Detailing guides

Almost every expensive detailing mistake is a step taken out of order rather than a step done badly. Claying before the iron remover, polishing before claying, coating before correcting, dressing tires before washing — each of those undoes work you have already paid for in time.

Which is why the order of operations is the spine of this site, and why most pages here assume a specific position in that sequence rather than standing alone.

• Wash — every one to two weeks, and the stage where almost all paint damage happens.
• Decontaminate — twice a year, and it changes how the paint feels.
• Correct — every two to four years, and the only stage that spends clear coat.
• Protect — two to four times a year, and an hour each time.
• Maintain — every wash, and ten minutes.

The full model is on DIY car detailing.

That we tested any of this ourselves. We have not — this site is written from published manufacturer data and the consistent patterns in verified-purchase reports, and every page says so. The technique guides are different in kind: a two-bucket wash works because of how grit behaves, not because of a product claim.

Last reviewed October 5, 2026. Think a figure here is wrong? Tell us at contact@detailingandwax.com and we will check it, fix it and date the correction — see our editorial policy.