My biggest project yet: Navigator

TheSopranos16

TheSopranos16

New member
Tomorrow I am going to be detailing a 99 Lincoln Navigator :doh This is by far the biggest vehicle I have ever done so I was hoping that someone more experience doing SUV's can give me some last minute advice. I am particularly intimidated by doing the roof of the car since I'm going to need a ladder. I am also looking for some ways to make things more effecient, since the car is so big. I plan on polishing with a PC and SSR2 then finishing with EX-P (The car is a dark red Metallic). I am also going to treat the leather and shampoo the carpets. Any help would be appreciated :)

P.S. I'm charging 200 for the job, that sound right?
 
Here's a tip , eat your Wheaties:lmfao in the morning and wake up early to beat the heat. $200 sounds cheap to me, if your happy with it thats all that matters :bigups.
 
Is this "all" interior and exterior??
Man...lotsa water......Depends on how much gunk is on her, tar and stuff......

Wash , (maybe twice)
Clay (if you can)
SWR II (may need 2 rounds on this) of SWR I ????
EX -P

May have alot of chrome..if you have Poorboys Polish..it will do a great job...
Any wood in the interior???

For the dash and trim what will you be using??
jeff
 
Charles ...you should have something "NEW" to help the job go easier by tomorrow;)

my advice ...pray for rain:lmfao
 
Hey, I wish you luck! I have a few pointers for you. I manage the detail dept. at a Lincoln/Merc/Mazda dealership. First Thing!! make sure you DO NOT spray any degreaser whether biodegradable or not on the painted gray grill or the gray trim surrounding the bottom of the vehicle!! It will streak the paint!! It's not clear-coated!
There's a considerable amount of clear on these rigs[excluding the above area mentioned]. So using a pc is not a problem. Acid won't harm the wheels [50/50 mix] whether chromed or clearcoated. If you have more questions, let me know!!!
 
TheSopranos16 said:
Tomorrow I am going to be detailing a 99 Lincoln Navigator :doh This is by far the biggest vehicle I have ever done so I was hoping that someone more experience doing SUV's can give me some last minute advice. I am particularly intimidated by doing the roof of the car since I'm going to need a ladder. I am also looking for some ways to make things more effecient, since the car is so big. I plan on polishing with a PC and SSR2 then finishing with EX-P (The car is a dark red Metallic). I am also going to treat the leather and shampoo the carpets. Any help would be appreciated :)

P.S. I'm charging 200 for the job, that sound right?
Click to expand...

One suggestion for the roof is to take the roof rack off. It's held on by about 8 or 10 bolts and is easy to remove. It will make it much easier to get the top clean. I believe the bolts are #20 torq bits.

http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/14039navigator2.jpg
 
Poorboy said:
Charles ...you should have something "NEW" to help the job go easier by tomorrow;)

my advice ...pray for rain:lmfao
Click to expand...

:jump Yay!!! Can't wait. Thanks a lot steve!!!

Also, thanx to everyone for your input. 200 is kinda cheap for a car of this size, but all things considered it wasn't in that bad of shape. Also, the owner is getting it detailed because he wants to sell the vehicle, so by no means does he want a perfect job. He just wants it cleaned up and "refreshed" so he can get a little more for her. I already quoted 200, but next time I get a car of this size, I'll step it up a notch to at least 225.
 
70ssLS6 said:
Hey, I wish you luck! I have a few pointers for you. I manage the detail dept. at a Lincoln/Merc/Mazda dealership. First Thing!! make sure you DO NOT spray any degreaser whether biodegradable or not on the painted gray grill or the gray trim surrounding the bottom of the vehicle!! It will streak the paint!! It's not clear-coated!
There's a considerable amount of clear on these rigs[excluding the above area mentioned]. So using a pc is not a problem. Acid won't harm the wheels [50/50 mix] whether chromed or clearcoated. If you have more questions, let me know!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tips. I'll be sure to be careful around the trim...you probably saved me about a half hour of cleaning off the streaks with that advice!!!
 
I have and Expedition which is pretty much the same size as a Navigator. I can tell you that if your going to do a full detail on it as described, don't plan on doing anything else that day. It took me four hours to do the interior and another for four to do a two step polish and wax. And as far as the roof is concerned, I only waxed it (why buff something you have to have a ladder to see, plus its not a flat surface - especially with the ski rack).

My advice is to bring a lunch and plenty of gatorade.

Good luck!
 
Originally posted by JeffBruce
Is this "all" interior and exterior??
Well, sorta. Its going to be an "economy" job since the owner is going to sell the vehicle. He isn't even going to get to enjoy having it clean, he only wants it to look presentable when he tries to sell it.

Any wood in the interior???
IDK, i didn't really check, its sitting in my garage right now but I'm in bed so I'll look tomorrow...

For the dash and trim what will you be using??
Probably NL, possibly 303. I'm going to see what I think will look best. 303 is a little higher gloss so I'll make the decision based on that.
 
Don't let it overwhelm you. It is big, it's probably filthy. Just take on step at a time and try your best not to get frustrated. Keeping your cool on a tough job like this is priceless.
 
Very good actually! I used SSR2 and EX-P on the outside, just like I planned. NL was used on the interior, which looked great when I was done! Steve, I didn't get my "new" product yet, so I don't have any feedback on it, but as soon as I receive it, I'll type up detailed response that will hopefully be of some help to you...Thanks to everyone for the advice, you all helped a lot. Ohh yea, one last thing, it took me and detailprincess 5 hours to do. Not too bad right?
 
Intel486 said:
My navigator was quite exciting... I got attacked while detailing... by wasps...
Click to expand...

I bet you used Poorboy's products! They smell so good that the wasps probably couldn't help but be attracted to you!!! :lmfao
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top