DFB's Garage
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DFB
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In the past few weeks, I've been fueling my OCD tendencies with other interests......................and enjoying every single second of it. In addition to the actual subject matter, I'm trying to push myself to make more videos. Quite often, the process of getting the camera out makes to film a particular subject has me over thinking what I'm trying to do. When in reality, its just a matter of turning the camera on and going with it. But, I'm pushing through, mainly so I become more confident with the camera rolling nest to me, but also with editing.
But, I'm happy with how I'm progressing. I just need to cross the barrier of being seen and heard. As a shy person, that may never happen. With my lates videos, I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Although, I'm not sure the neighbours agree with that.
With that said, I thought it was about time for more detailing content. Today, it was the Mustang's turn.
To start, the wheels were pre-treaded with NV Purge while I filled the buckets. With the Purge rinsed off, I went back in with Brake Buster for the tyres and foamed Carpro Reset for the wheels. From here, I applied some Hydr02 to top up the coating, then Atom Mac on the rotors.
For the wash, once again the transcendent Reset, teamed with the Carpro DabDab.
Following the final rinse, I again grabbed Hydr02 and applied it to the upper and lower grills as these weren't ceramic coated. From there, Amplify was the drying aid, Opti-Coat Clean & Protect for the glass, OG TD on the tyres. Moving to the interior, I gave it a wipe down with Griots Interior Cleaner, then applied a fresh layer of ColourLock Leather Shield to the seats, steering wheel, gear selector, handbrake and door panels.
Freshly cleaned and ready to swap places with old blue..................
But, I'm happy with how I'm progressing. I just need to cross the barrier of being seen and heard. As a shy person, that may never happen. With my lates videos, I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Although, I'm not sure the neighbours agree with that.
With that said, I thought it was about time for more detailing content. Today, it was the Mustang's turn.
To start, the wheels were pre-treaded with NV Purge while I filled the buckets. With the Purge rinsed off, I went back in with Brake Buster for the tyres and foamed Carpro Reset for the wheels. From here, I applied some Hydr02 to top up the coating, then Atom Mac on the rotors.
For the wash, once again the transcendent Reset, teamed with the Carpro DabDab.
Following the final rinse, I again grabbed Hydr02 and applied it to the upper and lower grills as these weren't ceramic coated. From there, Amplify was the drying aid, Opti-Coat Clean & Protect for the glass, OG TD on the tyres. Moving to the interior, I gave it a wipe down with Griots Interior Cleaner, then applied a fresh layer of ColourLock Leather Shield to the seats, steering wheel, gear selector, handbrake and door panels.
Freshly cleaned and ready to swap places with old blue..................
Last edited:
DFB
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Some bike detailing today.
This bike has been in storage for a while, so it was extremely dusty and had a fair bit of oil and grease build up on the crank, gear cassette, derailleur and chain. So, I started by spraying those areas with Bilt Hamber Sufex HD mixed at 1:1, which is quite a strong rate. I then foamed with Touch-less.
Touch-less doing its thing, breaking down contamination, then pulling it from the surface and onto the ground.
After a rinse, I followed with Hydr02 and dried it off with the EGO. As a finishing touch, a little Bead Maker on a towel.
Then, I replaced the lubrication the wash removed, this time trying something new to me, WD-40 Gel Lube (Spray & Stay No Drip) -
Spray Gel Lubricant for Tools | WD-40 Spray Gel Lube | WD-40
Gel Lubricant - WD-40 Australia
Effectively, a touch free wash that delivered the result I was looking for.
This bike has been in storage for a while, so it was extremely dusty and had a fair bit of oil and grease build up on the crank, gear cassette, derailleur and chain. So, I started by spraying those areas with Bilt Hamber Sufex HD mixed at 1:1, which is quite a strong rate. I then foamed with Touch-less.
Touch-less doing its thing, breaking down contamination, then pulling it from the surface and onto the ground.
After a rinse, I followed with Hydr02 and dried it off with the EGO. As a finishing touch, a little Bead Maker on a towel.
Then, I replaced the lubrication the wash removed, this time trying something new to me, WD-40 Gel Lube (Spray & Stay No Drip) -
Spray Gel Lubricant for Tools | WD-40 Spray Gel Lube | WD-40
Gel Lubricant - WD-40 Australia
Effectively, a touch free wash that delivered the result I was looking for.
Tasmania
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- Jan 12, 2017
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How many Km on that rig?Some bike detailing today.
This bike has been in storage for a while, so it was extremely dusty and had a fair bit of oil and grease build up on the crank, gear cassette, derailleur and chain. So, I started by spraying those areas with Bilt Hamber Sufex HD mixed at 1:1, which is quite a strong rate. I then foamed with Touch-less.
Touch-less doing its thing, breaking down contamination, then pulling it from the surface and onto the ground.
