There are so many modern innovations today that are designed to improve the look and performance of motor vehicles.  Where appearance is concerned, there is a wide range of products available that claim to get your car looking new again and can maintain that newness.  There are also services available that keep your car looking good.  Once such service is a touchless car wash.  You may have seen a touchless car wash in action on television but never witnessed or experienced it.  Read on for more information.

Generally, car washes either operate cloth friction services or touchless washing services.  While many people prefer to stick to the traditional cloth friction washing, there are others who actually like touchless carwash services and are pleased with the results after.

A touchless car washing system usually relies on high powered bolts of water from structured pipes and tubes and very strong detergents for cleaning the car.  At no point does any cloth or other material come into contact with the car; only the water and cleaning solutions touch the exterior surface.  To many people, this allows a flawless car wash to be done because the vehicle is not subjected to possible scratches from washing cloths.

However, other people don’t think a touchless system is a good idea for two main reasons:

• Many people believe that the power with which the water is sprayed onto the car is strong enough to damage the paint job.  In some cases, people feel that the water can also create dents in the body of the car because it is sprayed so forcefully.
• People feel that the strong cleaning solutions used in a touchless car wash is too strong for the paint surface of the car.  Businesses that operate touchless car wash services say it is necessary to use stronger products because there is no cloth friction.  However, some car owners have actually experienced paint damage after a few touchless car washes!

The verdict is still not in about whether or now a touchless car wash should be used for a good, high quality car.  Many people consider the expenses they paid to acquire a good car and keep it in a good condition as the main factors why they don’t use touchless car washes.  To them, there is just too much at stake to risk getting the exterior surface damaged.

While touchless car wash operators insist that there is no damage done to the car during the washing process, some car owners would just prefer to not find out!

Article Tags: automatic carwash

Detailing a car is something that a lot of car owners take a lot of pride in.  They just try to always make their car look good, and a big part of that is ensuring that the paint job is flawless.  If you are a car enthusiast and are looking for the right auto paint supplies to get a flawless finish on your paint job, then there are certain factors you need to consider before actually spending your money.

Here are some things you can consider when buying automotive paint supplies:

• The most popular type of car paint on the market today is urethane paint.  This paint not only comes in great durable colors, but it also helps to shield your car from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, thereby preventing burnout.  Cars sprayed with urethane paints are distinctly vibrant in terms of the depth of the color on your car.  Urethane paints are probably the best quality available out there on the market today.
• If you are into the two-stage painting process where a clear coat is used on top of the base coat, you will definitely need to consider the pricier clear coats as opposed to the cheaper ones.  If you use a cheaper clear coat, there is a greater chance that the base coat applied below it can burn out in no time.  A good clear coat will also help to protect your car from ultraviolet rays, so you will definitely need to be willing to fork out the bucks!
• Although price is generally a factor that can help you determine if you are getting good auto paint supplies, enamel paint is the true exception.  This is a cheaper type of old school paint for cars which is not very expensive and is traditionally very durable.  Once you spray a few coats of it onto your car, you will be left with a thick glossy paint job that will last for years.

Essentially, you can expect the more expensive brands of auto paint supply to be the ones of higher quality.  This rule holds true for even clear coat that ultimately protects your base coat from burning out.  What is also great about the more expensive paints is that they apply very well and come with a very long warranty, as long as the proper technique for spraying is followed.

Finding a good car detailing service is never easy, but getting a car detailed is a pride filled moment for many car owners.  The processes done on the car make it look so much better overall.  That is why people make sacrifices and spend the money getting the job done well.  And speaking of that, you will need to know how to find a detailing service that actually does a good job!

Good car detailing services will be able to do the following:

• They will be able to provide a quote for getting your car fully detailed.  A professional service will have a very good idea of what each detailing job will entail, especially if they are able to see your car before.  If you contact them by phone, they will usually ask the type of questions that will help them in accurately quoting you.
• They will be able to make recommendations about the time of day that your particular car can and should be detailed.  Some cars can be detailed in the sun, while others get a better detailing job in a shaded area and a good detailing service will be able to know that.
• A good detailing service will charge separately for their service versus the time spent on the car.  That is a plus for customers who have perhaps been used to detailing services that only charge per hour and have workers who take excessively long to complete the project.  Of course, some detailing jobs will take more time than others, but the idea is that the detailing company will be able to tell you their pricing factors from the get-go.
• A good detailing service will have insurance coverage to protect your car in the event it gets damaged during detailing.  That is a factor that stands out to customers so they don’t have to worry about such problems.
• Some car detailing companies also cater to special needs of customers.  You can inquire if they offer eco friendly products or interior cleaning products that won’t cause allergic reactions.  Customers will have the option to test out an interior cleaned with the non-allergenic products.

