Both water based and oil based protectant work great. Although both of these types of products work well, they work for different applications. You let the situation determine what type of product that you will use and what part of the vehicle it is. Your water based protectants will attract less dust and lint to the surfaces that they are applied. Although water based may attract less dirt and dust it will also wash away a lot faster than the oil based products. This should be taken into consideration when applying products to the outside. For outside trim, tires and wheel well area I prefer to use a good oil based product. Not only will the oil based product provide a nice deep gloss it will also last longer when exposed to the elements. The reason behind this is due to oil not liking to mix with water.

On the flip side this extra long lasting protection is not necessarily needed on the inside. No one wants to have greasy surfaces inside the car. Not only will it look a little off when you touch it, but it will attract more dust and grime than the water based ones. If you are going to use an oil based product then make sure you apply it sparingly. These types of products go a long way. When applying around the console area make sure to be careful by the instrument panel as the product can leave a film and or stain the plastic components. The same precaution needs to be taken when using a water based solution but the staining is not as prominent. Just be careful and make sure you use a clean damp microfiber to wipe up any excess. On the interior I normally err on the side of water based. If you use a quality water based protectant then it will provide long lasting protection and a nice shine. Most water based protectants can be diluted also which is another advantage over the oil based products. If diluting a water based protectant make sure that you shake the bottle prior to each use. Shaking the bottle prior to use ensures an even distribution of the solution.

Both of these water based and oil based protectants can be applied with a variety of tools. I choose to use a quality microfiber. I use a different microfiber for the inside and the outside. Also remember that on the outside the oil based is preferred so we don’t want cross contamination with the water based protectants. There are applicator pads, brushes, sponges, and cloths of all shapes and sizes depending on what they are to be used for. Stay tuned and shortly we will go over all of the different detailing tools and what they can and should be used for. We will also be going over some case studies on different products.

Many people take this task for granted when detailing their vehicles. Not only do most people take it for granted but they usually do it at the worst time. Either the wheel is cleaned while they are in the middle of washing the car or they do after the body of the car is washed.

Two reasons to not wash at either of those times is 1.) The wheels are the dirtiest part of the vehicle.
2.) Chemicals used on the wheels/tires/wheel-well area are much harsher than ones used on the rest of the vehicle

Now lets address those two issues. Both of the above mentioned issues are a prime example of why the wheels need to always be done first.
Since the wheels are the dirtiest part of the vehicle they should be cleaned first. The reason they are done first is so you avoid splattering dirty water or grime from them up onto a freshly washed body. Begin the same way you would normally. First rinse off any and all loose dirt. I always make sure that I spray down the wheel wells really well. Sometimes a lot of dirt and grime can get caught up under the wheel well. Prepare a bucket with rinse water that is completely separate from the normal wash bucket. For this procedure it is good to have a couple brushes as well as a good scrub pad that is only for wheel cleaning.

On to the cleaning. Spray down the wheel well area with a good all-purpose cleaner/degreaser. Make sure you get it evenly distributed and spray down the tire and wheel. Don’t skimp on the product here. Now move onto the next wheel and do the same. Stop after getting to the second wheel. Although you can do all four wheels at once it’s sometimes hard to get to the last one before the cleaner dries. The cleaner should be left on for a couple minutes. Letting the cleaner sit for a few moments will allow it to begin to break down any dirt and grime. Now take one of your brushes and work the cleaner into the wheel wells. Some wheel wells are funkier than others and may require special brushes. Know your wheels and what it will take to clean them. Rinse your brush after scrubbing the wheel well. Begin to scrub your tires really well, they have lots of dirt nasties ground into them. For the actual wheel itself you will want to use a brush that can fit between the spokes and get into any lugnut areas. After scrubbing all areas good give it a rinse. Inspect the wheel for any signs of discoloration or uneven color. This is usually a sign that they wheel may still be dirty. If it is dirty don’t worry just use the same method again and it will come out spotless. We hope that this helps. Keeping them cleaned the right way will ensure an even distribution of the protectant that will be applied.

