Most missed areas !!!

I think 99.98% of detailers never clean or dress the rear of the rear view mirror. I think the accumulator would be one of the few exceptions. Very meticulous.-hats off.
 
backwoods_lex said:
I think 99.98% of detailers never clean or dress the rear of the rear view mirror. I think the accumulator would be one of the few exceptions..
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I dress such places on the vehicles that get interior dressing (e.g., the Jag). But believe it or not, I don't do a whole lot of dressing of interior parts, hardly any at all on the dog-haulers.



But yeah, you can bet I *clean* such areas ;) Well, at least when they need it. And I'm becoming a pretty big user of Meg's Interior QD.



On the pedals, I'll often do a quickie clean with the steamer. I put a towel under the pedals to catch any drippage, then steam 'em once, spray on some Griot's Interior Cleaner, let that dwell for a while and then steam 'em again. Not quite the same as doing a meticulous job with an assortment of brushes, but it's pretty quick and easy and works well enough for drivers if done regularly.
 
Wow, I thought I was a little picky by cleaning the door/trunk jambs/engine bay jambs. Funny I am not the only one overly cleaning :). The parents/family tends to think I'm overly anal/crazy for cleaning such things....but what do I care. Anybody else family feel the same way? They think I'm crazy just using "two bucket" method already.Great thread though, I'd have to agree I have never cleaned behind the gas cap area, are you guys just opening it and wiping it down or actually washing it part of the car wash. Maybe I should just keep it open while washing.
 
^^^, I open the gas latch before i wash the car and rinse and wash behind it first that way if there is any small rocks or sand that's stuck behind it gets washed out and you don't have to worry about it scratching the paint, and no your not the only one that's crazy for using two buckets, i don't know of any other way of doing it.



Oh one thing that gets me is ppl don't rinse a car properly before washing it, I always spray close to the moldings to get as much crap out from behind a possible, same with behind bumpers or anywhere in cracks where dirt gets trapped. Some of my customers are surprised it takes me 10 - 20 min to rinse a car before washing it, then i show them how much dirt comes out from behind mouldings and how badly it can scratch a car.
 
quakerroatmeal said:
...are you guys just opening it and wiping it down or actually washing it part of the car wash. Maybe I should just keep it open while washing.
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Washing it as part of the wash. Then keep it open, because while you are drying it will drip and cause problems when you are applying the LSP (or polishing).



Back to the pedals, I found a (*shudder*) Armor All foam tire dressing that worked wonderful for the plastic interior flooring many work trucks have as well as the pedals. It brought a matte shine that didn't cause problems with slippage.



I thought of another thing many people may miss when detailing... while detailing the happy mother's vehicle on her day today. Anybody clean a child seat while they are detailing, or do you just take it out and put it back in when you're done?

:nana:
 
todd@bsaw said:
I thought of another thing many people may miss when detailing... while detailing the happy mother's vehicle on her day today. Anybody clean a child seat while they are detailing, or do you just take it out and put it back in when you're done?

:nana:
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Awlays do the child seats, and the parents are blown away that I dit the seat too.
 
dynamic said:
Awlays do the child seats, and the parents are blown away that I dit the seat too.
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yeah that always seems to blow them away. I make it a point to do them too! but with gloves, LOL
 
Wow, I thought I was a little picky by cleaning the door/trunk jambs/engine bay jambs. Funny I am not the only one overly cleaning . The parents/family tends to think I'm overly anal/crazy for cleaning such things....but what do I care. Anybody else family feel the same way? They think I'm crazy just using "two bucket" method already.Great thread though, I'd have to agree I have never cleaned behind the gas cap area, are you guys just opening it and wiping it down or actually washing it part of the car wash. Maybe I should just keep it open while washing.
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I just replaced the trunk struts on my wifes LS 430, and pretty much detailed the entire trunk jamb in the process !!! My neighbors already think I am nuts, but I think this confirms it.



You can eat filet mignon off these trank jambs !!!
 
integritydetail said:
yeah that always seems to blow them away. I make it a point to do them too! but with gloves, LOL
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I just got the mental image of you with gloves and a respirator on doing a hot water extraction and polishing jr's carseat and LOL'd
 
quakerroatmeal said:
Wow, I thought I was a little picky by cleaning the door/trunk jambs/engine bay jambs...
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Actually, I find I get a *LOT* of compliments about these areas. When I drive people places, folks I wouldn't expect to notice gush about how great my doorjambs/etc. look.



And, heh heh, every mechanic who works on my vehicles appreciates the spotless engine compartment and undercarriage; they joke that on *my* vehicles, the gloves are to keep the *vehicle* clean, not their hands :D



Last time I took the minivan to a quicklube place the whole shop came to a standstill while all the employees crowed around to gawk at its condition.



... I'd have to agree I have never cleaned behind the gas cap area, are you guys just opening it and wiping it down or actually washing it part of the car wash. Maybe I should just keep it open while washing.
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I use BHBs fro Griot's (pn 15520- I recommend these so often I've memorized it) and regular shampoo mix. Once you polish/LSP/etc. such areas, they clean up pretty easily. A spritz of leaves-stuff-behind QD when drying keeps the LSP nice and healthy for a good long time.



I don't like to keep it open though, I'm agraid I'll somehow bump into it. So I wash the panel, open, clean and rinse the filler area, and close it up until it's time to dry.



 
I'm surprises no one has mentioned this. There's an area of the tire sidewall that is close to the ground and can't be reached with tire dressing until the tire is rotated a bit. I see cars on the road all the time with one dry spot on each tire. Drives me nuts.
 
1. Door bottoms, especially the weatherstripping.



2. The pinch weld along the very bottom of the rocker panels.



3. On pick-up trucks between the cab & bed, especially down low and inside the rear bumper which tends to "scoop" lots of crud.



4. Tailgate jambs.



5. Rear axle, when exposed such as on pick ups.
 
Periodically I take off my license plate to clean the whole area and the license plate frame and always do a wipe with MF towel behind the plate during regular wash.



I also like to clean as much debris as possible off the front of the radiator and the area between the bumper and radiator.



Rolling windows down an inch or so and cleaning the top of the window is one of my pet peeves.
 
victory said:
I just got the mental image of you with gloves and a respirator on doing a hot water extraction and polishing jr's carseat and LOL'd
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Only thing I need is a respirator, LMAO. I'll even hit it with some plastic polish on the scuffs, haha
 
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