First detail with the CMA hotwater extractor done (review and pics)

I

imported_FUEL

New member
Well for those that do not know I have a contract with a company to do a few car a weekend mostly interior work. In an effort to expediate the process I decided to get the portable hot water extractor from CMA pictured here:

classic-motoring_1747_8275428


It was $600 and then I bought a 5 gallon tank of Eiman Fabrik Cleaner. Total was $659.99 with free shipping. Is it worth it was my question?

The machince arrived promptly as per usual from Terry at CMA (Hell of a nice guy).

It is compact yet big enough where it doesnt feel like you are going to break it. CMA states that it will heat water to over 190 degrees and I do not doubt that. This thing gets water hot hot hot. And the vaccum that suctions that water out is very very powerful. I was in shock as to how much it actually pulled up. I dont have a lot of time right now as I am waiting on a client to pick up their van but a quick pro con list for those considering it and some before and after pics of the interior I just did.



Pros:

Powerful suction

Very hot water

Compact and light

Portable

Pulls major dirt out, scary how much it pulls

Very simple to use



Cons:

LOUD, I mean really LOUD. I use me gun range ear plugs with it and detail girl could not really stand being in the garage with it on

Takes a good 15 mins to heat a gallon and a half of water to 200 degrees

CMAs claim that one tank can do a SUV is BS. It took 2 just to do my maxima and it was in very good shape. Took 6 to do the van I just did.

Pricey



Ok pics. I could not get all the stains out but it was a vast improvement on the floor mats.

Before including the rims so you get an idea how neglected this van was:

DSC00894.JPG
DSC00895.JPG
DSC00898.JPG


After

DSC00901.JPG
DSC00899.JPG
DSC00900.JPG


I will edit later as time does not permit.

Cheers!
 
Yhea, I had people tell me you'd use 3 gallons of water to do the inside of something like an expedition but I've found that is BS. I end up using a lot of water with my extractor.



I have a Sensei and already have forgot how much water it holds... hrmm... 5 or 6 gallons? I don't know... But it's a good amount and I end up using a lot of it.



How does that unit heat the water? Does it have a tank heater or an inline heater? Mine has an inline heater and it really sucks a lot of power to run it. It doesn't heat it as hot as I wish it did but it still heats it pretty hot. I'll sometimes hit some of the metal connectors on the hose and it burns me.



The good thing about an a carpet extractor is that the interior dries so fast! I use to not use an extractor and it would take hours to get the inside dry even when I used a wet/dry vac to suck as much water out. Now with the extractor and having the water heated the interior is completely dry in 30 to 45 mins.



I'd say it's the best purchase I've ever made!
 
It has an internal coil that heats the water and yes it uses electricity like a MF and that doesnt mean micro fiber! And if you touch the metal that holds the water tubes together you will get a surprising little gift from it. I love it, I hated it at first I thought it was too small but the results are amazing. My major complaint is it takes 15 mins to heat a gallon and a half to 200F and its LOUD!
 
Interesting. It even cleaned that worthless grey crap GM pretends is carpeting. Huge improvement! The 'loud' part is troublesome though, but if it isn't any worse than a leaf blower, then I guess it would be tolerable for a little while anyway.
 
I was thinking about buying one of these for myself. CMA emailed me that CarMax bought 200 of them so I called my local CarMax store. The detail manager told me they quit using it because the heating unit kept going out and never lasted more than 2 or 3 cars. This might have been an extreme case, :nixweiss, but it was enough for me to look else where.
 
Intel,

How do you like the sensei? How loud is the sensei? Have you had any problems with it?



Hellrot,

What extractor did you go with?



Fuel,

You will have give us updates. Did you scrub te carpets and extract using only hot water? Or did you put carpet cleaner in the extractor and spray then extract?



I looked @ the specs for the durrmaid, 85db @ 3'. WOW. The specs are pretty impressive for such a small machine.



