Detailing Essentials To Bring Your Car Back To Life

Has your car been sitting around neglected? Here’s how to bring it back to life…

One of the most common questions we come across is: what are the best products to bring my car back to factory-fresh after it has been sitting outside for a long period, especially over winter? And while the process will inevitably vary a little depending on how much the car has been driven, the weather in your region, or if any safe, swirl-free maintenance has been carried out in that period, you can rest assured that we have a whole load of products that will easily bring your pride and joy back to detailed perfection. In fact, this guide can be adapted to any car out there using the same detailing essentials, and all these steps can be performed in just a couple of hours. Let’s get started…

There are various products we'll be using here that you should always keep in your detailing kit. Products that can be used to deep-clean and refresh your paintwork, wheels and trim no matter the car your drive.

For this guide we drafted in a vehicle that’s no daily driver, but it’s not a completely pampered show car, either. This 2003 Beetle Turbo was fully machine polished around 8-months prior and protected with one of our Signature Hard Waxes. It subsequently attended plenty of events over the show season before being parked up, uncovered and outside, over winter.

We also know that before winter at least, periodic maintenance was carried out using our safe wash method – including pre-washing, snow foaming and a two-bucket contact wash. So, on inspection this car is still swirl-free, highlighting the importance of proper wash techniques. In this case no major correction is required (as always we only correct paint as and when it’s needed) but the car has picked up some stubborn stains and oxidation that we’ll need to rectify.

We’ll also need to safely deep-clean and decontaminate the paintwork to remove the build-up of organic material, tree sap, metal contamination and all those cobwebs…

The Wash Stages

Every time you detail your car, it’s vital to carry out the cleaning processes safely, that goes both for routine maintenance and if you’re planning on carrying out any paint correction later. After all, there’s no point in inflicting even more defects that you’ll have to rectify, that just creates more work, right?

For those in the know the wet work stages are the most important part of any detail because, no matter how polished and protected your car is, using poor wash techniques will ensure that protection layers are stripped and you’ll likely see swirling in just a few washes.

Safe washing is all about cutting down on the risks of causing defects and ensures that the time you put into the rest of your detail isn’t wasted as soon as you perform the next round of maintenance.

Washing Wheels and Tyres

Your detail should always start with the dirtiest part of the car and - in cases like this where we’re not cleaning the engine bay - that will always be the wheels. We start here to avoid as much cross contamination as possible.

Wheels are subjected to prolonged exposure to some of the most harmful contamination you’ll find on the road. Scratchable particulates like brake dust and grit, along with corrosive road salt and the heaviest grime are all common here. Cleaning your wheels and tyres first helps to ensure that these types of contamination aren’t spread onto clean paintwork.

For the same reason we also use products and accessories that we only use for our wheels – we don’t want to use the same detailing bucket and wash media on our paintwork later. This extra safety measure eliminates the risk of transferring any harsh contamination in later parts of the was stage.

The very first part of this stage is to pre-rinse your wheels and tyres (and at the same time flush out the inner arches) with your pressure washer. Pre-rinsing not only removes any loose grime, but it helps you to conserve your cleaning products by letting them get to work only where they’re most needed – on the bonded contamination that can’t be removed by water pressure alone. In other words, we’re not wasting our wheel cleaners on grime that could have been removed with a simple rinse down.

Imperial Wheel Cleaner is our product of choice here. Although this non-acidic cleaning agent is extremely powerful it’s safe to use when cleaning any type of painted or powdercoated wheel, even those with sensitive finishes. Imperial contains powerful surfactants and degreasers specifically formulated to physically pull grime and gritty particles from surfaces on a microscopic level, safely encapsulating them in the solution and allowing them to be rinsed away without scratching.

We work on one wheel at a time applying Imperial liberally over every surface, before agitating using suitable wash media for that type of wheel finish and design.

Agitation isn’t about physically scrubbing away the grime, it’s merely a way to make sure that your cleaning agent gets to every part of the surface, including any awkward nooks. It also makes the most of your cleaning solution by ensuring that it’s refreshed when needed. Solution that’s already encapsulating the maximum amount of grime( known as spent solution) is effectively moved away and fresh solution moved in to work on any remaining grime. This is the reason why many cleaning products work at their best when you agitate thoroughly.