After a rinse, I followed with Hydr02 and dried it off with the EGO. As a finishing touch, a little Bead Maker on a towel.
Then, I replaced the lubrication the wash removed, this time trying something new to me, WD-40 Gel Lube (Spray & Stay No Drip) -
Spray Gel Lubricant for Tools | WD-40 Spray Gel Lube | WD-40
Gel Lubricant - WD-40 Australia
Effectively, a touch free wash that delivered the result I was looking for.
DFB
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It must be the detailer in me, but the following is hard for me to grapple. A beautifully clean, virgin chainsaw only stays that way for so long. But.................. they were made to work and made to get dirty, so it was time for the 500i to make its first cuts.
I'm using pine here, at some stage I want to put it into some hard redgum or box, really make it work! Once upon a time, you'd drive into the bush and take your pick. But with everyone having a camera on them these days, I don't fancy being caught breaking the law for the sake of a video or my gratification. In any case, it's probably good for such a fresh saw to have a few easy cuts on its belt before being made to work long and hard against Aussie hardwood.
There is NOTHING like the sound of an angry chainsaw!
Important to note that the saw was warmed up prior to starting these cuts. I'm also more confident in drop starting it, you just have to man up!
And doesn't she have a lovely voice? Keep following for more on that!
I'm using pine here, at some stage I want to put it into some hard redgum or box, really make it work! Once upon a time, you'd drive into the bush and take your pick. But with everyone having a camera on them these days, I don't fancy being caught breaking the law for the sake of a video or my gratification. In any case, it's probably good for such a fresh saw to have a few easy cuts on its belt before being made to work long and hard against Aussie hardwood.
There is NOTHING like the sound of an angry chainsaw!
Important to note that the saw was warmed up prior to starting these cuts. I'm also more confident in drop starting it, you just have to man up!
And doesn't she have a lovely voice? Keep following for more on that!
DFB
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The Wildtrak was in the box seat this morning. It's been cold, wet and miserable of late, so I had some work ahead of me, inside and out.
Starting out, I foamed everything bar the horizontal panels with Bilt Hamber Touch-less, wheels and wheel arches included. With the roof and hood not covered in road film, I see no reason to douse those areas with an aggressive pre-cleaner if it's not needed. Normally, I would foam the pre-cleaner after doing the wheels, but with the cold conditions, I didn't have to worry about water drying on the paint while attending to the wheels.
Using Touch-less on the wheels and wheel arches is such a genius move as it significantly reduces the amount of grime you have to plough through with your brushes, which is always higher in wet winter conditions. With that all rinsed away, I went in with foamed Brake Buster, then foamed and contact washed the rest of the vehicle with Carpro Reset.
For today, I decided to give Hydr02 Foam another shot. Mixed at the recommended 9:1 dilution, this soap doesn't produce shaving cream foam. In which case, why call it Hydr02 "Foam"? In this instance, I just foamed it on, left it for 60 seconds and rinsed it off, no contact with a wash mitt. I think using it this way is probably better than trying to actually clean with it. Overall, I was very impressed with the uptick in slickness to the paint and the boost in hydrophobics. I'm trying to keep the CanCoat EVO alive for as long as possible.
After a blow down, which I'm finding the EGO batteries really dislike the cold conditions, I went in with Megs HCD. Considering I used Hydr02 Foam, this was probably overboard, but again, I'm doing my best to keep the coating at peak performance.
From there, exterior glass was attended to using the excellent Stoners Ceramic Glass Cleaner, switching to the regular Stoners for the interior glass and info screens. ADS Pilot for the interior cleaning, P&S Swift was used to dress the rubber mats after also being cleaned with Touch-less. The final steps being a light wipe down of the wheels using Bead Maker, and the tyres dressed with Carpro Perl.
It's easy to become desensitized to paint slickness when you are always spraying on something to make gains in that department. But after using Hydr02 Foam and Megs HCD, I have to say the slickness was extremely high. So perhaps I'll start using the Hydr02 Foam more now?
Starting out, I foamed everything bar the horizontal panels with Bilt Hamber Touch-less, wheels and wheel arches included. With the roof and hood not covered in road film, I see no reason to douse those areas with an aggressive pre-cleaner if it's not needed. Normally, I would foam the pre-cleaner after doing the wheels, but with the cold conditions, I didn't have to worry about water drying on the paint while attending to the wheels.
Using Touch-less on the wheels and wheel arches is such a genius move as it significantly reduces the amount of grime you have to plough through with your brushes, which is always higher in wet winter conditions. With that all rinsed away, I went in with foamed Brake Buster, then foamed and contact washed the rest of the vehicle with Carpro Reset.
