First customer, Cadillac CTS

[CJtech323]

Hey guys, this car was my very first customer so I thought I would post it up and hopefully get some comments. I did not polish this car, just a wash, wax, engine bay detail, and interior detail. The car was pretty clean when I got it, so it is not much of a turn around, but I thought I did a good job. The customer was very happy and I set him up on a weekly wash schedule with me! He also showed me his show truck which he wants me to do soon. Anyway, on to the detail.
The car when I got it:








I did a pre-wash soak with dawn and sprayed a citrus degreaser on the especially grimy sections




The paint was in good condition, so I only needed claying on certain areas, here is the clay after doing the trunk


After claying I applied a layer of Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 and let it cure while I detailed the engine bay. I sprayed Black Magic Protectant, rubbed it around into every corner, and let it sit for a couple of minutes, and wiped it clean.




After that I wiped off the sealant residue with a microfiber towels, and cleaned the doorjambs with Meguiar’s APC. Then I turned my attention to the interior. The owner is a heavy smoker so there was ash EVERYWHERE. And I mean everywhere. I spent about three hours total just on the interior. Here are some before pictures.
Ash ash ash all over the place






Shifter


Drivers Mat before


And after Meguiar’s APC and 303 Cleaner and Spot Remover


I first vacuumed the entire cabin and then sprayed Meguiar’s APC on the carpets and mats, scrubbed them with a hard bristle brush, and vacuumed them dry with my shop vac. I cleaned all the leather with Lexol leather cleaner and then conditioned with Lexol leather conditioner. Here is the final product.

[CJtech323]

After this, I applied a coat of P21S 100% Carnauba Wax, Cleaned exterior and interior glass and mirrors, applied a coat of Rain X to the exterior glass, and dressed the tires and wells with Black Magic Tire Wet. Here is the final product.










And I thought this was a cool picture


I know this is nothing special, but it is my first professional detail and I would love to hear some comments and build up my techniques. This took me about six hours to finish. Thanks for looking!

[dschribs]

Nice. Very clean.

I'm thinking of this as my next car.

[nyyankees22]

Great job! I remember my first detail...it looks like you have good attention to detail so keep it up

[Showroom Shine]

Great Detail! First one on a Caddy too. Keep Up the good work. Word of mouth is your best advertisment

[JLui83]

Awesome job! were you nervous?

How much did you charge for the wash/wax/interior/engine bay?

[XRL]

Very nice job. Was the car stanky too? Did you try anything to get the stank of cigarettes out? Andtell us more about the "show truck".

My gf really wanted one of those (though it was more likely for her to get the SRX). But then GM canceled all the G8s and the other vehicles I liked. Then the UAW got a huge ownership stake in GM. And now, I will never buy another GM vehicle, and will do my best to keep others away from them as well. I hope GM burns in hell for not bringing me a G8 wagon with the 6.0, I would be driving one of them right now if they had.

[CJtech323]

Thanks guys! JLui83, I charged $115 for this, and XRL yes the car smelt terrible. Scrubbing the carpets down with APC helped to get a little of the smell out and I also let the car air out while I was working on the interior. But what really got rid of the smell was a spray of Ozium when everything was finished, couldn't smell the slightest hint of a cigarette.

[ohiostate]

AMAZING.. Very nice for your first detail

[CJtech323]

Thanks for the comments!

[mikenap]

Although I love paint correction posts as much as anyone on here, this interior turnaround is awesome. And for heavens sake, why would you ever smoke in a car like that? Pull over and get out if you need a cig!

[grease]

Best white on the market, imo. That pearl white looks fantastic when polished.

Stellar job on the ash-riddled interior.