Car Wash and Detailing

We hand wash rather than run vehicles through a brush tunnel. Those brushes hold grit from every car ahead of yours, and that grit is what puts fine swirl marks in the clear coat that you only notice in direct sun.

Washing is done with two buckets — one with soap, one with clean rinse water and a grit guard — so dirt pulled off the paint goes into the rinse bucket instead of back onto the panel. Wheels and tires get done first with separate tools, because brake dust is the dirtiest thing on the vehicle.

“Love bugs are acidic. Left on the front end through a hot week they will etch the clear coat, and at that point it is paint correction, not washing.”

Love bug season, roughly May and again in September, is the one thing worth acting on quickly. The residue is acidic, and under Florida heat it will etch through wax and into clear coat in a matter of days. Getting the front end, mirrors, and windshield cleaned during and right after the season prevents damage that otherwise needs machine polishing to correct.

Sun is the slower problem. Florida UV oxidizes paint and fades trim, and a wax or sealant is the barrier that slows it down. Wax gives a warm finish and lasts a couple of months; a synthetic sealant is less showy and holds up longer through summer.

Interiors here take heat abuse. Spills bake into upholstery, and dashboards and door panels dry out and eventually crack. A full interior detail is vacuum, shampoo or extraction on fabric, cleaning and conditioning on leather and vinyl, and a UV protectant on the dash.

Headlight restoration is available separately. Yellowed, hazed housings are oxidation on the outer surface, and sanding and resealing them makes a real difference to how a vehicle looks and to how much light actually reaches the road.