For today, I decided to give Hydr02 Foam another shot. Mixed at the recommended 9:1 dilution, this soap doesn't produce shaving cream foam. In which case, why call it Hydr02 "Foam"? In this instance, I just foamed it on, left it for 60 seconds and rinsed it off, no contact with a wash mitt. I think using it this way is probably better than trying to actually clean with it. Overall, I was very impressed with the uptick in slickness to the paint and the boost in hydrophobics. I'm trying to keep the CanCoat EVO alive for as long as possible.
After a blow down, which I'm finding the EGO batteries really dislike the cold conditions, I went in with Megs HCD. Considering I used Hydr02 Foam, this was probably overboard, but again, I'm doing my best to keep the coating at peak performance.
From there, exterior glass was attended to using the excellent Stoners Ceramic Glass Cleaner, switching to the regular Stoners for the interior glass and info screens. ADS Pilot for the interior cleaning, P&S Swift was used to dress the rubber mats after also being cleaned with Touch-less. The final steps being a light wipe down of the wheels using Bead Maker, and the tyres dressed with Carpro Perl.
It's easy to become desensitized to paint slickness when you are always spraying on something to make gains in that department. But after using Hydr02 Foam and Megs HCD, I have to say the slickness was extremely high. So perhaps I'll start using the Hydr02 Foam more now?
DFB
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More Touch-less action today.....................
First up, the weekly wash of the Ranger. I've been parking this car outside over the last week as I'm currently house sitting for a gardening client. With no undercover parking, I probably wasted my time washing it, but I don't care.
As per yesterday, I used Touch-less to pre-clean the wheels, wheel arches, tray sides and lower body panels prior to contact.
From there, I cleaned the wheels and body using Shine Supply Shift. Drying aid of choice today was KCx Quick & Shine, Glass via KCx Speed Glass, the tray wiped down with OPT Car Wax and the interior with Carpro InnerQD. After wiping the wheels with Amplify, the tyres were dressed using Carpro Perl.
With the house sit only a few blocks away, I rode my bike and collected the owners Subaru Forrester. I plan on giving this a full DFB-spec detail within the next week so that the owners come back to a clean car. For now though, I decided to plough through months of neglect with a quick foam and rinse, again with Touch-less.
For v1 Touch-less, I had to run it un-diluted in the foam cannon as my pressure washer flows so much that it was not achieving optimal panel impact ratios. With v2, I can run that down to 85ml for a 0.5% PIR, or right up to 340ml for a 2% PIR. I actually split the difference between 1.5 and 2% by mixing 300ml into 700ml of water. Because I don't use all of that on a single vehicle, I'm mixing Touch-less with demineralized water to improve stability.
After allowing the Touch-less to do its thing, I then thoroughly rinsed working bottom up. I know that sounds back to front, but trust me, it works better that way as you keep the soap working for longer and improve the touch-free cleaning effect. With the vehicle parked outdoors 24/7, there was a lot of dirt and debris to be flushed from the roof rails, door belt lines and tail gate crevices.
And that's where I left it, I didn't even attempt to blow dry the car as the water behavior was flat as a tack. I will say though, the Touch-less removed 95% of the visible dirt, road film and bugs spread across the paint, roof rails, wheels and trim. If nothing else, it gives me a head start on the detail next week.
First up, the weekly wash of the Ranger. I've been parking this car outside over the last week as I'm currently house sitting for a gardening client. With no undercover parking, I probably wasted my time washing it, but I don't care.
As per yesterday, I used Touch-less to pre-clean the wheels, wheel arches, tray sides and lower body panels prior to contact.
From there, I cleaned the wheels and body using Shine Supply Shift. Drying aid of choice today was KCx Quick & Shine, Glass via KCx Speed Glass, the tray wiped down with OPT Car Wax and the interior with Carpro InnerQD. After wiping the wheels with Amplify, the tyres were dressed using Carpro Perl.
With the house sit only a few blocks away, I rode my bike and collected the owners Subaru Forrester. I plan on giving this a full DFB-spec detail within the next week so that the owners come back to a clean car. For now though, I decided to plough through months of neglect with a quick foam and rinse, again with Touch-less.
For v1 Touch-less, I had to run it un-diluted in the foam cannon as my pressure washer flows so much that it was not achieving optimal panel impact ratios. With v2, I can run that down to 85ml for a 0.5% PIR, or right up to 340ml for a 2% PIR. I actually split the difference between 1.5 and 2% by mixing 300ml into 700ml of water. Because I don't use all of that on a single vehicle, I'm mixing Touch-less with demineralized water to improve stability.
After allowing the Touch-less to do its thing, I then thoroughly rinsed working bottom up. I know that sounds back to front, but trust me, it works better that way as you keep the soap working for longer and improve the touch-free cleaning effect. With the vehicle parked outdoors 24/7, there was a lot of dirt and debris to be flushed from the roof rails, door belt lines and tail gate crevices.
