Category Archives: Guides & Tips

matte black paint
11
Oct
Featured, Guides & Tips, How To, Matte Car Care, Paint Correction, Tips, Videos & Media

Scratched Matte Paint

Posted on by Celine Witherell

We’ve blogged about this topic on more than one occasion, but we still receive tons of comments and questions from our customers about scratched matte paint. Matte 101 There are some basic matte paint rules to know. Matte paint cannot be clayed, polished, or waxed. Ordinarily, these are the processes one would use to remove […]

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Close-up of hand holding clay bar with imprint marks showing contaminants removed during car detailing with header text that reads "what are clay bars?"
11
Jun
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing

What Does a Clay Bar Do? Detailing Clay, Explained

Posted on by Mike Phillips

A clay bar removes above surface bonded contaminants off the surface of your car’s paint to restore a clean and smooth surface. However, there is some confusion over the topic of how a clay bar works, why you should use one and what it does for a vehicle’s paint.  Let’s take a deeper dive. Myth […]

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Guide to Rupes Polishing Pads
12
Dec
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Paint Correction, Videos & Media

What are the Different RUPES Polishing Pads?

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Transcript When you hear the word Rupes—and by the way, that is the correct way to pronounce the name—the first thing that comes to mind is normally their amazing tools, like the long-stroke polishers, the Scorpio sanders, and also the Rupes Nanos. But something that a lot of people might not know is they also […]

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IPA wipedown being done on a red Porsche 911.
11
Oct
Behind the Detail, Ceramic Coatings, Featured, Guides & Tips, How To, Tips

IPA vs. Panel Wipes: Which Is Better at Removing Polish Residue?

Posted on by Victor Espeland

In the world of car detailing, IPA stands for “Isopropyl Alcohol”. Detailers will typically talk about IPA in the context of an “IPA wipedown” or “IPA panel wipe”, a process for cleaning polishing oils and residue from paint before applying protection like a ceramic coating.  Despite being a common topic in detailing, there’s a lot […]

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Wet sanding with 3M Trizact system
08
Nov
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, How To, Live Detailing Classes, Videos & Media

How to Wet Sand Paint Using 3M Trizact System

Posted on by Mike Phillips

The 3M dry sanding system is actually what I consider like one of the safest sanding systems out there and especially if you’re brand new to sanding. One of the cool things about this system is you can use it by hand or machine. They make these in sheets. This is the 3000 six-inch disc, […]

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How to use a paint thickness gauge
30
Apr
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing

How to Use a Paint Thickness Gauge

Posted on by Mike Phillips

A paint thickness gauge (PTG, also known as a coating thickness gauge) is an electronic device used in the auto detailing industry to accurately measure the thickness of a car’s paint and/or any protective coatings applied to it.  In this article, I’ll explain what paint thickness gauges are used for, how they work, when to […]

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Step-by-step tire deep cleaning process showing a hand applying tire cleaner to a glossy black tire, with before-and-after contrast highlighting restored shine and protective coating.
29
May
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, How To

How to Deep Clean Tires, Restore Fading & Apply Protection

Posted on by Victor Espeland

TRANSCRIPT This is the new Dr. Beasley’s Foaming Tire Cleaner. And in this video, I’m going to show you the correct way to use it. The foaming aspect isn’t important when putting it on the tire. The foaming aspect is important as you’re scrubbing and rinsing the tire. So, let me show you how. So, […]

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Comparison of cordless rotary polishers from Flex, Harbor Freight, and Milwaukee for car detailing
24
Jun
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips, Live Detailing Classes, Paint Correction, Professional Detailing, Videos & Media

Which Cordless Rotary Polisher Is Best? Flex vs. Harbor Freight vs. Milwaukee

Posted on by Mike Phillips

There are so many cordless (battery-powered) rotary polishers on the market today versus 10, even 5 years ago. With all these new options comes analysis paralysis, and I’m here to help YOU make an informed decision before investing in a new tool. It’s all here in this clip from one of my recent LIVE monthly […]

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Matte black Mercedes-Benz AMG G63.
20
Sep
Behind the Detail, Featured, Guides & Tips, Matte Car Care, Matte Car Detailing Basics, Tips

Matte Black Car Paint Pros and Cons

Posted on by Victor Espeland

The Batmobile. The stealth B-2 Bomber. Darth Vader’s TIE fighter. If these icons of cool are what come to mind when you see a car decked out in matte black paint, you’re not alone. It’s no surprise why — people associate matte black cars with mystery, sophistication and coolness. In terms of car paint, it’s […]

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How to Polish Aluminum Diamond Plate
29
Oct
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, Guides & Tips, How To

How to Polish Aluminum Diamond Plate

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Aluminum diamond plate (also called tread plate or checker plate) is used on a variety of surfaces where durability, slip resistance, and corrosion resistance are needed such as stairs, walkways, or in this case, the top of the trailer hitch portion of an AeroVault car hauling trailer. Like regular aluminum, aluminum diamond plate is typically […]

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