Bad Interior -- Ford Taurus X Wagon Detail

[jonnyboy]

Hello all,

I have been detailing cars for over 20 years. Mostly for fun or for family and friends. Never for money.

Recently I decided to start a part-time business detailing cars. And it has been going well.

I definately learned a lot about what I had and didn't have......Both in skill and materials

It took me almost 12 hours. Most of my time was spent on the interior. It was trashed. The car only had 40,000 miles on it. The clear coat and paint were in pretty good condition even though it had not been washed since they got the car.

Here is a breakdown of what I used:

Wheels & Wheel Wells

Amazing Roll Off -- tires and wheel wells
Meguiar's Wheel Brightner -- wheels
Meguiar's Hyper Dressing -- tires (light coat)
Griot's Undercarriage Spray -- wheel wells

Wash

Dawn Dishwashing Soap

Engine

Amazing Roll Off
Dressed with 303 Aerospace Protectant

Carpets & Upholstery

Folex -- spot treatment
Woolite 10:1 -- Cleaning
Bissell

Interior and Door Jams

Meguiar's APC+ 4:1
Plastic treated with 303
Odoban (smell on inside of car)
Alcohol & Water 50/50 for windows
Also treated all of the rubber seals with 303

Paint

Meguiars 205 w/Orange CCS pad -- 2 coats
Klasse AIO w/White CCS pad -- 2 coats
Collinite 845 w/Grey CCS pad -- 2 coats

Black Plastic on trunk

I tried everything to bring it back. I ended up having to use Black Wow. I know it won't last for very long, but at least it looks good. (any ideas would be great.) Just so you know I tried "Showroom", Forever Black, Klasse AIO, and 303.


BEFORE PHOTOS:
























AFTER PHOTOS






















PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE..... give me any advice you have on techniques, products, pictures, anything! Thank you for looking! Jonathan

[Shawn T.]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Awesome job! You have been detailing longer than I have been alive! lol

[jonnyboy]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Awesome job! You have been detailing longer than I have been alive! lol

HA HA Lol! Why are you trying to make me feel old?

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Once again, great work. The Focus looks fantastic. Way to go.

[jonnyboy]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Once again, great work. The Focus looks fantastic. Way to go.

Thank you.... And Thank you Woolite, Folex, and or the next time I work on it 303 Fabric Guard

[Jossy92]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Great work and excellant photos.

What do you think of Hyperdressing and Megs APC?
Could you compare products?

Dawn vs. Gold Class, etc.

[Golden]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Good job! Looks like a Ford Freestyle to me....?

[jonnyboy]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Great work and excellant photos.

What do you think of Hyperdressing and Megs APC?
Could you compare products?

Dawn vs. Gold Class, etc.

I could not do without Meguiar's APC+ or Hyperdressing.

It is truly versatile. You can dilute it to suit your needs. I use it as follows:

APC+ 4:1 -- Door Jams, Upholstery, Hard Interior Plastic (kick panels), doors, Pedals, Sensitive Wheels.
APC+ 10:1 -- Interior Upholstery, Carpet, Dash, Leather, Foam Pad Cleaner.

Hyperdressing is the same. I dilute it 3 different ways:

Hyperdressing Full Strength -- it's probably overkill, but before I start a detail, I have it in a squeeze bottle and I wipe down all of the rubber and plastic on the outside of the vehicle. It stops white wax residue on your rubber. After polishing, if you get wax residue on the rubber, take your APC+ 4:1, and spray it on. The wax residue will just wipe right off!

Hyperdressing 1:1 -- For clients that want super shiny tires. You must put it on very early in the detail to allow it to dry. It will dry super shiny an smooth. I do have some sling every now and then. I am looking for a new product I can use just for super shiny tires that will not sling. If anyone knows of something please let me know!

Hyperdressing 4:1 -- This is my favorite. I am not a fan of super shiny tires. I like my tires to be a very dark matte black. 4:1 does this extremely well. It's perfect if you are looking for that look.

As far as Dawn vs. Gold Class. Dawn is the best first step to any good detail. But it should NOT be used for regular washings. Its the best first step because it removes all of the old wax and junk on the car. It gets you ready for either polishing or claying if needed. Gold Class is a great regular car washing soap.

