Most missed areas !!!

Clean Dean · 05-09-08, 10:06

Most missed areas.

I have a few friends that I detail with from time to time and I guess I could refer to them as “semi-professional”. All of them are very proficient with the rotary, and can cut a polish out a black car as good as anyone I know, just at a much slower pace. As far as areas these detailers seem to miss, these are the most common I find when detailing with them:

Glass around tight areas and corners.
Door jamb inside the b-pillar. (Most commonly missed).
Truck jamb around trunk strut.
Wheel wells not entirely cleaned.
Center console, particularly inside crevices.
Carpet area under the rear window.
Rear cup holders.
Wheels particularly around the lug nuts.
Area inside engine bay just beneath the wipers. (I hate finding debris there).
Underside of the hood/trunk.

I sometime miss one of these areas myself and usually (hopefully always) discover them on my final walk around, but these are some basic pet peeves I find to be quite common.

What areas of an auto detail do you find to be the most missed?

integritydetail · 05-09-08, 10:11

Anytime I have help, they miss the vanity mirrors and don't check the headliner for spots.

weekendwarrior · 05-09-08, 10:12

Pedals. I have seen so many people miss wiping off the gas, brake, and clutch peday with a damp rag. The interior will look great, and there will still be mud on the pedals.

karburn · 05-09-08, 10:12

the areas of the engine bay that are hard to reach without some sort of tool. It's easy to rationalize and think "no one will notice".

weekendwarrior · 05-09-08, 10:14

Oh yeah....and the fuel filler area, behind the fuel door.

EisenHulk · 05-09-08, 10:16

This will be a great thread for a rookie like myself.

Still learning the ropes. Thanks, Dean.

weekendwarrior · 05-09-08, 10:19

Someone once told me to clean everything you can see - both on the exterior and interior of the car. Then, open, slide or move all the parts on the car that do one of those functions and clean the areas you see now, that you didn't see before.

G35stilez · 05-09-08, 10:40

- Automatic transmission: shift all the way down to "L" or "1" and clean debris in space that was previously blocked when in "P".

- Windows: roll down 2 inches to clean area sealed by weather stripping.

Accumulator · 05-09-08, 11:01

Some of the things listed in this thread really surprise me....missing the *pedals*?!?

I usually only work on my own stuff, but when I buy a used vehicle or go to shows, I'm always finding those things that "nobody will ever notice".

IME people never seem to polish:

-the inside painted surfaces of sideview mirrors; as soon as you tilt the mirror you see where they missed.

-tight spots in door/trunk jambs and fuel filler areas and/or related hinges

-back sides of wiper arms, especially around the springs

-areas like the back side of front fenders (visible when you open the front doors)

And just get me going about people letting [crap] accumulate in out-of-the-way areas! When I pulled the fenderliners out of the M3 to clean out the drainage channels, it was obvious that those areas had never even been rinsed out since the car was new- leaves, pine needles, and some mighty big dead bugs

And people wonder why their cars rust out...

Clean Dean · 05-09-08, 12:10

Quote:

Automatic transmission: shift all the way down to "L" or "1" and clean debris in space that was previously blocked when in "P".

ONE OF MY FAVORITES !!!

I used to detail a lot of cars that just came from auction. They were "detailed" prior to me, and I hated the uneven solvent based tire dressing that was wiped all over the interior !!! DOUBLE WORK !!!

Rob Tomlin · 05-09-08, 12:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by G35stilez

- Automatic transmission: shift all the way down to "L" or "1" and clean debris in space that was previously blocked when in "P".

- Windows: roll down 2 inches to clean area sealed by weather stripping.

Thank God there are others that do this! Makes me feel a little less ridiculous.

RTexasF · 05-09-08, 01:12

The inside tracks of the sun/moonroof (still have no clue what the difference is?). Once the roof is open, it's obvious and I miss it more often than not & remember at the last second. The trick is to remember to open the damn sunroof! Also the inside glass of the sun/moonroof.