Interiors

[BostonBull]

I would like to see some of your interior turnarounds, with detailed product write ups and techniques. I have gone back almost 6 months worth of click and brags and other posts here, most of them deal with paint correction, and the ones with interiors mostly just skim over the process/tools/techniques/products used.



Any and all tips are greatly appreciated!

[imported_Jakerooni]

Most interiors don`t require a in depth process. I just got done with one today that I will post up here soon. Only took about 25 pics or so. So it`s not to intensive and unless you have the same tools and equipment I have it really won`t serve you much purpose. But I have a ton of intererior pics and such on my photobucket page. Feel free to look through them and if you really want to know anything PM me and I`ll do a write up on it.

[BigJimZ28]

did you read this?

lots of good info here:



http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...s-newbies.html

[BostonBull]

yes I read through those posts as well. I was just looking for some different responses..........

[GoudyL]

First remove all the crap out of the car, as most cars are full of crap. Then take out the floor mats and beat them to get out the dust and sand.



Vac out the interior, wipe down the inside plastic (except the front console) with a damp MF, and then again with a damp MF which has a spray of Armor-all on it. Using a brush, dust out the vents



Now`s a good chance to re-vac the car in case you missed any spots, and wipe down the front console. Then its time to clean the interior+exterior glass with some invisible glass.

[DaGonz]

GoudyL.. not all cars are "full of crap". I have more than a few clients who have interiors so clean that they look brand new.



This is my system for doing interiors:



I start the interior portions of my details by first thoroughly vacuuming the vehicle. I have a small beater attachment from my home`s Dyson vacuum cleaner that fits perfectly on the hose of my wet dry vac. I also use a stiff brush before vacuuming to bring up sand from the mats and carpeting. If I have a carpet that is loaded with sand and dirt, I "play the drums" on it, beating the carpet with my hands like one would play the conga drums in a salsa band, then vacuum using the Dyson beater brush and repeat as often as necessary.



For dog hair, I have a special brush that I use to "sweep" the dog hair into a pile, then use the vacuum to pick it up. Some cloth interiors hold dog hair like velcro and I have had to use tweezers to get out the imbedded hair.



I detail the brake, accelerator and clutch pedals using a small dental pick to get the grains of sand and dirt out of the grooves first, then spraying with a mild cleaner and wet vacuuming the residue.



I start detailing the instrument cluster/dash and systematically work my way around from the driver`s side until all the interior panels and console are clean.



For headliners that are dirty, I use a damp microfiber sprayed with a woolite solution (mixed to a 6 to 1 ratio) and rub very gently.



I then use my Bissell LGM to clean and extract the carpets and mats.



Any items found under the seats (I have found cash, change, jewelry, pens, kid`s toys and sex toys :LOLOL in vehicles) or items placed inside map pockets in the doors are placed in re-sealable platic bags. Any trash gets bagged, anything recyclable such as aluminum cans and plastic bottles go into my recycling bins.



We get plenty of boxes at the firehouse when office supplies, equipment and supplies come in, I bring them home and use them to place items I find in the trunk to keep the truck neat after vacuuming.



Glass gets done last. I have been using Surf City`s glass cleaner and two microfiber towels and use a vertical motion to clean the exterior glass; horizontal to clean the interior. That way, if there are any streaks, I can tell if they are inside or outside.



I finish the glass by applying Rain-X.

[imported_Jakerooni]

First remove all the crap out of the car, as most cars are full of crap. Then take out the floor mats and beat them to get out the dust and sand.



Vac out the interior, wipe down the inside plastic (except the front console) with a damp MF, and then again with a damp MF which has a spray of Armor-all on it. Using a brush, dust out the vents



Now`s a good chance to re-vac the car in case you missed any spots, and wipe down the front console. Then its time to clean the interior+exterior glass with some invisible glass.

No offense but you don`t do very many interiors then do you? This sounds like something they would do at a swirl o matic car wash or something. A quick stuff and fluff and on your way..



My interiors most of the time take longer than my exteriors. You have alot of people on this board saying if you don`t spend at least 20+ hours on the paint you`re a hack and not doing it right. I`d almost say the same thing about interiors. Of course not 20 hours but it will take several hours at the bare minimum for most proper interior details. You can`t just fluff through them. (unless it`s a vette or something that really dosen`t have much of an interior anyways) They take just as much attention to detail to get corrected as the paint does. Smacking the matts and taking a vacuum to it dosen`t make it an interior detail. If you`re customers think that`s what a true interior detail is then some more education is definatly needed. Interiors need to be done systematically just like paint correction.

[GoudyL]

No offense but you don`t do very many interiors then do you? This sounds like something they would do at a swirl o matic car wash or something. A quick stuff and fluff and on your way..

I hope it was obvious (and it is now clear that it was not obvious) that I was giving a brief reply, with the focus being on the order of work to be performed.



I like to assume, although that can often be a mistake, that folks will customise a routine to fit their own circumstances.



(e.g if you have an extractor then use that, if you see stains then prespot and shampoo them, if you see animal hair use a lint roller, if you want more shine use Armor-All undiluted instead of one spray on a damp MF, if you want less shine use TW Ice Interior Care, if you have leather seats use Black Magic 2n1 Leather Cleaner, if the car reeks then spray it with febreeze before vacuuming it, etc etc etc.)



IMHO Anyone who spends 20 hours cleaning out a car needs to find ways to use their time more productively, unless clients are willing to pay for and to leave their cars with you for 3+ days just to clean the interior. That just hasn`t been my experience.

[David Fermani]

Smacking the matts and taking a vacuum to it dosen`t make it an interior detail. If you`re customers think that`s what a true interior detail is then some more education is definatly needed. Interiors need to be done systematically just like paint correction.

