More snow?! Bring on Spring!

It may be snowing again today, but my thoughts are with warmer weather. Spring break is upon many of us and getting that nasty salt of our cars is on everyone's mind. Whether you wash it yourself, head to the nearest touch-less automatic, or just spray it down in a self-wash, here are a few important tips to remember for that first car wash of the year.

-- Car Wash Tips --

Firstly, salt is very dangerous and extra care must be taken when removing a hard layer caked on your cars paint. It is almost guaranteed you will scratch your paint when trying to remove it unless you take some precautions. Use a pressure washer to get the largest debris off the paint. If you don't have your own, you can head to a self-wash bay and plop a few quarters in there to hose it down. DO NOT TRY TO HAND-DRY. Like most touchless automatic car wash bays, spraying your car with just water will leave a fine layer of dirt and debris that can only be removed by proper hand washing. Trying to towel-dry after just spraying the car down will result in terrible swirl marks and micro-marring of the paint finish.

Secondly, make sure you use a car soap with lots of lubrication and follow the mix ratio on the bottle. Meguiar's Gold Class is a wonderful over-the-counter retail car wash with lots of suds and lubrication. This keeps any solid dirt particles from grinding into your paint. When washing, use the lightest amount of friction possible. Don't scrub. If you find a stubborn spot it is best to let the soap soak for a few minutes or use a stronger chemical (or just a few washes).

Remember your interior! Salt buildup on your floor mats can be very difficult to remove. The longer it sits there the hard it gets to clean. The best thing you can do to keep your interior clean is simply to vacuum it once a month and keep it free to trash. PROTIP: To remove salt from carpets it needs to be rehydrated. It is so hard to remove because it chemically attaches to the carpet. Salty mud and water from your shoes brings it into the car and as it dries the salt attaches to the carpet fibers. Just soak it in water and wipe up the salt-water to remove it. This will probably take a few attempts.

Finally, the best time to get your car professionally detailed is first thing in the Spring and once again just before Winter. Even the best care when removing salt will cause some sort of paint damage and a final polish to shine up the surface is highly recommended. Not only than, but it is also a great time to get a good protective sealant/wax layer on the paint in preparation for the harsh UV rays of the Summer. The picture to the right is an example of clearcoat failure caused by an unprotected paint surface.

SPRING SALE!!
To award all those that care to read my blog (and make it to the end) -- I am having a special Spring Sale for new customers on Interior-only details. When paired with a regular Exterior package an interior detail is normally $50-off. However, this is a special limited opportunity for those only looking to freshen up the inside, be it from winter slush, kid messes, or food spills. Set up an appointment for anytime within the month of April for your Interior detail and automatically get $50 off. First come, first serve!

Third row seating still an additional $25 while extremely soiled interiors may also be charged extra. Final price decided before all work is started. Some restrictions apply. Sales tax not included.

Thanks for a Great Summer!

Fall is here which means this detail season is over for TS Detailing. It has been a fun and busy summer meeting lot of new clients and seeing the same old ones. I look forward to seeing you all again next Spring!

There will still be regular updates to the site and blog, but I will not be checking my phone as often as I am no longer taking appointments until the weather warms up again in March/April. Remember, I have no shop and am completely mobile. This has many great advantages, but the biggest disadvantage is my dependency on the weather and working outdoors. The chemicals I use are temperature sensitive and it's very hard to wash a car on the driveway with ice and snow around (though it can easily be done in the garage... ask me how!).

Some big changes are also underway for the season next year. I have been overwhelmed with calls and inquiries for appointments and pricing, but until recently I have been unable to fulfill all the requests because of my full-time job. This lead me to leave that job to open up my availability to my detail customers as well as spend more time with my family! Hopefully this means that next year there will be no more waiting 2-4 weeks for an appointment and all calls and emails will be responded to immediately.

Another big change is a new service I will be looking to add next year. TS Detailing is proud to announce we are the only authorized professional in Wisconsin to use and apply Optimum Polymer Technologies Opti-Coat, an aftermarket clear coat which is tougher than your factory clear coat (even the Mercedes-Benz 'CeramiClear"). This is just a teaser and will be updating more information about this in the near future.

What I will say, though, is that recent aftermarket coatings have been drastically changing the detail market over the last few years. You know those sham-dealership tactics about selling a 10-year guaranteed protective "paint sealant" (the same paint sealant I use on all my details at no extra charge, by the way) for $300? Well, that technology is here and it's only available through TS Detailing. I will be looking to subcontract again through select Fox Valley area dealerships, so when purchasing a new or used car ask who does their detailing and ask about Opti-Coat.

As always, keep following TS Detailing on Twitter and Facebook for the latest deals and promotions. Gift certificates for detailing are an excellent Christmas gift!