2016 Mercedes Benz Airstream RV Full Correction and Cquartz

I always love a challenge. That's what I was thinking as I took on this 2016 Mercedes RV on. This customer is a good client of mine and always calls on us to detail their company and personal vehicles.  They had just bought this RV and the paint was very very scratched up. The Mercedes dealership would run this vehicle through their scratch-o-matic car wash doing nothing but destroying the quality of this very expensive RV. After agreeing on a price for a 2 step polish with Cquartz coating we got to work as there was heavy rain in the forecast soon and he needed this vehicle for their family's Christmas road trip.

Vehicle State on Pickup

Here is the vehicle as we picked it up All 24 feet long with 10 feet high ready for us to detail. This customer was looking for a full paint correction on this vehicle. We were up for the challenge took the keys and drove it to the shop where it would spend the next 2 days

Time To work! Foam gun action

First we started with a full paint decontamination. This consisted of a foam bath and full 2 bucket wash. The vehicle was fully clayed during the wash to prepare for the polish.

Wheels all Sonax'd

For a new RV it had a surprising amount of iron decontamination in the wheel. This is evidenced by the Sonax Full Effect wheel product reacting and turning purple as it encounters brake dust.

During Wash

I cannot lie I spent quite a bit of time admiring this vehicle. During the wash we could tell the dealership had put some kind of spray wax on it as there was uneven water beading and the paint definitely exhibited  hydrophobic properties. 

Paint Correcting Time

As you can see in this picture the paint was pretty battered. Nothing like a giant black RV to make you realize you don't have any compound or polish. Luckily I was able to find some Meguiar's Ultimate compound.

After correction

Pretty nice result here. This was achieved with 1 pass with microfiber cutting pad, one pass with white hex logic pad on a griots Garage 6 inch dual action polisher.

Attempt at 50/50

Working in this garage I wasnt able to get the lighting right for a good 50/50. Plus we were on a time crunch so I didnt want to push it too hard. You can sort of see the left side free of scratches while the right side with scratches.

Before Correction

This ends up being probably the most dramatic picture showing the correction. As you can see there are lots of deep swirls and watermarks.

After Correction

WOW The ultimate compound worked really well removing the defects in the paint. The only complaint I had with it was It was difficult to remove the polish without reintroducing marring so we had to be very careful.

Cquartz Coating.

After the many hours of polishing we took it back outside to do the coating. 

Luxurious Interior Detail

The interior recieved a light detail. It was in pretty good shape just a bit of dust. Beautiful cabin though.

Bright and early next morning ready for delivery

We got up early to do all the finishing details. Wheels, Windows, etc.

Window Cleaned

Tailpipe Polished

Last Check Before Delivery

We turned the vehicle around in the sunlight to check our results before delivery. We like to look at the paint in the sun to make sure the job came out exceptional. It was worth it as the customer was extremely happy and plans for us to detail it out in the future.

2006 Chevy Trailblazer DEEP interior and exterior detail.

 

2006 Chevy Trailblazer Very Deep interior detail

What I love most about this business is helping good people out. I cannot imagine how difficult it would be to manage a full time career, as well as the stresses of being a single parent. She contacted me asking to have a simple wash and wax, as well as the interior thoroughly detailed. When she told me over the phone it may be a little bad we shrugged it off thinking, hey we have detailed tons of interiors.... It will just be another job...... or so we thought.....

This is what we found after lifting up the second row of seats. It seems as if the children would just quietly push their waste food in between the seats.  Years of candy, cookies, cereal, and other goodies sweet little children like to indulge in. 

Before, Second Row Behind Passenger

This as you can see there is alot of stuff collected in the crevices where the carpets meet the door sill. This can be tough to get out with the vacuum

Before, Behind Driver

Pretty good amount of staining in the seats and carpet at this point. I was noticing it was mostly food waste and the extractor works really good at removing that

Before, Front Passenger

More of the same as we look at the front 

Before Drivers Side

This is after removing the floor mat as you can see there is lots of staining here on the floors. 

Before Trunk

Before Behind Seats

This is what we found when we looked at that little flap that goes behind the rear seats on this particular SUV. Once we saw this we knew we were in for it.

Before Back seats up

This is what we found after lifting up the back seats. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves on this one.

Before, Under Seats

Before, Where seat bottom meets seat back

Time to work!

We started by removing all the big food by hand. I love candy, but old melted candy from years ago has a unique smell...

During Under Seats, Bonus shoe shot

Starting to see a bit of progress 

Before, Cup holders

We even remove the little rubber cupholder trays to detail them out here.

Before, Rubber Cup holder trays

Very dirty...

Before, Sun visor

Alot of detailers forget to look up when they detail a vehicle. We make sure to get the headliner and the sun visor which was rather dirty here.

During, Seats

Its amazing how much gunk the apc, boars hair brush and a microfiber towel got out of these seats. We probably used at least 40 oz of Meguiar's APC on these seats but the result turns out to be well worth it.

During Extractor reservoir

The Bissel Little green was really a lifesaver in this project. We did spend alot of time emptying out dirty water reservoirs though 

After, Drivers Side

The results in this case turned out dramatic. The extraction pulled out the browning of the carpets and they look great here. I was going for bonus points with the carpet designs.

After, Behind Drivers seat

here you can see the result in the back

After, Under Back Seats

When I look at the pictures before and compare it to this picture i am honestly blown away myself. 

