Frequently Asked Question

General

What is Auto Detailing?

Detailing is not the same as a car wash — while a traditional car wash is a surface-level car cleaning, exterior and interior car detailing is generally a more thorough process that involves cleaning and reconditioning of the vehicle, including minor cosmetic touch-ups. While this process doesn’t involve body repairs or paintwork, it does entail things like getting rid of scratches or swirl marks on the body.
Ultimately, the goal of a full detail process is to get the car looking brand new, like the day it was driven off of the lot.

What causes car surface imperfections?

There are many reasons why there can be imperfections in your car’s paintwork. Some of these are unavoidable, such as road grit and grime. The open roads are not free of these, so you can always expect these substances to create micro scratches on your car paint.
Tree sap and bird muck are also common causes of car clear coat issues. These things can leave nasty residues on your paintwork. When you remove these things, you can scrape the surface and leave marks. Tar and water spots can also cause problems. They leave a stain that can affect the reflection of light off your car’s body.
There are also instances where the owner of the car himself is to blame for the poor condition of the paint. Poor washing techniques can leave swirl marks, micro-scratches, and other problems. For example, using rough materials or ordinary clots for wiping the car’s surface can lead to the formation of nasty marks.
Getting your car washing in an automated car wash can also cause problems in the paint. Car washers at such places who may not care about the integrity of your car can also contribute to such imperfections. Using the wrong detailing products can and will in all cases leave some similar effect.

Why choose Perfection Auto Detailing?

The number one reason to choose Perfection Auto Detailing is because we are dedicated to providing quality work and strong customer service. We utilize the safest and most advanced techniques with the best products in the auto detailing industry. Typical detail shops focus on quantity, we focus solely on quality.

Do new cars need to be detailed?

YES! Just because your vehicle is new, doesn’t mean that it is perfect. All vehicles come from the factory with imperfections that dealerships do not remove prior to selling. Also, as discussed above, dealerships do not use proper wash techniques, resulting in swirl marks on a brand-new vehicle. New vehicles do not come with any protection for the paint, wheels, glass or interior. Do not be fooled into buying an over-priced “paint protection” plan from your dealer. They are selling you an extremely sub-bar detail (using the improper technique as mentioned above) with products that are no better than what you could buy from an auto parts store. Dealership “paint-protection” packages are never a good investment! When you bring your new car to us, we will remove all of the imperfections and get your car protected so it looks its best for a long time!

What types of products do you use?

At Perfection Auto Detailing, only the highest quality products will be used on your vehicle. We use a variety of products from: Angelwax, Bilt Hamber & IGL Coatings. Perfection Auto Detailing uses strict wash techniques to ensure your vehicle is washed safely and effectively. We utilize the 2-Bucket Wash System for maximum safety. Our techniques ensure a completely swirl-free wash.

Interior Detail

What is an Interior Detail?

Car Interior Detailing and Cleaning: Our Definition
There a many car washes, valeters and “detailers” that offer car interior cleaning/valeting and detailing services. But like many things in life, all services are not created equal. Most car washes, valeters and “detailers” offer a glorified car wash and fall short of a true detail. Here is a quick rundown of what car interior detailing is to us at Perfection Auto Detailing.

Detailing is the process of using rejuvenation techniques and methods to make a vehicle look, smell, and feel brand new.

To us at Perfection Auto Detailing, detailing a car’s interior consists of cleaning all the surfaces. This Includes treating the hard to reach cracks and crevices that are often overlooked. We use vapor steam, brushes of all sizes required to clean the vehicle’s dashboard, vents, center console, cup holder area, seats, doors, and carpets. Commercial vapor steam equipment and proper usage is a rarity amongst auto detailers because of the investment required to attain it. We also use special vacuum attachments to get between seats and hard to reach areas. We then protect all interior surfaces with a protectant. We can even treat headliners to remove stubborn stains that are often neglected by other services.

We have seen this approach work with success on tons of our client’s vehicles. This should give you a clear understanding of what to expect when looking for a quality interior detail.

Paint Correction

What is paint correction?

Paint correction is the process of reducing or removing surface imperfections on the topmost layer of a car’s paintwork (clearcoat). These could be swirl marks, scratches, bird poo etchings, oxidation, water spots, holograms and marring to name a few. If not corrected, the car’s paint will have a dull or hazy look. This occurs because light gets reflected in different directions thus revealing such imperfections, especially in direct sunlight.

Paint correction aims to solve these issues by creating a surface that can have a clean, sharp, and proper mirror look reflection. This involves a lot of different techniques, tools, products, and time. Car detailers will use different combinations of pads, polishes, and techniques to achieve the desired outcome.

Unfortunately, paint correction isn’t an easy task. Car detailers have to pay close attention to what they are doing. Preparing the car is also crucial as any dirt or surface contamination that gets snagged on the polishing pad can make surface issues worse. A lot of skill and concentration is very important during the task.

What do we need to schedule an appointment for paint correction?

We would need to meet for a visual inspection of the car paint to assess what imperfections are present in the paint. We would check the paint all around with a special paint depth gauge to make sure that there is enough clear coat to proceed with the paint correction.

Further discussion with every client is done to see what their expectations are and to get to know how the car is used and stored. For example, if the car is a daily car and is always outside, we would never suggest a multi stage correction just because taking away the amount of clearcoat to get it to that defect free look isn’t the best option since a daily car is prone to get more damaged from daily use unlike a car that is only used on weekends or a show car. Regarding this matter, a less aggressive paint correction is suitable that will still remove light swirl marks and defects while still enhancing the gloss.

What is the process of paint correction?

On the first day, the car will require a thorough cleaning. This is to remove any debris and loose dirt which can get snagged on the buffing pad. If this happens, it could leave deeper scratches on the paint. After the proper wash, the surface undergoes the decontamination process which will involve a clay bar and fallout remover to remove bonded substances from the clear coat. Doing the proper washing and decontamination of the paint prior to paint correction will also leave the clear coat smoother and will allow us to see the actual state of the clear coat.

Polishing the clear coat involves different stages, different grades of polish, and pads. Starting with the least aggressive method is always better so we don’t remove unnecessary clear coat, but enough to reach the desired cutting results. After the cutting process, the paint will need to be refined using finer polishing methods to eliminate any hazing or micro swirls from the first cutting stage. This will leave the paint defect free with a mirror finish.

During this process, it is essential that the paint depth gauge is used to ensure that it is still safe to keep polishing the clear coat without making it to thin that it loses its structural integrity.

Good lightning setup is essential to help evaluate the condition of the car’s paintwork. These light sources mimic the effect of sunlight on the paint which also allow us to evaluate the progress of paint correction.

In the case that some scratches are deeper than others and it is not safe to fully remove them, the edges of such scratches will have to be rounded off to make them almost invisible.

After the paint correction, the surface is then wiped with isopropyl alcohol product that removes oils and other substances left behind by the polishes. This will also reveal the car’s true finish or areas that may have been missed or require some more work.

Paint correction isn’t easy to perform. It is a time-consuming process that requires keen attention to detail. It is for this reason that paint correction demands a premium price from well-trained professional detailers.