And that's where I left it, I didn't even attempt to blow dry the car as the water behavior was flat as a tack. I will say though, the Touch-less removed 95% of the visible dirt, road film and bugs spread across the paint, roof rails, wheels and trim. If nothing else, it gives me a head start on the detail next week.
I always enjoy seeing that happen.
Removing most of the visible dirt and bugs does not surprise me, as I think those are "easy" to do. Not sure about road film. For sure its nice to have that cleaned up though.
Vehicle likely to have visible dirt again by next week if outside and windy though
Also, since you mention panel impact ratios (PIR)... when you calculate it (assuming 2% PIR), do you do (measured volume of discharged water * .02) or [(measured volume of discharged water -detergent reservoir size ) *.02 ]?
DFB
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I always enjoy seeing that happen.
Removing most of the visible dirt and bugs does not surprise me, as I think those are "easy" to do. Not sure about road film. For sure its nice to have that cleaned up though.
Vehicle likely to have visible dirt again by next week if outside and windy though
Also, since you mention panel impact ratios (PIR)... when you calculate it (assuming 2% PIR), do you do (measured volume of discharged water * .02) or [(measured volume of discharged water -detergent reservoir size ) *.02 ]?
I measure the quantity of water discharged into a bucket from a full 1000 ml foam cannon canister. That volume is then multiplied by the appropriate percentage, 0.02 for 2%, or 0.01 for 1% and so on.
DFB
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I thought I'd make a start on the Subaru today by knocking out the interior, allowing me to do the exterior closer to the owners return. What I thought would take me an hour ended up being a 3.5-hour marathon. 
I'll do a full write up once I've done the exterior, so for now I'll let some images paint the picture..........................
That cargo mat is useless, the "carpet" underneath was covered in dog hair, surely the bane of any detailer's existence. Addressing the dog hair probably took an hour alone, and even after throwing everything I had at it, I'm not 100% happy with the outcome. The term "carpet" is relative, the front door mat that I wipe my muddy boots on is plusher than this stuff. I've found Subaru to make some of the worst carpet in the industry.
As for the rest, pretty much everything needed the scrub ninja treatment, including the leather. The glass needed to be cleaned twice, first with a sledgehammer to plough through the greasy film, the second pass to refine it. I had planned to knock out the door jambs too, but I'd burnt so much time on the vacuuming that I decided to leave that as part of the exterior detail next week.
Also, why do people keep so much useless crap in their cars?
I'll do a full write up once I've done the exterior, so for now I'll let some images paint the picture..........................
That cargo mat is useless, the "carpet" underneath was covered in dog hair, surely the bane of any detailer's existence. Addressing the dog hair probably took an hour alone, and even after throwing everything I had at it, I'm not 100% happy with the outcome. The term "carpet" is relative, the front door mat that I wipe my muddy boots on is plusher than this stuff. I've found Subaru to make some of the worst carpet in the industry.
As for the rest, pretty much everything needed the scrub ninja treatment, including the leather. The glass needed to be cleaned twice, first with a sledgehammer to plough through the greasy film, the second pass to refine it. I had planned to knock out the door jambs too, but I'd burnt so much time on the vacuuming that I decided to leave that as part of the exterior detail next week.
Also, why do people keep so much useless crap in their cars?
Big Dave
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Reminds me of my brother's Outlander. At least you didn't appear to have the coffee, or whatever it was, spilled on the centre console. I hate doing the interior of other people's cars.I thought I'd make a start on the Subaru today by knocking out the interior, allowing me to do the exterior closer to the owners return. What I thought would take me an hour ended up being a 3.5-hour marathon.
I'll do a full write up once I've done the exterior, so for now I'll let some images paint the picture..........................
That cargo mat is useless, the "carpet" underneath was covered in dog hair, surely the bane of any detailer's existence. Addressing the dog hair probably took an hour alone, and even after throwing everything I had at it, I'm not 100% happy with the outcome. The term "carpet" is relative, the front door mat that I wipe my muddy boots on is plusher than this stuff. I've found Subaru to make some of the worst carpet in the industry.
As for the rest, pretty much everything needed the scrub ninja treatment, including the leather. The glass needed to be cleaned twice, first with a sledgehammer to plough through the greasy film, the second pass to refine it. I had planned to knock out the door jambs too, but I'd burnt so much time on the vacuuming that I decided to leave that as part of the exterior detail next week.
Also, why do people keep so much useless crap in their cars?
Tasmania
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Add Mazda "carpet" to the list i haven't been able to clean mum's Amarok since May....I know i know but with the weather i need two days in a row to complete.
In saying that have we had it YES... have I been allowed to access the car while nice NO!