Eric
 
FUEL said:
Well for those that do not know I have a contract with a company to do a few car a weekend mostly interior work. In an effort to expediate the process I decided to get the portable hot water extractor from CMA pictured here:

classic-motoring_1747_8275428


It was $600 and then I bought a 5 gallon tank of Eiman Fabrik Cleaner. Total was $659.99 with free shipping. Is it worth it was my question?

The machince arrived promptly as per usual from Terry at CMA (Hell of a nice guy).

It is compact yet big enough where it doesnt feel like you are going to break it. CMA states that it will heat water to over 190 degrees and I do not doubt that. This thing gets water hot hot hot. And the vaccum that suctions that water out is very very powerful. I was in shock as to how much it actually pulled up. I dont have a lot of time right now as I am waiting on a client to pick up their van but a quick pro con list for those considering it and some before and after pics of the interior I just did.



Pros:

Powerful suction

Very hot water

Compact and light

Portable

Pulls major dirt out, scary how much it pulls

Very simple to use



Cons:

LOUD, I mean really LOUD. I use me gun range ear plugs with it and detail girl could not really stand being in the garage with it on

Takes a good 15 mins to heat a gallon and a half of water to 200 degrees

CMAs claim that one tank can do a SUV is BS. It took 2 just to do my maxima and it was in very good shape. Took 6 to do the van I just did.

Pricey



Ok pics. I could not get all the stains out but it was a vast improvement on the floor mats.

Before including the rims so you get an idea how neglected this van was:

DSC00894.JPG
DSC00895.JPG
DSC00898.JPG


After

DSC00901.JPG
DSC00899.JPG
DSC00900.JPG


I will edit later as time does not permit.

Cheers!
Click to expand...



That van was a pig sty! One tip for ya just in case you didn't get it after you took the pics. Always check all the ashtrays, cupholders and those ridiculous little cubby holes they put in Ventures and Montanas. You missed the one above the center console (at least in the picture) bacuase you can only see into it from a few feet back. My guys often miss the same thing on those vans.
 
Originally posted by edschwab1

Hellrot,

What extractor did you go with?
Click to expand...
I never got around to buying an extractor. I was going to buy a Diamondback unit from Steambrite.com. Both the Sensei and Diamondback extractors are made by the same company and have the same internal components. When I was researching extractors last February the Diamondback was a little cheaper than the Sensei.
 
Ive got a tip too, Pressure wash the floor mats, and hang them up to dry, flip them and let them dry more, might help get the grunge out easier. I HATE minivans! Good job on it. Im still debating this extractor.
 
WOW! Nice improvement. I hope you recoup your expense quickly! Looks like a well worth the money purchase.



What did you use on the wheels? (I know its not the theme of the thread; just curious)
 
I dont understand how people can drive in such a mess. Its true that your car reflects your personality. Nice job on the wheels and interior by the way.
 
edschwab1 said:
Intel,

How do you like the sensei? How loud is the sensei? Have you had any problems with it?
Click to expand...



I like it a lot. If I did it again I wouldn't change anything. I'd get the same exact machine.



It's loud but all carpet extractors are going to be loud. It's basically a giant vaccum in the thing sucking out lots of air. It needs that power to pull as much water out of the carpet as possible.



Edit: The one thing I don't like is the line that carries the water is outside the hose that sucks the water up. I got 25ft of hose with it so it sometimes is annoying. I may lay them out both straight as see about doing something to zip tie the line to the hose to make it easier to manage. I don't know. I'll experiment a little.
 
Thank God that that's the worst of the vehicles in the fleet you're contracted to do, FUEL! There was gum and everything smashed into that carpet in the van. That was by far the worst vehicle, interior wise, we've ever done! We have to start charging more...lol
 
Fuel,

I have the same Extractor, and I really like it. One tip I've learned is to fill it with the hottest water from the tap, and then start the heating cycle. It took about 8 minutes for me.



Happy Detailing!
 
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