As we said the wash media you choose will depend on the wheel in question. Here we have particularly sensitive gloss black wheels so, to help avoid infliting any defects, we’re using a soft Wonder Wool Wheel Brush to lightly agitate our Imperial into the barrels. We follow this up with a soft Detailing Brush for the lips and nooks and a Plush Wheel Mitt for the faces. As in the vast majority of cases when agitating a spray on wheel cleaner we're also using a bucket containing Revolution Wheel Soap solution to help with the brushing-in process. This product not only gives plenty of extra cleaning power, but it acts as a lubricant to ensure that any scratchable particles slip and slide freely over the surfaces ready to be rinsed away.

Before you rinse away all the spent Imperial solution – along with all the grime it’s encapsulating – it makes sense to clean your tyres. Aside from looking better this will help any tyre dressing you choose at the end of your detail bond effectively.

To deep-clean tyres you’ll need a suitably heavy-hitting cleaning agent and while you can use an all purpose cleaner periodically, it’s far safer to use Tread Tyre Cleaner for regular details. Unlike an APC this cleaning agent has been specifically formulated to shift heavy grime, but to be kind to rubber surfaces. It won’t dry out or damage your tyres, no matter how much you use it!

Apply Tread liberally around the sidewalls and scrub in using a stiff brush like our Rubber Scrubber Tyre Brush. Cleaning tyres is quite a unique process in detailing because here you can physically scrub to draw out the dirt – you’re not going to damage your tyres. You can also use your Tread solution and Rubber Scrubber (or our Arch Blaster Arch Brush) to scrub out those plastic inner arch liners.

Finally with the whole sidewall scrubbed we can rinse the whole wheel down and move onto the next.

Exterior Cleaning

The pre wash stage is arguably the most important part of achieving a safe, swirl-free clean. It doesn’t matter how clean the car appears; you should always carry out a full pre wash before physically touching the surfaces with your wash mitt. The idea is to rid the car of any heavy gritty particles (even those trapped in panel gaps) so you don’t risk dragging them across surfaces during you contact wash – the only way of avoiding inflicting swirl marks.

We start our pre wash with a thorough pre rinse, rinsing the vehicle from the top to the bottom and being sure to flush out any fuel flaps, your wing mirrors, grilles, roof rails and panel gaps… basically anywhere where potentially harmful contaminants may be trapped. Again, the pre rinsing is a great way of making sure the cleaning agents you use later are able to get to work where they’re most needed.

After our pre rinse we use a spray-on pre cleaner to break down and lift as much of the heavy bonded grime as possible. Again, we’re not making any contact with the vehicle at this stage just letting the cleaning again do its job.

In this case we’re using our Citrus Power Bug & Grime Remover to safely dissolve and encapsulate the contamination. This powerful surfactant-based product is supplied ready-to-use, but you can also utilise a suitable dilution of Dynamite Traffic Film Remover for the grime present (here we’d opt for a 1:10 dilution).

For maximum dwell time we start by spraying on any areas likely to have the most contamination present – the rear end and lower halves – before applying our pre cleaner to the rest of the vehicle. Both Citrus Power and Dynamite are safe for all exterior surfaces including paintwork, glass, rubber and plastic trim.

After letting the product dwell for a few minutes – importantly without letting it dry – we can rinse the car down from top to bottom.

The next part of our pre wash stage is using Avalanche Snow Foam to break away any (smaller particle) bonded contamination. Snow foam is another type of pre cleaner but it’s designed to linger on surfaces for the maximum amount of time – more dwelling means more cleaning power, it’s as simple as that. While Avalanche is lingering the citrus-based formula is busy breaking the bonds of any hardy contamination and trapping it in the solution. It also has the added advantage that the foam will spread itself into nooks, grilles and panel gaps cleaning the hidden areas, too.

The secret to successful snow foam application is using a professional Snow Foam Lance or Foaming Pressure Sprayer. These will essentially dilute and push the solution through a special metal gauze, activating the cleaning agents within and whipping it up into a thick lingering foam. We apply to the car from the top down (to avoid spreading any heavier grime upwards to cleaner areas) and the idea is to let the foam linger for as long as we can, but without letting it dry.

Although the snow foam stage is mostly designed to be contactless, you’ll often see us brushing the foam into awkward dirt traps such as window rubbers, mirror bases and around badges using a soft Detailing Brush. As long as you’ve carried out the previous pre cleaning (Citrus Power or Dynamite) stage, this is perfectly safe because you will have already removed the most harmful large particles. Note that we don’t agitate avalanche over large flat panels, just help it along into the smaller dirt traps.

Before our snow foam dries (top tip: keep an eye on the glass as you work because it tends to dry their first) we rinse the whole car down from top to bottom.

Now we can move onto the full contact wash. Here we use one bucket for our shampoo solution and one with plain water for rinsing out our wash mitt between passes. Nether of our buckets are the one we previously used for our wheels earlier.

