Length of a full Interior detail?

[imported_rookie]

Without taking out the seats what is the length of time on doing a full detail on the inside?



I am also wondering about the whole water extraction device? Won`t a wet/dry vac and a brush and shampoo combined with some good ole elbow greese do the same thing as a water extraction unit? Will the result be the same?



Thanks for the help!

[ZaneO]

No one can tell you how long it takes to do an interior, due to each car`s condition and your speed/method.



The advantage of most extractors compared to a shop vac is that extractors use hot water which helps breakup stains, soils, etc.

[NavindraLR]

the time all depends on how much attention the interior needs... i spent about 1/2 hour on an interior from a brand new escalade that was take care of... on a 97 voyager, i prob spent 90 minutes on it... and yeah, what u said about the vac and everything, does work extremely well, but nothing will beat having a extractor... i honestly dont think ill ever get one tho, cause the vac, shampoo, brush work great....

[imported_rookie]

Navindra,

Do you do it commercially? And can would customers even be able to tell the difference between using the excavator and not using one?



Also the steam. What is the advantage to that, and what exactly does it do?

[ZaneO]

I`ve already explained that.



"The advantage of most extractors compared to a shop vac is that extractors use hot water which helps breakup stains, soils, etc."

[imported_rookie]

Zaneo, I understand what you are saying, I was just asking if it was noticeable. I am still new at this, so sorry for the misunderstanding.

[ZaneO]

It all just depends. If the carpet is nearly new, you might not be able to tell. If the carpet is older and badly stained, etc. you`ll definitely be able to tell. It can make it `as new` again.

[imported_Luster]

I spent 5 hours on the interior of a trashed Ford Excursion....



It was a nightmare!:scared



At that point I decided to start charging an hourly rate for LARGE SUV`s, trucks, vans, etc.



I charge them $35 per hour, and give them an estimate prior to the work. If I estimate 7 hours, I will try to do the work a little quicker and charge them less.... seems to bring them back.



Truth is, I don`t like doing SUV`s, trucks, vans, because I`m gettin` too old for that much work at one time.....



Give a nice small coupe, sports car or sedan any day!!! (love doing 3-4 hour details).....:D (And it gives me a quick $140 in my pocket!):xyxthumbs



Like this one!



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/bluster/cobra/cobraside.jpg

[imported_Intel486]

The time it takes to do a full interior detail varies. The time frame I commonly see for interiors w/ carpet extraction is 1 1/2 to 3 hours. That includes equipment setup and break down. Just depends on the size of the vehicle, if it`s got leather, how trashed it is, etc.



A carpet extractor is a LOT better than a Wet/Dry vac. If you are doing it professionally, then you`ll want to use a carpet extractor.



The carpet extractor has a lot more suction. Also, it is made to rinse the carpet out with water. A wet/dry vac would just suck the foam, etc. up. You can use a spray bottle with water to rinse the carpet out but it would take a lot of extra time. You can also see how dark brown the water in the extractor is. Just think you`d be leaving all the dirt in the carpet and just pushing it down into the padding and spreading it around.



If you ever want to do serious odor removal, then you`ll need a carpet extractor. Same for cleaning stains out of the back of some seats. You`ll want an extractor.



I`ve done it in the past with a wet/dry vac and now I have my carpet extractor. You`ll see a big difference in how easy it is to clean out really bad interiors and the customer will notice how much quicker the interior dries.



Also, leaving soap residue in carpet fibers can actually cause stains to set in the carpet and be more difficult to remove in the future.