How to Detail Your Car

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By D Snider
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (15 Ratings)

Detail Your Car

Learn how to properly detail your car or truck. Listed here are some tips that you may or may not of thought of when detailing your vehicle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Dish washing liquid or store bought soap.
Tire shine
Chrome polish
Car wax
A few towels

Step 1

Dish washing liquid will work just fine

Wash. Take your car to the car wash or simply hand wash it with soap at your home. You can buy soap in the automotive section of your local Auto Zone or supermarket, or you can make some homemade wash using regular dish washing liquid. Usually 3 oz of liquid to 3 or 4 gallons of water will be plenty. Rinse thoroughly or the soap will show up later.
Step 2

Dry. When your done thoroughly washing your car, make sure you get the majority of water off so that it doesn't leave water marks later.
Step 3

Windows, mirrors and glass. Take a bottle of glass cleaner, 409 or the like, and polish your windows, windshield, outside and inside mirrors, and your headlights. If you have some pesky stains or bugs on the windshield, consider purchasing some bug and tar remover from your local store. DO NOT apply bug and tar remover to the paint!
Step 4

Polish Chrome. Polished chrome is a great touch up during the detailing of the car. Not only does it look good, but it protects it from rusting. Purchase some Turtle Wax or the like and polish your grill and rims, or anything else that is chrome plated. Read the directions as different brands of polish require different methods of cleaning.
Step 5

Tires. There are many different brands of tire shine you can purchase at your local store. Tire shine gives your tires that "wet" look for a couple of days. This looks especially good if you have nice, polished rims to go with it. Eagle one is a great brand for tire polishing.
Step 6

Clean up. Now let's head inside the vehicle. Obviously you should remove clutter that is littering the inside of your car. If you have a hand held vacuum it would prove very useful in this step.
Step 7

Upholstery and Leather. If you have leather seat it is very important to treat them on a regular basis. If you do not treat your leather they will be more prone to cracking which is very ugly.

If you have upholstery, treat it as you would your carpet. Your carpet needs to be cleaned every now and then. Avoid using harsh carpet cleaners as this has a tendency to bleach your seats. Instead, use an upholstery cleaner in the automotive section of your local store.
Step 8

Fragrance. If you have left some food in your car lately, it is likely that this smell is still lingering. Consider purchasing an air freshener or spray (new car smell is the best).
Step 9

Wax. By now your vehicle should be completely dry and ready for a coat of wax. If it's possible, wax your car in some shade as the sun tends to bake in your coat of wax. Grab a soft towel and gently apply the wax to your entire car. By the time you finish your whole car, it should have been enough time to begin removing excess wax. Grab another towel and start where you started applying the wax.
Step 10

That's it, your done! Obviously this process can take some time, but if you like your car to look as good as possible, these steps are essential.