Tight angles (Interior)

[Eddie6th]

Hi everyone,here's a good little,simple but effective tip when you're cleaning your inside windshield and dash. Some cars are tricky because of the severity of the angle and akward sitting position.

Firstly,It's not my tip,but I liked it so much i've employed it ever scince.(Taken from an episode of Overhaulin' - "love that show!"

This tip is to prevent your dash cleaner (with preserving oils) from getting on your glass and the glass cleaner getting on your dash when you get right into the tight angles where it's tricky.

By using a sheet of clear plastic which is approx. 0.3-0.5mm thick x 1ft long x 1/2ft wide,(length and width:whatever you feel comfy with),wedge it between the dash and the glass.Flip up or down to whatever side you are doing.[This clear plastic is less than 1/2mm in thickness and is produced in large rolls.It is rigid and flexible,and easy to cut.It is very inexpensive and can be found at DIY stores].

I found this tip great as i hate cleaning the inside of the windshield(especially on a hot day).I find it difficult to get them smear free at the best of times without any dash cleaner touching it.The other problem is getting glass cleaner on your plastic surface which can discolor it.

P.S. I havn't seen overhaulin' for a couple of years now.Is it still on the go?

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

Good tip, I'm guessing you would want some fairly thick/stiff plastic material so that it wont' just collapse when you're trying to hold it against the inside of the windshield?

What plastic did they use on the show? Tips like this work best if the item needed is easy to find and afford.

[roger 668]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

If you spray the product onto the microfiber not the surface to be cleaned you will not have to go through all that time consuming effort.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

Firstly,hi Mike,I bought a sq.m of this clear plastic from a DIY store.It's very inexpensive and is produced in large rolls.It is less than 1/2mm thick,so is rigid,but flexible.It's very easy to cut into any shape or size you like.(I used a stanley knife for example).Also i give it a wipe when i'm done and use it over and over again.

Secondly,hi Roger.Unfortunatley,accidents will happen.Possibly,you have an angle which is quite easy to work with.I don't. My dash comes out quite far and the angle of the glass is quite acute.Even if i slide the seat forward it is still very difficult to reach.Before i used this idea with the plastic,i used to see a line of oily smears across the bottom of interior windshield.What you say is okay at the start,but once you start turning the cloth and move about,can you remember where you exactly sprayed onto the cloth? It's also not time consuming and it takes me the same amount of time to do as i did previously.

[roger 668]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

You should see the rear window of the Lincoln MKS ,not designed with the detailer in mind!

[Eddie6th]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

hi roger,from what year is the lincoln mks,and i'll take a look.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

I use the Glass Master Pro and spray the cleaner on the pad.

[Bunky]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

I was at Ace Hardware and saw a flexible cutting board. It is about 8x14 thin plastic that would seem to work nicely if you wamted somethimg pre-cut. It was in their low price bin (bunch of off brand stuff like cheap scissors, misc tools, etc).

[davey g-force]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

Great tip Eddie, thanks for that!

Cleaning the inside of the front and rear windshields is easily my LEAST favourite detailing procedure. Not so much for the smearing/cross contamination which you described, but more because it's so awkward and such hard work!

[Tuck91]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

I usually just clean the glass first and then apply my interior protectant.

[10degreesbtdc]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

If you spray the product onto the microfiber not the surface to be cleaned you will not have to go through all that time consuming effort.

Absolutely! I've been doing it this way for years and tried to get some young guys to follow my example in the past, but they keep spraying the dash, windows, spray detailer on the paint after they've cleaned the glass instead of spraying the cloth, and downwind is important too! Can you say overspray!

[cardriver]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

Thanks for the insight!
I have an 09 Civic and it too, has a windshield that extends about 5 feet north of the steering wheel, and at a ~40* angle. Tough to clean even the top of it near the visors! Same goes for the rear windshield...

I'll stop by my local hobby shop and see if they sell such a thing. Otherwise, I've just been laying down a towel across the dash and going to work, but even then, product transfer still manages to happen.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

Absolutely! I've been doing it this way for years and tried to get some young guys to follow my example in the past, but they keep spraying the dash, windows, spray detailer on the paint after they've cleaned the glass instead of spraying the cloth, and downwind is important too! Can you say overspray!

HI 10d,I also spray onto my cloths and Not on the surfaces.Every car has diff. angles. Hondas mostly have a severe angle to work with.

[Eddie6th]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

Thanks for the insight!
I have an 09 Civic and it too, has a windshield that extends about 5 feet north of the steering wheel, and at a ~40* angle. Tough to clean even the top of it near the visors! Same goes for the rear windshield...

I'll stop by my local hobby shop and see if they sell such a thing. Otherwise, I've just been laying down a towel across the dash and going to work, but even then, product transfer still manages to happen.

Hi,nice to see another honda owner.I havn't met that many on the forum so far.If i'm correct,they're popular in the states.

[10degreesbtdc]

Re: Tight angles (Interior)

HI 10d,I also spray onto my cloths and Not on the surfaces.Every car has diff. angles. Hondas mostly have a severe angle to work with.

Hey Eddie6th! Back at ya!

Spraying the cloth is the only way to go, most of the time, in my opinion. Of course if you really need a lot of lubricant to wipe a dusty vehicle, spraying a lot on the paint is needed. Can't really get a microfiber that wet without wasting a lot of product since you have to turn it often. I've found if I get it on the glass, though, it makes it more difficult to get streak-free. If the paint is that dusty, I will usually use No-Rinse instead of a lot of quick detailer and be done with it.

I can't see ever spraying directly on the dash or other interior surfaces except maybe seats (and carpet when cleaning or skotch guarding of course). Get Hyper Dressing or M40 on the gauges or wood trim and it just makes more work. That's just me. Clean the glass the same way, spray the cloth. Happy Saturday to all! It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood, would you be mine, could you be mine...would you be my neighbor!