Vacation day reset - Interior, exterior, and a Roof Top Showdown...

Took Friday off work in honor of getting older, then used the day to reset my interior and do a quick wash of the outside. Added an impromptu roof-top showdown product test at the end - more on that later.


Started with a thorough vacuum, then wiped down all the panels, dashboard and trim with Griot`s Interior Detailer.


Seats and any tough spots got hit with Griot`s Odor Neutralizing Leather Cleaner. Got it because it was new at the time, not in need of the odor function. I really like this stuff - used a horsehair scrub brush (rectangle style, not artist paint brush) to work it into the seat, then wiped it off with a clean towel. Seats got treated with Griot`s Leather Care Spray via their green Microfiber Cleaning Pad.


My factory all weather floormats I hit with Pinnacle Leather and Vinyl Cleaner that Mike sent as a prize for playing a "Find when I showed this" game. Afterwards, my black mats were left looking grey, which wasn`t expecting. I`m usually very anti-anything-slippery on floormats, but I needed to try something to bring them back to normal. Sprayed them down with the Interior Detailer and worked it into all the nooks with my (just cleaned) Boars hair wheel brush. Wiped them down after with a microfiber towel to make sure they weren`t slick - mission accomplished. Back to black but not slick like death. I don`t know that I`ll use the Pinnacle for anything other than tires after that - maybe I`d try diluting it down if I wanted to try it for interior work.


Cluster, MMI, and Climate Control screens were lightly dusted with a deep pile Microfiber, then cleaned with Interior Detailer. Final wipe was with a small suede micro dampened with distilled water - came out crystal clear.


Interior wood trim and center console buttons were wiped down with ONR Wash and Wax @ QD ratio. For some reason that`s my favorite treatment for wood trim.




After the interior was done, did a quick wash in the garage.


Tried out my BOSS foam cannon with my cordless pressure washer - wasn`t expecting much of anything, but it actually was able to generate foam of sorts. Quite wet, so it cuts down your dwell time, but at least counted for trying. Used about the same amount of Surface Wash (connected straight, used the auto-metering tip) as my normal pressure washer would. Cordless pressure wash rinsed.


Used Griot`s Brilliant Finish Rinseless Wash with the Optimum Big Red Sponge just to try it. It worked fine, but can`t say I preferred it over using multiple towels. Dried with a PFM as I went. Door jams and wheels with Griot`s Rinseless Wash and Wax.




Now that the car was clean and I had a little time, figured I`d play around a little with some stuff I`ve been wanting to compare. Namely: Griot`s Ceramic 3 in 1 Wax, Griot`s Ceramic Speed Shine, Griot`s BOSS Finishing Sealant (yes, I`m sure you`re seeing the trend here... :laughing:), Griot`s Liquid Gloss Poly Wax, and throw in some FK1000 and a Sonax Brilliant Shine Detailer concoction.


I`ll do a separate post with updates on how the various sections do, but the quick list of the test sections are:
1: Straight Liquid Gloss Poly Wax (area prepped with Correcting Cream first)
2: 3in1 applied over hazed BOSS Finishing Sealant (AKA: The Cruz method)
3: Straight Finishing Sealant
4: 50/50 Mix of Ceramic Speed Shine and BSD (similar to how people used to mix BSD and V07 sealant) over hazed Finishing Sealant
5: Ceramic Speed Shine over hazed Finishing Sealant
6: 3in1 applied to bare paint (area prepped with Correcting Cream first)
7: FK1000 (area prepped with Correcting Cream first)


The main focus of the test sections will simply be monitoring dirt attraction/water behavior/spotting etc. I was in a hurry to get the sections done, so I can`t speak in regards to appearance/darkening etc. They were all easy enough to apply/remove, though I think I applied FK1000 a little thick so it was a bit finicky for wipe off. The Liquid Gloss Poly Wax was an absolute breeze to wipe off! Makes me want to root for it based on ease of use alone. :)


Just a bit of fun, and a chance to put some stuff from the shelf to use.


(Posting text from work computer - I`ll jump on Tapatalk shortly to add photos)

Pictures as promised:


“Foam” after dwelling from my cordless 800psi/1gpm pressure washer (was more of a curiosity than expecting great things)


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Interior shots. Not bad for 253k and having had a < 50lb copilot in the back seat for the last 6 years


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The test area:


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Again - not bad for the miles! I need to do a full reboot of the wheels, but that’s another day…


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Can’t seem to edit the post to add - The color difference for the back seat picture is because I was using my Milwaukee Rover light to illuminate the area

Well done! Sounds like it wasn`t a day off from work at all...a lot went into this! Very nice!

Thanks for the kind words!

Huge respect for you and others that do this for a living, especially at such a high caliber. I know your efficiency goes up as you refine your system, but there`s still so much that goes into making sure every surface is right!

I never look a rooftop straight in the eyes I just ignored them! Although your post has motivated me.

Some day off. I got tired just reading about it.

Car looks great, especially considering the mileage and that light-colored interior.

Well done!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by William_Wallace

I never look a rooftop straight in the eyes I just ignored them! Although your post has motivated me.

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:laughing: It`s easier to get motivated to do mine since (although it doesn`t look it in the picture) the car is lowered politely on Eibach springs. Makes the roof a little easier to see/work on. I appreciate it every time I wash my wife`s Q5 and have to drag out the work platform to reach her roof...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Older

Some day off. I got tired just reading about it.

Car looks great, especially considering the mileage and that light-colored interior.

Well done!

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Thank you!

Yeah, I was thinking how ironic it was as I was trying to bust tail as efficiently as possible to get through it all.

I`ve been happy/lucky with the interior - while grey wouldn`t be my first choice if I were checking boxes on a new car, it`s been really good to me about not staining/showing build up really fast. Especially considering my trade (auto technician) - I mean I make a point to not be a greasy animal, but I`ve seen co-workers cars look a lot worse...