The reason we always use our professional Detailing Buckets is that they’re far safer for cars than common 10-litre ‘builder’s buckets’. These not only include a grit guard to ensure you’re not picking up any heavy particles that may have sunk to the bottom, but their large capacity is also an important safety measure. More solution means that there’s far less chance of grime being recirculated back onto your mitt as you wash.

The wash mitt you choose is equally important, all good wash mitts are designed to glide over surfaces picking up grime and locking it away deep in the pile. Whether they’re made of microfibre or lambswool, the idea is that the potentially harmful particles are held away from surfaces until they’re released in your rinse bucket.

Finally, we come to our choice of cleaning agent – Lather Car Shampoo. This powerful surfactant-based cleaner and degreaser can be used on any exterior surface. It also contains a special blend of lubricants to help any remaining particles slip over surfaces and off the vechile when you rinse.

Lather is sealant, wax and ceramic coating safe, which means that it won’t strip previously applied protection layers but, because it’s designed purely as a cleaner, it doesn’t leave behind any coatings or shining agents, either. This is particularly important for details where all you’re aiming to achieve is a safe swirl-free wash without adding extra protection. If, for example, you'll be waxing, polishing or deep cleaning paintwork later.

As for the route you take around the car when you wash – it’s more important than you might think. Washing the cleaner areas first is a safety consideration that many forget, by tackling the clean areas first we’re simply preventing dragging dirt from more heavily soiled areas to cleaner parts of the car. In most cases we’ll work from the top of the car down, but in a targeted manner.

First we complete the roof, followed by the windows, upper sides and bonnet. Then we’ll move onto the front bumper, lower sides and rear end. As we was we’re conscious to avoid circular motions as these have more potential for creating swirls. Instead we’ll always wash in straight lines, washing out our mitt between passes.

Decontamination Washing

Full 3-stage decontamination – otherwise known as a ‘decon wash’ is a process where we remove the type of embedded contamination that cannot be removed by normal washing alone.

This is a process that’s only performed periodically, chiefly before any paint correction and the first time we’re adding protection to the vehicle. In other words, a decon wash isn’t a process that’s has to be carried out every time you wash, it's simply one for the bigger details.

The reason we decontaminate surfaces before polishing is because any embedded or bonded foreign matter will inevitably interfere with the rest of your detail. At best they can be locked in by any protection layers applied over the top, often ruining the finish, and at worst they can be pulled out by your polishing pads and applicators and physically inflict surface damage as they swirl around. The types of contamination we’re looking to remove here – even if they aren’t immediately obvious to the eye - include ferrous metal particles, tar, glue residues and environmental contamination such as corrosive protein deposits from bug spatter, overspray and tree sap. Each type has a specific product designed to target and safely remove the contamination.

The first part of this 3-stage process is designed to remove tiny pieces of metal shrapnel embedded in the top layer. These are chiefly derived from hot brake dust and often appear as tiny rusty spots in the surface. The only way to remove these safely is by using a fall out remover, such as Iron Out Contaminant Remover, for intensive chemical removal. Basically speaking, the Iron Out solution chemically reacts with the metal, dissolving it into a safe solute that can be rinsed away without damaging the surface. You can actually see the reaction as it takes place - the Iron Out solution turns blood red as it temporarily highlights any metal contamination present. This is often referred to as 'bleeding'.

Iron Out is safe for use on all paintwork and glass. It’s also extremely easy to use - a simple case of spraying on the solution liberally before leaving it for a few moments to react and then rinsing away the residue.

While the first decontamination stage is a general one carried out as a matter of course over every inch of paintwork, the second is a little more targeted and only used as and when it’s needed.

Sticky tar and glue residues left on the surface will also interfere with your polishing and protection stages, so we target these using ObliTARate Tar & Glue Remover.

This specialist decontamination product is made up of a blend of powerful solvents designed to melt through these types of contamination, breaking their bond with the surface and allowing them to be safely wiped away with a microfibre cloth. ObliTARate can either be applied by spraying directly onto the surface, or applied to a cloth and wiped over the contamination. The only thing to remember here is to rewash the area with your Lather Shampoo solution to neutralise any left over solvent.

In our case there was no tar or adhesive residues present, so we could skip this decontamination stage. It does however highlight the importance of doing a proper inspection between stages.

The last decontamination step is using a detailers Clay Bar to remove any remaining bonded contaminants.

