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Cheat Sheet on car washing

6/27/2016

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Like any personal possession there does come a time for its upkeep/maintenance.  For a vehicle this holds true from both a mechanical and aesthetic viewpoint. 

The viewpoint of the latter (vehicle aesthetics) is subjective from one vehicle owner to the next. What is meant by this is that while regular car cleaning enhances both the upkeep and personal enjoyment value, it isn't necessary to the overall function of the vehicle compared to maintenance.

To help sway those vehicle owners who don't hold the aesthetic upkeep of their vehicle in high regard, we've created a "cheat sheet" on car washing to help simplify this type of vehicle maintenance to one of potential enjoyment. 


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Car Wash Cheat Sheet

How Often & Time to Complete
  1. ​Ideal to wash your vehicle every 3-4 weeks (remove any surface contaminants which may impact paint protection in the form of waxes or sealants)
  2. A typical "hand wash" for a car should take you approx 30 minutes to complete
  3. Car Wash Kit (click to view & purchase some of the hand wash essentials)  
​Basic Cleaning Steps
  1. Always pre-rinse the vehicle before washing with car soap to help lift settled dirt (this will help reduce swirl marks)
  2. Never use dish soap for regular washing as its detergent will strip any paint protection already on the vehicle 
  3. When hand washing work from the top of the vehicle and move downward (this will reduce the amount of grit build up on the wash pad)  
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The Benefits of Paint Correction

11/18/2015

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If your like most people, you drive your vehicle year round and through all four seasons.  The downside to Canadian driving is the effects that the elements can incur on the paint of your vehicle.  While to some, keeping your vehicle's paint in good condition is mere esthetic appeal, there a few reasons to debunk this assumption:
  1. Re-sale value: all used vehicles have a market range for selling price, one area to enable your vehicle to fetch the higher range of the market price is to keep-up with the "curb appeal", including maintaining the exterior paint quality.
  2. Surface Rust: maintaining a level of paint protection (wax, paint sealant) throughout the year creates a barrier between the elements and your vehicle's paint.  By having a continuous layer of protection, your vehicle's paint is less prone to oxidization and the spread of surface rust through stone chips and road salt.
Express Buff
High Speed Buff
The picture above (right) is a split-view of a high-speed buffing treatment completed on a hood of a vehicle.  To the top of the hood, oxidization to the paint has occurred as a result of numerous years with out the proper application of some form of paint protection (wax or paint sealant).  As a result of neglect, applying any type of paint protection to the oxidized paint is worthless at this point.  The only service to resolve this problem is through paint correction.
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The paint correction process involves the use of a high speed buffing machine that has a revolution per minute range far faster then that or a typical orbital used for applying paint protection.  

Depending on the level one seeks for correction, you can utilize the high speed buffer at a low cut in-speed that doesn't remove clear coat and corrects minor blemishes (such as snow brush marks - image on left - found at our Accredited Location JREK Autocare's express buff service).  Alternatively, if oxidization removal is required then the cut-in speed will be a lot higher to heat up the paint and manipulate the surface to correct.  At this speed, clear coat will be removed as a result.
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Winter Paint Protection for your Vehicle

10/8/2015

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The days are getting shorter and along with that temperatures are dropping.  Soon enough the roads will become snow covered and road salt will be placed upon it for your driving safety.

While road salt is good for driving safety, it is one of the primary factors that can accelerate surface rust on your vehicle. Those small stone chips that your vehicle incurs on a regular basis are prime areas where this can start.

What can be Applied
Applying a paint sealant to your vehicle in the fall creates a barrier between your vehicle's paint and the winter elements (road salt, slush, dirt, etc.) that can overtime inflict paint damage (if left untreated).  Paint sealants in general have a synthetic make-up to them, while a wax has organic components that provides a better shine, while limiting its longevity. As such, a paint sealant for protection is preferred over a wax application.

