TENDER RUBBING CARE
DEC 2006 VOL 1. ISSUE 2
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Forwarded Message:
Subj: Maintaining Your Car's Value
Date: 12/5/2006 10:32:33 AM Eastern Standard Time
Sent from the Internet (Details)
Tender Rubbing Care
Ultimate Auto Detailing Newsletter
December 2006 Vol. 1, Issue 2
Table of Contents
Maintaining Your Car's Value
Quick Detailing
Christmas came early
Joke of the Month
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Maintaining Your Car's Value
By Jim Pyatt
After your home, and possibly college education, your car is probably the second-biggest investment you will ever make. So, doesn't it make sense to look after your investment? Regular washing can help keep your car in excellent condition. Washing is not an expense; it's an investment in the value of your car as an investment. We are all accustomed to changing the oil every 3,000 miles or after some other distance that the manufacturer recommends; we don't want the engine to seize up. The cost to rebuild or replace an engine is several thousand dollars. The maintenance of aesthetics is no different. Failing to wash and wax our car will lead to paint failure and cost, you guessed it, several thousand. Still I see cars on the road that look as if they haven't been washed in at least a year; I can only imagine their oil: more than likely it's mostly mud. Just like changing your oil regularly, wash your car weekly and wax every 90 days, once a season, and your investment will last.
The best time to begin taking care of your car is the day you buy it. If the vehicle hasn't been detailed, get it done as soon as possible. Even if the car was detailed by the dealer, you may want to invest in some very inexpensive protectants that can save you hundreds of dollars in repairs later on.
What's the Meaning of Car Detailing?
To some, it's a simple car wash; to others, it's a wash and hand wax; to yet others, it is a trip to the local detail shop; to the car enthusiast, it's a hobby. Detailing is for those of us who love keeping our cars in tip-top shape. We spend our weekends tenderly taking care of the vehicles we are so proud to own. Drive around any suburban neighborhood, and you will see driveways covered with suds. The enthusiast's garage will be fully stocked with cleaning supplies and car-detailing products. The car buff has a ritual just like taking care of the house: we all take the trash to the curb once or twice a week, so doesn't it make sense that we empty the trash from our vehicles? Remember when you bought that new car you said you would not eat or drink in it? Now, how long did that really last, a week or two? Well, we car enthusiasts have pride and showmanship. We love to see a dirt-free engine compartment all shined up and looking showroom new.
Detailing your car doesn't have to be a chore. By making it a regular process and being enthusiastic about it, not only will you be proud of your vehicle, but you will also find that it is definitely an activity worth the time and investment. In addition to the actual time and process, you will invest in an array of detailing products which will help keep a vehicle close to factory condition, helping the car to retain its best-possible secondhand value. Spending this much time cleaning a vehicle may seem excessive to some; others believe the time spent will pay off in the long run, when the owner decides to trade in or sell the vehicle. Many find that in all that work, there is value and profit.
The array of products on the market today specifically designated for car care is mind-boggling, even to me a professional. Step into any auto-parts store, and you will find one whole wall loaded with supplies. You don't have to break out into a cold sweat, by reading this newsletter each month and picking up a copy of my book due for release in the spring of 2007. I will make these so-called chores into fun, or at least manageable tasks. What can be better than rubbing your baby's body? And isn't your car a precious baby?
Set up a schedule, daily quick detailing, weekly or biweekly washing. By performing these simple tasks and maintaining a regular waxing schedule, you will drastically reduce major projects like polishing and deep interior scrubbing and shampooing. A good wax applied to your vehicle will protect the paint from dirt, pesky bugs, sticky sap, and weather damage.
Car cleaning can be full of difficult obstacles affecting a variety of surfaces. It can be difficult to clean your car completely without having to go back and redo your work. As a professional, I am constantly increasing my knowledge of the latest science in an effort to better my results and efficiency.
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Quick Detailing
By Jim Pyatt
Washing your car every week is time-consuming. In this day and age of rushing about, 12-hour workdays, and traffic jams, the last thing you have time for is washing the car. Yet, if you're like me, you hate to have a dirty car. So, what do you do? The answer is quick detailing.
The Quick-Detailing Techniques
Using my quick-detailing techniques, I have reduced my soap-and-water washing to every other week on my commuter car, and once a month or even longer on my weekend toys. Time is only one factor in considering quick detailing. Water shortage is another. Sooner or later, drought hits all of us. It seems to run in seven-year cycles here in my part of California.
Quick detailing is not just for the exterior of your car. There are detailing sprays for your car's interior, as well. . Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Protect Interior Protectant is the fastest way to clean, shine, and protect all interior surfaces. It also maintains the look and feel of interior plastic, vinyl, leather, rubber, metal, and audio/video equipment. In just 5 minutes, you can detail the complete interior of your car with this amazing product. Try it once and you'll use it every time you wash your car. It removes dust, fingerprints, and light soil from all nonfabric surfaces.
Interior First
Use Quik Interior Detailer or a bucket of fresh water. It's your choice.
· Fold your microfiber detailing towel, spray it with a few shots of detailing spray, and wipe down the dashboard, console, seats (don't use a detailing spray on cloth seats), door panels, and door jambs. Use the interior detailing spray more for dusting than cleaning. It's not necessary to wet the interior surfaces directly with the spray, just with the damp microfiber towel.
· If you're not using an interior detailing spray, fill your bucket with water. Rinse your microfiber detailing towel thoroughly and wring out as much water as possible. Fold the towel in half, then in half again. Use your damp microfiber towel to wipe down the interior. The microfiber towel will quickly remove all dust and fingerprints from your dash and console.
· The interior windows will need a quick wipedown every few days, too, more often if your dog likes to lick the windows. Use a dry microfiber towel designed for use on glass, and buff.
