Car Detailing Guide for Beginner’s
2018.08.09
You must feel like you are on the top of the world when you get your first car.
I remember I was so excited to go to the car dealer when my car was delivered.
Brand new car is of course clean and shiny and I was happy just to look at it.
However 1 month later we find a problem.
Yes your car gets dirty…
Once you see the dirty car, driving is not that fun and we wonder where the exciting feeling was gone.
How can we keep our cars clean?
Here’s the guide of beginner’s car detailing.
Step 01 Car Wash
Tools
(1) Water supply
If you have an outside water tap then it’s ok but if you park your car in a shared car park or somewhere you cannot wash, you have to find a place such as a car wash place.
(2) Hose
Essential tool to wash a car. At a car wash place you can use the equipped one.
(3) Bucket
When you use a car shampoo, you need one. You can get it at 100yen shop!
(4) Car shampoo (neutral detergent)
You can purchase at a car accessories shops such as Autobacs. Some people use kitchen detergent instead.
Some people use kitchen detergent instead.
(5) Cloth
Microfiber cloth would be the best. Available at a car accessories shop and a hardware store.
(1) Rinse thoroughly
Car wash is the best way to clean your car. If you wash your car every week, it will keep the shine for many years.
If you think weekly car wash is too much, wash your car at least once a month.
First rinse your car thoroughly with plenty of water and remove loose dirt and grime. If you start washing without this step, your car will get scratches.
And do not work in direct sunlight.
(2) Make soapy water
Put water in the bucket and pour the car shampoo.
Stir and make bubbles.
Let’s start washing once you make enough bubbles.
(3) Wash
Soak the microfiber cloth and wash your car from the top down. For example: Roof →hood → door
Wash the bottom parts such as wheels in the end as they are the dirtiest parts.
Also use another clean microfiber cloth when you wash window parts.
(4) Rinse
After you wash your car with the bubbles, rinse your car with plenty of water.
If the car shampoo solution is left, it might leave some streaks.
(5) Wipe
Dry your car with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.
This is the most important and hardest part of car wash.
If you do not wipe and dry the car body quickly, water drops might dry up and leave water spots.
Use another dry microfiber cloth to dry completely if needed.
Wipe small parts such as window and door jambs as well.
(6) Clean!
Now your car is clean.
If you want more shine, let’s move to Step 02.
Step 02 Car Coating
For those who wants to get more shine and gloss, please try a car coating.
There are variety of car coating: car wax, polymer coating and glass coating.
Here’s some tips what to choose.
Reasonable x easy application ・・・ Hard wax or liquid wax
Easy x less mistakes ・・・ Polymer coating spray
High grade x long durability ・・・ Car glass coating
Car wax is good to get quick gloss without spending a lot of money.
Spray polymer coating for easy application.
For brand new cars glass coating is recommended.
Those car coatings are available at online marketplace or car accessories shops. Find the one for you.
NOTE
Do not apply any coatings, wax, polymer or glass coating when it’s raining or under blazing sun.
More possibility to end if failure.
Do not work under direct sunlight as the coating solution dries quickly before wiping.
Also use proper amount of the coating solution. Applying too much solution might cause foggy streaks.
After coating ・・・ ?
Some people misunderstand that if you apply car coating, you do not need to wash your car.
Dirt is hardly attached after coating but you still need a regular car wash.
Dirt will definitely be on the car coating and if you leave it, it might adhere to the car body.
None of car coatings offer maintenance free.
Regular car wash is necessary to keep your car clean.
Extra edition Remove dirt and scratchers
Polish
If your car body is covered all over with scratches, you can remove them by polishing with compound.
Some people believe that’s professional’s job but if they are shallow and light ones, it’s not that difficult to do it by yourself.
Try to remove small scratches first. Put liquid compound on a sponge and rub. If you think you can do it, consider to get a polisher.
Remove water spots / ion deposits
If you leave your car wet after rain or car wash, the water drop dries up and leave water spots or ion deposit.
They are caused by mineral in water left on the car body.
Once you get them, it’s hard to remove by car wash.
You have to polish with compound or use chemical remover such us ion deposit remover.
Ion deposit remover is easier than polishing so please try it.
I write about exterior detailing this time but of course you should clean inside your car as well.
