Monday, August 3, 2015

D.I.Y. - Automotive Detailing - By Richard DeFries

D.I.Y. - Automotive Detailing

Interior -

Items Needed - Glass Cleaner - Interior Cleaner - Leather Cleaner - Leather Conditioner - Leather Sealer - Vacuum - Micro Fiber Clothes - Carpet / Upholstery Cleaner

1. Start From The Top And Do Your Glass I Usually Do My Sun Roof Glass And Rear View Mirror First. Then I Finish The Remaining Windows

2. Once The Windows Are Finished Move Down And Start Cleaning Your Dash Board And Center Console Then Work Your Way To The Door Panels

3. Once That Is Done If You Have Leather Use Your Leather Cleaner Then Conditioner Then Sealer In That Order And Give Each Item A Bit Of Time To Set In. Also Never Spray Leather Products Directly Onto The Leather EVER It Will Stain And Discolor The Leather.

4. After You Have Completed The Leather Process You Can Remove Your Floor Mats And Clap Them Semi Clean Then Vacuum Them Out And Set Aside. Then You Can Start With Your Seats Then Push Your Front 2 Seats All The Way Back And Clean Your Floor Pans Once Completed Up Front Move Both Front Seats All The Way Forward And Start Vacuuming The Back Seats Then Floor Pans. And Finally The Trunk / Hatch

5. This Would Also Be A Great Time To Deal With And Stains Or Spots On Your Seats / Carpet. Get Your Carpet / Upholstery Cleaner And Get To Scrubbing If You Have A Wet / Dry Vacuum It Will Greatly Reduce Your Drying Times

6. Finished Interior (Ref Pic 1 - 3) Sorry For Potato Cam Pictures




Exterior -

Items Needed - 2 Buckets - Wheel Well Brush - Tire Brush - 2 Sponges Or 2 Cleaning Mitts - Car Wash Soap - Clay Bar Kit - Wax Of Preference - 2 Wax Applicators - 8 Micro Fiber Clothes - Large Terry Cloth Towel - Spray Wax Of Preference - Ultra Cut Or Swirl Remover - Bug / Tar Remover - Bleach White Or Tire & Rim Cleaner Of Preference  - Metal Polish - Shammy Or Water Blade - Plastic Restore / Shine - Tire Gel - Tire Gel Applicator


1. Start By Wetting Your Entire Car And Letting It Sit While You Fill Your Buckets With Your Cleaning Solutions 

2. Then Start To Clean Your Rims First Start By Spraying On Your Rim / Tire Cleaner Also Throw A Bit Of Tire Cleaner In Your Wheel Wells And Use Your Wheel Well Brush To Give Them A Good Scrub Then Use The Tire Brush To Give The Tires A Good Scrub Also. Now To The Rims Use Your Sponge (DO NOT USE THIS SPONGE ON YOUR PAINT!) To Give Them A Good Wipe Down Finally Spray Them Off.

3. Then Start By Re-Wetting Your Entire Car Again And Go Around The Car And Look For Tar And Bug Build Up And Spray Those Spots With The Bug / Tar Remover Let That Set In 

4. Then Get Your Car Wash Soap Bucket Nice And Full Of Suds Grab Your Sponge And Start From The Top And Work Your Way Down. Remember To Dunk Into You Car Wash Soap Bucket Frequently. 

5. Once Completed Spray Your Car Down To Remove The Dirt And Left Over Suds Now Open Up Your Clay Bar Kit And Go Over The Entire Car With That (Very Time Consuming But So Worth It ) Also Remember To Keep The Car Wet During This Process.

6. After You Finish You Will Go Ahead And Shammy / Water Blade Your Car Dry And Use The Large Terry Towel And Open Each Door And Wipe Down The Door Jams If You Want Them To Look Really Good Use Your Spray Wax And Micro Fiber Towel At This Time 

7. At This Time Walk Around Your Car And Look For Minor Paint Imperfection Like Swirls Or Fine Scratches And Use A Micro Fiber Towel And Ultra Cut To Hand Buff That Area Clean

8. After That You Will Start To Wax Your Entire Car I Usually Use 2 Applicators When Doing This Get Everything Waxed And Allow Time To Haze Up. (DO NOT DO IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT) Bust Out Your Micro Fiber Towels And Buff The Wax Off By Hand. Make Sure To Snap Your Towel Clean About Every 1 SQ FT Of Area Cleaned Off

9. Once All The Wax Is Removed Go Around Your Car And See If You Hit Any Of Your Trim With Wax And Use Your Plastic Restore To Bring It Back To Black And Shiny

10.  After That Use Your Large Terry Towel To Wipe Down Your Rims And Put Some Tire Gel / Shine On Your Tires.

11. Then To Your Exhaust And Use Your Metal Polish To Clean It Up And Then Wipe It Down With Your Terry Towel.

12. If Any Towel / Shammy / Rag Touches The Ground THROW IT OUT Do Not Use It On Your Paint EVER.

13. In Process & Finished Exterior (Ref Pic 4 - 15)












Under Hood -

Items Needed - Plastic Restore / Shine - Spray Wax - Micro Fiber Clothes - Shop Rags 

1. Pop You Hood And Start By Using Your Plastic Restore / Shine On The Front Cowl , Windshield Cowl , Fuse Box , Engine Head , Battery / Battery Tray , Hose And Wire Looms

2. If You Have Any DDM Works Painted Heat Shield Or Coil Covers You Can Use Spray Wax On Them And The Jam On Your Hood 

3. Finished Under Hood (Ref Pic 16 & 17)


Sit Back And Enjoy Your Hard Work!


0 comments:

Post a Comment