Yes we do! However, this does not apply to every service, such as paint corrections and cereamic coating application.

A Ceramic Coating is currently the most advanced form of protection for your paint available on the market. While its functions are similar to that of a sealant, the levels of protection provided are increased ten-fold, meaning your paint retains that showroom shine for as long as five years to come. While Sealants are good at what they do, they are applied as a very thin, soft layer on top of your paint and therefore, they break down and dissipate over time. As well as that, harsh chemicals found in cheap hand car washes can break down sealants and strip them from your paint. A Ceramic Coating on the other hand, once applied dries as a solid layer over the top of your paint. It is almost a second layer of clear lacquer, but with hydrophobic properties which also amplify the glossiness of the original paint. This means incredibly easy maintenance, and constant levels of gloss. Not only that, but it is proven to protect against swirling, marring and many more types of minor surface defects, eliminating the need to regular polishing.

Machine polishing is much easier to understand if you have a feel for how modern paint on vehicles works. Paint consists predominantly of three layers, a primer, a colour base coat, and a clear lacquer over the top to give it glossiness and protect the base coat. The act of polishing, is essentially shaving off a microscopically thin layer of the clear lacquer, in order to flatten out any defects or imperfections on the surface. Machine polishing is categorised in stages in order to standardise the work carried out. Generally speaking, the amount of stages a car needs in order to fully restore its paintwork depends on the condition of it prior to work starting. A single-stage machine polish for example, would consist of one pass over the vehicle’s paint using a machine polisher (buffer), using a light polishing compound so as to remove light defects such as swirls and marring. A two-stage machine polish would include two passes, the first of which would use a more abrasive compound to flatten out more severe defects, and the second pass using a light polish to restore the glossiness and shine that is dulled down by the heavy initial pass.

As vehicles do more and more miles, the paintwork will pick up various different types of contamination which essentially embeds itself in the paint. Because of this, the usual washing process will not pull these contaminants from the surface, and as time goes on they become more embedded in the paint. The process of decontamination in regards to detailing refers to the removal of these foreign objects that have embedded themselves within your car’s paintwork. These can include iron deposits from built up brake dust, fragments of tar and rubber picked up from the roads and your tyres, as well as just general dirt and ‘traffic film’. Decontamination can be carried out using a variety of chemical-based products, and help to draw out and loosen any iron, tar, rubber etc. deposits on the paintwork. Once this first step is complete, a claybar is used over the paintwork to pick up any remaining contaminants that the chemical products did not manage to pick up.

Sealants and Waxes are used to not only protect your paintwork from the elements with their hydrophobic properties, but also provide an extra layer of glossiness and shine to the look of your paint. The two however do differentiate from each other and both have their own purposes. A Wax is generally made from natural products, and its key purpose is to improve the aesthetics of a vehicle by providing an extra level of gloss and shine to the paint’s finish. While it does have protective and hydrophobic properties, they are generally not very strong and don’t last any more than a month or so. A Sealant is essentially the opposite of a wax. They are usually made synthetically rather than natural products, and their key purpose is to provide a good level of protection to the paint which can last up to 6 months. Having said this, they do still offer a level of aesthetic benefits as does a wax, just not quite on the same showroom-shine level.

Prior to any surface contact with the paintwork of a vehicle, we will always first apply a pre-wash solution, followed by snow foam and a thorough rinse. This is to remove as much dirt as possible before handwashing, meaning the risk of any fragments being caught in the wash mitt and dragged along the paint causing swirls, marks and scratches is minimised as much as possible. A pre-wash solution is a thin soapy liquid which is sprayed on all surfaces of the vehicle. This strong shampoo-like solution quickly works towards breaking down the dirt on the surface of the vehicle, loosening it up from the paintwork. This is then rinsed off, taking with it a good percentage of the dirt and traffic film on the vehicle. Once a pre-wash has been applied, there is a good chance that dirt and traffic film which has been loosened is still not quite removed from the vehicle. Snow Foam is a thick, very soapy liquid sprayed on to the surface of the vehicle in the same manner as pre-wash. This is left to sit for 5 – 10 minutes, and pulls off any dirt the pre-wash didn’t quite grab.