Today I did some detailing...

JAMES VTI S

:pac: I don't have to imagine as I deal with them most days, most people think leather is a quick wipe and move on, it's not fabric it won't hold grime.

Detailing is not everyone's chosen subject.

mik_da_man

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

:pac: I don't have to imagine as I deal with them most days, most people think leather is a quick wipe and move on, it's not fabric it won't hold grime.

Detailing is not everyone's chosen subject.

My car has a black leather interior, what's the best process to get it properly clean?
I have a steam cleaner that I was thinking of using..

JAMES VTI S

Hoover to remove all debris.
APC.
Dwell.
wipe with a white cloth.
repeat tell cloth removes no more grime.

Or you can use something more dedicated like Autoglym leather cleaner.

mik_da_man

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Hoover to remove all debris.
APC.
Dwell.
wipe with a white cloth.
repeat tell cloth removes no more grime.

Or you can use something more dedicated like Autoglym leather cleaner.

Do you scrub the seats at all?

JAMES VTI S

Can do, if they need it. A shoe polishing brush is brilliant.

Curran

Be careful with the APC's, some wouldnt be suitable for leather. You only need a mild solution also.
As James said; spray on, gentle scrub, buff down with a microfiber cloth and repeat as necessary!

166man

Indeed, have to be careful using APC on leather as afaik it can strip the laquer top coat off the leather and allow dye transfer etc.

I'd personally only use a dedicated leather cleaner, but I find the Autoglym one pretty useless.

*Kol*

I have armorall leather wipes and they seem to be quite effective at removing dirt. I was surprised.

*Kol*

Defeated by the weather yesterday I tackled under the hood.

Stallingrad

*Kol* wrote: »

Defeated by the weather yesterday I tackled under the hood.

Interesting how far inboard the suspension strut tops are.

*Kol*

Stallingrad wrote: »

Interesting how far inboard the suspension strut tops are.

Indeed. I never noticed. It's only the third time I have opened the bonnet!!

Curran

You know you've got a detailing problem when you clean places nobody will ever see, and you dont even see them too often yourself!
Good work!

JAMES VTI S

mik_da_man wrote: »

Do you scrub the seats at all?

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Can do, if they need it. A shoe polishing brush is brilliant.

vectra

JAMES VTI S wrote: »

Can do, if they need it. A shoe polishing brush is brilliant.

And obviously not used ones

Noccy_Mondy

What do ye use for cleaning wheel arches. Mine are starting to turn a browny colour from dirt, as opposed to the grey/black that it should be. Just APC and a scrub is it? They're plastic btw. It's quite difficult to get into them. I meant to give them a right going over as I was changing the wheels (when the wheels were off) but it slipped my mind. The excitement of getting them on and all :pac:

vectra

Noccy_Mondy wrote: »

What do ye use for cleaning wheel arches. Mine are starting to turn a browny colour from dirt, as opposed to the grey/black that it should be. Just APC and a scrub is it? They're plastic btw. It's quite difficult to get into them. I meant to give them a right going over as I was changing the wheels (when the wheels were off) but it slipped my mind. The excitement of getting them on and all :pac:

Wheels off.
Blast off heavy dirt
APC mix > Dwell > Scrub
Pressure wash again
DeTar
APC > Scrub > Pressure wash,
Inspect,
if happy
Squirt of CG Barebones .

Stallingrad

vectra wrote: »

Wheels off.
Blast off heavy dirt
APC mix > Dwell > Scrub
Pressure wash again
DeTar
APC > Scrub > Pressure wash,
Inspect,
if happy
Squirt of CG Barebones .

Detailing wheel arches is the ultimate sign of detailing OCD, a bit like cleaning the underside of your shoe.

JAMES VTI S

I detailed this spanish Focus in Cork city last week for a buddy, they were heading off to the sun and wanted to restore and protect their new ride :cool:

The to do list:

• Exterior detail
• Polish Angel Paint Protection
• Restore Faded Trim
• Interior Valet

Sorry about my potato phone pictures i forgot my DSLR :rolleyes:
Thanks for looking.

mik_da_man

Do you have a workshop in Cork?

JAMES VTI S

No I just drive up when needed.
Dublin in two weeks time :-D

Bpmull

@JAMES VTI S

Class work as usual.

What do you use there to restore all the black plastic trims. Or what product would you recommend to use that that give a lasting shiny look. Thanks

punisher5112

Bpmull wrote: »

@JAMES VTI S

Class work as usual.

What do you use there to restore all the black plastic trims. Or what product would you recommend to use that that give a lasting shiny look. Thanks

Look up detailingshed.ie

Curran on here has a lot of stuff.

I got quartz plastics stuff off him have yet to use but its meant to be deadly

JAMES VTI S

I use Soloution Finish and I just love it, easy to use is one thing but when something is fun to use it seals the deal for me.

JAMES VTI S

Got a call from a friend to come and detail his Bentley Continental GT, last time we agreed that there was not enough time to detail the engine compartment and it would have to wait so yesterday that wait was over!

To do list:

• Detail engine compartment.
• Wax exterior paint.

I didn't get a lot of photos as it was almost twenty degrees out :cool: meaning i had to work in a timely manner.

Before detailing

















Very greasy and grimey.

Precess:

1. Spray Meguiar's D108 everywhere inside engine compartment washing off over spray on surrounding/outside areas.
2. Dwell for a minute.
3. Agitate with Valet Pro 1" brush and Alaska F1 Premium Active Brush.
4. Power rinse with half pressure.
5. Spray White spirits on hinges and latches
6. Dwell for fives minutes
7. Steam clean to remove remaining grease.
8. Blow dry engine with compressed air.
9. Start engine to totally dry engine compartment.
10. Wash and Dry exterior with Optimum No Rinse.
11. Polish And Wax underneath of the bonnet with Optimum GPS.
12. Seal engine plastics with Aerospace 303 protectant.
13. Wax exterior paint with Swissvax Best Of Show.
14. Hoover and dust off interior.
15. Clean floor mats with Autosmart G101.
16. Shine up interior plastic trim with Autosmart Finish.
17. Clean glass with Autosmart Glassglow.
18. Drive home play Project Cars on PS4 :P

JAMES VTI S

After detailing

JAMES VTI S

Thanks for looking.

Curran

White Spirits is a bit aggressive, no? Something like Bilt Hamber Surfex HD would be a much safer option, being water based.

JAMES VTI S

Perfectly safe and safe on the pocket
I get it in B&Q.

Curran

No doubt it works, and is a cheap option, but when dealing with the rubber seals, etc, in an engine bay, I personally wouldn't use a solvent. Id rather have to do a bit of extra work, doing an area twice if needs be, with a product I know would be safe.

JAMES VTI S

Just used it in the hinges