If you’re a rookie car owner, you’ll not only have to tackle the financial rigours of keeping your vehicle shipshape—insurance, gas, engine maintenance, etc. You’ll also have to keep up with “car owner lingo,” and one term you’ve got to get a grasp of is car valeting, which is generally known as car/auto detailing.
Whether DIY or offered as a service by local Surrey car detailing companies such as All Seasons Valeters, car detailing is often mistaken for washing and waxing, which is a common mistake. On one hand, washing and waxing only deals with keeping a vehicle’s exterior shipshape. On the other, detailing is much deeper, focusing a lot more on a car’s interior (though it does involve some exterior work).
In other words, car detailing is a top-to-bottom cleaning of a car from inside to outside, intended to restore the car to near-factory finish aesthetics (if not completely recreate them). Compared to traditional DIY cleaning, car detailing literally covers all parts of a vehicle. In addition to having a squeaky clean vehicle, car detailing also helps keep the car in excellent condition, which can subsequently retain significant resale value.
When detailers get to work on your car, you better believe they’re literally tackling each and every inch of surface available. Here’s a quick rundown of the areas which get attention: interior work covers things like carpets and mats (cleaning them up and repairing any damage), air vents, window seals & dials, upholstery and air freshening. For the exterior, you can count the wheels, tyres, panels and windows among everything you see on your car’s surface.
Going the DIY route in car detailing isn’t recommended, and there are valid reasons why. Professional car detailing in London and elsewhere brings a considerable amount of technical know-how, state-of-the-art tools that conventional car owners aren’t likely to have, incredible attention to detail (a typical session involves at least 10 to well over 30 hours of labour to complete) and solid after-service care and customer support. Several professional detailers describe their trade as “systematic rejuvenation and protection of various surfaces of a vehicle,” specifically aimed at getting a car looking better than showroom condition.
Detailing your car brings with it a wide array of benefits. A thorough detail can leave close to every surface of the vehicle improved—from low-sheen paint to ultra-glossy, UV-protected rubber and vinyl, as well as excellently conditioned leather and sparkling chrome. It will seem like you never even used your car at all.
(Source: What Is Auto Detailing? WiseGeek.com)