I do the interior first, then wheels move off the only concrete we have to then park on the grass and do the exterior, body wheel arch ute cover etc,
Dry park in garage let drips dry overnight, Drying Aid the whole car door jambs etc, tyre dressing, megs on the arches seal in the headlights fit headlight covers.
I'm getting cabin fever
DFB
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The cup holder has a rubber insert, which had covered up the stinky rotten milk/coffee residue underneath. With the insert removed, I cleaned it in the sink with Gtechniq Tri-Clean, which has antibacterial properties. I then drenched the cup holder with Tri-Clean, left it to soak, then sacrificed two TRC Rip-N-Rags (I did this step twice). From here, I could still smell rotten milk on the rubber insert, so I sprayed it with P&S Finisher, left it to soak for 5-minutes, then rinsed again in the sink. That sorted the smell.
Finisher is the third step in their carpet cleaning trio, but it worked here as well.
DFB
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Subaru Forrester Refresh
This vehicle is owned by one of my gardening clients. I’ve detailed this car many times, but it's been quite a while since I’ve touched it. I’m currently house sitting for them, so I thought I’d treat the Subaru to a refresh. With 108,000 km on the clock, there is some wear and tear starting to appear, but it mostly just needed a dam good clean, especially the interior.
I ended up splitting this detail into two parts, the interior was first last week, and the exterior this week. And I’m glad I did because the interior required far more time than I had expected…………………………………………..
Interior Detail –
I hate doing interiors like this! And with two golden retrievers frequently riding in the back, I knew I was up for a fight!
Vacuuming – I’m one of those people who likes to tackle the hardest task first, be that in detailing or for anything I do. On this Subaru, the carpet in the boot was clearly that task. I spent at least an hour attempting to remove the dog hair from the boot carpet and seat backs, I even removed the lift-up floor panel so that I could vac underneath. With cheap carpet throughout, this fought me all the way, and even then, I wasn’t happy with the result. I threw everything at it, including a Lily Brush, Fur-Eel vacuum attachment, the Tornador, even P&S Paint Gloss as a vacuum static aid. Eventually, I knew I had reached the limit of what I could achieve and decided to move on.
For the rest of the interior, I teamed the vacuum with the Tornador and Paint Gloss to address the carpets, seats, door trims and centre console. When using the Tornador, you always make more mess before it gets better. However, this tool is so handy to have, allowing you to dislodge debris from the carpet, console, door trims, air vents, and between the seats, in turn allowing easier removal via the vacuum.
The floor mats were given an initial blast with the Tornador, then misted with Pol Star and scrubbed with a carpet brush. From there, I used the Tornador and the vacuum turbo attachment in tandem to remove the Pol Star and remaining debris. To finish, I then misted with KCx Fresh Up before being put in the sun to dry. I also sprayed the carpets with Fresh Up, which is not just an interior scent, rather an odour neutralizer. And with being home to two dogs, and the little surprise I found later, there was some neutralizing to be done!
Cleaning – Following the vacuuming, I directed attention to the initial cleaning. First, the rubber cargo mat was pressure rinsed, then scrubbed with McKee’s and a tyre brush. It was then generously misted with P&S Swift and allowed to dry and self-level in the sun.
Apart from the dashboard, all interior plastics were cleaned using P&S Xpress and the Carpro InnerScrub Mitt, which is basically scrub ninja in glove format. The InnerScrub helps lather up Xpress, which is then followed with a towel to mop up the residue. The dashboard and console only needed a spray and wipe with Xpress. I even needed the Xpress for sections of the glass.
The Little Surprise - Removing the rubber cup holder insert, I discovered a thick, sticky residue that was hidden underneath. Then the stench hit me................rotten milk from a spilled coffee. Yuk! To address this, I took the rubber insert over to the sink and cleaned it with Gtechniq Tri-Clean, which in addition to being a general interior cleaner, it contains anti-microbial agents. I then flooded the cup holder with Tri-Clean and sacrificed two TRC Rip-n-Rags.
At this point, I could still smell the milk on the rubber insert, so I sprayed with P&S Finisher, left it to soak for 5-minutes, then rinsed again in the sink. That sorted the smell. Finisher is the third step in their carpet cleaning trio, but it worked here as well.
Leather – For the seats, console lid and steering wheel, I again used the InnerScrub, but teamed it with KCx Pol Star mixed at 6:1. A relatively strong ratio, at 6:1 it safely and effectively removes that shiny finish caused by a build-up of grime with NO need for a second pass. Again, a towel was used to remove the residue.
For protection and enhancement, I followed with Geist Leather Conditioner, applied using a microfiber brick and levelled with another interior towel. I’m liking this product more and more, in this case providing a subtle enhancement without being looking tacky.
