Nevertheless, sometimes it seems that a car looks not as good in the open sun as when the car was still inside. How’s this possible?

Inside vs. outside polishing

Outside in the open sun every scratch, swirl mark or hologram on the car becomes perfectly visible. Once it’s inside, without the right light source the scratches are poorly or even invisible. So to polish the car there, you need the right light source.

The best light source is direct light with the right amount of lumen. A lamp which is used often is the one from the brand Scangrip. This one has a relatively warm colour and makes scratches and holograms pretty good visible.

Create a dark surrounding

Often detailers create a very light, white and sterile surrounding. This is not beneficial, because white walls will not absorb light. With black walls, a dark surrounding and the right light source, you will see that all the scratches become better visible on the car’s paintwork. This is because the black walls are absorbing the light.

Light systems

Cartec did many research on the perfect light source. After a lot of tests, the Refinish lights were brought to the market. These are very powerful LED lamps with the right amount of lumen and the right colour. These lamps will make scratches, holograms and swirl marks perfectly visible. Glass cleaning also becomes extremely easy with these lamps, because the stains are very visible.

The Refinish lights are part of the Cartec Detailing Dome. These lamps are suitable for polishing, however, when applying a coating you need a different set of lights. For this, the kind of light that’s created during a sunset works better. This light is imitated in the Detailing Dome and can easily be switched with the Refinish light. See the video for an impression.

Gloss is a reflection

Always keep in mind that gloss is a reflection. And you always need a light source to see this reflection. When you use the right light source, you or your customer will not be overcome by any unpleasant surprises when driving the car outside.

Polishing with the right light source: very important!