FAQs about VRS Car Valeting & Detailing Services in Brighton
Take a look at our car valeting FAQs below, where we answer the most common questions about car detailing. We offer a bunch of valet services in Brighton and Hove at our car body shop, as well as a professional mobile car valeting service. This means you can still receive our body repair, paint correction and valet services from your home and workplace in East Sussex.
Why use ceramic coating in order to protect your car?
Ceramic coating is the best and, at the same time, the most durable paint protection, excluding paint protection films. In today's era of soft water-based clear coats, free of toxic compounds such as lead or toluene, responsible for the hardness and durability of the varnish, which have been excluded from the automotive clear coat composition due to the new environmental regulations. Therefore, lacquers have become more susceptible to all kinds of mechanical damage or damage caused by weather conditions, so it is good to apply ceramic coating protection.
Car waxing & machine polishing - what's the difference?
Car polish and wax are among many products used to protect your vehicle and keep it looking its best. Unfortunately, there is a common misunderstanding among car owners about these products and what they are used for. So, what is the difference between a wax and a polish? And what's right for your car?
POLISH
A polish is used to give your vehicle a smooth, shiny surface. The primary purpose of polish is to remove imperfections from your vehicle's paint or clear coat. Polish can clean off contaminants such as grease, dirt, and rust that a normal car wash cannot remove. It is also used to fix small scratches, scrapes, or swirl marks from the finish.
There are two primary types of car polish: chemical polishes and abrasive polishes. Chemical polishes are used to clean the exterior, removing rust, grease, and stains that normal washing cannot remove. Abrasive polishes are used to fix imperfections in your car's paint job or clear coat and smooth out small scratches or scrapes. These polishes range from coarse to fine, with finer polishes ideal for detail work.
Polishes typically come in creams, sprays, or liquids and contain solvents to remove impurities (grease, rust). Polishing your vehicle fixes small imperfections in the finish and allows the paint to shine through. However, most polishes do not provide protection for your car's finish.
WAX
Waxing is used to create a protective barrier on your vehicle. UV rays, pollution, dust, moisture, and corrosion can all harm your car's paint and clear coat. Wax acts as a barrier between your car's finish and the environment. Wax also can create the glossy look that many vehicle owners love.
Car waxes come in two varieties: natural or synthetic. Natural car waxes are usually made from carnauba wax and have great protection and shine. While both types of wax serve the same functions, synthetic waxes can last longer than natural wax.
You should always wash your car before applying wax. Wax acts as a paint sealant and will seal any dirt, grease, or rust to your car. Wax can provide protection from moisture, corrosion, and oxidation from the outside, but anything on your car when you apply the wax can still cause damage. If you find any damage after washing your car, you should use a polish to resolve any issues before waxing.
WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR VEHICLE?
Because waxing and polishing your car serve different purposes, it is a good idea to do both. If you notice any problems with your car's finish, you should get them fixed prior to waxing or polishing. Speedy action will help prevent scratches and nicks from causing further oxidation (rust) and damage.
Wash your car first before polishing or waxing. As you wash, you can inspect your car for any imperfections, rust, or scratches. Polish your vehicle as needed, anytime you find imperfections in the finish or when you want extra shine for your paint job. Always wax after polishing, since polish can remove the wax from your vehicle. Typically, cars should be waxed every 3 or 6 months. Follow the instructions for any products you use for the best results.
Both polish and wax can fix and protect your vehicle's finish and your investment!
What is a clay bar?
If your car paint is in bad shape, the main thing that you need to determine is whether you can go straight to compounds that will remove swirls and scratches or if you need to use a clay bar to decontaminate your car paint first. You need a clay bar if your vehicle falls into the below categories:
- Your car is brand new, and you just got it from the dealer's store.
- Your car has never been clayed before.
- Your car was transported from one place to another.
- Your car has "rough or gritty" texture on the paint's surface.
- Your car has tiny rust spots, especially on the hood.
Unfortunately, many people don't understand what a clay bar is and why it is used on the car paint. So, lets discuss what a clay bar is and what it does.
