When to detail?

[BigMig]

My V8V has quite a few scratches, swirls and other little imperfections, so I fully intend to get it detailed and sealed, to return it to its former glory, or rather to better than when it left Gaydon. The question is when should I get this done?

Thing is I'm planning a bit of a summer jaunt around France in July and I'm thinking in 2000 miles plus of travelling, squeezing on and off ferries, parking in un-familiar places, I might pick up a few more scratches? So would it best best to leave it till I get back and sort them all, or will the freshly sealed bodywork be anymore robust to life on the road?

Also how do you keep the car clean when you're away on holiday and you don't have access to a foam lance and 2 buckets?

[simonpa]

• unsubscribe*

[BravoV8V]

Don't you want your car to look nice whilst you take it around Europe?

I certainly would! Get Francis/paddy328 to detail and seal it before you go. It will be as good when you return as when you left.

Also, lots of owners don't clean their cars during their European roadtrips. Any dirt or road muck is a badge of your travels.

[jonby]

It's important to remember that by and large, detailing has little to do with scratches and certainly nothing to do with stone chips

When a detail is carried out however, it will normally involve some form of wax and/or other sealant being applied, which offers a little protection against light scratches (only a small amount, but it is something)

Washing the car is much easier post detailing because of the sealant

So I'd have it done before and then simply have a thorough valet, which is nothing like as thorough as a detail and doesn't involve correction, post trip

Just my two penneth - there is no correct answer to this one IMO although I'm sure Paddy will offer some good advice

[paddy328]

To be honest, there are 2 ways to look at it. Getting it detailed before you go away will keep the paintwork in better condition and make it easier to wash and the bugs will not stick to it as much. Plus it will look better. However, I would probably wax it yourself and then go for a nice holiday and not worry about your freshly detailed car and then when it gets home, have a couple of days spent on it and then look after it from there.

If you were to Get it detailed before you went away, I would suggest not washing while you're on your trip. Whatever coatings that would be applied to the car should protect it just fine.

If you decide to get it done when you get home, you will not have the worry that you've just spent hundreds on it only for it to be brushed against or something like that, plus you could wash it as much as you like and then get it all sorted when you get home. Swissvax do a bucket that collapses and that you get take with you should you wish to wash it properly.

[SELON]

FWIW I have the same dilemma.
As I got a stone chip to fix anyway, I decided to wait until I return from my trip before paintshield and detailing. I have no doubt that I'll pick up some more on my travels. Get them done when I return.

[V8V Pete]

Whenever you get it done, get some protection film on afterwards. Was looking at a 5 year old V12V a couple of months ago and the front end was covered in stone chips. Made it look like a 5+ year old car rather than a nearly new car (as so many well looked after ones do) such that I wouldn't have touched it without a front end respray. There is not a single stone chip on my nearly 7 year old, 26,000 mile V8V and the film hasn't noticeably discoloured yet at all.

[mikey k]

I've always done it before and after my trips as per Paddy's suggestion (including not washing)
But then I do the all the detailing other than paint correction myself

Edited by mikey k on Wednesday 17th June 09:54

[divetheworld]

My Expel installer stated that he preferred to put the film on before any treatments or waxes. By all means correct paint and remove defects, but detail after the film I was told.

[jonby]

divetheworld said:

My Expel installer stated that he preferred to put the film on before any treatments or waxes. By all means correct paint and remove defects, but detail after the film I was told.

Depends what you mean by the word 'detail' - that word covers a number of steps, arguably including the defect removal

You are correct that film should not be applied before sealants or wax, but everything else should be done before the film is applied

It actually makes new car detailing a two stage process if there is film to be applied, with a wait inbetween of a few days for the film to settle after first being applied