Tag Archives: beginner’s guide to detailing

Beginner's Guide to Polishing Cars
09
Aug
Behind the Detail, Exterior Detailing, How To, Paint Correction

Beginner’s Guide to Car Polishing

Posted on by Mike Phillips

Download PDF Checklist TRANSCRIPT Over time your car becomes filled full of swirls, scratches, water spots, and oxidation. And if you’re a beginner—you’ve never machine polished before—trying to fix this can be kind of intimidating. Let me show you how, and I’ll make it easy. In this video, I’m going to show you how to […]

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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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Touchless car wash
16
Feb
Behind the Detail, Featured, Guides & Tips, Tips

The Different Types Of Car Washes: Which Is Best For Your Finish?

Posted on by Mike Phillips

The most common thing any of us do to maintain the appearance of our cars is to wash them. Car washes are the foundation of detailing and are arguably the most important part of keeping a vehicle looking as good as possible for as long as possible.  But just like there’s more than one way […]

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12
Jan
Behind the Detail, Ceramic Coatings, Featured, Guides & Tips, How To

Flashing: How To Look For It When Coating Your Car

Posted on by Victor Espeland

When it comes to vehicle protection and enhancing the visual appeal of your car, ceramic coatings have become a go-to solution for many car enthusiasts and detailing professionals. Ceramic coatings offer a protective layer that bonds with your car’s paint, providing resistance against environmental contaminants, UV rays, and minor scratches, while also delivering a glossy […]

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Water beading on a ceramic coating
30
Mar
Behind the Detail, Ceramic Coatings, Guides & Tips, Tips

Why You Need To Maintain Ceramic Coatings

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Ceramic coatings are some of the best protection you can get for a vehicle’s paint short of paint protection film. Offering unparalleled durability and shine in comparison to wax or sealants, these coatings provide a long-lasting shield against environmental contaminants, UV rays, and minor scratches.  However, while ceramic coatings are known for their durability, they’re […]

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Reflection of a matte finish before and after polishing.
29
Apr
Behind the Detail, Featured, Guides & Tips, Professional Detailing, The Detail, Tips

If You Buff Matte Paint, You Will RUIN Your Finish!

Posted on by Victor Espeland

Got a scratch in your matte finish car? You may be wondering if it can be removed with polish. The fact is, you should NEVER polish matte paint — polishing will RUIN the matte appearance, creating a splotchy semi-gloss mess. Why is that? Let’s explain.  Why Polishing a Matte Finish Ruins the Matte Appearance Polishing […]

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09
Jan
Behind the Detail, Featured, Garage & Equipment, Guides & Tips

Revisiting “Why Chamois Are A Sham”

Posted on by Victor Espeland

In 2012 we published a blog post entitled “Why Chamois Are A Sham”. In this blog we advised against using chamois, instead recommending microfiber towels. The reasons provided focused generally on chamois’ lack of knap and its difficulty to maintain. Since then, we’ve had a good number of responses in the comments taking issue with […]

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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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Dog Proof, Cleaning, Protection, Car, Vehicle, Pets
03
Apr
Behind the Detail, Featured, Guides & Tips, How To, The Detail, Tips

How to Dog Proof Your Car to Save the Interior

Posted on by Dr. Beasley's

A couple of years ago, a fellow detailer and myself were discussing the dirtiest interiors we had ever had to clean.  He told me about a Honda whose back windshield was covered in an unidentifiable substance that appeared to have been smeared across the entire glass, completely blurring visibility. Whatever it was came off relatively […]

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Swirls, Swirl Marks,
08
May
Behind the Detail, Featured, Guides & Tips, How To, Paint Correction, Tips

12 Tips for Preventing Swirl Marks

Posted on by Jim Lafeber

Removing swirl marks is a little like cleaning up after yourself, or at least cleaning up after someone else’s mess. Swirls may be the professional detailer’s most despised surface flaw because they are almost exclusively caused by the detailer’s polishing technique. Because they are less visible in the shade but spectacularly obvious in sunlight, even […]

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