If you exercise a little reasoning power and consider the factors above, you should be able to determine if you have chosen a good auto detailing service or not.  If everything seems to have a price tag attached, or if you can never get any answers to your questions, then you should probably move on to another service.

Car polishing is an important part of the detailing process.  Polish, when applied correctly, gives cars a completely new appearance as if they just came out of the factory.  However, not all products on the market can achieve that appearance.  Just like with every other product out there, there is cheap car polish and there is good car polish, so you need to be able to tell the difference.

The first thing you need to note is that car polish is not to be used when your car is looking dull or dirty.  The glossy finish you might be looking for usually comes from using wax.  A car polish is usually applied once or twice a year to remove flaws or scratches and restore that factory appearance to the exterior of your car.  For people who expose their cars to damaging environments and factors, then polishing might need to take place more often.  With that said, you can easily identify a bad car polish if it claims to improve the gloss on your car.  You should try to avoid a polish that does that.

Price is sometimes a good factor to consider when looking for a good car polish, however you should never consider that as the only factor.  A car polish is designed to clean and remove scruffs from the exterior.  Some products claim to act as both a wax and a polish.  While those may work for a while, they definitely won’t work as well as a straight polish.

Some brands of car polish are made with carnauba, while others are made with synthetic polymers.  Many car detailers believe that a polish based in synthetic polymers clings to the paint surface better, thereby producing a better polish.  Better polishes will often contain synthetic polymers, while cheaper ones will probably contain carnauba.

Although most high quality polishes are often more expensive, what is more important is that they provide a more lasting finish on your car.  That is exactly why a polish is not necessary more than once or twice a year.

Here are some of the consumers’ favorite brands when it comes to car polish:

• Swissol
• Zymol
• Meguiar’s
• Turtle Wax
• DuraLube
• Sonus
• Ultima
• Klasse

Remember that using the best car polish is a key part of doing a great detailing job.  Do it right by getting a high quality polish and only applying it when really necessary.

Car detail work does not have to be an expensive activity that you spend tons of money getting done.  You can actually do much of it on your own.

If you want to achieve perfection for your car, here are some car detailing tips that will take you very close to having the perfect looking car:

Interior

• Leave the cleaning of the windows until you’ve finished cleaning everything else inside.  That prevents the windows from getting soiled while you are cleaning door panels.
• Where interior conditioning is concerned, apply those products after the windows have been cleaned so your cleaning cloth does not get any of the dressing onto the windows when wiping them.
• Clean the top of the window pane first, then roll it up fully and clean the rest.
• Avoid getting interior cleaners on the plastic panels in your car, as they tend to leave spots on the plastic.
• Rinse your mats and upholstery after cleaning in case there is any cleaner residue left on them.

Exterior

• Always wash the lower areas of the car first to prevent oily residue and dirt from being rubbed onto the rest of the car.  Lower areas include wheels, mud guards, wheel wells and so on.
• When a detailing job is done, the car is supposed to look like it just got painted and buffed.  To help achieve that look, spray a little liquid wax onto the painted surface after rinsing.  Then use your chamois or other car drying cloth to dry.  Then buff the painted surface with a towel made for blending in wax.  This not only removes water spots, but gives the car a lovely shine.
• Dress rubber, plastic or vinyl trim, as well as tires before waxing or sealing.
• Dress the wheel wells with a watered down dressing after rinsing.  It gives them a great finish!

Engine

• Start your whole detailing project with the engine bay first.  Clean the engine bay so that any grease transferred to the car in the process can be washed off when you move to the body of the car.
• To prevent engine cleaners and degreasers from spotting your fender, just place some wet towels over it before starting.
• If you drive a car that has the computer modules in the engine bay, avoid getting that areas wet as water could damage the components.  Simply wipe those areas with a damp towel.