The Devil is in the Details
Exterior
When it comes to producing a show quality finish nobody does it better than Benchmark Classics. Virtually all of our cars have been restored to current maximum professional standards in every area. Our cars are rolling works of art. To protect your investment your car should be thoroughly washed and waxed at least three or four times a year, depending on your environment and how you planning on using your car. Because we sell vintage muscle cars most of our clients want to be able to “show” and “go.” They want to be able to show their cars at local collector car events as well as drive them periodically.
Everything ages. However by using our products and services we can maintain a show quality finish for 20 years. Here’s how we do it.
First, we hand wash your car with a boar’s hair brush. Boar’s hair is very soft and delicate yet very durable. By using a brush we can remove surface containments without scratching your car. Sponges and cotton cloth rags do remove dirt and grime but they will also allow the dirt you are removing to subtly scratch your car. Over a period of years your paint will begin to fade and lose its sheen.
After washing we hand dry your car with 100% cotton cloth that has no nylon stitching on it. The threads in many towels can scratch a car’s finish. We use only the finest towels which are 100% cotton in every respect.
After the car is thoroughly dry we wax it or polish it. When you bring your car in we will consult with you, and together we evaluate the condition of your car’s finish. Most of the cars brought into us have experienced have slight deterioration or pitting. When waxed these imperfections are magnified and they become even more noticeable. If our client wants to improve the resolution of their car’s finish we can apply one of two grades of polish. The first grade of polish is extremely fine. You cannot feel any of the grit in our polish that can be found in many off the shelf products, yet it is still very effective. Our second level of polish is slightly more effective on cars which that experienced a greater level of deterioration in its paint. Once we have achieved the maximum possible level of resolution we move on to the next step and begin waxing your car. This step applies to cars that have been polished and those that have not needed to be polished.
We apply a very thin layer of wax that is sprayed on your car and has the consistency of water. This wax when combined with paint cleaning clay will help smooth the surface of the paint, as well as remove any agents that have contaminated the paint. After a car has been washed, but before it has been polished, you can run your hand across your car’s paint and feel as well as hear the slight imperfections and contaminates hidden in the paint. As the paint cleaning clay is applied to your car, using liquid wax as a lubricant, it produces a finish that is so smooth that upon completion you can run your hand across the car’s finish and you will neither hear nor feel the imperfections or contaminants that had once invaded your car’s finish. You can drop a facial tissue on the silky smooth finish and watch it as it slides off. Next we really wax your car.
We only use the finest grades of wax to bring your car to a gleaming finish. This wax is not only dazzling, it is also durable. Between the three or four times a year that your car is waxed you can wash it and use the paint cleaning clay, with the spray on wax as a lubricant and cleanser. As you remove the wax with a cotton towel it will return the finish of your car to a level of quality that rivals that of a freshly waxed car. If you don’t have the time to perform this important maintenance responsibility we can do that for you in only two hours upon appointment.
The next step is for those of you who demand perfection or want to show your car at a concours event. We apply a show wax that results in an ultra smooth finish that glistens, and infuses your paint with reflectants that produce a mirror like finish. This wax can be applied weekly if you want to show your car frequently. It will provide you with a concours finish.
After we have finished washing and waxing your car we hand polish all of the exterior chrome. And we use a grit and grime removing soap and special boar’s hair wheel brushes to thoroughly clean the wheels of your car. If your wheels have a chrome or highly reflective finish we will polish them as well. An environmental protectant is applied to all rubber and plastic surfaces.
Interior
We apply a reconditioning lather to the leather in your car to remove any dirt, recondition its appearance, and enhance its suppleness. An interior environmental protectant is applied to all the interior rubber and plastic pieces and all the chrome is polished. The carpet is vacuumed and the floor mats are thoroughly cleaned. We clean the windows thoroughly and remove even the toughest mineral deposits.
For those of you with vintage muscle cars that have a vinyl interior we have spray-on reconditioning products that will restore its youth in both feel and appearance and help reduce the drying and cracking that can occur with older cars.
Costs
The cost for all of this is $200. It will take a full day of our time to properly wash and wax your car as well as attend to its interior appearance. If your car does not need to be polished then our service is reduced to $155 and will only take six and one half hours.
Hourly Fees
If you want to show your car and be able to display an “as new” appearance to your engine bay then that will usually take four to eight hours to complete and that will cost from $100 to $200. If you want us to clean the underside of your car and return it to an “as new as possible” level of appearance that will generally take one to two days and cost from $200 to $400.
Finally
As you will notice on our website, we also provide a full body-off restoration service to our clients. If there are specific components of your car that you would like to return to an “as new” or “perhaps better” look we can restore as much of your car as you would like, to a level of appearance that is compliant and consistent with concours standards. The hourly charge for work of this nature varies from $25 to $75 an hour depending on the level of expertise that is required to complete the finish you desire.
Storage
We also store cars temporarily or provide your collector cars with a permanent home. We can provide a “wash and wax” service as a part of storage and have a clean and freshly waxed car for you at any time. See Storage for further details.