The Detailing Thread

[Rupert]

Salad looks better when shiny.

[giant_mtb]

Try some Hyper Dressing on it next time.  It smells good, so it must taste good, too, right?

[giant_mtb]

Alright...took some before/after interior pictures.  As you can see, they don't turn out quite as nicely as exterior pictures so I hope they're at least helpful or indicative of what I do.  Mostly lighting issues mixed with using a camera phone.  I should have taken After pictures for the Charger outside instead of in the garage since it was overcast, which gives a better wash of light compared to the intense contrasts direct sunlight creates).  But it was snowing off and on and bullshit so I didn't bother.  The guy showed up to pick up the truck before I pulled it out of the garage, so only got shots from inside the garage as well.  Anyways... 










^^^ The plastic part of the mat is shiny 'cause it's still wet.  I just let them air dry and then wipe the plastic part clean later.


This truck was a dirty one.  Two layers of rubber/plastic mats.  Those are what make it look so dirty...the carpet underneath was very clean...a good example of why those form-fitted mats from companies like WeatherTech aren't a bad idea at all.






Here's the truck, to give you an idea...I washed it but didn't get any pictures.  Oh well.  It cleaned up really nicely, though. 

[BENZ BOY15]

As much as I want to do a nice wax/detail job on my car, this weather is not that great for it....I'm guessing. Snow, rain and then when it's dry out, the constant dust from unpaved roads or roads that aren't that well maintained and falling apart (of which there are many). Then you have the incense pods/pollen from the cedar trees which spreads a nice layer of stuff all over. Other trees do similar things, with pines being some of the worst with their tree sap which could double as Gorilla Glue.

I might have to put the waxing off to June, when it might get warmer....though it seems to be getting progressively colder as we move deeper into spring. I got all the supplies recommended by Chris, so it's all ready to go. Beyond that, there is a DIY car wash not that far up the 18 and so eventually....I'll be utilizing that.

Whoever owns that is pretty lucky because that's the only DIY car wash on the mountain.

[BENZ BOY15]

The cars are looking good Chris! Seems like ya got quite a bit of business, which is always a good thing.

And you know, I don't think that guard grill on that Chevy is big or manly enough.

[giant_mtb]

His excuse was "I wanted to make sure I could smack a deer going 60 and still make it home."

[giant_mtb]

As much as I want to do a nice wax/detail job on my car, this weather is not that great for it....I'm guessing. Snow, rain and then when it's dry out, the constant dust from unpaved roads or roads that aren't that well maintained and falling apart (of which there are many). Then you have the incense pods/pollen from the cedar trees which spreads a nice layer of stuff all over. Other trees do similar things, with pines being some of the worst with their tree sap which could double as Gorilla Glue.

Welcome to my life.  As long as we keep having strong winters and pine trees keep growing, I'll continue to have cars to clean.

[Byteme]

Alright...took some before/after interior pictures.  As you can see, they don't turn out quite as nicely as exterior pictures so I hope they're at least helpful or indicative of what I do.  Mostly lighting issues mixed with using a camera phone.  I should have taken After pictures for the Charger outside instead of in the garage since it was overcast, which gives a better wash of light compared to the intense contrasts direct sunlight creates).  But it was snowing off and on and bullshit so I didn't bother.  The guy showed up to pick up the truck before I pulled it out of the garage, so only got shots from inside the garage as well.  Anyways... 

Looks good.

A hint.   Clean the gas, brake and clutch pedal rubber and treat with rubber dressing.  Then really wipe the ribbed surfaces well so they are not slick.  Do the same for the rubber/vinyl insert in the driver's floor mat. 

[giant_mtb]

Nah, I completely refuse to put anything slippery on the pedals whether or not I plan to wipe it off later.  Floor mats, yes, I dress them, but never pedals.

I clean pedals lightly, but never dress.  Nobody cares that much and not one person has ever asked "why aren't the pedals as clean as xxxx??" so why bother.

