What Do YOU do first in detailing a vehicle: Your sequential methodology

L

Lonnie

Active member
OK fellow Autopians, I have three questions concerning "what-do-you-do-first" in detailing a vehicle:
1) On a full interior-exterior detail, which one do you do first: the interior or the exterior?
Me, it depends on the customer's request of what is more important that they want cleaned or my efforts concentrated on, AND how much time they have given me to get the vehicle back to them. Generally, I do the outside exterior first, then the inside interior IF I have been given sufficient time to do so.
2a) On an exterior detail, what do you do first: Clean and protect the trim OR correct,polish, and protect the paint?
Me, I do the paint first, then the trim. My "logic" is to tape off plastic/vinyl and chrome/stainless trim and emblems first, then start the correction/polish/LSP steps. I find that if I do the trim first, the tape doesn't always "stick" well to the plastic/vinyl. Yes, I know the tape adhesive can be a chore to remove from vinyl if it gets gummy on warm days even in a garage out of the sun.
2b) Do you ALWAYS tape off trim?
Me, NO! If I am doing a one-step "quicky" to the paint of a vehicle and I am pressed for time, then no, I do not tape off trim pieces
3) With a two-bucket-wash, do you do the vehicle panels/hood/trunk/roof/bumpers/windows first OR the wheel wells and wheels first?
Me, I do the vehicle p/h/t/r/b/w (including door and trunk/hatch jams) first , blow off and wipe dry them completely , THEN followed by the wheel wells and tires-and-rims. The downside to this "sequence" is that on windy days, non-acid tire-and-wheel cleaner over-spray mist can get on to the adjacent paint panels and require a light rewash-and-dry wipe. The upside is that I use the soap-and-water wash from the vehicle to wash the wells and tires and rims IF it is not too dirty (Yes, I know its "detailing sacrilege" to do so, BUT most vehicles are daily drivers. And YES, on nicer show cars/garage queens I do use NEW soap-and water wash and rinse water for the wheel wells and tires-&-rims..... "Common sense ain't so common"-Will Rodgers, early 1900's humorist ....OR " I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.")

Just curious what sequence in cleaning and detailing a vehicle you Autopian detailers follow and why.
 
Last edited:
Fun topic.

1) I always do the exterior first. No idea why. I think I started it when I would apply a sealant and it had a "cure time". I'd use the cure time to work on the interior. Now that I use coatings it's a little less important, but I still do the exterior first and then the interior.

2) For a full exterior detail I have always done trim last. Mostly because I hated doing the trim and then messing it up by leaning on it, or getting wax/sealant on the trim. I tried trim first a couple times long ago and it seemed to get in the way. I now treat it as some of my "finishing touches". I'll do the trim, dress the tires and such at the end.

3) Tape trim? Nope. Haven't done it in a long time. For the most part, I don't hit the trim with the polisher now that I've become more experienced. Also, my current cars have very little rubber trim and it's not in places at risk of getting polish or sealant all over them.

4) It depends. If I'm taking my time I'll do the wheels first. If I'm in a hurry, I'll keep a separate wheel bucket handy and just do them in turn while I work around the car. If the weather is cool and overcast, I'll wash top to bottom. If it is bright and sunny I'll do the shaded areas first and then finish with the exposed areas. It's a little awkward, but saves me time removing tons of water spots or dried soap.
 
I do it differently depending if it is a paying gig or just my own stuff.

Paid gig – usually do interior first (to get it out of the way), then wheels, and paint. If I am correcting the paint, I usually do exterior only.

At home it depends on when I start - I have shade for morning and later afternoon, so paint is done with the most shade and interior when the sun hits. If just doing a rinseless wash I do the paint, then do the wheels with the leftover wash solution, then the tires with the leftover leftovers. If I am ‘resetting’ the tires, then I will do the wheels/tires first, then the paint, so the tires dry off move before applying new dressing.
 
Short Version: I usually do the exterior first, but if the interior is so bad that I'll be moving dirt around getting in/out, then I'll attend to that first so the dirt doesn't cause issues if it somehow escapes the interior and gets on the paint.

Washing: I *always* do the tires/wells/wheels/undercarriage first for the same reason. I don't want the kind of stuff that those areas harbor to get on the rest of the vehicle, certainly not after I've just cleaned it.