Here we’re targeting environmental contamination like tree sap, protein deposits from bugs and bird droppings, and bonded mineral deposits from hard water. Many of these will be invisible to the eye, but they will be there, which is why the claying stage is compulsory prior to polishing rather than optional. You’ll actually feel the difference as you work, the surfaces will feel smother and smoother as you run over your clay. What we aim to achieve here is a super, smooth glass-like finish.

The process is extremely easy and should be carried out over every inch of your paintwork, along with gloss plastics and headlights. Remember that areas such as the bumpers and roof are just as susceptible to bonded contaminants as the bonnet and sides. So claying is classed as general decontamination step and performed over the whole vehicle.

Taking a piece of clay and needing in into a flat pad, we lubricate the clay and the surface using Glide Clay Lube and then gently run the clay back and forth over with light pressure. You’ll feel the change in resistance as the clay pulls out contamination. All you need to remember here is to periodically fold the clay to reveal a new piece, chiefly as soon as it gets dirty.

After the whole car is complete, we can then rinse it back down to ensure that no clay lube is left on the surface.

The last stage of your wet work is drying, and it’s a step that’s far more important than many realise. Tap water - the water you’re using to clean your car - isn’t pure. It actually contains all sorts of mineral impurities that will be left on the surface if you let the car air dry. Deposits from hard water often require polishing to remove, which is why we always dry after every wash, even routine maintenance.

The safest way to remove water impurities is while they’re still in the water, and that’s why we use a drying towel to soak up all the surface water, along with the impurities, in one go. It’s also the reason why your towel needs to be absorbent – we’re not looking to merely push the water around here. Your drying towel should also be extremely soft, keeping your wash swirl free right until the end. Here we’re using a Silk Drying Towel for the speediest drying, but we also have our Aqua Deluxe Drying Towel for the most pampered paintwork.

Deep Cleaning Paintwork

Now we can move onto a thorough inspection of the paintwork, and it’s right here where your detail may differ from ours. In fact, what happens next will always depend on the car in question and the level of defects in the paintwork, but it’s here where we’ll look to get the surfaces to a stage we’re happy with before adding our protection.

At this point it may be appropriate to carry out a full correction using a machine polisher and a suitable compound such as One Step, our Revitalise V2 Compounds or our Pro Series Compounds. Or you may be looking for a simple hand (or machine) polish and enhancement with Tripple All-in-One Polish. It’s all about taking the appropriate action for the finish you’re trying to achieve and the type of protection you’ll be applying later. Only you will know what’s required here – it’s your car.

In our case the Beetle has been well maintained and after our safe wash there’s no swirling or scratches that require correction, there is however a few oxidation marks and mineral impurities present. But all these can be removed by deep cleaning the paintwork with Rejuvenate Paintwork Cleanser.

The process here is similar to a hand polish. Rejuvenate is a type of extremely fine cleaner polish, containing fine diminishing abrasives and deep cleaning solvents capable of cutting through the microscopic contamination in the paint. But, even if there was no oxidation or impurities present, we’d still be using Rejuvenate here to ensure that the surface is clean on a molecular level in preparation for adding our protection. This way we can make sure our protection layers bond strongly to the surface, maximising their performance and longevity. The best way to make the most of your protection and get a concours-level paint finish.

Rejuvenate can be applied with a machine polisher, but because the abrasives are extremely fine, it’s easy to work them all the way through by hand. This mechanical cleaning action joins the chemical cleaning action of the solvents to ensure the surface is perfectly clean and nothing will block the bonding of our protection.

Here we’re using our Rejuvenate with a Microfibre Spot Pad and Handi Puck for a little extra bite, but it’s also easy to work the formula through with a Polish Pad or Microfibre Applicator. Once again, we’re aiming to prepare every part of the paintwork.

Paintwork Protection

As we said the type of protection you choose to apply now will dictate the surface preparation product you used in the previous stage. If you’re opting for a ceramic coating for your daily driver here - such as our 12-month durable Caramics Paintwork Protection Kit - the correction stage requires products that don't contain waxes or shining agents because these will block the chemical bonding of your ceramic layers. In this case you would have opted for a compound like One Step or our Pro Series Compounds which leave behind nothing but a true finish.

Conversely if it's a speedy enhancement you're after, Tripple All-in-One Polish is ideal as it already contains an infusion of Carnauba and leaves behind 4-weeks of protection – you can simply layer another hard wax over the top. Wax, coating or sealant, it’s all down to personal preference in terms of the longevity and finish you require.

In our case we’re opting to continue with wax protection because in terms of looks, nothing beats the warm glow of a wax, especially on a show car... not least one that’s already been prepared with Rejuvenate. We could use one of our Signature Hard Waxes here but, because we’re looking for the speediest detail possible, we’ve opted for Radiance Carnauba Crème to add up to 3-months of glossy wax protection.

