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There are many factors to take into consideration when wondering how often your vehicle should be detailed. How often do you use it? Is it parked outside or in a garage? If left outside, is it under shade? Are you working in a temperature controlled environment, or outside sweating in the heat all day? All of these issues add up and over time make your car dirty, inside and out.

Interior

There are a plethora of things going on in your day to day left that inevitably get transferred into your vehicle. Determining how often the interior of your vehicle should be detailed completely depends on your lifestyle. It could be a vehicle that only gets used a couple of times a week to run errands, with you being the only person ever inside the vehicle. On the flipside to that, maybe you drive your vehicle every day to work, and also use it to take the family places. The car that is used every day with family is certainly going to be dirtied and cluttered up much faster than the car only used a couple of times a week. One of the main things to remember when considering an interior detail is not only the overall dirtiness, but germs and bacteria as well. All of the things we come in contact with everyday, are transferred to our vehicle. The outside dirt and fluids that your shoes step on end up on your carpet, and everything your hands touch are undoubtedly on your steering wheel. Even if it’s not a thorough detail, be sure to periodically wipe down your vehicle’s interior to minimize any risks of getting sick.

Exterior

We’re sure you’re aware it doesn’t take long for the outside of your vehicle to become dirty, but is your paint protected? Vehicles that are left outside and/or driven everyday are going to need more attention than the car that sits in the garage most of the time. Regardless, there are multiple outside factors that can break down and damage your vehicle’s clear coat. UV rays, salt, mineral water, bug splatter and bird droppings are all things that can be harmful to your paint, which is why it’s crucial to be sure it has some form of protection on it at all times. Bad days aren’t as bad when your car is clean

How often you need your vehicle detailed depends on who you are, and how you use it. As a general rule of thumb, you should have your vehicle detailed at least twice a year in order to ensure your paint is protected, and interior germs and bacteria are kept to a minimum.

The big question at hand. Whether you have a vehicle that may be a few years old or just recently purchased a new one, it needs to be protected. So, should you have it ceramic coated, a paint protection film installed, or maybe even both? This is a common topic that we discuss all the time with many of our clients. While both options are fantastic forms of protection for your vehicle’s paint, each has a different purpose for the types of damage they were made to protect against.

Ceramic Coatings

A Ceramic coating offers your vehicle a few different benefits such as enhanced gloss and hydrophobic self cleaning properties, but most importantly, protection for your vehicle’s clear coat. Your vehicle is put through some of the harshest conditions everyday, not only while you are driving it but while it’s parked as well. Rain, mineral water, bug splatter, bird droppings and UV damage are some of the elements that damage your vehicle’s paint on a daily basis. These are the things that ceramic coatings were developed to withstand and protect against. The chance of any of the above stated issues damaging your vehicle’s paint are drastically reduced once it is ceramic coated. It provides an invisible barrier between all the outside elements and stops them from leaving the damage in your clear coat that they normally would.

Paint Protection Film

Paint Protection Film on the other hand was made and designed to stop impact damage from harming your vehicle’s paint. Rock and stone chips, scratches and scuffs are all issues that damage your paint and can leave permanent marks behind. When a paint protection film is installed to your vehicle, it stops all of those issues from happening. A paint protection film can still be damaged if impacted hard enough by a larger stone, or scuffed hard enough by something hitting it, at which point the film can easily be removed and replaced while the panel underneath will be unharmed.

Drive Protected

So which one is right for you? Ceramic coatings are a great fit for everyone due to the fact that every vehicle is open to being damaged from harmful weathering conditions, while paint protection films are more common for vehicles that have lower front ends, as well as vehicles that do more highway driving in order to stop rock chip damage from occurring. As the price of newer vehicles increases yearly, having both a ceramic coating and paint protection installed seems to be becoming more common for the daily driver.

So you just detailed your car, or had it done by some awesome professionals such as ourselves, and now all can seem to focus on, is all of the swirls and scratches all over the paint. When bad enough, it can make the whole car look like a big spider web of scratches. So what’s the deal? Where are they coming from?

