DIY Car Detailing – Part 1

What is Car Detailing?

Automotive detailing means giving the vehicle a ‘detailed’ cleaning. Often the goal is full vehicle restoration and making a car shine. Detailing also helps protect car paint, RV paint, boat paint, and motorcycle paint against UV rays or air contaminants like exhaust.

Car detailing is a booming business, with many entrepreneurs running full-service mobile car detailing businesses. Over $9 Billion is spent on auto detailing supplies and car care products every year.

What Does Car Detailing Involve?

When choosing to DIY car detailing can seem overwhelming, but it can be broken down into four easy to understand categories. These are the components of car detailing:

• Exterior Cleaning – the first step in DIY car detailing is a thorough cleaning of the vehicle. This makes sure all of the dirt, debris, and road grime is gone from the vehicle paint. You can use microfiber car was towels, car wash mitts,and car was soaps to reduce scratching your car paint job.
• Exterior Protection – next in DIY car detailing is polishing and protecting the car’s exterior. Prep the car paint by rubbing it with a clay bar is a good first step. You can apply car wax to car paint and motorcycle paint, but RV paint might require using a paint sealant, and paint for boats might require specialized ceramics.
• Interior Cleaning – once you’ve completed exterior car detailing, the next step in DIY car detailing is cleaning the interior. This usually involves removing trash, vacuuming, and cleaning leather, vinyl, and plastic parts with appropriate cleaners.
• Interior Detailing – Based on the materials of your car’s interior, you may select different products for this final step of DIY car detailing.

Now that you have a better understanding of the components that make up car detailing, you’re ready to move onto the next part of our DIY Car Detailing series: The Perfect Car Wash.

Whether you’re looking to spruce up your vehicle’s paint job or need to make it look like itself again after a collision, Big Sky Collision is there. The next time you as yourself, “Where’s the best paint shop near me?” remember that Big Sky Collision Center is your Bozeman car paint shop!