The Delight of the Detail

Have you ever properly cleaned a car? I don’t mean chuck a bucket of water over it and move the dirt around a bit before putting a bit of wax on, I mean properly clean it. Detail it. Body, wheels, interior, engine bay etc. A full day, or maybe more, dedicated to nothing more than making your car sparkle. No spanners, no impact guns, no screwdrivers. Just cleaning products, a pleasing selection of brushes and a healthy pile of micro fibre cloths. It’s utter bliss. Trust me.

I’m no mechanic. Don’t get me wrong, I have a double garage full of all the gear, and I’m happy to wield spanners with reckless abandon, which I enjoy. But I also enjoy giving my cars a good detail, even my hum-drum 2012 Ford C Max. It’s not because I’m fastidious, nor is it even because I want my cars to be perfect. I do it because within the noise and chaos that is modern life, some idle hours spent cleaning can be incredibly relaxing.

We’ve done a guide on how to detail your car, but that’s not the point of this collection of words. No, what I’m trying to convey here is how enjoyable it is. Firstly, there is the thrill and immense satisfaction that comes from making that visual transformation from filthy to gleaming. Standing back after a good detail, drinking in the shining fruits of your labour is glorious. You look upon it and feel satisfied because you did it. No help, no expensive garage, so specialist parts. Just you, some effort and some time.

Then there is the benefit that comes from spending time poring over every inch of your classic. As you clean and detail, you spend time focused on small areas, meaning you learn and interact with every part of your car. This means you find faults, you catch issues before they become major and on the other side of the coin, you get to check what’s in good, solid condition. You almost bond with the car a bit. They say you don’t know someone until you’ve lived with them, I would argue you don’t know a car until you have detailed it.

The main point, for me at least, is the relaxation I alluded to earlier. If the sun is out and I have nothing else to do, I’ll be out on the drive cleaning one of the fleet. Radio on, cold beverage in hand, there is nothing more enjoyable. No time limit, no expectation, just going over details and making sure everything is clean and shiny. It’s low effort, high reward and almost like meditation. The front of the mind is busy wondering about polishes and cloths. The back of your mind is left to sit in a big, brain-coloured armchair. It’s delightful.

There are other benefits, too. I recently spent a few hours cleaning the engine bay of my Mercedes-Benz. Not because it’s a show car, but because I like a clean engine. Why? It’s easy to spot a leak on a clean engine, and a clean engine is also a nicer thing to work on. Much nicer. Cleaning the interior, well, that just makes sense. No dirt on the carpets, no dusty dash, no crisp packets or empty coffee cups. A clean interior is a place to be treasured.

Finally though, to detail your car is to care for your car. Maintenance is not the reserve of spanners, changing fluids and trolley jacks. It means keeping your classic clean, meaning no dirt is sitting, no damage is being caused, nothing is being left to sit and cause rust. It’s part of the ownership experience. Sure, detailing isn’t for everyone, and we also live in the digital age where professional videos are but a click away. You don’t need to be a professional though, you just need to be willing. Try it, trust me. You’ll be glad you did.