Lack of Protection

When your vehicle’s clear coat has no form of protection on it such as a wax, sealant, ceramic coating or paint protection film, it leaves your paint much more vulnerable to damage of all kinds, including swirls and scratches. Let’s relate this to a cell phone. If you drop or scratch the screen on your phone but you have a screen protector on it, the screen protector stops most, if not all of the damage from harming the actual screen. Same exact idea with keeping protection on your vehicle’s clear coat. As long as there is some form of protection on your vehicle’s clear coat, it will substantially reduce the chances of it becoming covered in swirls and scratches.

Improper Wash Technique

This is a big one. How you wash your vehicle will also be a big determining factor of how well your clear coat will look. First and foremost, never use an automatic car wash! Automatic car washes are the number one cause for swirls and scratches to your vehicles paint due to the way they operate. This is even stated in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. If hand washing, most people will use one bucket of clean soapy water for the entire vehicle. This is a poor wash technique because the dirt you are wiping off of the vehicle, is being transferred back into your clean soapy water by the wash mitt, thus being rubbed all over your vehicle’s paint which can also cause swirls and scratches.

To properly wash your vehicle, always make sure you are using the proper towels and mitts when washing and drying your vehicle. We recommend using nothing but microfiber products for the entire process. Also, make sure to never wash your vehicle in the open sunlight. It should always be in a shaded area, and the paint cool to the touch. We recommend washes using the 2 bucket method. The first bucket will be your clean soapy water, and the second bucket will be plain water for rinsing off your wash mitt. Wash about a fourth of your vehicle at a time. After every section, your wash mitt should be rinsed off and cleaned in your plain water before going back into the soapy water to continue washing. After washing is complete we recommend drying with a microfiber towel. We also recommend using a third and separate bucket for when washing your wheels.

The Solution

If your vehicle already has swirls and scratches on it, no worries! We provide services that will remove all of those defects and bring your paint back to life. Be sure to always use proper wash technique when cleaning your vehicle and always make sure the clear coat has a form of protection on it. Between these 2 things, your chances of getting swirls and scratches in your vehicle’s paint will be greatly reduced.

Have you ever been to an automatic car wash and come out with a vehicle worse off than when it went in? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, many people have had disappointing experiences with these types of car washes. Here’s why you should steer clear of them and what you can do instead to get your car clean.

Automatic car washes can damage your car’s paint job

Automatic car washes can be incredibly convenient, but they are also highly destructive in terms of protecting your car’s paint job. While more and more technology has been developed in recent years to make automatic car washes seem gentler on vehicles, the fact is that their spinning brushes and powerful soaps can easily grind away at your paint job. Car wash brushes, no matter how soft they appear, can sometimes scratch the surface of your car when combined with dirt and grit. This abrasion can lead to fading, micro-scratches, and other damage that becomes apparent after several visits to the car wash. To protect against premature damage to your vehicle, manual car washes may be a safer option for those who are short on time.

The chemicals used in automatic car washes can be harmful to your car

When considering how to care for your car, it may seem easier and quicker to take advantage of an automatic carwash service in Myrtle Beach. However, the reality is that these car washes can ultimately do more harm than good. Most often, these washes use harsh chemicals that are not necessarily designed with your car specifically in mind. The aggressive acids often used can leave damaging residue on the surface and even cause more serious problems down the line. When it comes to keeping your car in tip-top shape, a manual clean is always better as you have greater control over what goes on the paint job and can be sure that what you’re using won’t end up harming aspects of the interior or exterior of your vehicle.

The car wash machine can damage or break parts of your car

The car wash machine can be damaging to the interior and exterior of your car. It can damage or ruin the inside of your rims, and can put an excessive strain on steering and suspension components. This can potentially pull your vehicle out of alignment, not only damaging these important pieces of equipment but taking away from the overall stability for your driving experience. Additionally, this power washing machine can cause damage to windshield wipers that are crucial in helping you clearly see the road during rain or snow storms. You should take caution when washing your car in a car wash to avoid any costly repairs!

Overall, it is clear that although automatic car washes are a convenient option for washing cars, there are definitely risks associated with them. They can potentially damage the paint job of a car through their brushes, increase rusting by leaving chemicals on the car, and even cause certain parts to break if not used correctly. It is vital to weigh these potential dangers before making the decision whether or not to use an automatic car wash. Ultimately, keeping your car in top condition will require maintenance and care over time – doing regular checks for rust or damage on all parts of the vehicle at least once per month is an essential practice for any serious vehicle owner.