Why should you use a premium paint sealant?  Most people do not know what the difference is between a paint and  sealant, and what the pros and cons of both.  Normally it is best to use a paint sealant for maximum protection.  While a caranuaba wax will provide a deeper gloss and bring out a more vibrant shine to the paint, a sealant will provide a long lasting protection that wax cannot.

Paint sealant is usually composed of an organic, or synthetic resin that will provide a tough, protective barrier for the paint.  Wax also provides a protective layer for the vehilce but it is designed to be applied at a minimum of every three months.  Typically a commercial grade paint sealant will last for a minimum of six months.  This is a great option for people who do not have the time to wax their vehicles that often.  In Gainesville Florida we recommend that everyone get a paint sealant prior to lovebug season.  lovebugs are notorious in Florida for ruining paint jobs.  The acid of the insects innards will litterally eat through the toughest clearcoat and paint.  A paint sealant provides a good barrier against this.  Paint sealants are applied in the same manner as wax, in small circles until worked in thoroughly.  The sealant is then allowed to cure for a good period of time based upon the manufacturers recommendations.  An auto wax is designed to only be left on until hazing, which will occur in a minute or two under normal conditions.

Next time you are considering having a full detail completed ask your professional auto detailer if they offer a paint sealant.  Also ask them which one they recommend for your area.  Different sealants are designed to be used under different conditions.  We hope that this will help clear up the question of Why should you use a premium paint sealant.

How a full detail can improve the value of your used vehicle.

Often customers call and want to get their vehicles detailed prior to selling their used vehicle. Gainesville Detailing enjoys the opportunity to help anyone selling a vehicle get the highest premium when selling their used car, truck, suv, van, boat or other type of vehicle. Out of our premium mobile auto detailing offerings we routinely suggest getting a full detail to get the most bang for your buck.

Aside from the vanity of auto detailing, the true value is unlocked by the protection your cars interior and exterior surfaces experience. Having tar removed by a professional that can buff any marring that may happen to the paint helps a vehicle hold value. Having a nice thick coat of wax on all of the painted metal and plastic surfaces ensures maximum protection. In Gainesville, Florida the lovebugs are known to reek havoc on paintjobs. This is easily prevented with a regular car wash and detail maintenance service.

When an automobile is washed it removes all of the loose dirt and debris from the vehicle. Keeping a regular wash cycle for your vehicle is a foolproof way of minimizing damage caused from normal use. Almost every used vehicle will have some form of paint blemish from normal use. Most of the blemishes found on vehicles today are from rocks and tiny pieces of road trash that are kicked up into the vehicle. Problem areas on all automobiles are the front grille area and the splash areas behind the four wheels. Having a thick coat of wax will add another layer of protection on top of the existing clear coat. Auto detailing also helps your vehicle retain value through various paint correction techniques to bring out the best look on the paint. Removing foreign paint that is transferred is the most common form of paint correction.

Often doors are dinged in parking lots or the front or back bumper gets banged into and paint is transferred. In almost 100% of cases the foreign paint can be removed and the original paint buffed to a like new appearance. Over the years we have come to find out that a majority of consumers do not know that an auto detailer can take care of these types of issues. Paint correction also involves the use of an orbital high-speed polisher to compound, polish, wax and buff.

When a vehicle has a lot of minor blemishes such as swirl marks and scuff marks it can be repaired through compounding, polishing and waxing. The process involves using abrasive compounds that, when heated up with a high-speed polisher, remove a fraction of a layer of the clear coat that is damaged. Once the compounding is done there is often a hazy or marred appearance to the paint finish. The polishing step will remove any unwanted haze or marring caused from compounding. The resulting appearance will be a restored gloss and shine that should increase the market value one can ask for an automobile when selling. Other easy fixes for the exterior that will increase the amount one can ask for when selling a used car are headlight restoration, and vinyl restoration. The exterior is not the only area that can be improved to bolster the bottom line asking price. Both the interior of the vehicle as well as the engine compartment area are big places for potential gains in asking price.

Just about any vehicle more than a few years old will have some sort of stain, spill, or other blemish on the interior surface. Most blemishes can either be removed completely or dyed over to look like new again. Candidates to receive a dying service would be anyone whose carpeted areas have excessively dirty areas that will not improve dramatically with a shampooing with hot water extraction. It is a known fact that when something is being sold in like new condition it fetches the highest premium on the market when being sold. To achieve a like new appearance any stains must be removed or dyed over to appear new. Either choice is acceptable, and will give a good boost to the asking price. Just like the interior can improve the price dramatically the engine compartment is an area often overlooked.