You`re totally right Jake. That, and then applying a shiny protectant(like Armor All) all over the still semi-dirty interior doesn`t equate to too much of a proper workflow either.

[duke4ever]

This reminds me of the one time I was driving a rented moving truck and the company did exactly to the interior. The Interior was mostly a hard rubber/plastic with the seats being cloth. So they decided to spray armor all, all over the inside to make it look shiny. It smelled like hell (well... like armor all being used INSIDE your car) but not only that it was so slippery inside that it was a hazard. The pedals were coated in the stuff and I had to clean the driver area floor with detergent and a little of bleach just to get it all out so I wouldn`t slip while hitting the brakes or anything like that.

[GoudyL]

This reminds me of the one time I was driving a rented moving truck and the company did exactly to the interior. The Interior was mostly a hard rubber/plastic with the seats being cloth. So they decided to spray armor all, all over the inside to make it look shiny. It smelled like hell (well... like armor all being used INSIDE your car) but not only that it was so slippery inside that it was a hazard. The pedals were coated in the stuff and I had to clean the driver area floor with detergent and a little of bleach just to get it all out so I wouldn`t slip while hitting the brakes or anything like that.

Overuse of protectants is a nuisance. IMHO you get the best results if you apply 1 spray of a shiny protectant to a damp MF, rather than using it undiluted, especially on hard plastic. On soft or even firm vinyl, it will be absorbed, but on hard plastic it just dries and becomes hopelessly glare producing.



Armor-all now makes a "natural finish" protectant which is probably a better choice for most applications.

[PerroneFord]

I am fairly new at this game and am just beginning to get a process worked out. I tried a new order today on the Benz wagon I did for a customer.



1. Remove items from car. Since I did another car for them last week, this was done for me this week. Car was essentially empty.



2. Remove and assess mats. These were very clean but 2 had some small spotting. I laid them aside



3. Clean all door edges seals, etc. I changed this order so that I could follow the APC I use for this step with the more mild stuff I use inside the car. Tends to allow APC smell to dissapate, and overspray gets cleaned with nicer stuff.



4. Attach soft brush to vacuum and vacuum every hard surface in sight. This keeps me from having to work too hard to get dust out of the car or kill myself cleaning up the cracks and seams



5. Do dash and hard surfaces with woolite/water mix. I use 20:1 on most surfaces unless I need more power then I go to 8:1.



6. Do Seats. These were leather-look vinyl. Fairly easy to clean up, but as with all interiors, pay special attention to where people sweat, where hands go, and where people rub as they enter or leave the car.



7. Vacuum up any loose items on the floor. Spot treat then finish vacuuming



8. Drybrush mats to loosen any dirt, then do initial vacuum. Spot treat any stains. Re-vacuum. Repeat as necessary.



9. Place mats back in car.



10. Address any surface not covered. Door jambs, etc.



10a. I don`t do glass until the VERY end of the detail. First inside, then outside. This gives time for any trim dressings or other protectants to settle or dry before leaning on them to get to the glass.



The process on the Benz took about 3 hours. It was a VERY clean interior, but I did every step anyway, and didn`t rush it.



There are lots of ways to do interiors, but this process worked well for me today, and I`ll probably continue it. I like taking care of the small, focused tasks first before I get tired. The end of the detail then allows you to do the nearly mindless big surface cleaning. Nothing get`s forgotten, and it seems easier to me this way.

[imported_Jakerooni]

I will add.. The very best tool any detailer can have for interior`s and I personally consider it an absoulte must have is an air compressor and a blow gun. This tool alone will save countless time and insure even the hardest to reach places get done correctly.



And I also personally beleive the only way to truely get the floor mats clean is with a heated pressure washer. I`ve done this test before and it really was an eye opener. as long as you have access to the tools you can see for yourself. First vacuum the mats, then extract the mats and look at how dirty the water is. Look clean? Sure but now cold water pressure wash the matts and a whole new level of dirt and nastiness comes out. Gotta be clean now right? Turn on the heat and watch just how much more dirt comes out. You have to rinse the mats until the water runs clean I`ve had floor mats so dirty that it literally took me over a half hour with a heater pressure washer to get them truely clean. if you`re not going that route you`re really putting alot of dirt back in the car when you just aggitate and vacuum the mats. Not everyone has access to a heated PW I know. But every level is an entirely new level of clean go as far as you can with it.

[Black150]

Shoot, i had a 4dr Dodge Dakota yesterday that wanted a full interior detail(it was horrible). Took me 4.5 hours to get it to "like new" condition. My process when doing fulls is vac the interior(also using dust brush attachment to get crevices in dash and panels where necessary), clean all trim and panels with APC 10:1(Megs), then clean carpet/seats/headliner, vac again(if necessary), clean glass (i prefer Megs D-line GC), clean door jambs and then clean/dress weatherstripping. Then per the owners request i can either dress the interior for that clean look or i can dress it for shine.



One thing i have noticed, when someone likes a shiny dash they usually like air fresheners as well. So usually when i shine up the interior i`ll also hang a coconut tree somewhere on the column. I use the trees because they`re so inexpensive (4 bucks for a 6 pack) and they`re coconut because the scent goes great with the interior dressing i use.



If all this seems like too much, just make a checklist. When first starting out it`s real easy to overlook things like the glovebox, vanity mirrors and seatbelts. The checklist will keep you from wandering as well as show you whats left to do.





:2thumbs:

[GoudyL]

If all this seems like too much, just make a checklist. When first starting out it`s real easy to overlook things like the glovebox, vanity mirrors and seatbelts. The checklist will keep you from wandering as well as show you whats left to do.



:2thumbs:

+1 on the checklist. And it helps if you make the checklist in the correct work order as well.