What's your Process/Efficiency Tips?

mshu7 · 02-16-07, 01:29

Since the majority of you that spend time in this area of Autopia are pro's, I think it would be interesting to know what are some of your tips to save time/be more efficient during a full detail. I understand that in general it'll be wash-clay-polish-protect-interior. However, I'm more interested in details: during the wash, do you start with wheels or do those last; do you clay during washing; when doing the interior do you start at the top and work your way down, etc. Overall, just anything that you do that is a time-saver or helps you be more efficient, while still doing quality work.

Thanks,

toyotaguy · 02-16-07, 04:03

wash, clay, dry, compound, polish, glaze, carnuba, interior
wash, clay, dry, compound, light compound, polish, sealant wax, topper carnuba wax, interior

StumpyDetailing · 02-16-07, 06:01

I wash the wheels first, so that I can dry the car off as soon as I finish washing, without worrying about getting spray from rinsing wheels.

I also scrub the wheelwells after I wash the wheels.

If the doorjambs are really bad, I will do them before I wash the car, otherwise I wipe them down after drying the rest of the car.

Interior-wise, I do one side at a time, front, then rear, moving the seats back then forward.

Then I clean all the glass last.

justin30513 · 02-16-07, 09:49

Some that I do........

Clay while washing. Works with conventional washing and rinseless.

When washing rinseless style, I do a door, it's jam, and the interior window. Then you're done! You don't have to come back! DP's 4-in-1 does awesome on interior windows.

These two easily saves 15-30 minutes per vehicle.

3Dog · 02-17-07, 12:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin30513

Some that I do........

Clay while washing. Works with conventional washing and rinseless.

When washing rinseless style, I do a door, it's jam, and the interior window. Then you're done! You don't have to come back! DP's 4-in-1 does awesome on interior windows.

These two easily saves 15-30 minutes per vehicle.

HMMM.....you just taught an old dog a new trick!

mshu7 · 02-17-07, 01:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by justin30513

When washing rinseless style, I do a door, it's jam, and the interior window. Then you're done! You don't have to come back! DP's 4-in-1 does awesome on interior windows.

That's really interesting. I never thought of using it on the interior windows. I'm definitely going to try that. Thanks!!!

HenrikP · 02-17-07, 11:20

1. Pre-Rinse
2. Pre-Soak Wheels, Tires & Wheelwells
3. Rinse Wheels, Tires & Wheelwells
3. Wash Jams
4. Wash Wheels and Wheelwells
5. Wash Engine compartment
6. Wash body
7. Rinse
8. De-bug body
9. Clay
10. Final Clay
11. Final rinse
12. Blow engine & Wipe body dry
13. Blow cracks and crevices
14. Wipe body again
15. Wipe Jams and Engine compartment
16. Final wipe outside
17. De-tar for polish

HenrikP · 02-17-07, 11:24

During the winter we like to actually do the shampooing before the wash because that gives us so much more dry time. It is also important to shampoo the mats while your doing your wheels to allow maximum dry time for those as well.

DaGonz · 02-19-07, 08:11

I use the four bucket method.. two for the body, two for the tire and wheel assemblies.

I also begin the wash process by cleaning the tire and wheel assemblies. I use a pressure washer for extremely dirty, brake dust encrusted wheels.

I then do the door jambs and the trunk jamb areas and engine compartment.

For very dirty cars, I mix up a "presoak solution" of car wash shampoo and water in a spray bottle and spray the vehicle with it to allow the dirt to "soften".

I also clay while washing. Wash the panel, rinse, apply either a soapy water souution or QD to the panel and clay.

I use a leaf blower to get water out of cracks and crevices.

After the car is washed and dried, I then tape off the plastic mouldings, tail light edges and any edges that could be a problem when polishing. A few minutes if taping saves hours of cleaning them afterwards. I also tape newspaper to the exterior glass to prevent splatter from buffer sling and mask off cloth covertible tops for the same reasons.

I use 33 gallon size trash bags, slit them on edge and use them to cover the wheels to prevent any buffing splatter from landing on clean wheels.

HenrikP · 02-19-07, 10:03

Anyone ever washed, then compounded, washed again and the finished with a lighter polish to remove the wash/dry scratches?

Coupe · 02-19-07, 11:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by HenrikP

Anyone ever washed, then compounded, washed again and the finished with a lighter polish to remove the wash/dry scratches?

Why wash after compounding? Thats just adding more work.

Just a few things i do:
I clay while washing sometimes.
If i clay after washing and drying i dont wipe the QD off the panels.
I do the interior while the sealant is setting up.
I dont remove every spec of polish residue after each polishing step.

themightytimmah · 02-19-07, 12:28

Wash - I save a few mins by using QEW, ONR or DP 4in1.
Clay - this one can be a real time-killer, I like to clay with a QD then leave the QD residue during compounding.
Compound - using a fast cutting compound saves time. Presta is a good example of this - Optimum is not.
Polish - Not a lot of good ways to save time on this step - its the most important one to get right. I like to park the car in a shaded spot thats near the sun - so I can pull it out quickly to inspect my work.
Seal or Wax - I like to wipe it off with a spray wax like Aquawax or OCW. It speeds up the removal and adds a little extra kick.
Windows - I use Poli-Seal to remove any crap that washing didnt get or splatter that I kicked up during compounding. It also adds a "rain-x" like film to make the windows bead. This is a lot quicker than cleaning with glass cleaner then rain-x-ing.

Interior - I fill a bucket with a little bit of water (maybe 12-18oz) then toss in 2-3oz of Woolite. You can dip a towel in it and use that to clean leather and vinyl. I keep a Magic Eraser in the bucket for any grimy spots that the towel alone won't clean easily.
Interior crevices, cracks, etc - I soak the area in a little water/woolite solution then use a vacuum attachment with a brush on it. This cleans the crap out around shift boots and the like much faster and better than using a toothpick.
Carpets - Spray with folex, use a PC brush attachment to agitate, vacuum then extract. A good extractor speeds this process immensly but costs big bucks.