The Details on Detailing Pt. 2

Last time, we ended with “… [f]inally, spray the carpet and upholstery with the fabric refresher of your choice and close the doors. Next time – wash, wax, and shine.”

Well, as promised, we’re going to talk about the proper way to wash and detail the outside of your vehicle. Assuming that you’ve been shopping and picked up the things from the list in the previous post, you’re ready to clean the outside. Let’s get started.

Before you get out the hose and bucket it’s a good idea to walk around your vehicle and get the lay of the land. Of course you know what your car looks like, but do you know where the bugs, droppings, nicks, and road tar are? These things need extra attention during the washing process and can be more difficult to see once the water starts flowing. Take mental notes as these areas may require the use of a tar and bug remover during the washing process. Again, follow manufacturer’s recommendations.

Following the suggestions on the bottle mix the soap and water in your wash pail and toss in your mitt or rag. Now, thoroughly wet down the vehicle. Use higher pressure to help remove loose dirt and debris. Make sure that your rag or mitt is full of soapy water and get started washing. As with the interior, we are going to wash from the top down. There are contradictory theories as to whether one should wash top down or bottom up. Our thinking is this; grittier dirt has a tendency to accumulate on the lower portion of the vehicle so it’s better to wash this last, thus avoiding scratching the finish. Continue washing, one section at a time, top down. Rinse after each section. A lot of, if not most, people use a spray nozzle during the wash process but, for best results, smoothly running water will “flood” the soap from the vehicle and will run off in sheets, leaving less chance for spotty drying.

After all of the body panels and windows have been washed it’s time to move even further down… all the way to the wheels and tires. You selected a product to clean your wheels and tires based on your wheel type, right? Time to read that label again; apply and scrub as recommended. Rinse thoroughly.

Time to dry her off. There are so many faux pas in the car detailing world… most people don’t even dry their vehicles after washing. Now’s the time to start. Grab a chamois or some other soft, lint-free towel and start wiping. Top down; gently remove the excess water from the vehicle, turning the towel often. Dry the windows with the towel and follow up with newsprint to eliminate spots and streaks.

Take a moment to admire the clean vehicle but not long enough to rest on your laurels; you’re not done yet. If there are any scratches, it’s time to see if you can remove them with a polishing compound. As long as the scratch doesn’t go all the way through the paint, a good buff with a low grit polishing compound followed by a waxing will likely eliminate any blemishes. (Time to repeat the detailers’ mantra; check the label for usage instructions.) Generally, you’ll want to apply the compound, buff vigorously, let dry to a haze and buff off. The same process holds true for waxes. If you’re using your orbital polisher here, be sure to move lightly and quickly so as not to burn the paint. After the scratches have been buffed it’s time to apply a liquid or paste wax... one panel at a time. Follow directions and you’ll have a finish that you’ll need those sunglasses to look at.

Almost done now. All that remains is to shine the exterior rubber. Spray the tires and other rubber or unpainted plastic surfaces with protectant, let it soak in and then buff off.
Now that you’ve done all of this work you can really appreciate how much those detailing shops charge. Here’s something to consider, you might want to alternate weekends for this work. Wash/wax one weekend and clean the interior the next. When the wash/wax weekend comes around just tidy up the interior; on interior weekends use a quick detailing product on the exterior. This way you’ll always have a clean, new looking vehicle you can be proud of.

Admire your work. You deserve to take a few minutes for yourself right now. Okay, put all of those cleaning products away and go cruise!

The Details on Detailing Pt 1

The weather is warming up and that means that it’s time to break out the bucket and hose. In years past you’ve washed your car or truck, vacuumed the interior, sprayed on some Armor All or other protectant, and – if your vehicle is lucky – you might have even hit it with a wax. Unfortunately, the years have not been overly kind to the interior or exterior…. or maybe both. A simple wash/wax and vacuum just won’t bring her back to the look that you expect and want. She’s a pretty lady, treat her right. To find out how to bring that little girl back to the gloss of her heyday, or to keep your new car looking new, read on.

So, we’re going to talk about how to wash, dry, and wax the exterior and we will discuss vacuuming, cleaning windows, and using a protectant on the interior. We’re going to talk about detailing here… not just a basic wash and wax. We’ll cover this in two separate posts… it’s a detailed (no pun intended) process and deserves to be covered thoroughly.

First things first, put the dishwashing liquid back in the kitchen and go to the store. You’ll need some proper car detailing products. Here’s a basic shopping kit:

·         Car Wash Soap

·         Paste or Liquid Wax

·         Polishing Compound

·         Orbital Buffer

·         Protectant

·         Wash Mitt

·         Non-Ammonia Window Cleaner

·         Wheel and Tire Cleaner

·         Degreaser

·         Vacuum (Shop Vac or the like)

·         Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner

·         Paper Towels

·         Lint-Free Cotton Cloths

·         Cotton Swabs

·         Newspaper

·         Toothbrush

·         Wheel Brush

·         Detail Brush

·         Fabric Refresher

·         Sunglasses

NOTE: Be sure to buy products designed and approved for your interior and exterior surfaces.

Getting Started

Start with the interior. Take the floor mats out and set them aside for now. Now, wipe the hard surfaces with a solution of lightly soapy water. This will clean all of the dust from the interior. Use your brushes to get into the tight areas around radio controls, the shifter gate, and other cramped spaces. Clean the vent surfaces and areas around the door handle and lock with a cotton swab. These places are hard to thoroughly clean so extra care is necessary here.