[giant_mtb]

Basically, I'd rather hear one tiny complaint, "why aren't the pedals clean enough?" than one giant complaint, "the brake pedal was too clean and I drove into McDonald's!"

Am I fully confident that I could dress them, wipe them, and not have them be slippery at all?  Yes, absolutely.  But I'd rather not, as I go through tens upon tens of vehicles working with tens upon tens of strangers.  You never know what crazy nutjob is gonna try to get at you for something stupid.

[Byteme]

Nah, I completely refuse to put anything slippery on the pedals whether or not I plan to wipe it off later.  Floor mats, yes, I dress them, but never pedals.

I clean pedals lightly, but never dress.  Nobody cares that much and not one person has ever asked "why aren't the pedals as clean as xxxx??" so why bother.

You are not as anal as I am. 

It's a habit I picked up for concours competition when I owned the E-type.   Judges will deduct for specks of lint, water spots, any dirt.

[Cookie Monster]

I think it's less of him being anal and more of him trying to cover his ass against stupid people or lawsuits for covering their pedals in slippery stuff and "causing" them to crash.

[giant_mtb]

You are not as anal as I am. 

It's a habit I picked up for concours competition when I owned the E-type.   Judges will deduct for specks of lint, water spots, any dirt.

Uhhh if I was detailing classics for concours....I'd be doing that shit. These are every day vehicles driven by every day people who don't give a fuck. Huuuuuuuge difference.  No average person gives a shit about how clean the pedals are.  So, I don't do it because I don't want some idiot blaming me for their slippery pedals.

I have a lot bigger things to worry about. Like salt stains, door jambs that haven't been cleaned in 3 years, Johnny's puke stain in the back seat, the 17 melted gummy bears under the seat, the layer of dust covering every single interior surface possible, a year's worth of use with zero cleaning since the last time i detailed it, 17,389 individual dog hairs, etc...dressing pedals is the least of anyone's concern.

[BENZ BOY15]

His excuse was "I wanted to make sure I could smack a deer going 60 and still make it home."

Hmm.

Not too sure if I buy that one.

[giant_mtb]

Hmm.

Not too sure if I buy that one.

I absolutely believe it. It's literally why he bought it. He smacked a deer with that truck and said "fuck that" and got a big ol brush guard.

It's overkill, but...oh well. He gives me money. lol

[CALL_911]

Hmm.

Not too sure if I buy that one.

Have you lived in a place rife with deer

[BENZ BOY15]

I absolutely believe it. It's literally why he bought it. He smacked a deer with that truck and said "fuck that" and got a big ol brush guard.

It's overkill, but...oh well. He gives me money. lol

Well, maybe so but like you said....it's a little overkill.

Have you lived in a place rife with deer

Prior to last August, no. But now I do.

We got a nice selection of wildlife up here, including deer. We also got black bears (hence the town Big Bear and way back when Lake Arrowhead was known as Little Bear Lake). I have yet to see any bears but they most certainly exist and are far from endangered. I imagine a car crash with a grown bear would do quite a bit of damage. Mountain lions are around too but those, unlike bears and deer, are more skittish of humans and by extension, cars.

[Rupert]

There are more deer per road mile in the upper midwest than probably anywhere else in the country.

[Byteme]

Basically, I'd rather hear one tiny complaint, "why aren't the pedals clean enough?" than one giant complaint, "the brake pedal was too clean and I drove into McDonald's!"

Am I fully confident that I could dress them, wipe them, and not have them be slippery at all?  Yes, absolutely.  But I'd rather not, as I go through tens upon tens of vehicles working with tens upon tens of strangers.  You never know what crazy nutjob is gonna try to get at you for something stupid.

My mistake, I thought you were talking about your own cars.  I wouldn't do that to customers cars either.

[BENZ BOY15]

There are more deer per road mile in the upper midwest than probably anywhere else in the country.

I believe it.

I saw some when I went snowshoeing the last few days I was there and it was a pretty cool sight. I don't know much about deer, but I was under the impression that during the winter, they tend to go into hiding or just in general don't move around as much. But sure enough, this group was out and about. Though a quick google search indicates deer don't go more than 1/4 mile away from their winter cover area.

