Individual Treatments

By Mike Ball


For many, a car is often the second largest investment in life so taking care of it properly could save you thousands of pounds when you come to sell it again and if you love your car, you'll love having it detailed. Crystal Clear is constantly striving to become the very pinnacle of car care; only using the finest products and a technique refined from years of experience can produce that Crystal Clear shine.

All of our detailing services start with cleaning the vehicle to an extremly high standard. We don't believe in using strong cleaners which can sometimes damage the surface of a vehicle to get the job done quickly, instead, PH neutral products are used to gently lift dirt from the vehicle and time is taken to ensure every single aspect is perfect. We pay an incredible amount of attention to even the smallest of details, even the door shuts and hinges are cleaned to the same high standard.

First of all we start off with a pre-wash (usually a citrus degreaser) to remove any heavy dirt on the lower half of the vehicle before it is pressure rinsed. Next, the alloys are cleaned inside and out using a dedicated proven wheel cleaner to prevent corrosion and discolouration, especially on chromed or powdercoated wheels, which can sometimes occur using common wheel cleaners with a high acid content. After the arches have been scrubbed, we then move onto the wash stage and every precaution is taken not to induce swirl marks by using a lambswool wash mitt in conjunction with the 'two bucket method'. Swirl marks are often caused by the incorrect wash technique, for example the flat surface of a sponge can actually rub tiny particles of dirt into the paintwork and scratch the paint giving the effect of swirls in direct light. Next, a special bar of clay is used to remove particles stuck to the paintwork which make it feel rough leaving the paint silky smooth and completely clean. Once this is done, we can then move onto enchanceing the shine.

Protection Detail - £180

This process is the entry level detail and is a great introduction to Crystal Clear's detailing service. Alternatively this package can selected as a wax top-up inbetween 'CC Ultimate' details.

Once the vehicle has been cleaned using the method described above, the paintwork depth is recorded using a PTG and uploaded to a laptop for reference. A single stage machine polish is undertaken to enahnce the appearance of the paintwork and remove light scratches on the surface of the laquer. A machine polisher is usually used for this process, however, on softer paints this process may be carried out by hand.

Next, the correct wax for the colour and finish of the vehicle is selected (usually carnauba wax with 30-80% white carnauba content) and two layers are applied to produce an incredible shine, lustre and to protect the polished surface underneath. Extra time is then taken to finish the smaller details like polishing the exhaust trim, sealing the wheels so they are easier to clean in the future, cleaning the glass and dressing the tyres and any plastics before moving onto the interior.

All interior surfaces are vacuumed and cleaned to remove any scuffs or stains and the leather is cleaned and conditioned to keep it soft and top up the natural oils.
Correction Detail - £POA

In terms of the process, this detail is nearly exactly the same as the 'CC Protection' detail although considerably more time is taken during the polishing stage.

The biggest problem is swirl marks which can been seen in the sun and these can make the paintwork look dull with low levels of gloss. Crystal lear can polish out swirl marks, any other light scratches and then refine the finish of your vehicle to a higher standard than when the car was brand new and teach you how to maintain the finish.

As with the 'CC Protection' detail no less care is taken preparing the vehicle and the correct wax is selected depending on the colour and finish (usually carnauba wax with 30-80% white carnauba content).



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