Floor mats have mite, hair and crumbs more than you think.
Keep a car cleaner and microfiber cloths in your car.
Enjoy clean car life!
What is the most cost-effective way of glass coating application? How about the market price for glass coating?
Where should we apply glass coating?
What aspects do you value when you choose and buy a new car?
Many people tend to choose as a whole, from its function, price, appearance and so on.
A new car when you had loved at first site in the catalog or at the exhibition.
It would be great if we could keep the car brand new for long time, wouldn’t it?
Applying glass coating to a new car makes it beautiful for long time. Also home car wash and daily maintenance get so easy.
Usually car dealers ask “How about glass coating as an option?” when you decide to buy a new car.
However, are we only able to apply glass coating in this way?
The answer is NO.
We have three choices to apply glass coating below;
– To ask car dealers
– To ask professional car detailers
– To apply by oneself (DIY glass coating products)
In this article, we would like to introduce about each advantages, disadvantages and market prices in detail. (Sorry, we show the price in Japanese currency… please check in your country’s currency.)
Part 1. Quick and easy car dealers
You can ask dealers to apply glass coating as an option.
Some of you might think that you’re going to ask them because you already have relationship of trust with them.
From now, we would like to tell its advantage and disadvantage.
【Advantage】A car is delivered with glass coating.
This is the biggest advantage of applying glass coating by car dealers.
You can ask them to buy and apply glass coating at the same time, so your new car is delivered with glass coating completely when you get it.
You don’t need to bring your new car to the car detailers again and wait a few days until the car detailing finished.
It means that you can drive your new car right away!
“I need to save any time and effort to find car detailers and bring my car to them!”
“No matter what I want to drive my new car as soon as possible!!”
We recommend this way to you emphasize the speed.
【Disadvantage】The optional price is comparatively expensive.
On the other hand, the high-cost is the disadvantage.
If a car is large, the price for glass coating will rise to around 100,000 JPY. It cannot be helped because it saves a lot of time and effort as we said above, but it is a very serious problem if you want to save costs.
Anyway, the price depends on dealers of course. Also it varies depending on the manufacture, type, class, size, model year, color, and painting (such as pearl, metallic…etc.) of the car.
Therefore, you should better to check the price before you ask them certainly. Moreover, please be careful the person who applies is like. A dealer is not professional of car detailing, such as a car detailer. Therefore, sometimes the person who applies glass coating doesn’t have enough knowledge of glass coating. Otherwise it is worse, he is an absolute armature.
Accordingly, we recommend to check who and where applies just in case.
[The average price for glass coating by dealers]
Light automobile (Hustler, Lapin…etc.)
From 50,000 JPY
SS size (Aqua, Vitz, Roadster…etc.)
From 55,000 JPY
S size (Insight, Axela…etc.)
From 60,000 JPY
M size (Prius, Levorg, Skyline…etc.)
From 65,500 JPY
L size (Crown, CX-5, Cercior…etc.)
From 70,000 JPY
LL size (Priusα, Harrier, X-TRAIL…etc.)
From 75,000 JPY
3L size (Voxy, Serena, Odyssey…etc.)
From 80,000 JPY
4L size (Alphard, Vellfire, Hiace…etc.)
From 85,000 JPY
Part 2. Skillful and plentiful after-service car detailers
Most of you want your car keep beautiful by apart from DIY glass coating, maybe you ask to car dealers as we said in Part1. However, we think that looking for an ideal car detailer can be one of your choices if the price is too high at the dealer or if you want to apply glass coating to a used car.
Now, we would like to introduce about its advantages and disadvantages.
【Advantages】They have skillful staffs and plentiful after service.
1)Your car gets high-quality finish with their solid skill from preparation to glass coating.
-However, you need to research reviews and ask detailers directly and it is very difficult to find out the reliable car detailer.
2)Most of them have sincere guarantees such as a regular inspection.
-This point is recommended to you who hesitate to control your car condition. Some of them inform a regular inspection diligently. Moreover, their inspection is covered with not only outside but also inside and if you have one of them close to you, car maintenance will get easy.
3)3- They solve troubles which you cannot deal with them by yourself.
-They are very reliable when you are in trouble with recovering your failure of DIY glass coating, removing terrible scratch or strong water spots and using a professional machine.