So maybe that explains it and also why other than that instance, I don't remember seeing any. It was a neat sight to see them going through the snow, when everything else around them was dormant and still. Twas a very interesting contrast and certainly one that I had never seen before.

[Byteme]

There are more deer per road mile in the upper midwest than probably anywhere else in the country.

I've almost hit a couple In my own driveway.  We have a herd, if 9 can be considered a herd, that regularly, almost daily, strolls around the back and side yards.  And I'm in town, heaven only knows what it's like outside the city limits.

[CALL_911]

I've had a few close calls with deer. Last one I can think of, my friend was driving down a 2 lane road when Bambi prances out of nowhere, my friend stops just short, and the deer slams into the side of a Kia Sedona. Bambi flops down and looks like a corpse at this point, and the Kia now has a nice little alcove in its rear 3/4 panel.

Bambi springs to life in a second and happily trots the fuck away, Kia still has said alcove. Fucking deer indeed (although they are nice to watch when they're far, far away from your car)

[Byteme]

Uhhh if I was detailing classics for concours....I'd be doing that shit. These are every day vehicles driven by every day people who don't give a fuck. Huuuuuuuge difference.  No average person gives a shit about how clean the pedals are.  So, I don't do it because I don't want some idiot blaming me for their slippery pedals.

I have a lot bigger things to worry about. Like salt stains, door jambs that haven't been cleaned in 3 years, Johnny's puke stain in the back seat, the 17 melted gummy bears under the seat, the layer of dust covering every single interior surface possible, a year's worth of use with zero cleaning since the last time i detailed it, 17,389 individual dog hairs, etc...dressing pedals is the least of anyone's concern.

I just spent the last three days detailing the CLK and 6.  Clay bar, polish and wax on the exterior (Meguires products, love 'em) along with a through cleaning of the interiors, even the seat belts on the CLK since they are light beige and really looked dingy after 13 years and 107,000 miles.  And yes, I cleaned and treated the pedals.   

[FlatBlackCaddy]

giant_mtb,

what do you use for interior cleaner?

[Eye of the Tiger]

giant_mtb,

what do you use for interior cleaner?

10 parts bleach : 1 part deionized water.

[giant_mtb]

giant_mtb,

what do you use for interior cleaner?

For like door panels and dashboard and such?  Meg's Quik Interior mixed with a dash of Hyper Dressing.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

For like door panels and dashboard and such?  Meg's Quik Interior mixed with a dash of Hyper Dressing.

What about like fabrics?

For carpet stain spot treatment prior to scrubbing(or do you just use the extractor vac).

Also for sensitive stuff like fabric seat inserts(suede, etc) or headliners.

I've been using Meguiars APC in various dilutions, works well on headliners and light fabrics. Not the best on heavily soiled carpets(I just use it on carpets and then hand scrub and then use a regular shop vac).

[giant_mtb]

The extractor takes care of most things, but I still have to pre treat and scrub a lot of salt stains and heavier stains. For spot stains and pre treatment I just use a stronger solution of the shampoo I use in the extractor.  I get my shampoo from Menards, so it's either Zep Premium Carpet Shampoo or the Ecolab Clean Strike 3 in 1 carpet cleaner.  I like the Ecolab stuff better, but the Zep has a better scent (just tried the Zep for the first time yesterday). I might switch to using Zep only in the extractor and Ecolab in the spray bottle for spots and pretreatment. 

[giant_mtb]

I haven't honestly dealt with any (real) suede.  Should be able to clean it similarly to any other fabric, just be gentle, I guess.

[giant_mtb]

I tried using Meg's Non-Acid Wheel & Tire cleaner today instead of my usual Meg's Wheel Brightener (which I believe is acid-based).  It works pretty well and is a good cleaner, but it just doesn't quite compare to the Wheel Brightener, especially for cleaning/removing stuff like rail dust and light corrosion.