Myths to Stop Believing about Auto Detailing

by Golden Statetreading Golden State Trading Inc.

If you’ve been detailing and cleaning your own car for a few years now, chances are good that you’ve gotten some false (albeit well meaning) advice. Unfortunately, some of the information out there about car detailing and professional detailing services are simply not true. Take your car to a professional who’s been providing car detailing for a few years to get the correct information. In the meantime, here are some of the most common detailing myths that you need to know right now.

Dishwashing Detergent Works

Your car is more expensive than the set of dishes you have in your cupboard, but you may be using the same products to clean both. To be clear, dishwashing detergent should never be used to wash your car. Make sure that you’re using products specifically designed to clean cars. It’s always best to leave the dishwashing detergent in the cabinet under the sink where it belongs and rush to an auto detail shop for better product recommendations for taking care of your investment.

Shiny Cars Are Clean Cars

You may be looking at the car in your driveway or in your garage thinking it looks pretty good. It’s shiny and clearly does not need to be cleaned or detailed. However, it’s possible to have a shiny finish but still have a dirty car. When you run your hand along your gleaming car, you may feel rough surfaces in the paint. An auto detailer will run a machine polish and wax over your car to make sure the paint is clean and the finish smooth.

Machine Polishers Ruin Paint

While this is mostly a myth, there is some truth to it. If you are inexperienced, using a machine polisher on your car, you are likely to ruin the finish of your vehicle. Machine polishers are perfectly safe for use by experienced professionals.

Diapers Do It Best

Just to reiterate, your car is a car and should be treated like one. Even when you're trying to clean it, there’s no reason that your car should have a diaper on it. Many people feel that diapers work best to wash cars because they’re softer and more absorbent.

However, diapers, old shirts, and bath towels are often stitched with polyester thread. Any professional auto detailer will tell you that using polyester on your cars will scratch the finish and leave swirl marks.

If you’ve heard any of these common myths about auto detailing, make sure you take your car into the professionals for regular detailing and accurate information.