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Home - Connor Harrison Detailing
Here is my 'ultimate' detail process, it removes dirt and grime from every facet of your vehicle and leaves it looking better than it did the day you bought it.
I begin by taking a thorough examination of your vehicle to determine how to best begin the wash. I have several different washing methods depending on the severity of contamination and desires of the client.
Prior to washing, I clean up the wheels, tires, and fender wells. The wheels are cared for using a powerful pH balanced gel cleaner that is safe for all finishes and strong enough to remove even the most stubborn brake dust and road grime. The tires and fenders are scrubbed with a variety of purpose specific brushes and a heavy duty cleaner. Everything is then rinsed off and the wheels are dried with microfiber. By cleaning the wheels before washing I eliminate the risk of contaminating your paintwork and wash mitt with brake dust and heavy dirt from your wheels.
When desired, I will thoroughly clean and detail the engine compartment. This begins with covering the distributor, battery, and air intake source with thick towels to prevent any running issues later on. The bay is thoroughly rinsed with low pressure water while avoiding the areas covered with towel. Once rinsed, the engine is foamed with a degreaser and heavy duty cleaner and left to dwell for several minutes. The surfaces are re-wetted with a spray on cleaner and then agitated with various brushes to remove stubborn dirt and grime. The bay is rinsed again and patted dry with a terry cloth towel. Once dry I apply a low gloss plastic protectant and condition the rubber hoses to prevent cracking.
If the vehicle is largely free of dirt and dust, I soak the vehicle in thick suds using a foam gun. After allowing this to dwell for several minutes I blast the surface with high pressure water, and dry using a California blade and blot with a large microfiber towel.
If the vehicle has moderate to severe dirt, I use a more traditional two bucket wash method. Beginning by soaking the vehicle with water and pre-treating the areas of highest contamination with a cleaner. Then I wash the vehicle top to bottom with a soft sheepskin mitt, cleaning it frequently using a grit guard. Once again, I blast the vehicle with high pressure water and dry with a California blade and microfiber towel.
If water usage is a concern, I wash using a two bucket rinseless wash. The rinseless wash uses a high lubricity soap with very strong surfactants to safely remove dirt and grime from your car without damaging your finish. Working panel by panel, I soak the panel with solution, wipe with a clean sheepskin mitt, and dry with a microfiber cloth.
Once the wash has been completed, I take care of any remaining contaminants with a paint-safe heavy duty cleaner, making sure to rinse and dry after cleaning. This will remove any stuck on bug residue and tar clinging to your paint.
Next I inspect your paint for embedded brake dust and industrial fallout which is manifested as little orange dots. I use a claybar appropriate for the amount of contamination, the grade I use depends on how your paint looks and feels. The claybar will physically pull contaminants out of your paint as it glides across the surface. After claying the body, I use the same piece of claybar on the wheels and then discard it. This will leave your paint feeling silky smooth and leaves a super clean surface for wax to more effectively bond to.
Once a vehicle has been clayed it is time to begin the paint correction process. Using a variety of lights I once again inspect your finish for swirls, Random Isolated Deeper Scratches (RIDS), buffer holograms (the result of an inexperienced detailer), and other paint imperfections. The rubber and plastic trim adjacent to polishing surfaces are then taped off to prevent any accidental burns or buffer marks.
If there is a significant amount of swirl marks or oxidation, I compound the entire vehicle with a cutting polish and machine buffer. This will remove the majority of imperfections, while the remaining marks are taken care of with appropriate spot wetsanding and compounding. The next step is to polish the paint, this will remove finer scratches and greatly improve surface gloss and reflectivity. When necessary, an even finer polish is applied, this is called "jeweling" and can make a significant difference in clarity on certain colors and types of paint. Although described briefly here, paint correction is a very time and labor intensive process which requires great care and concentration in order to achieve the perfect finish.
After polishing the paint, I polish the glass, chrome, headlights, and taillights. Each of these surfaces requires a specific pad and polish, so by waiting until I am finished with the paint I can reduce the time spent switching between different pads and backing plates. I then take a very fine brush and a light cleaning solution to remove any polish residue from the cracks between body panels and from tight spaces in the emblems and trim.
Now that your paint is free of swirls, imperfections, and contaminants I can begin to apply a paint sealant. The sealant should be left for a minimum of 8 hours to bond to your paint by allowing the artificial polymers to properly 'cross-link'. While waiting for the sealant to cure I remove all the trim masking that was applied earlier during the correction stage and apply a satin shine protectant. This will restore the finish of faded plastic and vinyl trim as well as condition worn out rubber seals while leaving a low gloss clean look.
Next the wheels are finished off by applying a super durable wheel wax to the rims and a low gloss water based tire shine and protectant is used on the tires. The fender wells are fine cleaned and a protectant is applied to the fender liners (when applicable).
The outside is now complete, pending final hand waxing and wipe down. I wipe down the door, hood, and trunk jambs with a mild cleaner and apply a spray sealant. By now the sealant has flashed sufficiently and can be buffed off before starting to work on the interior.
To begin cleaning the interior I remove all personal objects and place them into a bag for safe keeping. I then remove the floor mats, shake them to remove loose dirt, and either vacuum or shampoo them depending on how soiled they are. The floors, seats, cracks and crannies are vacuumed to remove all loose dirt and are either spot cleaned for stains or completely shampooed if they are significantly soiled. The dashboard, center console, door panels, and other interior surfaces are cleaned and then protected with an appropriate plastic, vinyl, rubber, or leather conditioner. The seats are cleaned with a fabric or leather cleaner, respectively, and then have a similar protectant applied.
Once the interior is completed, I do a final hand waxing using one of my carnauba pastes. While allowing the carnauba to flash, I clean the windows and do a final buff of the wheels and chrome. After the wax has flashed I buff it off with a microfiber cloth and hand you back the keys to your pristine clean ride!
This process usually takes two days to complete, sometimes longer depending on the condition of the paint.