What makes a "detailed"/cleaned car look bad?

Dan

Dan

Well-known member
I often see a car that has been freshly detailed, or more correctly someone paid to have it cleaned up and it just looks plain bad. Tops on my list are:



1. Dirty wheel wells... totally kills the look, my #1 peave

2. Holograms - someone paid for those!

3. Runny tire dressing (like No-Touch applied poorly) and sling all over the sides of the car



So what drives you crazy?
 
Glass not done

Roof not done

No tire dressing, tire's not even washed

Interior not done

Holograms on the hood
 
In addition to those points above, mine is not cleaning that last 1/4 - 1/2 inch of side window glass that's nestled in the frame when the windows are up. I usually crack the side windows a couple of inches, clean the edges, then put the windows back up. Probably goofy of me, but I can't stand to crack a window and see grunge on a freshly detailed car.



Toto
 
White95Max said:
In addition to the above...

Brake dust in the corners between each of the wheel spokes.
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Good one... love it when someone can't be bothered to wash in between the spokes and only washes the face.
 
Similar to the wheelwells, nasty (visible) undercarriages. That, and not doing the nooks and crannies, from fuel-filler pockets and doorjambs to recesses around lugnuts and tirevalve stems.
 
Much of the same:



Poorly cleaned glass

Badly dressed trim and tyres

Non detailed areas - arches, doorshuts, inside and backs of wheels, underbody and engine bay areas.

Polish residue in crevices
 
Accumulator said:
Similar to the wheelwells, nasty (visible) undercarriages. That, and not doing the nooks and crannies, from fuel-filler pockets and doorjambs to recesses around lugnuts and tirevalve stems.
Click to expand...



About a month or two ago, I paint the visible spots under my X and the rear differential and the front crossbar, looks alot better, hopefully it will prevent some rust from settleing in.
 
John Styrnol said:
About a month or two ago, I paint the visible spots under my X and the rear differential and the front crossbar, looks alot better, hopefully it will prevent some rust from settleing in.
Click to expand...



Good idea :xyxthumbs That's gotten to be one of my standard jobs when I buy something. Paint, or at least black undercoating...sure makes a difference. It was one of the first things I did on my beater-Blazer and I often notice how crappy the exposed framerails on "better" ones look compared to mine :D Besides the "taking care of your stuff" aspect, it's an easy way to make certain vehicles stand out, and even look better than they really are (the whole being more than the sum of the parts and all).
 
- Having your car just waxed instead of polished so there are still plenty of now shiny swirls



- Holograms



- Dirty wheel wells



- Uber gloss dressing that slings all over the lower panels



- Burned trim or paint



- Wax or Sealant in all crevices of the vehicle



- Stained trim from wax or sealant



- Dirty Door Jambs



- Greasy interior Dressing



- Streaky Glass



- Carpets under seats still filthy because the seats were not adjusted





Those are the more obvious ones that I run into all the time after someone has had there car "detailed" previously.



Greg
 
Rotary splatter on wiper blades.



Paint chips not touched up.



Interior smell.



Interior vents not detailed.
 
Let's not forget exhaust tips need to be polished. Just did the interior and included weather stripping rubber. Also cleaned up my sub speaker.
 
I always go straight to the lug nuts on the wheels. If the recess is full of brake dust it's a lousy job in my book. Anybody can wash a car but a pro doesn't miss anything. I also look for wax dust in the hood and trunk sills. :xyxthumbs
 
The person that does their own detailing who doesn't take a bath after spending the better part of the day detailing their ride driving it. :buffing:
 
Dirt and grim between the seats and instead of cleaning the dash and console the cover it in tire dressing.
 
People who have killer exhaust tips . . . that are all chrome and billet and whatnot . . .



that are never polished................



ohhh that rubs me the wrong way . . .
 
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