Degreasing and cleaning the engine compartment is the most often overlooked component when selling a vehicle. Anytime one of our customers chooses to have the engine detailed they give positive feedback. The engine areas are like someone’s smile, and can say just as much about the car as a smile can about a persons health. A clean like new appearance is hard to achieve after years of grease and grime build up, especially if there was once a leak or other accident underneath the hood. When the time comes up again to sell the old vehicle and purchase a new one make sure you give the full attention that is needed to squeeze the most bang out of it. Auto detailing is the art of keeping a vehicle as new as possible and being able to repair any defects that are not structural or mechanical in nature.

How do you remove road paint, tar and other adhesive compounds from your car? I am often asked this question when speaking with others about mobile auto detailing in Gainesville, Florida. The answer to the question will depend on a few determining factors to include, length of exposure to clear coat, strength of the adhesive compound and location on the vehicle. The answer to all of the previous factors will determine what coarse of action will be used to remove the road paint, tar and other adhesive compounds from your car.

The processes for removing adhesives from an auto body are not difficult nor does it require any special skill. The only requirement is patience and a high quality, paint safe adhesive remover. At Gainesville Detailing we use ProSol by Prowax, but 3M makes a great product although it is very pricey. When using a paint safe adhesive remover it is important to read all of the instructions and precautions prior to use. At a minimum most require eye and hand protection while some call for a mask, or other breathing filtration prior to use. Always use in a well-ventilated area and apply the product to the surface to be cleaned thoroughly. Make sure all the unwanted adhesive is covered with the solvent solution. Moving the vehicle to a shady area or garage will lower the amount of time spent and product used by reducing the amount of direct exposure to the sun. Once the area has been soaking for about one minute you will want to test a section. I recommend using a bug brush that will not scratch the delicate clear coat but allows you enough abrasive action to help out the adhesive remover. If you find that it is easy to remove the road paint, tar or other adhesive compound then continue scrubbing the area until free and clean of any foreign paint. If the area is still not succumbing to the adhesive remover, reapply the adhesive remover liberally and allow to sit for up to five minutes prior to testing with a bug brush again.

As you begin to get a hang of the process you will develop your own technique for working the bug brush to achieve the desired results. My favorite technique is to get a small portion that I can work with my thumb. This position allows me to direct all of the pressure and maneuver in such a way that the road paint, tar and other adhesive compounds are easily removed. Next time you ask yourself or Google for that matter How do you remove road paint from a car or truck you will have the answer.

often we are asked what is involved when performing a detail service on a car. Many people know what a detail is, but just as many do not and don’t fully understand what the difference between a detail and a car wash is.

Most people either wash their own cars or at least run it through a car wash. Gainesville Detailing never recommends the later of the two and recommends to only hand wash. A detail service is a thorough top to bottom cleaning and protecting of the vehicles interior and exterior surfaces. A car wash will get your vehicle fairly clean and that is actually the first step to a full detail. When we speak of a detail service, Gainesville Detailing means a thorough cleaning and protecting of the vehicle. The difference between a detail and car wash is the fact that the detail service cleans and protects areas a normal car wash won’t get to.

Having your vehicle regularly serviced with a full detail at least three times per year will keep most vehicles spotless. This schedule and frequency should be adjusted for the conditions the vehicle encounters on an average day. In Gainesville, Florida the sun beats down relentless and there are a lot of trees that give off pollen. We are also know for the Lovebug, which destroys more paint jobs every year than any other animal on the planet. If the vehicle is kept in a garage and washed fairly regularly then it will only need to be detailed every three months. If it is left outside and not washed often, then it will need to get a full detail much more often. Without giving your vehicle a full detail there is really no way to uncover problem areas that will go unnoticed with a regular car wash.

A full detail service will get areas cleaned that washing alone and wipedowns don’t get. Weatherstripping is cleaned and conditioned, all of the door seals and trunk seals are cleaned and conditioned. Every nook and cranny is go over with a brush, solution, and clean rag prior to applying protectant. During a full detail all metal is not only cleaned and washed but also polished to a high shine. Wheel well areas are scrubbed down and blacked out, not just the rim and tire. All of the interior carpets and cloth is shampooed and steam cleaned prior to having fabric protectant applied. Any leather is also cleaned and conditioned. The exterior will also be waxed when having a full detail.

Today we cleaned a pair of Chevy Tahoes to perfection in Gainesville.

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Gainesville Detailing serviced a black Ford Mustang Steda with before and after pictures below.

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This has to be one of our best transformations yet. The outside of this automobile needed a thorough compound and polishing to restore the deep wet look so many love black cars for. Enjoy!

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Today Gainesville Detailing had the opportunity to completely rejuvenate a Hyundai Tuscon. Below you will find pictures of the before and after shots. The customer received our package #2 which is a full detail of the interior and exterior of the car. Notice there are multiple paint transfer areas that we had to address. Enjoy!

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