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I thought this was a neat read. All of the text below was taken from the wikipedia website, so don't blame me... 
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"Auto detailing is the practice of performing an extremely thorough cleaning and polishing of an automobile, both inside and out, to produce a show-quality level of detail. It can be practiced for personal satisfaction, and it is also performed to prepare a car for a Concours d'Elegance (often shortened to just Concours), a car show that features the appearance of cars, often in a beautiful setting such as Pebble Beach or Amelia Island. Elements of exterior detailing include claying, polishing, and waxing. Interior detailing involves the cleaning of the interior of a vehicle using vacuums, liquid cleaners, and brushes. Engine detailing involves cleaning the engine bay area of dirt and grease by using degreasers and all-purpose cleaners.
What is Detailing?
Although automotive detailing was once a relatively specialized practice, with an expensive and uncommon toolset, the recent rise in detailing's popularity has rendered the price and availability of these tools affordable to the average auto enthusiast. One may find many different tools in the cache of an experienced or professional detailer, including microfiber, chamois, squeegees, various types of powered buffers, uniquely shaped brushes, cotton swabs & vacuum attachments, spray nozzles or pressurized water sprayers, sandpaper, and many more depending on the application.
One very important thing to point out about auto detailing is that it involves much more than just car washing. Washing with soap and water will get the dirt off, but detailing will perfect the paint by removing surface contamination that washing alone doesn't affect. It will also include polishing paint damage and restoring faded trim, as well as thoroughly cleaning areas which are normally ignored such as the engine and underchassis.
A variety of shampoos, cleaners, degreasers, protectants, lubricants, polishes, clay bars, and waxes have developed over time to suit various demands of consumers.
There are three types of products to consider: professional grade, consumer grade, and enthusiast grade. Professional grade products are typically very good, but not exceptional. They are available in industrial quantities and are fairly inexpensive. Big companies like Meguiar's and 3M have been supplying detail shops with their professional grade detailing chemicals for years, but competition has increased with the passage of time.
Consumer grade products are those typically found on the shelf at local auto part stores. They are in fancy bottles and are usually heavily marketed. Some of them are very good, but many of them are of questionable effectiveness and rely mainly on advertising hype.
Enthusiast grade products are the cream of the crop and are only available through limited distributors both locally and online. Professionals typically don't use these products because of the price. However, as with anything else, their higher price doesn't necessarily reflect higher quality.
But what about the difference between sealants and waxes?
For example, many auto owners use polishes based on high-oil carnauba wax. The high oil content of these polishes is what imparts the deep, glossy shine. However, the oil also attracts dust and road grime which, combined with regular washing, cause the wax coat to wear away after several weeks.
Sealants applied to the paint provide the same UV and dirt protection and much of the shine af wax, without the frequent re-application."
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"Auto detailing is the practice of performing an extremely thorough cleaning and polishing of an automobile, both inside and out, to produce a show-quality level of detail. It can be practiced for personal satisfaction, and it is also performed to prepare a car for a Concours d'Elegance (often shortened to just Concours), a car show that features the appearance of cars, often in a beautiful setting such as Pebble Beach or Amelia Island. Elements of exterior detailing include claying, polishing, and waxing. Interior detailing involves the cleaning of the interior of a vehicle using vacuums, liquid cleaners, and brushes. Engine detailing involves cleaning the engine bay area of dirt and grease by using degreasers and all-purpose cleaners.
What is Detailing?
Although automotive detailing was once a relatively specialized practice, with an expensive and uncommon toolset, the recent rise in detailing's popularity has rendered the price and availability of these tools affordable to the average auto enthusiast. One may find many different tools in the cache of an experienced or professional detailer, including microfiber, chamois, squeegees, various types of powered buffers, uniquely shaped brushes, cotton swabs & vacuum attachments, spray nozzles or pressurized water sprayers, sandpaper, and many more depending on the application.
One very important thing to point out about auto detailing is that it involves much more than just car washing. Washing with soap and water will get the dirt off, but detailing will perfect the paint by removing surface contamination that washing alone doesn't affect. It will also include polishing paint damage and restoring faded trim, as well as thoroughly cleaning areas which are normally ignored such as the engine and underchassis.
A variety of shampoos, cleaners, degreasers, protectants, lubricants, polishes, clay bars, and waxes have developed over time to suit various demands of consumers.
There are three types of products to consider: professional grade, consumer grade, and enthusiast grade. Professional grade products are typically very good, but not exceptional. They are available in industrial quantities and are fairly inexpensive. Big companies like Meguiar's and 3M have been supplying detail shops with their professional grade detailing chemicals for years, but competition has increased with the passage of time.
Consumer grade products are those typically found on the shelf at local auto part stores. They are in fancy bottles and are usually heavily marketed. Some of them are very good, but many of them are of questionable effectiveness and rely mainly on advertising hype.
Enthusiast grade products are the cream of the crop and are only available through limited distributors both locally and online. Professionals typically don't use these products because of the price. However, as with anything else, their higher price doesn't necessarily reflect higher quality.
But what about the difference between sealants and waxes?
For example, many auto owners use polishes based on high-oil carnauba wax. The high oil content of these polishes is what imparts the deep, glossy shine. However, the oil also attracts dust and road grime which, combined with regular washing, cause the wax coat to wear away after several weeks.
Sealants applied to the paint provide the same UV and dirt protection and much of the shine af wax, without the frequent re-application."
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