Other than very infrequent weatherseal treatment, I'm basically LSPing trim these days, so the only slime-application is the Tire Dressing, which I do last. Well, "last" except for QDing any Tire Slime off the wheels if I get sloppy.
 
I always carefully pressure wash the engine and compartment first, and Master Blaster the water out, and then, detail the trunk so I don't have to open it later and have water dripping...
Then, the wheels and tires, any stainless, etc., exhaust pipe extensions, etc... Last, wash the car, Master Blaster the water all off...

I always do the Interior second, because I already have the Steamer out and I can steam all the door hinges carefully and then not have to deal with them later... What I hate is to have water dripping from the doors and hinges, when I open the doors later.; if I did a full carpet Extraction, use fans and then the doors need to be open.. I also want to get the Interior of all the Glass done First, and then the rest of the Interior..

The paint correction first, outside glass next, and any trim conditioning, etc., comes last... If it needs anymore - anything - this is the time...

Then when it's Perfect, the Big Reveal, where they always say - "That is not my car!!!" :) And it always is... :)
 
There was this "discussion" (interpretation or judgment, really) on whether door frames and jams, and truck/hatch lids and jams as well, were part of the interior or part of the exterior. The concern was if cleaning the just the interior, do the door frames and jams become part of that.
I can see it both ways: Because they are painted, I can see them as being part of the exterior. BUT, because they access the interior, they are part of the interior.
When I wash a car, I try to do the door and trunk/hatch frames and jams (that does not happen when the car is locked and parked in my driveway as a guest attending a Packer football, but I wash their vehicle as kind gesture for parking with us. OCD, Captain Obvious, or just plain weird!!!)
Anyway, I MOSTLY consider door and trunk/hatch frames and jams as part of the EXTERIOR.
 
Lonnie said:
There was this "discussion" (interpretation or judgment, really) on whether door frames and jams, and truck/hatch lids and jams as well, were part of the interior or part of the exterior.
Click to expand...

For me, it depends on how dirty those areas are. If areas like door jams, hatch/trunk decks are really filthy I'll use my wash mitt to CAREFULLY clean those areas while I'm washing the exterior. If they are just slightly dirty/dusty I'll clean them as part of the interior and hit them with a QD spray/Waterless Wash.

I've noticed on several of my cars and those of family members, those areas have become part of the water drainage system of the car. Dirt picked up by water gets stuck in those areas and dries leaving quite the mess, especially this time of year.
 
Desertnate said:
For me, it depends on how dirty those areas are. If areas like door jams, hatch/trunk decks are really filthy I'll use my wash mitt to CAREFULLY clean those areas while I'm washing the exterior. If they are just slightly dirty/dusty I'll clean them as part of the interior and hit them with a QD spray/Waterless Wash.

I've noticed on several of my cars and those of family members, those areas have become part of the water drainage system of the car. Dirt picked up by water gets stuck in those areas and dries leaving quite the mess, especially this time of year.
Click to expand...
Unless the vehicle is fairly new and not been exposed to a few years of winter weather, and then a lot of rain, they are always pretty greasy and dirty, in my experiences, and that is why I always like to Steam all the dirt, etc., out when I first open the doors... I always dry them and make sure they still have grease on the moving parts of the hinges.. Anything that touches them is going to get grease on it and I hate to have to deal with that too, so my reason for using Steam...
 
It is kinda funny how MOST vehicle owners are not "concerned" about door and trunk/hatch frames and jams; the out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality. That is, UNTIL they start rusting from winter de-icing road salt. Here in the upper Midwest, vehicles driven year-round are very prone at the lower bottoms to this and it is one of the reasons I take special care and attention to these areas. They are NOT cleaned thoroughly in an automated tunnel wash, PLUS anyone who has had snow get into these areas and then melt and freeze while the vehicle is parked outside at work knows the unfortunate experience of a frozen door or hatch OR ripped or pulled-out seals when these are opened for access to the vehicle. Waxed frames and jams and cleaned-and-treated rubber seals make dealing with getting in-and-out of one's vehicle a much more "pleasant" experience throughout the winter.

And, yes, I STILL lube my door and hatch hinges and driver's door lock (only one on the vehicle) along with the hood hinges and hood release mechanism with Sherwin-Williams Company's Tri-Flow PFTE Lubricant at the beginning of winter. Better safe than sorry!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top