With the Goodwood Revival coming up in just a couple of weeks I thought it’d be a good idea to give some tips and tricks specifically around classic car detailing.
Five tips to help you with classic car detailing:
Pull up to the Bumper:
A common sight on classic cars is chrome and polished metal trims and bumpers. These features are a huge focal point of your car, so when it comes to classic car detailing the metal polish is coming out! You can get these shining by hand with metal polish and a microfiber towel. Those chromes will also come up a treat with a detailer’s machine polisher and foam polishing pad.
Lighting the Way:
Many classic cars have simple plastic lens covers for some of the exterior lights. These covers are often used on everything apart from the main and dipped beam unit. These plastic covers tend to gather dust and dirt behind them over time, which can let the appearance of your car down. The covers are usually held on with a couple of screws; remove these and give the covers a good clean and polish inside and out. Before you know it, they will look like new again.
Mind the Gaps:
Classic cars tend to have a lot more gaps and recesses that can hold onto the water after washing the vehicle. If you don’t address this issue, water will continually drip down the paint and could cause water spots. This is annoying if you’re polishing the vehicle afterwards. An easy fix for this situation is to use either compressed air or a dedicated vehicle air dryer that can blow the trapped water out of these areas, leaving a completely dry, water spot-free finish. As a professional detailer, I have access to the right tools for this job.
Careful with your Cleaners:
I often see a common mistake where people using the wrong types of cleaners on chrome, especially the wheels. Make sure the cleaners you use are safe for chrome. Otherwise, you could end up staining or damaging the chrome’s finish. In most cases I generally use the car shampoo in my wheel cleaning bucket, it’s safe on chrome and has enough cleaning power to remove the road grime and brake dust.
For Top Marks:
Finally, be sparing with your application of tire shine. Classic car concours judges, including those at Goodwood, will usually mark down a vehicle that has really shiny tires. So, when you’re doing a bit of classic car detailing, only use enough to give a uniform matte sheen, this gives the tyres a fresh look without looking glossy.
If you don’t have the time or tools to use on your vehicle, contact me. I can still fit your vehicle in for classic car detailing before Goodwood Revival. Contact me here.
Engine Bay Detailing
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