Detailing: What order do you go in?

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CC268

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I am looking for a fairly detailed list of steps on how you go about your detailing process. Do you start with exterior first or interior?

Here is a list of steps I found from a professional detailer:

1. Clean wheels, tires and wheel wells
2. Degrease Engine
3. Wash Exterior (starting at front and finishing up on front especially during bug season)
4. Pressure rinse exterior & door jambs
5. Clay and dry at the same time
6. Detail interior
---- a. Quick vacuum
---- b. Clean sections at a time going front to back on both sides so when you are done cleaning, all seats are moved all the way forward
---- c. Thorough vacuum from back to front
---- d. Condition leather, rubber, vinyl & plastic
7. Paint correction (buffing & polishing)
8. Finish detailing engine
9. Polish wheels
10. Condition trim and dress tires
11. Apply LSP
12. Clean windows and final detail of dash and console area
13. Remove LSP
14. Double check everything

This seems like a great set of steps to follow (although I am not sure what he means by step 5), but was wondering what your opinion was.

Thanks!
 
I am not a pro, so I never detail everything in one session. I'm just too slow. But I would do the interior first, just so I wouldn't be dragging the vacuum power cord through wet/damp ground. Unless of course you wash outside, and do the interior inside. But I don't have the luxury of a garage.

If I am claying my whole car, I use a cannon to wash, rinse, and use the cannon again. The foam is the clay lube. Then I rinse and dry.
 
CC268 said:
I am looking for a fairly detailed list of steps on how you go about your detailing process. Do you start with exterior first or interior?



Here is a list of steps I found from a professional detailer:



1. Clean wheels, tires and wheel wells

2. Degrease Engine

3. Wash Exterior (starting at front and finishing up on front especially during bug season)

4. Pressure rinse exterior & door jambs

5. Clay and dry at the same time

6. Detail interior

---- a. Quick vacuum

---- b. Clean sections at a time going front to back on both sides so when you are done cleaning, all seats are moved all the way forward

---- c. Thorough vacuum from back to front

---- d. Condition leather, rubber, vinyl & plastic

7. Paint correction (buffing & polishing)

8. Finish detailing engine

9. Polish wheels

10. Condition trim and dress tires

11. Apply LSP

12. Clean windows and final detail of dash and console area

13. Remove LSP

14. Double check everything



This seems like a great set of steps to follow (although I am not sure what he means by step 5), but was wondering what your opinion was.



Thanks!
Click to expand...


I guess by step 5 he means that when you clay your car ,it's wet,so I think he dries the area what he just clayed.
I prefer speedy prep towel instead of claying , and I also would agree with the trekkeruss to start with interior ,but that just my opinion,and I am not a pro as well.
Other than that I do the same steps ,also start with wheels and then rest of the car.
I have a metro master blaster which makes the drying much faster and easier and also the towel squeeze,don't know if I called it right,it's the thing with two rolls and you roll a towel between them to squeeze out the water.
I also use a foam gun ,which I do the foaming ,then pressure wash ,and then two pocket hand wash.


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Interesting...I have always dried my truck and then used the detailing spray that comes with my DP clay bar kit for claying...
 
CC268 said:
Interesting...I have always dried my truck and then used the detailing spray that comes with my DP clay bar kit for claying...
Click to expand...


Yes ,I dry it too on my way of claying or actually using the speedy prep towel, but I am claying after my car has been washed and dried ,sorry my be you didn't respond my post :)


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And these new Sonax Fallout Cleaner are awesome ,I used IronX. which is very good as well,but I like the Sonax better,I use it also the Sonax wheel cleaner ,takes off everything:)


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Unless your water is very hard, no sense in drying the car before you clay. Just over concentrate you clay lube a bit. Then as you wipe a panel, you are drying as well, big time saver.

Like others, I do the entire interior first, I'm not going to clean the exterior, then have dust or something else land on it while I'm doing the interior. Too much risk of picking up dirt while polishing. Also gives the wheels and engine time to cool before working on them.

I also apply LSP then do trim, then remove LSP. That way any overrun on the trim dressing doesn't get on the paint, just the hazed LSP, and it wipes off without any streaks.
 
Audios S6 said:
Unless your water is very hard, no sense in drying the car before you clay. Just over concentrate you clay lube a bit. Then as you wipe a panel, you are drying as well, big time saver.

Like others, I do the entire interior first, I'm not going to clean the exterior, then have dust or something else land on it while I'm doing the interior. Too much risk of picking up dirt while polishing. Also gives the wheels and engine time to cool before working on them.

I also apply LSP then do trim, then remove LSP. That way any overrun on the trim dressing doesn't get on the paint, just the hazed LSP, and it wipes off without any streaks.
Click to expand...

The issue is I live in AZ so trying to clay the truck before the truck dries would be quite tough. Thanks for the tip on doing the LSP before the trim
 
Yes by claying your car right after you wash it saves you a bunch of time so you dont have to dry it off then get it wet again with clay lubricant and you will get the same results I do it all of the time:xyxthumbs:
 
Reflecfinishes said:
Yes by claying your car right after you wash it saves you a bunch of time so you dont have to dry it off then get it wet again with clay lubricant and you will get the same results I do it all of the time:xyxthumbs:
Click to expand...

I will have to give that a shot...
 
Pretty much depends on what the car is getting done where I start and what order I go in. If the interior needs deep cleaned I start there. If not, wheels first then wash then interior
 
To save yourself even more time, invest in a Nankin wash mitt. After I'm done washing a car, I get a new bucket with a concentrated wash soap and then go over the whole car with the nanoskin wash mitt and then do a final rinse and then dry. Claying has now just become an extension of my washing process.

I like usually like to wash/clay first, then interior, then a quick dust off before any polishing/correcting/sealing. By doing this it gives any water in cracks and crevices some extra time to evaporate before I go at it with the buffer. Summer time this is less important, but it works for me.
 
I am currently reading Mike Phillip's book right now and that has given me the best order for exterior thus far!
 
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