This car is from a repeat customer of mine for whom I did a 350z. This is their family vehicle with 2 boys and a girl. The paint was actually pretty decent for the most part which was a blessing due to the sheer size of this beast. The interior was another story. I spent hours on it. The cup holders had a science experiment growing in it that truly tested the power of steam (it stil won..haha). The stains were a challenge but the bloody bubble gum that was stuck in 3 different places had me cursing. This was also the first time I used my Mothers power ball for cleaning the wheels. The chrome was rough and I thought it would be a good candidate. I was impressed using it but the wheels on this beast are so large that it was o.k. to use it but it would not fit smaller wheels...I may just invest in the mini one too. This was also the vehicle I used the DP tire gel on the exterior trim (which I have done in the past and like the results). I was 13 hours on this one all told. The Process: Wheels/Tires/Wells: Tires cleaned with Zep Citrus Wheels cleaned with Autobrite acid Wells cleaned with Zep Citrus Wheels subsequently polished with DG 501 and powerball Wheels then sealed with DG 105 Tires dressed with DP tire gel Wells dressed with Adams undercarriage Washing: Foamed with DG soap and Zep Citrus Washed 2 bm with DG soap and grout sponge Floor mats were rough and got: 1) vacuumed thouroughly 2) Power washed 3) cleaned with Zep cleaner and agitated 4) power washed again 5) vacuumed again 6) any remaining stains got steam/extractor combo Here's me in Foaming Action: Head/Tail Lights: Compounded with 3" 3M orange pad and UCCL Polished with 4" blue pad and DG plastic polish Sealed with DG 105 Exhaust: Cleaned initially with Carbrite wheel acid Compounded by hand with UCCL Polished by hand with blue job metal polish Paint: (compounding and polishing done by Dynabrade Rotary) Clayed with CM blue Compounded with orange pad and SIP (Some PG thrown in if necessary) Polished with blue pad and micro polish Cleansed with DG 501 and blue pad Sealed with DG beta sealant AW after curing period Glass: Cleaned with steam cleaner Sealed with DG sealant Chrome: Polished with DG 501 Sealed with DG 105 Exterior Trim: Treated with DP Tire gel which dried about 95%..wipe down before delivery Interior: Carpeting thouroughly vacuumed Stain treatment with Folex Steam cleaned and stain removal (and the G.D. gum) Leather steam cleaned Leather treated with DG leather cream Plastic steam cleaned Wood trim steam cleaned and treated with AW BEFORES: BEFORE GETTING STEAM CLEANED: AFTERS:
Awesome turn around, looks amazing. Don't you just love when people leave you surprises on the interior? I had a lady leave dog vomit in the back of a CRV to clean up, yuck. Was that a salt stain on the driver's mat, almost looks like spilled battery acid. Looks great, I am sure they were very pleased!:applause2:
Hey, its an overpriced Nissan Armada. Great job.... them floor mats look like they had something growing on it too
Chas...Thanks very much and yes, they were overjoyed. The mats were stained with salt which is typical here in the Winter...it's used a lot. Hahahahahaha..Dude, that is so funny!! I'd love to get an SLR, just don't have the $$ right now. Plus, if I do buy any toy this summer, it'll be a paint gauge. Thanks a lot Sal, I appreciate it. Ken..thank you very much sir! I was quite proud of this one. The metallic was jumping too, just in the early morning sun it was hard to capture (back to that camera issue to, eh?) Thanks for the compliment! Having 2 small children myself, I'd be embarrassed for you guys to see the interior of mine sometimes...it's hard to keep up. Thank you for your kind words. Buddy, thanks man, I appreciate it! You're right..it's not at all like the FX which has no look alike or equal in the Nissan line. I really should have photographed the cup holder..it was like the shit was glued in there. No match for the steam though. Thanks for your kind words.
Great work, Ricky! Question, do you use ZEP CD straight, or do you dillute it? I went through a couple of gallons last summer, I was cutting it with water 1:1 and was mostly using it cleaning/degreasing engines. It work excellent! Then I ran out, and tried to use what I already had (Megs APC+4:1), but noticed that ZEP CD @ 1:1 did a better job. And it is quite cost efficient too. The label does says not to use it on paint, maybe it it dries it streaks and it is difficult to remove, but if you are going to polish the paint anyway, I guess it doesn't matter. By the way, that SUV defenetely needs some All Season floor mats...With tough weather (winter) in Canada it is a must...
Thanks very much! I use it diluted 1:4 which was how it was suggested to me by Al-53. I know the label says to not use it on paint or carpet, but Al said it's fine and I trust him. So far, so good for me using it on paint (as part of the foaming) or on carpet. It will be my new go-to APC due to its cost effectiveness along with its performance. I have not used the purple one yet although there's another guy on here who does and also swears by it...I think it may be even a bit stronger. It has so many uses: I use it to clean out my pads, to pre-soak my mf's, etc...it's very versatile, IMO. I may mix up a cheaper spray bottle of it 1:1 for particularly nasty stuff.
Richy..it looks great..I am a big ZEP fan....The glass cleaner and the Citrus cleaner and also the carpet cleaners....but you have to get the Pro versions...much better.... I will be doing the DG beta sealant soon...I just want to fish the pre spawn of bass before ..then lay off during the spawn and do the truck.... Again..fantastic job.... Oh...501 is a killer product....I did a 09 caddy CTS in Nov for a buddy..he just came by to have it spring done(at a later date)...and it still was beading and sheeting like crazy..thats all I used on it and he never did anything to it over the winter except a few wand washes ..so it held up to the harsh soap and winter..will be doing a make over on it soon....I just washed it for him and did a AW to hold him over...lol... Al
Al..great to see you posting again! I posted that on another thread but wanted to make sure you saw it. Perfect timing BTW, too, right after I give you credit for turning me onto Zep products. I'll have to try the carpet one..what's it called? The gum was old and hard for the most part so it was a matter of scraping at it with the vacuum. I used Gum out for the gum on hte leather. There was one mat that it was sticky, so I used an ice cube to harden it up and then vacuum. After that, Zep cleaner adn agitate, extract, steam.
Rich....for the tuff spots and stains..I use the Traffic Lane cleaner....and I use the extractor shampoo also.....I mix it in a 2 gallon sprayer and spray the area first..then I use my Mytee HP60 with clean water and vinegar to extract it...the vinegar gets all the soap out...and does not stink the car up....I use 2 cups of Vinegar to the wash tank rest water...so a cup to a gallon of water I believe.... to mix the extractor shampoo..just follow directions...and mix in a pump sprayer...same with the Traffic Lane cleaner..just use as directed.... Zep Commercial | Zep High-Traffic Carpet Cleaner Zep Commercial | Zep Extractor Carpet Shampoo Zep Commercial | Zep Premium Carpet Shampoo there yuo go buddy....they work good..... here is the link to all the commercial carpet stuff also Zep Commercial | Products enjoy Rich.....a little gum trick....use the canned air they use to blow out electronics and computers..turn it upside down..the stuff comes out liguid..it instant freezes gum to a rock...then break off and vaccum...cools down beer also...lol Al
