How much effort does detailing take? Plus some tips and tricks to make it easier.

There are different levels of wash that you can perform depending on a multitude of factors.

1. Whether your vehicle is ceramic coated or not.

If your vehicle has had a ceramic coating applied and it is still durable, you will be able to perform a quick maintenance wash to remove surface dirt. It may also be necessary to unclog/refresh a ceramic coating if it isn't performing so well with CARPRO Descale or Koch-Chemie Reactivation Shampoo.

2. How long it has been since you last washed your vehicle.

If you are on top of your detailing schedule, a maintenance wash once a week should help to remove surface contamination. If you tend to leave it until your car has changed colour, then you may need to perform a more thorough wash. This will include recognising the dirtier areas that might need more attention - usually wheels and arches, sometimes glass, often the lower panels would benefit from a powerful pre-wash.

3. Whether you are looking to just remove contamination or looking to protect your vehicle for the future.

If your vehicle hasn't been ceramic coated to your knowledge, then it would definitely benefit from a full detail including polishing and paintwork protection. Even beginners can get to grips with machine polishing, check out our Slim's Detailing DA Machine Polisher & Starter Kits as an entry level machine with compounds. Ceramic coating doesn't have to be intimidating either! A lot of our professional grade sealants are suitable for novices such as CARPRO DQUARTZ Go, a professional-grade coating that has been reformulated for easy use by everyday consumers.

The differences between a basic wash and a full detail are outlined in this handy table, scroll down to read more:

We've outlined the principles of each stage below and ranked them high effort, medium effort, and low effort to better answer this question. It's important to understand that higher effort doesn't equal higher difficulty! 

Snow Foam / Pre-wash

Snow Foam is designed to soften and lift dirt from your vehicle so that it can be easily rinsed off before you touch the surface with a wash mitt, minimising scratches and swirl marks. Application is easy: simply spray on via a snow foam lance and pressure washer, allow to dwell, and rinse off. Step 1 complete! 

See: Bilt Hamber Auto Foam, CARPRO Lift, Koch-Chemie Vb

Read: Expert Tips and Tricks for Using Snow Foam

Shampoo

Vehicle shampoos are made up of surfactants (Surface Active Agents), two-part molecules with a hydrophilic (water-loving) end and a dirt-loving end. When applied to your vehicle, these surfactants seek out the dirt and surround it so that it is able to be lifted from the paintwork surface. Used in conjunction with a wash mitt, car shampoos are the safest way to ensure a scratch-free wash.

Shampooing should be your first contact stage of the wash process and therefore requires a bit more effort on your part. You can apply most shampoos either via the two bucket method (one bucket with shampoo diluted in water, one with just water to rinse your wash mitt), or via a snow foam lance meaning you then only need a rinse bucket. Apply through the lance, mitt over, rinse off.

Shampoos: CARPRO Reset, Bilt Hamber Auto Wash, Gtechniq G Wash

Wash mitts: Gtechniq WM2 Microfibre Wash Mitt, Chemical Guys Bear Claw, CARPRO Merino Wool Wash Mitt

Buckets: Slim's Detailing Bucket, Grit Guard 5 Gallon Bucket, Chemical Guys Clear Detailing Bucket

Wheel Cleaning

When we say wheel cleaning requires high effort, we are in no way implying it is tricky. It just requires more equipment and a little more elbow grease than other aspects of detailing. Most fallout removers are designed to be applied, agitated, then rinsed off to reveal clean, sparkling wheels.

Wheel Cleaners: Koch-Chemie Reactive Wheel Cleaner, Bilt Hamber Auto Wheel, CARPRO Iron X

Wheel Brushes: EZ Detail EZ-Large Brush, ValetPRO Chemical Resistant Wheel Brush, Wheel Woolies 18" Medium Brush

Read: Keeping It Wheel

No-touch Wheel Cleaning

If you take care of your vehicle with regular washing or you have wheels that have been ceramic coated, you can get away with a touch-less wheel cleaner. These can be sprayed onto the surface, allowed to sit for a bit, and then rinsed off with no agitation.

