Everything You Need to Know About Exterior Car Detailing

Car detailing goes beyond the odd wash and into every detail (pun intended) of your car. This is a meticulous care and cleaning process lasting hours at a time, and one that digs deep into every nook and cranny to restore your car to showroom condition. Exterior and interior detailing protect the paintwork from external contaminants, maintain the fabric and leather in the cabin and boost longevity by preventing rust and road debris from spoiling the overall appearance of your car. 

Beneficial by-products are improved safety and visibility with clean lights, windows and windscreens, improved passenger and driver health by eliminating nasty stains and smells and reduced everyday wear and tear. While the market is flooded with hundreds of detailing solutions, to get near-professional results, car owners benefit from the best exterior car detailing products, carefully formulated for specific surfaces and materials. These let you detail your car in your own time, save considerable amounts of cash (pro detailing is costly), and the ability to throw more weight into particularly troublesome areas needing more attention. 

Exterior Car Care Products: A Detailed List

Contrary to what most people believe, detailing the car on your own isn’t difficult. All that’s required are the right detailing equipment and car care products, and following the defined step-by-step stages. Throwing in a little elbow grease also helps, but the whole process rewards you with the satisfaction of a well-maintained, protected and preserved vehicle. 

The first step is gathering all your gear. This includes: 

• Pre-wash solution and car shampoo: Pre-wash is the first chemical sprayed on the car. This helps loosen up bigger pieces of dirt, traffic film, birdlime, and insect remains. Chemically-neutral car shampoo is gentler on the paint than household detergents and tends to remove contaminants. Some also provide protective waxes and sealants, or gloss and matte finishes as quick, all-in-one detailing solutions. 
• Foam lances: These store diluted soap, shampoo and water mixes, and are connected to hoses or pressure washers for effective application across the whole vehicle. 
• Microfibre cloths, pads, mitts, brushes and sponges: Soft microfibre cloths are safer than old-school sponges, able to remove dirt gently without holding grit or leaving swirl marks. Gloves, mitts and pads are another safe alternative in hard-to-reach areas like the alloys. Use brushes in different bristle hardness for stubborn stains and ingrained dirt without damaging the underlying surface. 
• Buckets: Have two larger buckets, one for clean water, the other when rinsing mitts, gloves and sponges. Having a separate bucket for especially dirty areas like the wheels also helps keep mitts and cloths clean and speeds up the whole process. 
• Drying towels and cloths: Drying towels and cloths absorb water and prevent water spots, streaks and paint damage, leaving a smooth, clean and dry surface. To cut down on time, also consider investing in electric blowers fitted with hoses and nozzles. These provide contactless drying and fewer streaks and stain marks while protecting the paint surface. 

These are the detailing products used in the initial stages of cleaning, washing and drying. Detailing, however, also includes comprehensive protection inside and out, removing ingrained dirt and tending to surface scratches, dents and rust pockets. 

The following items help bring the paintwork to a factory finish and aid the application of waxes and polishes: 

• Bug, tar, birdlime and glue remover – these are self-explanatory, removing contaminants with appropriate solutions that also prevent flaking, discolouration and rust. 
• Clay bars – these remove brake dust, sap, soot, concrete splatter and tend to rough spots in the paint and wheels. Clay bars work by physically lifting and removing ingrained microscopic particles, leaving a smooth surface finish. 
• Wheel cleaner – these use acidic, alkaline or pH-neutral solutions to dissolve and break down dirt and grime left over from the shampooing phase. As such, they’re more effective at what they do, and accentuate the inherent gloss or matte wheel finish. 
• Glass cleaner – these contain solvents and surfactants to lift and dissolve dirt, grime, fingerprints, smoke stains, and other nasties. Most are ammonia-free and suited to tinted windows. Look for hydrophobic cleaners that leave protective layers, preventing dust and grime from accumulating. 

How It’s Done 

Thorough detailing starts with the dirtiest part of the car – the wheels. These are magnets for all sort of contaminants, including dust, road debris, mud, oil and tar. Apply wheel cleaner, let that dissolve hardened grime and rinse. Use brushes for stubborn areas, and clean mitts or gloves to get to all parts. 

Next comes the pre-wash and shampooing stage. Fill the lance with pre-wash solution, and spray the car from top to bottom, ensuring you cover all areas. Let the foam dissolve all surface grime, then use a hose or pressure washer to rinse the foam layer off. Use absorbent microfibre cloths, mitts or sponges to get rid of remaining dirt and swirl marks. 

Follow up with shampooing, using the two-bucket method – one for soap and water and the other for rinsing, preferably with grit guards to sift out larger particles and keep mitts and cloths clean. This reduces the likelihood of scratches. Rinse, dry and inspect for surface damage. Here, clay bars and tar, bug, glue and birdlime remover come in. 

Applying Polish and Wax

No detailing job is complete without applying a protective coating using wax or polish. This is the largest difference between regular washing and detailing. Polish does a fabulous job with swirl marks, spotting, etches, light scratches and surface rust. Choose a more abrasive polish to tend to more conspicuous damage. This cuts into the surface paint, leaving a smoother, natural look with more sheen. For minor damage, opt for gentler, non-abrasive polishes that remove smaller scratches while also letting colours pop. For quicker results, all-in-one polishes blend non-abrasive and cutting agents for smoother car paintwork in one go.  

Car waxes are some of the best exterior car detailing products, forming a top protective layer that prevents external contaminants such as dirt, dust, water and debris from sticking to the car paint. This makes ensuing washing easier and quicker. Waxes additionally shield against fading from longer exposure to harsh UV rays. and provide a deeper and richer sheen. Choose from natural waxes like Carnauba – a palm tree derivative for a deep, warm sheen; synthetic, polymer-based waxes for higher and lasting durability or hybrid products for easier bonding. All can be optioned either as spray-on types or applied by pads or machine polishers in liquid or paste form. 

Finishing Touches 

Apply sealants and rust removers to damaged metal surfaces, such as exhaust piping or chrome trim inserts; spray glass cleaner to deal with bugs, dirt and blemishes on the windows and windscreen and use exterior trim restorers to soften up plastic, vinyl or rubber trim parts lining the windows, doors and panels. Finish up with more sheen and improved protection when using tyre dressing. 

Choose individual products or shop for packaged kits at lower prices. Exterior detailing is best done in mild weather, preferably in shaded areas. Frequency naturally depends on the condition of your car, but once every six months is a rounded average for most vehicles.