Professional Option
Our accredited location JREK Autocare offers a winter preparation package as a special during the fall to prepare your vehicle for the hash realities of winter.   Their winter preparation package includes a paint sealant application that can last up to 1 year (depending on vehicle upkeep), along with a mini detail and free add-ons: windshield repellent (enhances visibility) and silicone spray (applied to door trims to prevent freeze-up).
Winter Paint Protection
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Detailing benefits for vehicle re-sale

9/17/2015

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What can't be said about having a clean car, other then a big smile on your face and especially when it rids winter's ugly remnants from the inside and out of your vehicle.  Well truth be told, having your vehicle professionally detailed takes a certain amount of time to complete and with that its associated costs.

As it once was explained, most car-related service expenditures is like a trip to the dentist, no one likes it!  For auto-detailing service this can be cast in the same shadow, but there is the potential of increasing your ROI when it comes time to sell your vehicle!  

Our accredited auto-detailing location JREK Autocare has mentioned that on numerous occasions, customers have specifically received detailing services either prior to an appraisal or for private sale and have in turn received better pricing as a result of the detailing services.

Additionally, a recent article in Driving.ca mentioned that detailing services produced an almost 20% increase in the appraisal value of a Honda Civic they used to showcase the benefits of auto-detailing. 

Steam cleaning of vehicle floors
Express buff on vehicle hood
Split view (left untreated, right express buffed)
It is clear that auto-detailing services can give your re-sale a "pop" in price at the end of your ownership.  On the other hand, seasonal detailing (paint protection and interior steam-cleaning) will help preserve the aesthetic lifespan of your vehicle and may extend your overall appreciation for your vehicle - lending to owning it longer then otherwise envisioned.        
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Microfiber - Your Multi-Purpose Detail Tool

9/11/2015

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There are a variety of products one would use to detail/clean their vehicle, including: rim cleaner, tire shine, window cleaner, leather cleaner, etc.  The list of car detailing products can be lengthy, especially how in-depth one would like their vehicle to look.  Having said this, the one tool that all of the above products have in common is the use of microfiber cloths to complete their respected cleaning outcomes.  

As an example of the multi-use function of a microfiber, our Accredited Auto-Detailing Location (JREK Autocare) uses them for window, leather and vinyl cleaning, along with rim detailing (dependent on rim coating). 

The one major benefit to using a microfiber over disposable "shop towels" as example is that microfibers can be washed in laundry and re-used multiple times before they ware-out.  
Microfiber car detailing
Buy this product
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If your thinking about purchasing a package of microfibers cloths, most major department stores carry them or you can purchase through our on-line store. 

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Different Types of Vehicle Paint Protection

9/5/2015

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Unsure what the difference is between polishing, wax and paint sealant?  The primary difference lay in the following terms correction & protection.

Correction
When we think of oxidization (milky haze on dark colored vehicles), snow brush marks and spider webbing (fine scratches) these are vehicle paint characteristics that require paint correction. 

In order to restore the vehicle paint to as near original condition, the use of a buffer is required.  A buffer enables the buffing pad and compound (lubricant) to cut-into the clear coat at a fast revolution speed to heat-up the paint surface and correction the paint blemish.

Polishing is typically the final stage in the high-speed process and is applied by buffer at lower speed (not enough to cut-into the clear coat).  The idea is to remove any residual trailings created during the high-speed portion of the buffing process.  This can also double as an "express buff" to correct minor blemishes such as snow brush markings. 

Protection
The analogy of applying sunscreen to your skin in order to reduce the effects of a sunburn can be applied in similar context to paint protection for your vehicle.

Applying either wax or paint sealant to your vehicle paint adds a barrier between the paint surface and the natural elements.  This barrier helps protect the paint from oxidizing and degrading (which can occur over successive winters with no paint protection).

Wax is typically comprised of carnauba (organic based) extracts, which pull the shine out of the vehicle paint.