【Disadvantages】It is very costly and there is possibility that they tell a lie.
1)If you ask them to apply glass coating, not easy polymer wax is so expensive.
-Of course, car detailers are cheaper than car dealers, but you feel that it is more expensive than DIY because it needs labor costs and technical fee.
2)You cannot drive your car while applying at the car detailer. Car dealers apply glass
-coating before delivery of your car, but, on the other hand, you need to leave your car even though you have been using, so, it is inconvenient. Some car detailers provide an alternative car, so you would be better to ask.
3)Most of their regular inspection is essential.
-This point might be the advantage as we said above…
Please check applying fee includes regular inspection. However, some of them ask us to pay the regular inspection fee every time. In spite of long durability of glass coating, total cost effect could be bad in the end if we have to pay every inspection.
4)They only apply polymer coating or wax as if it was glass coating.
-Most of car detailer’s original glass coating meet this case.
Especially, the easy car detailer with gas station tend to call all similar products as “glass coating”, but they are actually “glass-like-coating”. We understand it is difficult to find out real glass coating, but let’s compare and examine from gathering information as much as you can.
To be honest, there is not a big difference between professional and amateur in glass coating finish. However, preparing the surface such as polishing and buffing requires technique and makes the difference. If you are not satisfied with DIY results and seek the perfect ones, please consider about asking car detailers once.
[The average price for glass coating by detailers]
Light automobile (Hustler, Lapin…etc.)
From 50,000 JPY
SS size (Aqua, Vitz, Roadster…etc.)
From 55,000 JPY
S size (Insight, Axela…etc.)
From 60,000 JPY
M size (Prius, Levorg, Skyline…etc.)
From 65,500 JPY
L size (Crown, CX-5, Cercior…etc.)
From 70,000 JPY
LL size (Priusα, Harrier, X-TRAIL…etc.)
From 75,000 JPY
3L size (Voxy, Serena, Odyssey…etc.)
From 80,000 JPY
4L size (Alphard, Vellfire, Hiace…etc.)
From 85,000 JPY
Part 3. Overwhelming cost-effectiveness and a feeling of satisfaction after finished DIY
If you want to save costs, applying by yourself is the best! These days, quality of glass coating products on the market is getting better and better, so you can get same durability and gloss as applying by car detailers unless you don’t choose a bad product.
Then we would like to introduce about its advantage and disadvantage below.
【Advantage】Drastic cost cutting in car detailing
We might think that this is the most important point. If you ask to car dealers or car detailers, they need several ten thousands Yen at least. However, if you do it by yourself, applying fee is FREE!! Furthermore, DIY glass coating products can be applied easily and the results look like professional. There are many products which can be applied in 3 hours (or less than it).
One point advice! How to distinguish glass coating
You must have good eyes to tell the difference between a real glass coating and a glass-like-coating.
“Anyway, what is the REAL glass coating?”
Some of you might have a question like this. For us, Pika Pika Rain defines real glass coaling as liquid change to real glass after crystallized and it protects a car.
Two of examples below are not called as crystallized glass coating;
.1) You need to apply the product once or twice a year.
.2) Liquid doesn’t harden and changes to soft silicon, not glass.
Please be careful these products before you buy because they don’t last long like real glass coating.
Pika Pika Rain Glass Coating change to glass layer after crystallized and a car is protected by it, so you can use it without any worries!
【Disadvantage】You should do everything on your responsibility.
For example, if there are many scratches on the car body, you have to polish the car. Also if oily dirt still on the car body, you have to remove it, too.
If you fail to apply and glass coating is not applied unevenly, it’s just your fault. Unfortunately, you must deal with it on your responsibility.
You need be careful not to get the car wet for certain period. The method of preservation and the weather as well.
Glass coating is difficult to be removed once it’s happened, so that’s the very reason for ensuring that preparation should be perfect with reading the instruction.
You should be better to ask to the manufacture by phone or email if you have any questions. About Pika Pika Rain, please contact us below any time!!
TEL: +81-6-6245-4500 MAIL: japan@pika2rain.com
[The average price for DIY glass coating products]
From a mini car to a large-size car
Under 10,000 JPY
(One bottle of Pika Pika Rain PREMIUM can apply two mini cars if you do very well.)