After all of the surfaces are free of loose dust and dirt it’s time to break out the spray protectant and one of those lint-free cotton cloths. To avoid having a glossy shine on the interior, spray the protectant directly on the cloth and then wipe the dash, console and other hard surfaces. Flip the cloth frequently to lift off excess protectant. Be careful not to get overspray on the steering wheel or pedals.

All of the dust is off of the interior and it’s got just the right amount of shine. Next, it’s time to clean the windows. Spray them, carefully, with window cleaner. Try not to get window cleaner on your freshly polished interior. If you do, just wipe back over it with your protectant cloth. Working one window at a time, spray and then buff/scrub with either a lint-free cloth or newspaper. The newsprint will not leave lint on the windows and has just the right amount of abrasiveness to cut through window grime.

Once the windows and hard surfaces are clean it’s time to move on to the carpet and upholstery. Start with the seats and then the floor (notice, we’ve worked our way from top down here?) Vacuum loose dirt from the seat surfaces. If they’re fabric apply upholstery cleaner to any stains and scrub in with a brush, then, depending on usage recommendations, vacuum up the residue and dirt. If the seats are leather be sure to use a leather cleaner and conditioner. Do not use products intended for vinyl on leather upholstery as this may cause damage and/or discoloration.

Continuing toward the floor, vacuum the carpeting. It’s easy to slide the seats forward to do the rear floor and slide them back to do the front floorboard. If there are stains on the carpet, break out that carpet and upholstery cleaner. Now, find the floor mats that you took out earlier, put them on a flat surface, and vacuum them before reinstallation. This will prevent you from introducing dirt into your clean car interior.

At this point, you are only two steps from completing the interior portion of this detail job, and you can really see the fruits of your labor blossoming. The final steps are simple. With the soapy solution from earlier and one of those cotton cloths wipe the door jambs. It’s not uncommon for there to be areas that are easier to get to with either the front or rear doors closed so be sure to check all of the possible angles from which you can approach each area of the door jamb. Finally, spray the carpet and upholstery with the fabric refresher of your choice and close the doors.

Next time – wash, wax, and shine. 

GMC’s Comfortable Ride

GM’s truck division, GMC, has been putting dependable trucks on the road since 1902. Today, they are one of the nation’s strongest brands and they’re taking steps to ensure that there is a place in the American automotive market for them for years to come. There has been a strengthening of the full size truck and SUV markets. Additionally, GMC has a strong presence in the ever-growing crossover and light duty truck categories. They have shown year over year sales growth for the last 15 months. In fact, January through December of 2010 showed a total sales increase of 29 percent. This was spurred, in part, by 40, 46, and 73 percent sales growth of the Sierra, Acadia and Terrain, respectively.

The Terrain, a compact SUV that has class leading 32 mpg, led sales growth among GMC’s lineup. An America more conscious of its wallet and the environment was snatching up Terrains in 2010 within an average of 19 days on the lot. Competitors’ vehicles spent an average of 32 days on dealer lots before being purchased.

Other things prodding the Terrain’s sales are the fact that it is attracting both male and female buyers. Better than 20 percent more females, 46 percent, are buying the Terrain over other GMC models. It’s also important to note that half of all Terrain buyers trade in a non-GM vehicle.

The Acadia’s sales were their best in December of 2010 too, delivering an increase of 46 percent over December of 2009 and 30 percent for the year overall. Like the Terrain, many sales are coming from non-GM trade-ins. In fact, over half of all Acadias sold in 2010 were sold to people who traded in non-GM vehicles.

The good news keeps rolling in for GMC. Yukon and Yukon XL ended 2010 on a positive with the line up 26 percent. The standard Yukon was up 17 percent and the XL was up 31 percent over 2009. 

In spite of a reduction in fleet sales of 17 percent for GM overall 2010 was a great year for the automaker. Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales operations for GM credits the company’s sales performance to GM’s new company focus.

What do you think? Should there be a Terrain or an Acadia in your garage?

The New Look of the New Buick

Buick has always been known as an automotive company that pays close attention to detail and luxury. In recent years, however, tired exterior design and waning consumer interest have caused sales to slump. A fresh redesign of their entire product line and a reminder that Buick vehicles have a design that incorporates luxury, power and sleek lines have caused a revival for the automaker.

The Enclave, LaCrosse and Regal continue to attract new buyers to the Buick line with approximately 41 percent of buyers coming from non-GM brands and 27 percent come from foreign brands. All three earned Consumer Digest’s “Best Buy” award in 2011 and spurred MOTOR TREND magazine to declare that “Buick is Back” in a headline.

The Enclave's low and aggressive lines tell us that it's an SUV that can actually do what we ask of it while keeping us wrapped in leather. The Enclave also features the best fuel economy of any 8 passenger SUV on the market.

The Lucerne blends effortless driving with power, comfort, convenience and all of the quietness that you’d expect from a full-size luxury sedan. It also has available safety features such as Side Blind Zone Alert and a Lane Departure Warning system.

In 2010 the LaCrosse got a complete ground-up redesign. The six-speed automatic transmission provides an EPA rated 30 mpg on the highway.

Buick’s Regal, the bad boy of the bunch, is available with 2.0L of turbocharged punch. This midsize sport-sedan has a European bred and inspired driving feel and its modern, sleek design is an excellent display of Buick’s re-found attention to detail and build quality. And, if you’re feeling saucy, the 2012 Regal GS’ 255 horses, 0-60 in under 7 seconds, and racing inspired exterior and interior design will suit you nicely.

Just a few minutes online or on the lot at McKenzie Motors will solidify Buick’s place in the forefront of your mind when considering a new luxury car or SUV.