Like their exterior counterparts, interior mist and wipes are designed for fast results on interior finishes that need just a little touch-up to look perfect. The Meguiar's formula is unique in that it works equally well on glass, metal, vinyl, plastic, and leather, but don't use it on cloth. The final finish is matte or satin, depending on the interior and your use of other protectants. Superior performance will make this product a hit with anyone who wants to spray and wipe the entire interior with a single spray.
Exterior Second
The number-one concern most people have with quick detailing is scratching or dulling the paint. This is a genuine concern and warrants discussion. Quick detailing your paint is perfectly safe if you follow a few cautionary measures:
· Use a quality duster to lift away dust.
· Use quality microfiber towels with plenty of nap, plenty of detailing spray; and learn when your car is too dirty to quick detail, and wash it instead.
Don't underestimate the benefit of a good duster. Here are the proper steps to quick detail your car's body:
· Dust the vehicle with a paint-safe car duster like the California Car Duster. Start at the top of your vehicle and work down. Shake your duster frequently while holding it at arm's length away from your car (rapidly flipping side-to-side is the best method).Clean the windows with an auto-glass cleaner like Invisible Glass by Stoner and a microfiber waffle weave towel. Never use household-glass cleaners. (Most household cleaners are ammonia based.)
If your current cleaner does not state "ammonia-free" or "safe for tinted windows," you should not use it. The ammonia is not only unsafe to breathe, but it will also eat the tinting film away.
· Wipe down the paintwork with your favorite detailing spray. I prefer Mothers Showtime Instant Detailer. Mist the microfiber towel, not the body panel. Starting at the top, wipe down your car, wiping in a single direction only. This will reduce the micromarring (swirling). Absolutely never use circular motions, or you are guaranteed to swirl the car's paint. As the surface of the towel gets soiled, flip it to a clean side. When all sides of the towel are dirty, switch to a fresh towel.
When the loose dirt is gone, wipe the car down again with Meguiar's NXT-generation spray wax, giving a couple of shots of spray into the towel for each panel. This will leave you with a just-waxed finish.
Wheels
If your wheels are fairly clean, simply wipe them down with quick detailer and a terry towel, but never use terry cloth on paint; the harshness of the nap will scratch the paint.
· If your wheels have heavy brake dust, give them a couple of shots of detailing spray to loosen the dust. Fill the wash bucket with water and 1 oz. of car-wash soap. Using your bucket and the damp towel, rinse each tire and wheel. A quality towel or sponge they can hold a lot of water, making it perfect for rinsing away brake dust. Use the dry towel to dry and buff the wheels.
Once you are familiar with quick detailing your car, you can easily get the job done in as little as 10 minutes. Compare this to the 45 to 60 minutes it takes to wash and dry your car with soap and water. If you did a quick detail on your car every day, you would spend no more time than you would on a weekly wash, and your car would always look freshly detailed. My brother's black show car has not been washed in over a year, thanks to using this system.
Reflection of red porsche in door of black Porsche
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Christmas Came Early
By Jim Pyatt
Las Vegas, SEMA 2006
This year's theme was muscle. Attending SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) is nothing short of amazing. The lights are bright; it's like being a kid on Christmas morning and finding a living room full of cars, trucks, and accessories. Once a year, car-crazy people arrive in Vegas, for what's known as the world's biggest automotive event. It's Vegas, the strip, the lights, and the glam.
The Big Three American automotive industry's giants celebrated the muscle-car heritage. They represent not only a storied performance legacy but also almost the very roots of the industry itself. The Camaro, Challenger, and Mustang, the current production and concept versions of those fabled cars are now kindling similar passion in a new generation of auto enthusiasts. Project vehicles, like the Hemisphere designed by Chip Foose, will be limited-edition high-performance street machines produced under the Mopar name.
Bold New Colors
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. of DEI (Dale Earnhardt INC.) along with Planet Color (a division of Sherwin-Williams) introduced bold innovative colors at more than 100 mph? Dale Jr. signed a multiyear exclusive agreement with Planet Color, during an appearance at SEMA. It will feature a unique line of custom color paints boasting optically enhanced finishes. The announcement was made jointly by Earnhardt Jr. and Tom Hablitzel, Vice President of Marketing at Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes. Dale said, "Once I saw the vibrancy of the Planet Color finishes up close, I knew I wanted them for my team."
Recent enhancements to the Planet Color brand will take special effects even further. New color palettes were introduced with innovative pigments for previously unseen levels of brilliance and reflectivity.
Car Care
Meguiar's introduced a new product, Cut & Polish Cream, engineered for both compounding and polishing. This product is part of their new system, Solo™, a one-liquid polishing system they promote as a simple approach to world-class, swirl-free results. This product is slated to be available to the public in early 2007. I have recently been testing a similar product from Norton called Liquid Ice. I will test and compare the two in a later edition of this newsletter. The Norton Liquid Ice is a water-based liquid that feels abrasive-free, but has the cutting power of a heavy cut compound.
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Joke of the Month
A mechanic was removing cylinder heads from an engine when he spotted a famous heart surgeon in his shop. The surgeon was standing off to the side, waiting for the service manager to come take a look at his car. The mechanic shouted across the garage, "Hello, Doctor, please come over here for a minute." The famous surgeon, a bit surprised, walked over to the mechanic. The mechanic straightened up, wiped his hands on a rag, and asked argumentatively. "So, Doctor, look at this. I also open hearts, take valves out, grind 'em, put in new parts, and when I finish, this will work as well as a new one. So how come you get the big money, when you and I are doing basically the same work?" The doctor leaned over and whispered to the mechanic, "Try to do it when the engine is running."
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Coming in the January 2007 issue: "Swirl-Free Car Wash"
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