Glass – Both the windscreen and cargo area glass were nasty. Whenever presented with this sort of thing, it's too much to expect a single once over to deliver an acceptable result. In fact, it gets worse as you move from window to window as the towels become more and more loaded with funk. For the initial mow down, I went with the lethal smelling Angelwax Vision and two waffle weave towels. Even with all of the doors wide open, this stuff gets up your nose in an unpleasant way, a byproduct of the ammonia content. And yet, it's supposed to be tint safe.
Following that initial cleaning, I went back in with two FRESH towels and Invisible Glass.
Dressing – I very rarely apply a dedicated interior dressing, mainly because I find its not needed on my garage queens, and partly because interior detailers have just the right amount of “enhancement” and UV inhibitors. However, this car sits outside 24/7, so it probably needs that extra UV protection. The interior plastics were looking a little dry too.
I went to grab an old favourite, 303 Protectant, but couldn’t find it in the cabinet. Remembering I let someone “borrow” it, I instead reached for KCx Top Star. Both products are similar in look and feel, producing a nicely balanced finish that’s not overloaded with gloss, but with enough sheen to see where you’ve been. Unlike 303, Top Star has a subtle, pleasant scent. This went on all plastic surfaces, as well as the vinyl door trim sections.
Continued next post...........................
This vehicle is owned by one of my gardening clients. I’ve detailed this car many times, but it's been quite a while since I’ve touched it. I’m currently house sitting for them, so I thought I’d treat the Subaru to a refresh. With 108,000 km on the clock, there is some wear and tear starting to appear, but it mostly just needed a dam good clean, especially the interior.
I ended up splitting this detail into two parts, the interior was first last week, and the exterior this week. And I’m glad I did because the interior required far more time than I had expected…………………………………………..
Interior Detail –
I hate doing interiors like this! And with two golden retrievers frequently riding in the back, I knew I was up for a fight!
Vacuuming – I’m one of those people who likes to tackle the hardest task first, be that in detailing or for anything I do. On this Subaru, the carpet in the boot was clearly that task. I spent at least an hour attempting to remove the dog hair from the boot carpet and seat backs, I even removed the lift-up floor panel so that I could vac underneath. With cheap carpet throughout, this fought me all the way, and even then, I wasn’t happy with the result. I threw everything at it, including a Lily Brush, Fur-Eel vacuum attachment, the Tornador, even P&S Paint Gloss as a vacuum static aid. Eventually, I knew I had reached the limit of what I could achieve and decided to move on.
For the rest of the interior, I teamed the vacuum with the Tornador and Paint Gloss to address the carpets, seats, door trims and centre console. When using the Tornador, you always make more mess before it gets better. However, this tool is so handy to have, allowing you to dislodge debris from the carpet, console, door trims, air vents, and between the seats, in turn allowing easier removal via the vacuum.
The floor mats were given an initial blast with the Tornador, then misted with Pol Star and scrubbed with a carpet brush. From there, I used the Tornador and the vacuum turbo attachment in tandem to remove the Pol Star and remaining debris. To finish, I then misted with KCx Fresh Up before being put in the sun to dry. I also sprayed the carpets with Fresh Up, which is not just an interior scent, rather an odour neutralizer. And with being home to two dogs, and the little surprise I found later, there was some neutralizing to be done!
Cleaning – Following the vacuuming, I directed attention to the initial cleaning. First, the rubber cargo mat was pressure rinsed, then scrubbed with McKee’s and a tyre brush. It was then generously misted with P&S Swift and allowed to dry and self-level in the sun.
Apart from the dashboard, all interior plastics were cleaned using P&S Xpress and the Carpro InnerScrub Mitt, which is basically scrub ninja in glove format. The InnerScrub helps lather up Xpress, which is then followed with a towel to mop up the residue. The dashboard and console only needed a spray and wipe with Xpress. I even needed the Xpress for sections of the glass.
The Little Surprise - Removing the rubber cup holder insert, I discovered a thick, sticky residue that was hidden underneath. Then the stench hit me................rotten milk from a spilled coffee. Yuk! To address this, I took the rubber insert over to the sink and cleaned it with Gtechniq Tri-Clean, which in addition to being a general interior cleaner, it contains anti-microbial agents. I then flooded the cup holder with Tri-Clean and sacrificed two TRC Rip-n-Rags.
At this point, I could still smell the milk on the rubber insert, so I sprayed with P&S Finisher, left it to soak for 5-minutes, then rinsed again in the sink. That sorted the smell. Finisher is the third step in their carpet cleaning trio, but it worked here as well.
Leather – For the seats, console lid and steering wheel, I again used the InnerScrub, but teamed it with KCx Pol Star mixed at 6:1. A relatively strong ratio, at 6:1 it safely and effectively removes that shiny finish caused by a build-up of grime with NO need for a second pass. Again, a towel was used to remove the residue.
For protection and enhancement, I followed with Geist Leather Conditioner, applied using a microfiber brick and levelled with another interior towel. I’m liking this product more and more, in this case providing a subtle enhancement without being looking tacky.