Today I was presented with a van that hadn’t seen a wash mitt in a long time.  There was very heavy bug buildup as well as dirt.  The bugs were concentrated on the front and some of the front quarter panels.  The dirt was pretty much all over. 

Another thing that was not playing in our favor for removing such heavy bug buildup was the van had not been driven for some time.  So with these facts in hand one can already know how much time this is going to take.  Good thing it was 8am on a weekend.  I had all of the time in the world to complete the task.  The first thing I did was great the customer and immediately went to work.  First I hosed down the van for what seemed like forever.  In actuality it was probably more like ten minutes.  This is not your normal wash all loose dirt off and go.  Oh no this was going to require some work.  So after rinsing off all loose dirt I concentrated a jet stream of water on the front bumper and hood area.  You have to be careful here.  You should not hold the end of your hose close to the car.  If there are small cracks or missing paint it could peal back the paint from the water pressure.  So although you want to get a good heavy stream of water on there you do not want to have it peeling back paint.  Customers tend to disapprove of a striped down version of their car.

Here you can take a look at what the van looked like before we began the heavy bug removal.  It looks like it drove through a dirt storm and got hit with rouge bug grenades.  The thing was covered.  No need to worry.

So after hosing it down for a few minutes I sprayed some bug and tar remover on it.  I let this sit there for about three minutes.  This gives the bug removal products to work into the bugs carcass and start breaking it down.  While waiting for the bug remover to work I made up my wash buckets.  Once a few minutes went by I began to wash the van as I normally would.

First things first.  Start on the wheels they have lots of nasty gunk that you don’t want getting splashed on your vehicle once it’s clean.  The wheels had very heavy dirt buildup.  That can be seen here. 

The same procedure for the dirty wheels was undergone sans bug/tar remover. A good tip to remember when touching your vehicle is to start with the least agressive method and work your way towards most. This means if you can get the bugs off with just a microfiber wash mitt then do it that way. This obviously was going to need much more than a microfiber. So I got off what I could with the microfiber and then began to scrub it with the backside which has a microfiber scrub mitt. Although these claim to not scratch, watch out! They can scratch and will if used while dirty so make sure your mitt is very thoroughly rinsed out when you begin your heavy bug removal. After making one pass at the soiled areas it’s good to rinse dry and inspect. Many times bugs are only visible in a certain light or angle. Make sure you get them all, even if it takes a few passes. As long as you stick with this guide you should have no problem. This works for bugs on the painted surfaces and glass. A recent discovery has found that for the glass the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work exceptionally well. You cannot use these on the interior if the vehicle has tinted windows. Below is what the results are expected to look like for heavy bug removal.

Notice how the wheel area and the front are completely clean. We have spent a lot of time testing out a lot of different methods and chemicals to use. Believe me when I say that this is the fastest most cost effective way to do it while keeping your paint safe. Some people suggest using a dryer sheet and wetting it and rubbing it on the bugs like a scrubber. I will not tell you that this won’t help with heavy bug removal. In fact I will confirm that this does in fact remove the heavy bugs. What it fails to do though is protect your paint. If you are to use the dryer sheet method you are running the risk of messing your vehicle up more than the bugs already did. Products in this category don’t seem to have that far of seperation from top to bottom. What this means is, they are all essentially the same. Just remember to use this simple but very effective technique. I cannot tell you how many people just rinse apply bug and tar remover and expect great results. The hosing down for a long time really does do the best job. Remember what they taught you in school. Water is the universal solvent. If it can carve out the grand canyon it can definitely cut through bugs.

Here is another great detailing blog. http://blog.fivestardetailing.com/ Check these guys out, they have a wealth of information available on their website. Not only do they blog about what seems to be every vehicle done and the steps taken to restore it, but they also do very good in depth product reviews. I highly recommend them.