Common Detailing Terms & Explanations

[Car Care Products]

Hi guys,

We are often asked about some of the terms and abbreviations used in car care and detailing, so we thought we would start a guide to list out some of the most popular. Please feel free to ask or suggest any more.


APC (All Purpose Cleaner): a versatile cleaning concentrate that can be diluted to suit your needs and clean fabrics, vinyls, door jams, wheels, arches and more

APP Pad (Applicator Pad): a foam or microfibre pad for putting on waxes, sealants, protectant etc

AIO (All In One): a combination product that has multiple benefits of usually light abrasion (to remove light swirls), slight filling (to hide deeper scratches) and a sealant to seal in fillers and offer protection

BEER (Beer): used to lubricate the detailer when and/or after detailing. Do not use sparingly and always apply cold.

Buffer Trails: a mark or blemish that looks like ‘hazy’ or ‘swirly’ stripes across the surface of the paint

Car Wash / Shampoo: some can be very harsh / alkaline and strip wax off your paintwork. Choose a pH neutral wash to ensure wax or sealant durability

CB (Clay Bar): special sticky clay made for removing contamination from paint, such as tree sap, road grime, bug residue, tar spots, overspray and much more

Compound (sometimes cutting or buffing): usually meaning an aggressive polish for cutting back the paint surface

CW (Cleaner Wax): like an AIO product that has cleaning, polishing and sealing properties.

DA Polisher (Dual Action): sometimes called a RO (Random Orbital) the safest & easiest type of polishing machine to start with.

Hologram: a ‘cloudy’ or ‘hazy’ mark in the paint, usually more apparent on dark colours

ISA / IPA (Isopropanol Alcohol): a cleaning alcohol used mainly for a wipe down after polishing to remove any residue and oil before applying LSP

Lube (Clay Lube): a slippery lubricating agent sprayed onto the car before claying, so that the clay bar can glide over the surface safely.

LSP (Last Stage Product): the wax or sealant that is the last product applied to your paint to protect it from the elements

MF (Microfibre): a type of synthetic fibre that is especially good for cleaning due to the structure of the fibre and it’s ability it ‘capture’ dirt. Usually cloths, towels, mitts…

Paint Cleanser: usually a mild cleaning solution applied before wax to remove old wax or polish and enhance the gloss, can sometimes contain abrasives

Polish: in its true form a cream that is designed to refinish the paint surface, remove swirls and scratches, with varying abrasives

QD (Quick Detailer): a spray that can be used to remove dust, finger prints etc from paintwork and enhance the gloss

RDS (Random Deep Scratches): Used to describe medium or heavier scratches than swirls in the paintwork

RO (Random Orbital Polisher): sometimes called a DA (Dual Action) the safest & easiest type of polishing machine to start with.

Rotary: a rotary polisher, used by most of detailers, fast and effective for paint correction but tricky to master and can easily cause damage to trims and paintwork

Sealant (sometimes paint): usually a synthetic product of a clear or milky consistency for protection. Has long term durability and high shine

Swirl Marks: Light sweeping scratches that are usually put in by incorrectly washing or drying a car, usually in a circular or sweeping style

Wax (paste or liquid): either natural/carnauba based or blended. Premium carnauba waxes will add depth and gloss and protect.

WM (Wash Mitt): come in a variety of materials for washing the car, usually microfibre or lambs wool

WW (Waffle Weave): a type of microfibre cloth that is particularly absorbent, usually called Waffle Weave Drying Towels, great for safely drying off your car

[bestcarquote]

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[showbags]

Nice thread. Just make sure you have enough beer for your detailer, cause he gets cranky as f&$( when you run
Out.