We developed Radiance to be an ‘easy-on, easy-off’ formula capable of giving a comparable look and hydrophobic performance to any hard wax. It’s also quick and easy to top up during routine maintenance, the perfect protection product for use on this particular job.

This non-abrasive liquid formula can be applied over all the paintwork using a Wax Spot Pad, Microfibre Applicator or Polish Pad and then buffed to perception with a soft microfibre cloth. It really is that quick and simple.

Interior Cleaning

Obviously the level of interior cleaning required here is another variable that depends purely on the car in question. If it’s a daily driven vehicle for example, it stands to reason that the cleaning may be a little more in depth than a car like this one that’s been simply left-over winter.

The good news is that the products you need in your kit bag and cleaning principles remain the same. Whether it’s routine maintenance or a full deep clean our go-to duo of interior cleaning products is Total Interior Cleaner and Spritz Interior Quick Detailer.

Total is safe for use on all interior materials and surfaces including trim, seats, door cards, seatbelts dashboards upholstery and carpet. After vacuuming away any loose debris Total can be applied directly, or via a Detailing Brush or Microfibre Work Cloth for more targeted areas, and then agitated to draw out the contamination. Again, the agitation here isn’t about scrubbing, it’s purely to make sure the cleaning agent makes contact with every small recess and is refreshed when needed. This powerful surfactant-based cleaner lifts and encapsulates dust, grime, body oils, stains and spills allowing them to be wiped away with a microfibre towel, deep cleaning and sanitising every area.

Spritz is the ultimate cleaner and finisher, and it's particularly suited to hard plastics like dashboards, door cards and consoles because it contains UV inhibitors to help prevent fading caused by the sun. Spritz also contains advanced anti-static agents to prevent future dust and grime build-up. This quick detailer leaves a subtle satin sheen that’s non sticky and won’t attract grime, making it a great ‘spray and wipe’ product to finish every interior detail.

We used both to bring the Beetle interior back to life in a matter of minutes.

As we said Total is great for use on all interior surfaces, and that includes leather-trimmed seats door cards and dashboards. But we also have a powerful but gentle cleaner specifically designed to safely deep clean the plushest leather on a reguar basis – Hide Leather Cleanser.

This specialist glycerine-based cleanser has been designed specifically to target ingrained stains, but mild enough to be used regularly without drying out all types of leather surfaces. On the lightly soiled seats we had here a spray and a wipe is enough for the ultimate cleanse, but for tougher stains Hide can be also lightly agitated with a detailing brush to draw out the grime and sticky residues, break down the contamination and allow it to be safely wiped away.

Finishing

What’s required for final finishing will always be tailored to the specific car your detailing. You may have faded matte plastic trim that could benefit from the use of our silicon-based Revive Trim Dressing, or a whole load of metal parts and exhaust tips where Mercury Metal Polish will be your finisher of choice. It all depends on the car and how far you intend on going with your detail.

With that said, there’s two processes we always carry out at the end of every detail, just to make sure the finish is perfect... and that nothing draws the eye from the rest of the work we’ve put in. First we’ll dress the tyres, and then make sure the glass is cleaned to perfection.

When it comes to tyres, you may like a subtle satin finish or a deep show-car style gloss – our Satin Tyre Dressing allows you to choose from both finishes. One application leaves your rubber clean, subtle and business-like while an application or two more will build up a slick, wet-look finish. This product also nourishes the rubber from within, and even adds a little surface protection from the elements.

As we’ve already cleaned our tyres thoroughly in the wash stages, the Satin will bond instantly and for the most durable finish. It’s a simple case of applying to each sidewall using a Tyre Spot Pad or a Tyre and Trim Applicator - a job that takes seconds but will elevate the finished article every single time.

The final finishing task is making sure our glass and mirrors are streak and smear-free, inside and out.

To be honest it’s almost inevitable that your glass will have picked up some dust and the odd fingerprint while you’ve been busy completing the rest of your detail. That’s why we always tackle the glass last because, let’s face it, nothing ruins an otherwise impeccable detail like streaky, smeary glass!

Crystal Glass Cleaner is the perfect finisher for every detail. This powerful solvent blend quickly cuts through any grime, water spots and greasy finger prints, and best of all, all that’s needed is a light spritz, a wipe and a light buff to do the job.

The Results

And that's how we brought the Beetle back to show car ready status after being laid up in the bad weather for a good few months. Why not adapt this guide to suit your own car and do the same using just a few of our top detailing essentials?