Nick McKees37
McKee's 37 Product Support
- Jan 6, 2011
- 7,265
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You can have it in any color you want so long as it's black. Those are the words I kept repeating in May of 2009 as I walked up and down the lot at my local Infiniti dealership. While the car wasn't for me, I am highly influential on friends or family members looking to purchase a new car, so I'm usually asked to tag along. The last four vehicles leased or purchased by a family member were per my recommendation. I guess all those years of reading Car and Driver and Motortrend payed off. What's that thing called MTV? And why do people keep asking me about a book with my face on it?
After trading in the considered-to-be-rare 2006 Cadillac CTS Sport with a 6-speed manual, my father picked up a 2009 Infiniti G37 Sport. It was an upgrade from the Cadillac, to the say the least. What the Infiniti lacks in silent highway cruising, it more than makes up for with its 328 horsepower VQ37 that revs to a dizzying 7400 RPM. Nearly three years later, two speeding tickets and a set of high-performance summer tires, it was time to give the G37's interior the same attention that was always given to the gas pedal.
With the recent launch of the new-for-2012 Blackfire line of car care products, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the Blackfire products that create whiplash on the inside of the vehicle. Blackfire products designed to clean and condition leather and vinyl see no less attention in development than their whiplash-inducing exterior counterparts. Blackfire manufactures a complete line of leather and vinyl cleaners and protectants that can be used on virtually every surface of your vehicle's interior.
At the heart of Blackfire's interior care products is their Interior Cleaner. This product utilizes water-based non-ionic surfactants that were sourced from Sweden. Put it this way, if you can clean the surface with water, you can safely clean it with Blackfire's Interior Cleaner.
There are two ways of using Blackfire Interior Cleaner: You can spray the product directly onto the surface or spray it directly onto an applicator or brush of your choice. For the larger panels, I spray the cleaner directly onto the surface and agitate using a microfiber applicator. For the smaller panels, I spray the cleaner directly onto the applicator to avoid unwanted over spray.
To really give the seats a thorough scrubbing, I used a Natural Horse Hair Interior Upholstery Brush. This quickly became one of my favorite detailing tools because it's built to last and performs exceptionally well in its intended use. The natural horse hair bristles are super soft and provide more than adequate agitation for even the most delicate finishes.
For the nooks and crannies of the interior, I used a 1" Round Detailing Brush. This brush is long, easy to hold, and features natural boar's hair bristles that are tapered at the ends. This allows the brush to clean well without scratching the surface.
For the areas where the brush wouldn't reach, or wasn't effective, I reached for Lake Country's Detail Sticks. These foam sticks are dense enough to provide the necessary agitation but soft enough to squeeze into tight areas without scratching the finish.
After vacuuming the interior and giving it a much-needed cleaning with Blackfire Interior Cleaner, I applied Blackfire Interior Protectant to every plastic, leather, rubber and vinyl surface except the seats, only because I would be later conditioning them with Blackfire Leather Conditioner. Blackfire Interior Protectant is a water-based UV protectant that's boosted by the famed Polycharger additive to provide maximum durability. Blackfire Interior Protectant leaves a natural, satin finish that dries to the touch.
Whenever I'm applying an interior protectant, I always use an applicator. I never spray a protectant directly on the surface because that causes the possibility of over spray on unwanted surfaces. You can either use poly foam or microfiber applicator to spread the protectant. I personally prefer microfiber as I find it easier to apply a more consistent amount of protecant on the desired surface.
Did the accountant pay you a visit, so you came up with these tactics to entice me to start buying *interior* detailing products for a change? 
I only got two cars worthy of cleaning in my household! Do you hear me? Just TWO cars!
