Detailing lesson to be learned here?

Eldorado2k

Eldorado2k

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 9, 2015
Messages
14,544
Reaction score
644
I saw this short video just now, and it made me think of the way we detail the interior of a vehicle. Do you start with the passengers [easier side]?
Or do you start with the drivers [dirtier side]?

Does it even matter? What do you think?

 
I always try to do the hard part first...but almost always (with me) that means that I procrastinate and don't do anything.
 
I almost always do the driver's side front first, it's where most of the activity, and wear and tear happens. The one time I did the passenger side of the FJ first was after getting bogged and spraying mud in through the passenger window, I'm still finding the occasional mud spot in hidden areas.

As a general rule I try to get the hardest part of any job out of the way first, when I have the most energy.
 
Personally, I usually tend to start with the passengers side. My reasoning has always been because it allows me to have a larger area to cover because it’s wide open without the steering wheel in the way.

From there I’ll move the passenger seat all the way forward and vacuum/clean the rear passenger side, then move to the other side, move the seat forward and finally finishing off at the drivers seat.

However there’s been times with some vehicles, particularly the extra dirty ones where I get to that drivers seat and can’t help but feel a bit deflated when I realize how trashed the drivers area is and the fact that I’ve already exhausted so much energy cleaning the rest of the vehicle only to find I still have the worst part yet to do.

I’ll try to learn from the advice in the video and try to make it a rule to start with the drivers side 1st from now on because I’ve noticed that when I do it actually does make a difference as far as the physical toll it takes on my body.

Another example of this can be found with the wheels & tires. That’s why sometimes, depending on the vehicle and if time allows, I’ll clean the wheels & tires the night before, even if I have to do it in complete darkness, that way they’re already done the next morning and I can have a headstart and get straight into washing the vehicle without having to start with the energy it takes to do the wheels & tires.
 
Very much depends on the car and condition I'm dealing with.

On my cars, I don't really care where I start. This is mainly because I'm not letting the interior get to a dirty state.

On neglected interiors, I find its best to start on the driver's side for a two key reasons -

- Getting the hardest part out of the way first to avoid fatigue. It's also phycological thing in that it clears my mind once I move onto other areas (I hope that makes sense)

- If the interior is covered in sand, dog hair, grass and debris, it often requires the use of the Tornador. Anyone who's used a Tornador will know that it tends to make things worse before it makes it better. So, you don't want to vac the rest of the interior, only to undo all that work by setting the Tornador loose and blasting debris all over the already cleaned sections.



 
Whichever side is closest to the outlet the vacuum is plugged into.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
BudgetPlan1 said:
Whichever side is closest to the outlet the vacuum is plugged into.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Click to expand...

Speaking of which side the vacuum is on, when you’re done vacuuming the passenger side, do you move the vacuum over to the drivers side? Or do you just stretch the hose to reach the drivers side including the drivers door panel?

For me it depends on the vehicle. If it’s my Cadillac, which happens to be the easiest car in the world for me to clean because it’s never really dirty, I simply lay the hose and have it reach the other side, especially since there’s no center console in the way so it’s wide open front & back.

8c4ea3e4395f938f69c2be160f8c2e2c.jpg

6c0042aedcc47c8ca04129788623c598.jpg


I have both the 4 gallon & 16 gallon Ridgid vacuums, and it’s always a PITA to have to move the 16 gallon Ridgid over to the drivers side when doing some vehicles. Even moving the small one sucks, because my 50’ extension cord bearly reaches the drivers side of my driveway. [I keep the cord on my vacuums zip tied, so I’m usually limited to where my extension cord can reach]
 
Eldorado2k said:
For me it depends on the vehicle. If it’s my Cadillac, which happens to be the easiest car in the world for me to clean because it’s never really dirty, I simply lay the hose and have it reach the other side, especially since there’s no center console in the way so it’s wide open front & back.
Click to expand...
Oh man, I haven't had car without a center console in 25 years...and that was a '76....
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Oh man, I haven't had car without a center console in 25 years...and that was a '76....
Click to expand...

I haven’t taken full advantage of not having a center console in a car in 25 years… But back when I was 18 and had my 1982 Eldorado Biarritz, it didn’t have a center console, and in those days that car was my main place to have sex and have it often. Front & back seat.lol.
 
Big Dave said:
I almost always do the driver's side front first, it's where most of the activity, and wear and tear happens.
Click to expand...

Same. Unless I've noticed something on the passenger side that drove me to do the cleaning. My passenger isn't as careful when it comes to keeping things in the car clean.
 
Eldorado2k said:
I haven’t taken full advantage of not having a center console in a car in 25 years… But back when I was 18 and had my 1982 Eldorado Biarritz, it didn’t have a center console, and in those days that car was my main place to have sex and have it often. Front & back seat.lol.
Click to expand...
Uh-oh! Someone cover Bill D's ears!
 
Eldorado2k said:
Speaking of which side the vacuum is on, when you’re done vacuuming the passenger side, do you move the vacuum over to the drivers side? Or do you just stretch the hose to reach the drivers side including the drivers door panel?
Click to expand...

I Move the vacuum because I hate dealing with/pulling hoses with a passion that exceeds the fire of a thousand suns.

Generally I'm just vacuuming with a small handheld portable that we got from a bank promotion back in 1989 :D

Would love to get one of these cordless hand vacs from MetroVac but a little pricey for the amount of light vacuuming I do; small but the thing has some awesome suction.
MetroHandVac.png
 
BudgetPlan1 said:
I Move the vacuum because I hate dealing with/pulling hoses with a passion that exceeds the fire of a thousand suns.

Generally I'm just vacuuming with a small handheld portable that we got from a bank promotion back in 1989 :D

Would love to get one of these cordless hand vacs from MetroVac but a little pricey for the amount of light vacuuming I do; small but the thing has some awesome suction.
View attachment 138755
Click to expand...

That little vac the bank gave you seems to be built like a tank. 89’ means that things as old as my little brother!

…The 16 gallon Ridgid is a pain in the arse to lug around, but one thing I like about it [theres lots of things I like about it] is the fact that the hose outlet sits much higher than the one on the 4 gallon Ridgid, which in turn makes it safer to use on any vehicle because the hose is almost level with a normal cars rocker panel as opposed to coming from underneath and forced to drag across the same area of a car.

Small thing but I definitely notice small details like that + I once marred the plastic trim on a Hummer with my vacuum hose and I’ll never forget that, so I’m forever careful when it comes to vacuum hoses ever since.
To make it worse the plastic trim was brand new just replaced on that thing. Talk about a moment that makes you cringe.. I’m lucky I was able to catch it fast before ruining the whole piece, otherwise I would’ve had to eat that trim.

I was able to touch up the little that I caused to where it wasn’t noticeable unless you inspected the trim and everything was ok, but it was close.
 
I typically don't have a set starting area.

In my garage I have to unplug and move the vacuum around the car to prevent stretching the hose across the vehicle (plugs are along the side walls). I've actually scuffed paint and interior plastics with the hose trying to do the "stretch it across the car" thing. At my mother-in-laws place the plug is at the front of the car so plug location isn't a factor.

For my car and the wife's I normally start cleaning on the driver side because the area I stage my products and towels are on that side. I pick them up and go to the closest starting point. On the MIL's car, I save the driver side for last. It's usually the worst area by far since she's the only one in the car now. The rest of the vehicle is easy to knock out fast and then I settle in for the deep clean of the driver seat area.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top