We foam the car before we touch it
We set up the wash bay, turn on the deionized water, get the soap mixed, and foam the car while it's dry. We do it dry so the cleaner doesn't get watered down right away. It sits for a bit, loosens up the dirt, and then we rinse all of that off.
Then we foam it again. The second round gives us lubrication for the contact wash. At that point, most of the loose grit is already gone, so we're dealing with the traffic film instead of dragging sand and dirt around with the mitt.
Then we get into the stuff a quick wash misses
Depending on what you booked and what the paint needs, we can use iron remover, clay, and a mineral cleaner to get the bonded stuff off. We clean the glass, door jambs, wheels, wheel barrels, tires, wheel wells, bug buildup, trim, and the awkward areas around racks, spoilers, and air dams.
If the paint is clean but still dull or full of swirl marks, that's when we talk about polishing. Washing gets dirt off. It does not remove scratches from the clear coat.
Why this matters around Modesto
We get a lot of dust here because of the farming. Harvest season can coat a car fast. Then we have long stretches of hard sun and heat that can hit 110 degrees. If dirt, bugs, or mineral water sit there and bake, they become a much bigger job later.
Exterior Car Detailing starts at $145. A small maintained car and a truck with baked-on contamination are not going to land in the same place.
Related services
Questions we hear about Exterior Car Detailing
Will this get rid of swirl marks?
No. It will get the paint properly clean. Swirl marks are tiny scratches in the clear coat, so those need polishing if you want them reduced.
Why use deionized water?
It has far fewer minerals than ordinary tap water, which gives us more control over spotting while we wash and dry the car.
Do you clean underneath spoilers and roof racks?
We get into the accessible areas around them. If something has to be removed to reach underneath it, that's a different conversation.