My favorite soap for regular washing or upkeep details is Meguiar's Hyper-wash. It can be diluted 400:1. It lasts forever. I use it with a Gilmour Foammaster gun. You can get them on Amazon.com or Autogeek has their own version of one which is what I use. You fill the reservoir with 2:1 Hyper-wash and water or even 1:1 if you want. It creates an amazing foam that will lift the contaminants off your paint and get the car ready to wash.

Hope this helps! The above is what works for me. But it doesn't mean it's the best way. If anyone has a different way please let me know. I love trying new things.

Jonathan

[Jossy92]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

I could not do without Meguiar's APC+ or Hyperdressing....
Hope this helps! The above is what works for me. But it doesn't mean it's the best way. If anyone has a different way please let me know. I love trying new things.
Jonathan

Thanks much, you do great work. Hope you can give tips and comparisons when you try Megs products. Looking forward to learning more. Thank you.

All your posts are great, I was just a little dissappointed as I am learning how to use Megs. But, I realize you are sharing what you actually use inorder to learn alternatives too. A little selfishness on my part for which I am soory.

[Sandstone]

Re: Bad Interior -- Ford Taurus X Wagon Detail

Great job! What are those weird looking spots on the rear door panels?

[Mary S]

Re: Bad Interior -- Focus Wagon Detail

Awesome job!

I am looking for a new product I can use just for super shiny tires that will not sling. If anyone knows of something please let me know!

...

I love trying new things.

Jonathan

A lot of people here love this product: Meguiar's Endurance High Gloss Tire Gel, and I have used it on my car, and a week later it looks just as good as when I applied it. It is definitely nongreasy and has a good and lasting shine. Once it is dry, it won't sling. The drawback is it a consumer product and not available in gallon size.

Also, have you ever tried Meguiar's M40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner? I tried it because of the many good things people have said here. http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...&highlight=m40. I was able to pick it up at O'Reilly's for 9.99. The reason I suggest it is it could help you save time on the interiors, because it is a one-step cleaner, UV protectant and dressing for the vinyl/plastic/rubber. Some people don't like how it smells. To me it smells like new vinyl. It leaves a nice even lasting sheen and definitely is non-greasy, and it does clean well. If you decided you didn't like it, it might be because of too much sheen (you might be able to control this by removing more product; I haven't tried) or you didn't like the smell, but might be worth a try. The good thing is you can buy it by the gallon.

Another Meguiars product I am a big fan of that might save you time is the Meguiar's Supreme Shine Microfiber. It is neither the least nor the most expensive microfiber towel you can buy, but what I love about it is how fast it absorbs the various liquids without streaks, and that could save time on glass cleaning and removing compound or wax product. It has a very high density, plus it is 24 x 16, so you can fold it times 3 and have a total of 32 decent-sized dry surfaces to work with. It is easy to compare it to another microfiber by spraying something on your mirror and wipe with the SS on one side and the other brand on the other and look for streaks after 1 pass. The SS will usually produce a streak free finish in 1 pass. For the price, I doubt you can find another one that will.

Anyway, my 2 cents. I am not an expert, I am just now learning, but these are products I have tried that I like.

Again, terrific job! The car looks fantastic!

[Mary S]

Re: Bad Interior -- Ford Taurus X Wagon Detail

P.S. Here is another review and comments about M40: http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...ght=m40+review

Also, a correction to the above, that is 16 dry surfaces, not 32, of the microfiber (and I was a math major!)

[jonnyboy]

Re: Bad Interior -- Ford Taurus X Wagon Detail

P.S. Here is another review and comments about M40: http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/sho...ght=m40+review

Also, a correction to the above, that is 16 dry surfaces, not 32, of the microfiber (and I was a math major!)

I just ordered a gallon of M40. I can't wait to try it. Thank you!!

[EPHIOS]

Re: Bad Interior -- Ford Taurus X Wagon Detail

That's one dirty interior!

[xantonin]

Re: Bad Interior -- Ford Taurus X Wagon Detail

Awesome job. I thank you for posting the time too, I'm still trying to understand if I am detailing too slow or too fast.