours & apply a second coat of pure carnauba wax.
So it's basically a 3-day process, to allow the wax to cure between coats (sounds long but it's not that much work when you break it down into pieces each day). After washing, you'll have one coat of synthetic wax & two coats of carnauba wax. When you're washing, if the paint is bad, you can use a dedicated polish like Eagle One Wet Look, SwirlX, or Ultimate Polish. As far as wax goes, there are so many options, it's totally up to you. For synthetic, you can alternatively use a paint sealant such as Klasses All-in-One. I typically just get a cheap tub of Turtle Wax for the carnauba, but stuff like Meguier's Gold Wax & Paste is also good. Make sure to put the wax coat on in the shade or in a garage. I rub it on & then let it sit for 20 minutes before buffing out. So wash + synthetic wax on day 1, carnauba on day 2, and carnauba again on day 3. Voila!
Aside from a motorized polisher, I also recommend a soft toothbrush for getting wax out of the edges, like doorhandles & keyholes, or else using a thin microfiber cloth & your fingernails for getting into those corners. I have another toothbrush I use for dirty stuff like car rims; they are handy when you need to scrub in odd areas.
Everyone has a different procedure that they like to use, so I'd suggest starting out with the basics & seeing what you like & what works for you. Autogeek has some good tutorials, such as this one on waxing:
http://www.autogeek.net/car-wax-detailing.html
More here:
http://www.autogeek.net/detailingtips.html
Meguiars has really really really excellent forums, go spend some time reading there:
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/forum.php
There are guys who specialize in really expensive car detailing procedures that you might want to read up on as well:
http://thechive.com/2013/06/27/the-most-expensive-car-wash-in-the-world-11-photos/
Anyway, back to the tools: the Brush Hero is a neat little hose attachment that spins the brush just using water pressure. Here's a video:
It's available on Amazon for $35:
https://www.amazon.com/Brush-Hero-Water-Powered-Equipment-Furniture/dp/B013TK3EMS
Personally, I don't like using Windex or soap on the windows or car paint, just running water (to continuously wash sand off so it doesn't become an abrasive as you scrub) & a soft cotton towel (I usually just use an old tshirt). If you are looking for an interesting hose, they have a flexible one that has a shutoff valve on the end (very handy, so you don't have to run back to the house to turn the water on/off) for $30 here:
https://www.amazon.com/BSTPOWER-Expandable-Flexible-Lifetime-Warranty/dp/B017NHLRIG
They have a light pressure nozzle for $15 here:
https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Hose-Nozzle-BESTOPE-Spray/dp/B01ESKJ968/
A cheap combo option:
https://www.amazon.com/Freehawk®-Garden-Expandable-Nozzle-Flexible/dp/B01GFJQFKS/
Or a 100' kit:
https://www.amazon.com/Expandable-CONNECTORS-STRONGEST-expanding-watering/dp/B01G54JFWS/r
Alternatively, you can get a hose that has a reel system to keep organized. They sell cheap plastic ones locally, or heavy-duty metal rolling carts like this one for $80 - $130:
https://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Garden-Products-880-2-Industrial/dp/B0009S9U8G/
You can also buy heavy-duty no-kink hoses like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/NeverKink-8-Inch-50-Feet-Extra-Garden/dp/B00INTILS8/
All depends on how much convenience you want (and want to pay for). The better tools you buy up-front, the longer they will last & the less hassle they will be. Aside from washing, clay bars are good to get, such as this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-Smooth-Surface-Clay-Kit/dp/B00063X7KG/
You'll also want a chamois for drying the car, so you don't get water spots. Plenty of artificial (synthetic) & natural options available on Amazon. It's all the consumable bits & pieces that start to kill your budget
If you want to protect your car to make future cleanings easier, there are a few nice add-ons you can get:
1. Weathertech digital-fit all-weather floor mats & trunk liners:
http://www.weathertech.com/
2. Wet Okele waterproof neoprene seat covers: (front & rear)
http://www.wetokole.com/
3. DropStop seat-gap stopper with seatbelt hole:
http://www.buydropstop.com/ Amazon sells a set of 2 (left & right front seats) for $20 shipped:
https://www.amazon.com/Drop-Stop-Original-Patented-Filler/dp/B00BYH6C1E/
The DropStop prevents crap from falling into the crevice between your seat & center console. The Weathertech mats & Wet Okele seat covers can be removed & hosed off, so you never have to worry about cleaning the fabric or carpeting in the car, which is awesome. Downside is that stuff is really expensive - the seat covers are around $250 for a pair or a bench (so $500 for a sedan), plus $250 for the laser-cut (accurate fit) rubberized floor mats & $120 for a trunk liner, so you're looking at close to a grand (plus an interior detailing job if your interior needs it before putting the protection kit on). But it makes cleanup SUPER easy, especially if you have kits and/or pets, because you can vacuum it off, wipe it off, and hose it off, and never have to shampoo or do anything else to it. That, plus keep a Swiffer duster in the bottom door compartment for quick dustings & you can have a nice-looking interior all the time!
A simple schedule for cleaning is to wash the car once a week (plus vacuum) & wax once a quarter. You can go nuts & wax once a month if you'd like (I find it relaxing...unplug, turn off your brain for awhile, and just go outside & wax on, wax off!). You can use soap if you want to on the car, just make sure to keep the water running & not just use a bucket, because a soapy sponge can pick up dirt & sand, which turns it into sandpaper as you keep scrubbing (or at least pour fresh water over as you scrub).
Having a good car detailing kit & procedure is great because you can do it whenever you want to, and it's a great feeling to not only have a nice, clean car, but also know that you did it yourself. #carpride
Facebook
Twitter