Detailed Ford Escape

[DrMike]

So after I did an exterior detail on my buddy's supra his boss wanted me to do one of their company cars. A female employee drove it around for a while and I don't think she ever washed it and she hauled her kid around so the back seat area and underneath it was just filthy with cheerios and melted candy under the seat, etc. It's a lawn care company so it looks like some grass seed was dumped in the trunk area so I vacuumed what I could and picked some out with a little screw driver but there were too many and they are embedded in the carpet like splinters so it would take forever. Anybody have any tricks to take these and pine needles out?

For the interior I diluted some Woolite and also tried Folex and a Megs scrub brush. It still smelled funky afterwards so i doused everything with Febreeze This is my first interior detail so it's not superb but it taught me a lot. I need better interior cleaning products, strong vacuum, and maybe a steam cleaner.

For the wheels I used soap and water and a Megs wheel brush. Tires I used soap and water and Megs tire brush. I used an old mit for the wheel wells and then did tires and wells with No Touch Tire foam.

Engine bay I sprayed down with Gunk Engine Foam and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then I hosed it off with water. I then got my air compressor out and sprayed away standing water. I topped this with AA tire foam then shut the hood, crossed my fingers, and started the car I let it idle for 15-20 minutes to bake in the AA foam while I washed the car.

After I dried it off I started using my PC but saw that the car was still pretty new and not very swirled so I just switched to my cheaper Craftsman orbital and Meg's #80. Followed that up with PB EX-P and Collinite 845. Wow! Silky smooth! Beads really well too!

Here are the pics (yeah I blurred some of the pics with the plates but not others, oh well it's a company car .

Before:

after pics coming shortly...

 

[DrMike]

After:

I need to clean the side rail things before I give the car back today.

 

[XterraOverload]

Outstanding job ............Really made the engine shine.!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Surfer]

Collinite is really getting popular now, I love their 915 wax, 845 is great as well. Looks nice:righton:

 

[DrMike]

thanks guys customer is picking the car up in a couple hours. Hope he is impressed

He usually has the same pro do it for $200. He washes, waxes, shampoos interior. After he saw what i did with the supra he wanted to give me a shot. I don't have a shampooer so I tried to make up for it by cleaning the engine bay

 

[sparkie]

Oh how sweet it is. Great job! Nice turnaround.:applause: DrMike, you are a pro in my book.

 

[justin_murphy]

Awesome turn bro!
That engine is stunning. Interior work.....pristine. I think the customer will be pleased.
No reason not to be!

 

[ryandamartini]

very nice. that grey is simply awesome !

 

[FloridaNative]

It looks awesome!! :applause:

For ground in junk in the carpets I use a nylon scrub brush to scrub the carpets and bring those bad boys to the surface so that I can vacuum them up. I really like the ones that are made to scrub under fingernails, they are stiff, but not too stiff and they do a good job. Here's some pics of an interior nightmare detail that I did. With the black carpeting every single speck showed and I used the scrubbing, vacuuming method to remove it and then shampood the carpets after.

Befores:

Afters:

Sorry the pics aren't better, but I stink at taking photos and it was also the late afternoon light so there were shadows, but trust me, those carpets were clean afterwards with no speckles.

 

[supercharged]

Outstanding job!

 

[DrMike]

thanks guys thanks FN for the tip. I'll try that if I run into another car with ground in junk

The customer was VERY impressed. He didn't want to leave my garage and drive it in the rain, haha. He asked me how much I'd charge for a quick buff and wax because he'd like to get his 2 personal cars done as well

 

[alban61]

Very nice, DrMike!! I can't see why he wouldn't be VERY impressed!!
What did you use on the bumpers, with that vast expanse of plastic?

 

[MikeyC]

The Doctor is in! Nice turnaround. However, I'm confused as heck by this statement . . .

After I dried it off I started using my PC but saw that the car was still pretty new and not very swirled so I just switched to my cheaper Craftsman orbital and Meg's #80.

My confusion lies in the fact that I don't understand why you felt your Craftsman orbital was a better tool for the job than your PC. I had one of these several years ago and it was a total POS.

Regardless of the tools you used to get the job done it was a job well done!

 

[DrMike]

Very nice, DrMike!! I can't see why he wouldn't be VERY impressed!!
What did you use on the bumpers, with that vast expanse of plastic?

thanks I used some little bottle of Black Magic stuff I found in my garage. I have no clue where it came from, lol. I'll see exactly what it is when I get home tonight.

 

[DrMike]

The Doctor is in! Nice turnaround. However, I'm confused as heck by this statement . . .



My confusion lies in the fact that I don't understand why you felt your Craftsman orbital was a better tool for the job than your PC. I had one of these several years ago and it was a total POS.

Regardless of the tools you used to get the job done it was a job well done!

Thanks. With the Porter I'd have to go really slow over each panel with XMT #2, then again with XMT #1. I started with the #2 and finished 2/3rd's of the hood and decided to give the craftsman a shot. I did the last section of the hood in a couple minutes and it was just as shiny/glossy and smoother to the touch than the areas I did with #3. The paint wasn't in that bad of shape, just dirty, so all it needed was the cheaper orbital and Megs #80. I only got $200 for the detail job so didn't want to spend 3 hours with the PC when I could do it in 45 minutes with the Craftsman. The one I have isn't that bad. I think it retails for $80.

 

[FloridaNative]

thanks guys thanks FN for the tip. I'll try that if I run into another car with ground in junk

The customer was VERY impressed. He didn't want to leave my garage and drive it in the rain, haha. He asked me how much I'd charge for a quick buff and wax because he'd like to get his 2 personal cars done as well

I'll bet he was impressed! You did a fantastic job! I don't blame him for not wanting to drive it out in the rain! That's great that you got 2 more jobs lined up as well! Congratulations!! That just shows you how well a job you did! :cheers::applause::awesome:Im the MAN You know, with the money you make from all 3 details you could probably buy a steam cleaner easily! I use my Hoover steam vac and it works great. I think some people use the Bissel Green Machine too although I've never used that one so I cannot comment on how good it is.

 

[MikeyC]

Thanks. With the Porter I'd have to go really slow over each panel with XMT #2, then again with XMT #1. I started with the #2 and finished 2/3rd's of the hood and decided to give the craftsman a shot. I did the last section of the hood in a couple minutes and it was just as shiny/glossy and smoother to the touch than the areas I did with #3. The paint wasn't in that bad of shape, just dirty, so all it needed was the cheaper orbital and Megs #80.

Now I'm a little more confused. Why do you feel when you use your PC that you have to start with #2 and then move to #1? Did you consider using #80 with your PC? I only keep bugging you because IMO the PC is a more effective machine and I want to help you make sure you get the best results possible (not that the Escape didn't come out really nicely). I can't imagine the Craftsman breaking down polishes faster than a PC because it has a much weaker motor.

 

[DrMike]

Now I'm a little more confused. Why do you feel when you use your PC that you have to start with #2 and then move to #1? Did you consider using #80 with your PC? I only keep bugging you because IMO the PC is a more effective machine and I want to help you make sure you get the best results possible (not that the Escape didn't come out really nicely). I can't imagine the Craftsman breaking down polishes faster than a PC because it has a much weaker motor.

Very good points I guess I figured since the craftsman has a 10" pad I could cover more area faster. When I get more pads I'll use the #80 with the PC. For now I just want to use XMT stuff with the pads that I have.