A Dirty Vehicle

As detailers we will always come across dirty filthy vehicles that are a challenge to clean, and this one takes the cake.  The vehicle was purchased at an auction and client wanted to detail it to use as a taxi.  It appears the former owners were either in the restaurant business or were mechanics. They never used floor mats, never washed their hands and smoked so much they burnt holes in the driver's seat and middle of the carpet.  The new owners attempted to clean with a brush and "awesome"  and apparently gave up as the items were left in the vehicle. The following is a montage of before and after pictures of the vehicle
http://s1101.photobucket.com/user/carpooldetail/story/26883


 


BEFORE:


 


http://youtu.be/dtQrefT3MHE


 


AFTER:


 


http://youtu.be/PMrkRBTKvTI
 
Wow this is amazing!  When I see vehicles like this I always wonder what the story is behind it.  Can you please explain your process and what you used?  I'm always looking for tips on interior details when vehicles are in this condition.
 
I'm_ILL said:
Wow this is amazing!  When I see vehicles like this I always wonder what the story is behind it.  Can you please explain your process and what you used?  I'm always looking for tips on interior details when vehicles are in this condition.


This is a high difficulty level of cleaning. As you can see we disassembled the vehicle to more efficiently clean all the peices, the carpets were hardened with  tary greasy substance and quite frankly aftery trying to move the dirt..and it would not budge!  I grabbed an old 5 gallon bottle of simple green degreaser which I had sitting on the shelf for years. It was the only thing that worked on breaking down the grease followed up with hot soapy water, an air brush to agitate the carpet and pressure washed several times.  I was actually surprised it came so clean leaving minimal stains.  The seats were treated with the same, brushed with hot soapy water and extracted twice and all the plastic peices cleaned with APC. 
 
Excellent recovery Gina! Thanks for posting it here. I edited your original post and added the before & after videos. Let me know if this isn't ok. 
 
Incredible work Gina!  You sure have a nack for doing interiors, would be great to have you on for a thurs night chat about your approach to interiors.


 


I can't believe people actually got in that car, I would be afraid to get HEP A,B,C…all the way to Z ! 


 


Cheers,


GREG
 
And here I am, worried about the five sesame seeds I know are laying on the back floormat of my car out in the parking lot...


man that interior was bad!
 
I did not expect you to salvage that carpet, or even the upholstery. Amazing work, it looks almost new and previously looked like a total loss/junk yard case.
 
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