Car Detailing Best Practices. Part 3: Avoiding Scratches
Oct 31, 2024
2 min read
Proper maintenance of our vehicles involves a little bit of science and careful consideration to achieve the best results. Shine Plus offers some valuable tips on car detailing best practices here on our blog.
Did you know the most likely time your vehicle will get scratches is when you wash it? The ingredients needed for a scratch to occur are a contaminant on the vehicle that is harder than your paint, and downward and lateral pressure, and these elements are all present when you wash the vehicle. So the process of maintaining your vehicle is one of the most likely times when you can damage the vehicle. How do we avoid this? Shine Plus is here to help!
The first thing you need to know to avoid scratching the vehicle is to avoid the car wash tunnel at all costs. The car wash tunnel uses high-speed rotating cloths to remove dirt from your vehicle. But the dirt from the car that went through the tunnel just before you is embedded in those cloths and now that dirty cloth is being slammed against your vehicle at high speeds! This leads to scratching, and car wash tunnels are infamous for it.
Here are the keys to cleaning the vehicle without scratching it.
Always hand wash your vehicle to keep the cleaning process gentle.
Use a microfiber mitt or a slotted sponge made specifically for cleaning cars. These two options both have grooves that allow any dirt and debris to be absorbed inwards and help keep the portion of the mitt or sponge that is in contact with the vehicle clean.
Use plenty of lubrication. Apply a generous amount of car soap to the vehicle using either a wash bucket as part of the two-bucket wash method or using a foam cannon if you have access to a pressure washer.
If you really want to go above and beyond for your vehicle, apply a pre-rinse agent to the vehicle such as an all-purpose cleaner and let it dwell for a few minutes before rinsing to remove the bulk of the dirt before starting the wash process. This is not always necessary but should be used in instances where the vehicle is atypically dirty.
Dry the vehicle with a clean, high-quality microfiber towel. Microfiber towels are soft enough that they do not risk damaging the vehicle during the drying process.
These steps may sound like a lot at first, but taking the extra effort is well worth it for the appearance and long-term value of your vehicle.