The surface of your car is constantly getting exposed to airborne contaminants like brake dust, industrial fallout, bug residue, tar, etc. These contaminants may actually stick to the car finish and potentially cause damage. Some of the contaminants can be corrosive, and they will start to damage the clear coat and cause rust spots. Dust or paint contaminations can affect your car paint finish and cause serious damage when left untreated.
A clay bar is used to decontaminate the car paint by removing the contaminants from the surface of your paint, leaving your paint silky smooth. Clay bar removes all the impurities from the surface of the paint. When a clay bar is used across a wet surface of your paint, it can pick up all the surface contaminants and remove anything that protrudes from the paint. Basically, a clay bar can remove all impurities from the paint and achieve the shining brilliance.
A clay bar can remove:
- Overspray
- Brake Dust
- Rail Dust
- Industrial Pollution
- Surface Impurities
A clay bar cannot remove:
- Scratches
- Swirls
- Etchings
A clay bar safely removes over spray and industrial fallout by "shearing" it off the surface. After you have used a clay bar, all the contaminants on your car paint will be removed, and the car surface will feel silky smooth. Then, you are ready for polishing and waxing your car.
The frequency of claying a car depends on a lot of factors. As a rule, it is recommended that claying be done twice per year. You can clay your car right after winter and then again in the fall before you apply winter sealant. If you live or work in an area with a high level of industrial fallout, then you need to clay your car more often.
Once cars are built, they typically sit in lots or shipping docks that have a high exposure to industrial fallout. Many cars take a lot of time to get to their final destinations during transportation on trains and trucks. This is why it is very common to find rail dust on a brand new vehicle. It is recommended that a brand new car gets clayed at least once to remove these contaminants.
Safe Maintenance Wash
- Clean wheels and wheel arches thoroughly to remove loose debris and dirt. Keep a wheel wash bucket, brushes and mitts separate from the equipment used to wash the body of the vehicle.
- Treat wheels, arches with an iron fallout remover to ensure damaging brake dust particles are removed.
- Use a snow foam pre-cleaner to ensure larger particles of dirt and grit are removed from the surface of the vehicles paint. This prevents particles becoming caught in the mitt and minimises the opportunity for scratching or swirling the coating.
- Treat bodywork with an iron fallout remover to ensure damaging brake dust particles are removed.
- Inspect paintwork to ensure that all large particles and grit have been removed before proceeding, if necessary repeat stages 2, 3 or 4.
- Use the Two Bucket Method for washing: a bucket with a grit guard should hold warm water and a pH-neutral, pure shampoo, free from gloss enhancers or additives that may clog the pores of the ceramic coating and cause water beading and hydrophobic function to diminish. A second bucket with a grit guard should hold clean water. Using a wash mitt (NOT a sponge which will trap dirt and grit at the surface and cause scratches), load with soapy water and then clean a panel of the vehicle working in straight lines starting at the top (typically the cleanest part of the car). Rinse mitt in the second bucket containing clean water, brushing mitt over the grit guard to release dirt particles. Squeeze mitt out, then, reload with wash solution. Repeat until the vehicle is clean.
- Rinse suds.
- Dry vehicle, preferably using a non-contact method but alternatively, using soft, clean microfiber drying towels.
- Where required, use a water spot remover to ensure tap water impurities do not clog the coating – this is an integral component in preserving the water-beading and therefore self-cleaning function.
Golden Rule - Avoid Car Washes!
All automatic and hand car washes will have an adverse effect on your car.
From basic stripping of protection through the use of aggressive chemicals and right through to scratching your car by using dirt filled washing cloths, mitts and towels by washing 70-100 cars per day.
Pure Water Technology
We rinse all our vehicles using a pure water system that delivers 100% pure water to the vehicle. It consists of a mixed bed de-mineralising resin that ensures 100% pure water. The nature of de-mineralised water is to try to return to its natural state by actively retaining any dirt, chemicals and minerals it comes across. During the rinsing process no detergents or chemicals are used, the process is environmentally friendly, therefore no soapy residues or smears that attract fresh dirt back on to the vehicle. In fact, your car can stay cleaner for longer.
We believe this system provides our clients with a safer, eco-friendlier service that helps preserve and protect their vehicles for longer.
VRS Detailing Process