Perfect preparation makes glass coating professional quality finishing!!
The preparation is the most important work before applying glass coating.
Why is this so important?
The answer is that glass coating cover car paint surface with glass layer as it is. It means that glass coating finishing is reflected by the condition of car paint surface directly.
Of course things to do will change by car’s condition. Then we would like to introduce about varieties of preparation as an extra article.
Compound
When you check your car carefully, there are many scratches and water spots which is adhered to the car body even though you care about it passionately. Unfortunately, you cannot help it.
However, Pika Pika Rain Liquid Compound can remove scratches and water spots (Ion deposit) by polishing the surface thinly and make it fine.
Oil Remover
Always the oily dirt is on car paint surface. It is not only daily dirt but also remaining car wax and coating which you applied before. Oil remover can deal with them.
Removing oily dirt makes glass coating easy to adhere to the car body. Gloss and durability of glass coating is changed by how close it bonds to painted surface, so we recommend to adopt this work as possible.
Please make note that there are two types of oil remover in the car care market. The one contains alcohol and another contains oil. Pika Pika Rain Glass Coating contains alcohol, so please choose the same type of oil remover.
Ion Deposit (Water spots) Remover
Water spots are very hard to be removed by daily washing.
Pika Pika Rain water spots remover is possible to remove them easily. It is simpler than using polishing machine, so we recommend to apply for partial water spots.
Preparation for a new car
A new car doesn’t have remarkable dirt and scratch, so we think that polishing with compound is not necessary. Glass coating lasts long by applying oil remover.
Washing with car shampoo
-Drying completely with microfiber cloth and applying oil remover
-Applying glass coating
Preparation for a secondhand car
In this case, you must do preparation. Polish with compound completely and remove scratch and dirt on the car body.
Washing with car shampoo
– Polishing with compound to remove scratches and strong water spots
(If water spots are partial, only applying water spots remover is fine.)
– Washing with car shampoo to remove compound completely
– Drying completely with microfiber cloth and applying oil remover
– Applying glass coating
If you apply in above steps, the beauty of glass coating is brought out!
Find a combination to fit your budget and lifestyle.
We introduced about car dealers, car detailers and DIY glass coating. We hope you understand each advantages, disadvantages and the market price. Please don’t forget that the market price is only a target figure, so that asking car detailers to make a quotation is the best way to check the exact price.
“I’m interested in DIY glass coating, but I don’t have enough place / confidence to apply…”
“I’m anxious about scratches on my second car, but I don’t have any equipment to polish…”
If you cannot find your best style from three ways which we introduced, how about these combinations below?
Bring a glass coating product to car dealers or car detailers
Actually, some of our customers bring Pika Pika Rain Glass Coating to their favorite car detailers and ask them to apply it. You need to discuss with them, but there is worth to try it if you have any friendly car dealers or car detailers.
Asking only preparation for glass coating to car detailers
Also our other customers ask car detailers to remove scratches, water spots and iron filings which they reluctant to do. Then they apply Pika Pika Rain by themselves.
The average price for glass coating
| Types | Car dealers | Car detailers | DIY products |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light automobile (Hustler, Lapin…etc.) |
From 50,000 JPY | Under 10,000 JPY (Some products can apply two cars.) |
|
| SS size (Aqua, Vitz, Roadster…etc.) |
From 55,000 JPY | Under 10,000 JPY | |
| S size (Insight, Axela…etc.) |
From 60,000 JPY | ||
| M size (Prius, Levorg, Skyline…etc.) |
From 65,500 JPY | ||
| L size (Crown, CX-5, Cercior…etc.) |
From 70,000 JPY | ||
| LL size (Priusα, Harrier, X-TRAIL…etc.) |
From 75,000 JPY | ||
| 3L size (Voxy, Serena, Odyssey…etc.) |
From 80,000 JPY | ||
| 4L size (Alphard, Vellfire, Hiace…etc.) |
From 85,000 JPY | Under 20,000 JPY （Need two bottles for a large / wide car.） |
|
How was this article?
Everyone has own idea about which points they want to save. For example, time, price, effort…etc.
Please compare and examine your preference and compromise points until you can find the best way to apply glass coating!
