What is Car Detailing?

As you bring your vehicle in for regular service like oil changes and tire rotations, you may have heard the term “car detailing.” What is car detailing? In short, it’s a type of cleaning that focuses on thoroughly restoring the interior and exterior of your vehicle. In addition to surface-level cleaning, car detailing removes blemishes and scratches from your car’s paint and upholstery. You can do it yourself from home, or a member of our body shop can take care of everything for you! We’ve got more details about the process of car detailing in Omaha in the guide below.

Items Used For Car Detailing

The first thing you should do when detailing a car is to get ahold of the necessary items. Here’s what you’ll need for a successful detailing:

• Vacuum cleaner
• Washing mitts
• Microfiber cloths
• A variety of small brushes (such as a paintbrush)
• Canned air
• Upholstery cleaner
• Carpet stain cleaner
• Car-safe cleaner
• Window cleaner
• Surface protector for vinyl and leather surfaces

How to Detail a Car’s Exterior

Once you’ve gathered the necessary items and you’re ready to start the detailing process, just follow these straightforward procedures:

• Rigorous exterior wash: This is the first step to any car detailing. Make sure you have water, a car-safe washing solution, and microfiber cloths so you don’t damage your vehicle’s surface. You should also avoid household detergents since they’ll strip the wax off the surface of your car, and change out your cleaning cloths regularly so that dirt and sand don’t scratch the paint.
• Clean the wheels: Use the solution you used to wash the exterior, or a new solution specially made for car tires, to clean your vehicle’s wheels. Use a small brush to get between the grooves and hard-to-reach places in the wheels.
• Wax the exterior: If you want, you can add a layer of wax to your car–just make sure you wipe off the excess wax with a small brush when you’re done.

Interior Car Detailing Steps

The next step is to move on to interior car detailing. Here are the areas you should focus on:

• Carpeting: Vacuum the carpeting and use a stain remover and a brush to get rid of any stains that might have formed.
• Door interior: Using a solution made of soap and water, carefully clean out the non-carpeted part of your doors and dry them down with a cloth. Then, open your car doors to clean the metal and plastic parts of the door jambs.
• Windows: Use a window-cleaning solution to wash down the windows–be sure to dry them completely to avoid streaks.
• Upholstery: If you haven’t already, go over the upholstery with stain remover and a brush to clean them. Open the car doors to let the upholstery dry out so mildew doesn’t form.
• Steering wheel column: Using a cleaning solution, remove any dust and stains that have formed on the steering wheel column, then dry and apply a surface protectant.
• Dashboard and center console: Use the small tools listed above to clean cracks and tight crevices, and dry everything completely with a cloth.

Sid Dillon Buick of Lincoln Is Here For All Your Service Needs!

If you’d prefer to let a professional handle your car detailing, go ahead and schedule an appointment with our service team and we’ll take care of everything! You can also stop by our dealership to talk to a member of our service team in person if you want to learn more about how to detail a car at home–we’re conveniently located near Beatrice and Hickman. Be sure to take advantage of our service specials if you’re interested in saving on your next appointment!