Scott P
New member
Over the weekend, we took delivery of a 2007 Chevy Equinox with 73,000 miles on the clock. It was the company car for a salesman for the woman's employer. It is going to be used by an employee who will be rotating in for three months.
It was decently clean on the outside, but the inside needed some love. There were various coffee and dirt stains all over the interior. The outside had a few scuffs, scratches and dents. I couldn't in good conscience hand this vehicle over to someone. So, I took a few hours over the past couple days to give it a cleaning.
I felt like using up some stuff I've had around for a while. I washed and dried the car first. I then followed up with some Four Star Ultimate Paint Cleaner on a white CCS pad. I spot treated some of the scratches with Menzerna Nano Polish on an orange CCS pad. The results was a pretty clean and smooth surface.
I topped the car with some Menzerna FMJ on a red CCS pad. The next day, I tossed on some Optimum Car Wax on the paint and glass.
The interior took a little more time. I spot treated the carpet stains with Poorboy's APC at 15:1. I used a bend of Oxiclean and Bissell carpet soap in my Little Green Machine. I think it took about 7-8 changes of fluid. I didn't get all the stains out, but things look much better. I give mad props to Poorboy's APC. It really cut through the stains. The interior surfaces were cleaned with the 15:1 APC blend and then topped with Natural Look.
The engine compartment was dirty, but it came pretty clean. I rinsed it off with just hose pressure. I then sprayed some Optimum Power Clean over the surface and scrubbed it with a brush. A good rinse got everything looking clean enough.
Here are some pics. The weather was cloudy the first day, so the pictures aren't great.
Before Pictures:
Afters:
The only thing I can't get rid of is the smell. My wife says it smells like a rental car. It might just be the cheap interior. Who knows what it is. It might just be normal for all I know.
It was decently clean on the outside, but the inside needed some love. There were various coffee and dirt stains all over the interior. The outside had a few scuffs, scratches and dents. I couldn't in good conscience hand this vehicle over to someone. So, I took a few hours over the past couple days to give it a cleaning.
I felt like using up some stuff I've had around for a while. I washed and dried the car first. I then followed up with some Four Star Ultimate Paint Cleaner on a white CCS pad. I spot treated some of the scratches with Menzerna Nano Polish on an orange CCS pad. The results was a pretty clean and smooth surface.
I topped the car with some Menzerna FMJ on a red CCS pad. The next day, I tossed on some Optimum Car Wax on the paint and glass.
The interior took a little more time. I spot treated the carpet stains with Poorboy's APC at 15:1. I used a bend of Oxiclean and Bissell carpet soap in my Little Green Machine. I think it took about 7-8 changes of fluid. I didn't get all the stains out, but things look much better. I give mad props to Poorboy's APC. It really cut through the stains. The interior surfaces were cleaned with the 15:1 APC blend and then topped with Natural Look.
The engine compartment was dirty, but it came pretty clean. I rinsed it off with just hose pressure. I then sprayed some Optimum Power Clean over the surface and scrubbed it with a brush. A good rinse got everything looking clean enough.
Here are some pics. The weather was cloudy the first day, so the pictures aren't great.
Before Pictures:
Afters:
The only thing I can't get rid of is the smell. My wife says it smells like a rental car. It might just be the cheap interior. Who knows what it is. It might just be normal for all I know.