Glass – Both the windscreen and cargo area glass were nasty. Whenever presented with this sort of thing, it's too much to expect a single once over to deliver an acceptable result. In fact, it gets worse as you move from window to window as the towels become more and more loaded with funk. For the initial mow down, I went with the lethal smelling Angelwax Vision and two waffle weave towels. Even with all of the doors wide open, this stuff gets up your nose in an unpleasant way, a byproduct of the ammonia content. And yet, it's supposed to be tint safe.
Following that initial cleaning, I went back in with two FRESH towels and Invisible Glass.
Dressing – I very rarely apply a dedicated interior dressing, mainly because I find its not needed on my garage queens, and partly because interior detailers have just the right amount of “enhancement” and UV inhibitors. However, this car sits outside 24/7, so it probably needs that extra UV protection. The interior plastics were looking a little dry too.
I went to grab an old favourite, 303 Protectant, but couldn’t find it in the cabinet. Remembering I let someone “borrow” it, I instead reached for KCx Top Star. Both products are similar in look and feel, producing a nicely balanced finish that’s not overloaded with gloss, but with enough sheen to see where you’ve been. Unlike 303, Top Star has a subtle, pleasant scent. This went on all plastic surfaces, as well as the vinyl door trim sections.
Continued next post...........................
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 5,047
- 3,301
- Thread starter
- #2,719
Exterior Detail -
Last week, I actually started on the exterior before tackling the interior. This involved a rather quick foam and rinse using Bilt Hamber Touch-less, basically mowing down the bulk of the road film and bugs. So, the following is the more involved exterior cleaning session that followed.
Wheels & Tyres – The Touch-less from last week did a sterling job on these wheels, so basically, today I’m finishing them off. As always, I like to pre-soak wheels with an iron-remover, Carpro WheelX the weapon of choice today. OMG, this stuff is totally revolting. I’m pretty used to iron removers now, but this is THE worst I have encountered. Now, apparently after the first batch, Carpro changed something within the formula to address the stench, but not this bottle! Regardless, I won’t be buying it again.
From here, I then foam with Touch-less over the top and leave the wheels to continue soaking. After that, I then rinse to deliver a nearly clean wheel. Next, the tyres are scrubbed with Wise Guy, then foamed with Brake Buster for the contact wash of the wheel and wheel arch. After another rinse, I then apply Hydr02. While addressing the wheels, I like to scrub the black plastic cladding as I move around the vehicle, likewise the exhaust tip.
Decontamination – Now technically, I’m just washing the car. But I also knew it would be heavily contaminated. So, extra time spent removing some of that without going overboard seemed like the right thing to do. To start, I applied Gyeon Iron to the whole vehicle from dry. And yep, pretty much instantly, the purple started to bleed through.
Next, I foamed the whole car with Touch-less and allowed to continue soaking.
After a very thorough rinse, I moved onto the next step.
Door Jambs – I hate neglected door jambs! They are tedious and messy to address. Normally, a careful quick blast with the pressure washer and a wipe down post wash is all you need to do. But these were feral! KCx Green Star and a brush was needed, followed by flushing with water. After the rest of the vehicle was washed and dried, I went back with some waterless wash and a towel to finish them off.
Contact Wash – For this step, I used Carpro Descale. I like to use this as follow up to my iron remover and alkaline pre-soak process because not only does it target mineral deposits, but it also CLEANS very well. As always, the car is foamed with the soap and a little added to the bucket, then washed with the foam on the vehicle.
Sqeeeeeeaky clean!
Protection – After washing and while the car was still wet, I decided to make use of some Capro Hydr02 Foam that I already had mixed up. This was foamed, allowed to dwell, then rinsed. This provided a base layer of protection, gloss and slickness, which in turn helps with hydrophobic properties, which then helps with air drying.
Following that, a heavy application of P&S Defender, one of the longer lasting spray sealants on the market. Not a favourite of mine, but its simple to use and decently slick.
Glass – The exterior glass needed to be given a quick hand polish with P&S Clarity Crème to remove some mild oxidation and etching that wasn’t removed during the cleaning process. Following this, I wiped down with Eraser, then the excellent Stoner’s Ceramic Glass Cleaner to add some hydrophobic properties to the surface.
Black Trim – Realistically, the black plastic cladding would look amazing with a Solution Finish treatment, but would the customer notice? Probably not. So, I went over it with a Carpro Reload, which quickly freshens the trim without turning into a streaky mess the next time it rains.
Tyre Dressing – Prior to dressing the tyres, I went over them with Mineral Spirits. I ended up following with a layer of Carpro Perl at 1:1.
Continued next post............................