Paint sealant is a synthetic blend, intended more for longevity over shine.
high speed buffing
wax on car
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Equipment to buff scratches from vehicle

9/3/2015

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Have you ever parked your vehicle in a public parking lot and come back from your outing to find a scratch inflicted to your vehicle from someone else?  The easy answer is yes and most people have experienced this over their driving careers.  

Even more troubling is when you go out of your way and park in what you assume is a "low-traffic area" of the parking lot and still receive a third-party scratch and/or door ding.

Scratch level

Depth level of a scratch is a big factor in determining if it can be high-speed buffed out.  Typically, if the scratch isn't deeper than the length of a normal finger nail it should be buff-able.  Secondly, if the scratch appears in an area where the paint is on plastic, this can't be buffed as the high speeds of the pad can melt the portion of the plastic being buffed.

Buffing tools

The adjacent picture is of a Makita high-speed buffer and pads.  (Our accredited auto-detailing location, JREK Autocare uses this specific equipment for their buffing and polishing services.)

Depending on your hands-on experience, tackling scratch removal on a DYI level can be completed.  You'll need a high-speed buffer, pads (wool - higher clear coat cut in and/or more conservative foam pad) and compound (lubrication to assist in the correction process) to complete.

All required buffing products are available in our on-line store.  Remember that scratch removal via high-speed buffing involves heating the specific area of the vehicle paint via high revolutions of the buffing pad to fill in the scratch.

This is a skill developed over numerous hours of practice, burning your paint can happen without the proper knowledge base.


  
Makita high speed buffer
Buy this product
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Removing brake dust from vehicle paint

8/27/2015

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If you drive a lighter colored vehicle (namely white) you may have or start to see little specks of rust on the surface of your vehicle's paint.  Don't worry, its not the onset of rust, but more likely the result of brake dust - by-product of the wear process on your brake pads.

Brake dust removal
There is a method to removing brake dust from your paint, the draw back being that it will continually re-occur as result of the above description.

The adjacent picture (taken from our accredited auto-detailing location JREK Autocare) illustrates before and after utilizing a clay bar during the wash process to remove brake dust.

Clay Bar (as seen from the below picture) is a bar of clay that you rub by section on the paint of your vehicle during the wash process.  

From optimum results, you'll want to fold and/or twist the clay bar after you've rubbed a particular section of paint.  This enables the clay to replenish to a newer portion of the bar. 

Typically, a bar lasts about 6-12 vehicles (depends on how dirty paint is and how much time you spend claying a vehicle).

Chemical Guys Clay & Luber
If your thinking of completing a clay job on your vehicle, we've hyperlinked the Chemical Guy's Clay Bar & Lube kit to offer an example of some products you can use to complete this task.

Of note, the longer brake dust has sat on paint the harder it is to remove.  This means you may have to clay a vehicle multiple times before achieving your desired results.

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Removing road salt from vehicle carpets

8/17/2015

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Living in Canada forces us to deal with the seasonal winter by-product of road salt to assist with driving safety.  The inherent downfall is that the salt is tracked into your vehicle via your boots/shoes throughout the winter.  As a result, calcium buildup from the road salt adheres to the mats and carpets of your vehicle.

Thankfully there is a method to removing the road salt from your vehicle's carpets and mats.  

The downside first - it re-occurs, meaning that after each winter season the road salt will come back.  

The upside - utilizing a steam-cleaner (mix of almost boiling water & carpet shampoo) removes the road salt, but it will leave the carpets damp (even wet for periods in excess of 48 hrs - depending on how heavily salted the area is),  Properly vent area after to prevent mildew.   
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So how do I get my hands on a steam-cleaner?

1. Buy one which will cost thousands of dollars (can be used for in-home use as well - check eshine.ca )

2. Rent a portable steam-cleaner from your grocery store, home improvement store (typically not as versatile to get into hard to reach areas)  

3. Have it professionally completed (check jrek.ca)
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