I have a brand new car, why should I have it detailed? It can’t look better that it does right now!

This is a very common misconception of car owners. Unless you can pick up your unit straight off the assembly line, your car IS NOT brand new. Your actual unit sits outside the manufacturing plant for several weeks before it is delivered to the dealership that ordered them. In the dealership, it also sits outdoors for weeks before someone purchases it. And don’t forget the “First In First Out” inventory system wherein the dealer will sell you their oldest stock before the newer one.

Throughout your “brand new” car’s life from the factory to your garage, how do you think the plant and dealership personnel washes the cars? Chances are, your paint already is gritty from all the contaminants that has bonded to your paint during the outdoor storage. Water spots are visible on your glass surfaces and paint surfaces from frequent hose-down and rainfall without drying. Your brand new car is rarely close to perfection. Not to mention that some manufacturers DRIVES the unit to the dealership instead of carrying the vehicles on a truck bed, during this time, the drivers may be smoking, driving with windows open, etc., soiling your interior.
 
I was told to get my paint “rubbed down” to restore the gloss and remove the scratches, how different is this from detailing?

Rubdown or Rubbing is a common term used to level paint. Simply put, they will level the paint down to the base of the defect and that’s that. Your paint surface is made up of layers. From the sheet metal to the primer, then the base coat and then the clear coat (for dual stage paints). Chances are your paint will look dull and whitish after the so called “rubbing”, the reason is that the use of a course compound removed a couple of layers of the paint and left the surface marred with tiny scratches. With detailing, this will not occur due to the fact that the surface is finished with much finer polishes and glazes to restore the glossy, wet look surface of your paint. Rubbing down the paint should only be considered if less abrasive and intrusive methods have been tried and deemed ineffective. If your detailing outright suggests a “rubbing” session without a proper analysis, walk away. This problem is also very common with poorly repainted cars, the painter doesn’t finish the paint well and stops with rubbing the paint with a wool pad and compound, leaving the surface with whitish spots and haze.

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