6 Stage Shine… Overview
by The Wax Man
When we first wrote these pages, the idea was to give customers an insight into how professional detailers conduct their business. They have now developed into a full tell me/show me guide using a real test vehicle. I hope they proove useful to you.
A Brilliant shine only comes when your car's paint is in good condition, without surface contamination, polished, glazed, protected and waxed.
Over the next few pages we will take you on a journey through the life of real vehicle and how from meagre beginnings it moved through the stages below and finally attained the 6 Stage Shine. We will only be using products from our own SIGNATURE range of products that we have created. By the end of the final stage we hope to have given you some knowledge you did not have before, maybe a few trade secrets and the faith that these products are well worth buying for your own vehicle. Should you wish to create the 6 Stage Shine on your own vehicle the products used will be listed at the top of each stage on the new pages. As this is a work in progress it could be a while before all the new pages are complete and the older guides will remain in place until each page is updated.
Let's start with a brief overview of the 6 stages:-
Good Paint Condition.
For the first year or two of a new car's lifespan, the paint is fairly oxidation-free and in fairly good condition, though this is not guaranteed by any means as you will see. If you maintain your new car's paint with regular washing and protection, oxidation should be removed as it forms, and cleaning the paint will be a minor task, once some simple checks have been made. At a minimum, you should wash your car monthly. If you don't have time to wash monthly, at least use a quick detail spray or no water, wash system. Regular washing removes dirt and grits before they can inflict too much damage.
Surface Contamination.
As you drive your car, debris from the road (i.e., tar, oil, bugs, etc.) will lodge itself on, or worse, in your car's paint. The longer this is allowed to remain, the more difficult it is to remove. This is just one of several reasons that regular washing is so important. While outside, your car will also collect other contamination, (birds, insects and local kids seem to have a natural attraction to beautiful cars). These contaminants must be removed! There are several ways of removing these, especially the kids! The best way to safely remove everything else is to clay the surface. You cannot just wax over them… no, not the kids, and expect to get a showroom finish.
Polished.
Polishing is necessary to remove minor blemishes, including surface scratches, swirl marks, pitted areas (minor road stone nicks) and scuffs. Several grades of polish are available each with their own grade of cutting (this is the ability to remove the above). When polished, the paint finish will feel perfectly smooth. Your hand and polishing towel will literally glide over the surface. Feeling a perfectly polished car is a stimulating experience for most real car enthusiasts. If it feels good then you can bet it going to look good. Time and trouble spent here will be rewarded later.
Glazed.
Glaze is a term that's grossly misused in detailing products. Some glazes are mixed with sealants and are paint treatments used to fill small surface scratches and swirl marks. Filled defects are not removed and rarely, if ever, look as good as those that are removed completely. To a real detailer, glazing is the term used to describe the process of restoring full paint gloss. In 6 Stage Shine, super-fine polishes are used to refine the paint finish to achieve full gloss. We do not stock or use filler glazes.
Sealed.
Paint is only fully protected when it's sealed from the elements. Synthetic coatings are five to ten times more durable than the carnauba waxes. The exception to this rule is SMARTWAX SMARTSealant. As this is amino-based it can be layered successfully and is almost as long-lasting. It takes around 5-6 coats to get the same protection level and the shine is excellent.
Acrylics last longer, sometimes a lot longer and maximize the shine especially if other products are used over them. They offer extended protection from the elements and create a super-slick surface. In 6 Stage shine, the synthetic protection is an acrylic sealant. I have not yet found a polymer sealant that works sufficiently well to recommend. I will explain why later.
Waxed.
Waxing is the final step of 6 Stage Shine. We're not talking just any wax here. We are talking about a pure, natural carnauba wax. Pure carnauba waxes don't have cleaning/cutting properties or synthetic compounds added. They are made from a blend of carnauba waxes, beeswax and natural oils carried in a distillate base. A quality show car wax gives paint depth and warmth. I know, I know, it sounds like we're talking about a fine wine or something. Just don't underestimate the value of a great show car wax when it comes to the final results of your car's finish.
Now that you know the 6 Stages to a Brilliant Shine, on the next pages we will go into more detail on the steps and show you the results of each.
Stage 1 – Good Condition.