Last week, I actually started on the exterior before tackling the interior. This involved a rather quick foam and rinse using Bilt Hamber Touch-less, basically mowing down the bulk of the road film and bugs. So, the following is the more involved exterior cleaning session that followed.
Wheels & Tyres – The Touch-less from last week did a sterling job on these wheels, so basically, today I’m finishing them off. As always, I like to pre-soak wheels with an iron-remover, Carpro WheelX the weapon of choice today. OMG, this stuff is totally revolting. I’m pretty used to iron removers now, but this is THE worst I have encountered. Now, apparently after the first batch, Carpro changed something within the formula to address the stench, but not this bottle! Regardless, I won’t be buying it again.
From here, I then foam with Touch-less over the top and leave the wheels to continue soaking. After that, I then rinse to deliver a nearly clean wheel. Next, the tyres are scrubbed with Wise Guy, then foamed with Brake Buster for the contact wash of the wheel and wheel arch. After another rinse, I then apply Hydr02. While addressing the wheels, I like to scrub the black plastic cladding as I move around the vehicle, likewise the exhaust tip.
Decontamination – Now technically, I’m just washing the car. But I also knew it would be heavily contaminated. So, extra time spent removing some of that without going overboard seemed like the right thing to do. To start, I applied Gyeon Iron to the whole vehicle from dry. And yep, pretty much instantly, the purple started to bleed through.
Next, I foamed the whole car with Touch-less and allowed to continue soaking.
After a very thorough rinse, I moved onto the next step.
Door Jambs – I hate neglected door jambs! They are tedious and messy to address. Normally, a careful quick blast with the pressure washer and a wipe down post wash is all you need to do. But these were feral! KCx Green Star and a brush was needed, followed by flushing with water. After the rest of the vehicle was washed and dried, I went back with some waterless wash and a towel to finish them off.
Contact Wash – For this step, I used Carpro Descale. I like to use this as follow up to my iron remover and alkaline pre-soak process because not only does it target mineral deposits, but it also CLEANS very well. As always, the car is foamed with the soap and a little added to the bucket, then washed with the foam on the vehicle.
Sqeeeeeeaky clean!
Protection – After washing and while the car was still wet, I decided to make use of some Capro Hydr02 Foam that I already had mixed up. This was foamed, allowed to dwell, then rinsed. This provided a base layer of protection, gloss and slickness, which in turn helps with hydrophobic properties, which then helps with air drying.
Following that, a heavy application of P&S Defender, one of the longer lasting spray sealants on the market. Not a favourite of mine, but its simple to use and decently slick.
Glass – The exterior glass needed to be given a quick hand polish with P&S Clarity Crème to remove some mild oxidation and etching that wasn’t removed during the cleaning process. Following this, I wiped down with Eraser, then the excellent Stoner’s Ceramic Glass Cleaner to add some hydrophobic properties to the surface.
Black Trim – Realistically, the black plastic cladding would look amazing with a Solution Finish treatment, but would the customer notice? Probably not. So, I went over it with a Carpro Reload, which quickly freshens the trim without turning into a streaky mess the next time it rains.
Tyre Dressing – Prior to dressing the tyres, I went over them with Mineral Spirits. I ended up following with a layer of Carpro Perl at 1:1.
Continued next post............................
DFB
Well-known member
- Aug 12, 2019
- 5,047
- 3,301
- Thread starter
- #2,720
Finishing Touches -
Returning to the interior, I gave it a quick wipe over with P&S Swift, a final vacuum and a misting of interior scent (Angelwax Bliss). Returning to the exterior, I removed and cleaned the licence plate protectors, wiped the tyres down to level off the Perl, then a final wipe down of the paint with Bead Maker to make it POP.
I spent over 7 hours on this vehicle, working non-stop over two sessions. Will I make money out of this detail? No, not even close. Chemicals are expensive, especially the iron removers. I don’t charge by the hour for detailing like I do for garden maintenance. Also, all the little extra’s that I do soak up time and product. However, the owners have looked after me for decades now, be that in terms of business, but also from an advisory perspective. So, when they arrive home tomorrow, there will be a little surprise sitting in the driveway.
Returning to the interior, I gave it a quick wipe over with P&S Swift, a final vacuum and a misting of interior scent (Angelwax Bliss). Returning to the exterior, I removed and cleaned the licence plate protectors, wiped the tyres down to level off the Perl, then a final wipe down of the paint with Bead Maker to make it POP.
I spent over 7 hours on this vehicle, working non-stop over two sessions. Will I make money out of this detail? No, not even close. Chemicals are expensive, especially the iron removers. I don’t charge by the hour for detailing like I do for garden maintenance. Also, all the little extra’s that I do soak up time and product. However, the owners have looked after me for decades now, be that in terms of business, but also from an advisory perspective. So, when they arrive home tomorrow, there will be a little surprise sitting in the driveway.