Category Archives: Behind the Detail

Live discussion of orange peel with Mike Phillips.
04
Oct
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, Live Detailing Classes, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing, Videos & Media

Talking Orange Peel with Mike Phillips

Posted on by Victor Espeland

What is orange peel? Recently, for our weekly live detailing class series, Chief Education Officer Mike Phillips did a solo explainer on the topic of orange peel — what it is, why it happens, how to remove it, and why you probably don’t want to if you’re detailing with an OEM (factory) paint system. There’s […]

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Removing swirl marks and holograms on a 1963 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible during paint correction, restoring a smooth, glossy finish on the classic car’s exterior surface
09
Sep
Behind the Detail, Ceramic Coatings, Exterior Detailing, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing, Videos & Media

Removing Swirls & Holograms on a 1963 Chevy Impala SS Convertible

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Backstory So I get a phone call from custom car builder Jeremy Miranda of mirandabuilt.com – Jeremy tells me they brought in a high dollar custom 1963 Impala, a super favorite car among customizers with a lot of mechanical problems from another shop. Basically, they’re playing Doctor and repairing the original damage to the car […]

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Polishing a Black Acura
19
Jan
Behind the Detail, How To, Paint Correction

Remove Scratches from Black Paint: Part I

Posted on by James Detmer

Paintwork Correction: Preservation. The whole idea behind paintwork correction is to fix your car’s paintwork; removing scratches from your car’s paint, removing swirl marks, and more.

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metal, chrome, polish, restore, rust
17
Jun
Behind the Detail, Featured, How To

Metal Polishing: The Quick Guide

Posted on by Jim Lafeber

There is good news when it comes to polishing the metals on your vehicle. Most of it – like your tail pipe, wheels, exhaust manifold, outer panels, trim, and engine – is made of stainless steel. While stainless steel is rust and stain resistant, the chromium oxide and nickel finish on the metal is NOT. […]

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Polish being applied to a pad
15
Nov
Behind the Detail, Guides & Tips, Tips

Beginner’s Guide To Detailing: Polishing (Part 1)

Posted on by James Detmer

The latest edition of our Beginner’s Guide to Detailing segment, on polishing. We also cover the difference between paintwork correction and paintwork preservation, as well as which is best for your paint long-term.

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Clay Kit-0
16
Feb
Behind the Detail, How To, Tips

Clay Bar On Glass?

Posted on by James Detmer

Chances are you’ve heard of claying your car’s paintwork to remove embedded contaminants, debris, and things like overspray and sap. That is, however, not the only use for this nifty little tool. You can use clay on glass to remove similar things, too. You can also clay your wheels, but we’ll get into that another […]

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28
May
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

Which Polisher Should You Use On A Car’s Paint?

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Choosing the right machine to polish a car’s paint is essential to getting the best results. Yet there are so many different machines on the market — random orbital, forced rotation, rotary — it can be hard to know what to use and when. Our Chief Education Officer Mike Phillips recently covered this topic in […]

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