See: CARPRO Wheel X, SONAX Beast Wheel Cleaner, Malco Fast Shot

Glass Cleaning & Coating

Cleaning glass can be one of the trickiest parts of car cleaning because it is too easy for a cleaner to leave streaks or for a dirty cloth to leave behind a smeary finish. But it doesn't require a lot of effort - just a good cleaner and a good, dedicated glass cloth.

Glass Cleaners: Koch-Chemie Speed Glass, CARPRO Clarify (or Clarify PHOBIC), Bilt Hamber Trace-Less

Glass Cloths: Slim's Detailing Glass Cloth, Gtechniq Power Glass Cloth, CARPRO Glassfibre Glass Cleaning Cloth

Glass sealants can be easy to apply, they just need a little more time and effort on your part. A glass coating will help to repel water and dirt from the surface of the glass which can improve visibility and protect glass in the long run.

See: CARPRO DQUARTZ GForce Glass Coating Kit, Gtechniq Glass Coating Kit, Soft 99 Glaco Glass Kit

Read: Windscreen Care Tips

Clay Bar

Detailing clay is designed to cut through and remove heavier detailing contaminants that aren’t removed in the initial wash stage. Brake dust, tar spots, and more get collected up into the clay for a smoother finish after washing.

Clay bars are designed to be used with a special lubricant or detailer spray. This acts like a thin film of protection on the surface of your paintwork, helping the clay to glide over the surface of the paintwork.

Clay Bars: Bilt Hamber Auto-Clay, ValetPRO Clay, Malco Kozak Clay Wash Mitt

Clay Lube: CARPRO Claylube, ValetPRO Clay Rider, Auto Finesse Glide

Machine Polishing

Machine polishers are used to remove scratches and imperfections from the paintwork with the help of a compound and pad. Don't underestimate the power of a decent electric car polisher machine and give your car a professional, glossy finish to be proud of. 

See: Polishing Kits

Read: DA or Rotary - All Things Polisher

Ceramic Coating

There is sometimes a misconception in the detailing world that ceramic coating should be left to the professionals. Whilst this might have been true when they were first introduced, lots of headway has been made in making sealants that are user friendly and compliant. The main mistake when using a professional coating is removing them too quickly. A good way to check is to lightly rub a microfibre in circular motions over the coating and if there’s not much resistance, it’s ready to be buffed off. 

See: Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light & EXO v5, CARPRO CQUARTZ CQUK, Koch-Chemie Ceramic Allround Kit

Spray Sealant

If you're looking for speed, try a liquid sealant or spray sealant which are great alternatives to professional sealants. They are generally quicker and easier to apply, more affordable, but still give out fantastic results. 

Spray Sealants: Koch-Chemie Spray Sealant, Malco EPIC CR2 Hydro Protect, Gtechniq C2 Ceramic Sealant

Liquid Sealants: CARPRO HydrO2, Koch-Chemie Ces Ceramic Effect Shampoo, Koch-Chemie Pw ProtectorWax

Engine Bay

Engine Bay Cleaners are designed to quickly lift away stubborn oils, grease, and grime, when an all purpose cleaner just won’t do the trick. Easily dissolve the toughest of contaminants from all engine bay materials. You can also apply a dressing to these parts to keep them cleaner for longer.

See: Malco Red Thunder Cleaner & Degreaser, Koch-Chemie Gsb Green Star BMP, Koch-Chemie Mp Motorplast

Interior Clean & Protect

Detailing isn’t all about the outside, sometimes it’s what’s on the inside that counts!  There are a variety of specialty cleaners and protectants for all the different materials that may feature in your vehicle's interior. Clean and protect these surfaces - from fabrics and leather, to plastic and vinyl!

See: Plastic, Vinyl, Rubber, Fabric & Carpet, Leather Care

And so you have it. Our best answer to how much effort detailing requires.

Now get cleaning!