After, Where seat bottom meets seat back

After Back Seats

After, Drivers Door

After Cup Holders w/ Tray removed

After, Center Stack

After, Cup holders

Foamed up

Finished off with clay and Meguiars Spray wax

Thanks for viewing!!!

Best Cloth seat cleaning technique Video

For extremely dirty cloth seats the combination of the all purpose cleaner, a brush, and an extractor. In this video we show how simple and effective results this technique achieves especially combined with the low cost of the Bissel Little Green Pro Heat. 

Leather Conditioning

The left side of this picture shows the dirty grimy leather seats. On the right side you can see that it is clean but there are cracks and scratches. This damage could have been prevented with a proper leather conditioning plan.

Don’t let your leather interior crack and fade away.

Keep your leather interior looking new.

Maintaining Leather Interior Value

Leather Interior Conditioning = Value Retention

Leather Cleaning and Conditioning

 Causes of Damaged/Cracked Leather:

·         Exposure to UV rays fades leather interiors

·         Leathers leech protectants over time causing interiors to lose flexibility and softness.

·         Proper cleaning must be done to avoid staining upholstery before conditioning.

 

It’s much easier to protect and condition leather upholstery than spend the money to attempt to salvage it. If leather is to retain its value and beauty, it must be cared for. This means regular cleaning and conditioning. When the leather is manufactured the automakers cover the leather with sealants, but as leather ages, it loses its essential protection, leaving the leather susceptible to oils, debris, and UV damage. To keep leather soft and pristine, you must first clean it and then replace the moisture and protection. Pride Auto Detailing has the products and expertise to ensure your car’s interior will maintain it’s value. Plus, our Leather Cleaning and Conditioning service does not leave an oily residue on your interior as some conditioners are known for. Instead we provide lasting protection, with a comfortable feel.

Pride Auto Detailing Leather Cleaning and Conditioning Service includes:

·         Inspection of your Interior– to assess leather condition and cleaning method

·         Thorough, yet Gentle Leather Cleaning – to remove debris and prepare leather for conditioning

·         Applying Leather Conditioner– to protect from harmful UV rays

·         Massaging Conditioner into Leather – to replenish moisture and prevent cracking

Contact us for a free quote.

This leather has been cleaned and then conditioned with Lexol Leather cleaner to give it a keep it supple, thanks to proper leather cleaning and conditioning this interior will retain its value.

Leather is a costly opting when purchasing any car, so its best to maintain it if you want to retain resell value.

How to Clean Your Vehicle's Interior!

Since I started this business the number one request for my clients is a thorough cleaning of the interior. Interior details are at least 65 percent of the details that I do. Because of this I wanted to teach you at home how you can clean your interior to a professional level with very little financial and time investment on this 2006 Mazda Tribute.

It doesn't take many supplies to clean your interior. The two main products you need are an all purpose cleaner, and a dressing/protectant. I am using Meguiar's All Purpose cleaner (grey bottle) and Meguiar's Quik Detail spray as the dressing. I use the APC diluted down 1:10. There are many options out there but I like the results I get with these two products. Other then that you need a handful of microfiber towels. These are just basic low pile microfibers that can be bought at Walmart. The interior dusting brush, vent brushes and carpet brushes aren't absolutely necessary, but they make getting into tight spaces much easier. A shop vac isn't shown but is critical for vacuuming purposes

I generally start with the door jams. For me, the door jams are part of the interior of the car rather then the exterior. I count the exterior as anything I can clean without opening the doors.

Sorry about the blurry picture. This is where the brush comes in handy. You could probably squeeze your hand in there with a microfiber but the brush makes it super easy. I do a couple sprays of APC directly on the brush to avoid making a mess on the area I am cleaning.

Good as new!

Now onto the weather seals. The weather seals always collect dust and dirt. A quick vacuum picks up most of the debris.

After vacuuming I use the hand detailing brush with a spray of APC to get the rest of the dirt. Clean weather seals will last years longer and give you a better seal around your door meaning less road noise.

All Clean!!

Now onto the doors. Areas we touch with our hands or rest our arms on  get much dirtier than other areas.

A few sprays of APC and the brush work wonders at agitating and removing the dirt.

The same method is applied to the window switches

All Clean!!

Looks good as new!!

The side of the seat can get pretty dirty. A spray or 2 of the APC and a wipe down with a microfiber cloth works great at getting tough stains/grime.

Blurry foamed up picture.

Good as New!!!

Vents love to collect dust and dirt

After spraying with APC the brush and microfiber are great for getting into air vents.

Here I twist the tip of the microfiber and thread it into those hard to reach areas.

Looking good!

For the steering wheel i simply spray a few drops of APC on the brush head and work it into the wheel.

All Clean!!

Center consoles are havens for dirt and it is easy to let it get out of hand. This vehicle was not so bad but there were a few water marks and dirt trapped in the crevices. 

APC and the brush working its magic. Are you beginning to see a theme?

This crevice tool is excellent at getting out the dust that gets trapped deep in the crevices.

Much Better!!

Good as new!!

Now onto the dashboard. Simply spray some APC onto the microfiber and wipe all the dirt. Once that is done come back with the protectant and wipe the dash again leaving a clean, UV protected surface.

Excellent Result

The pedals obviously get pretty dirty.

The APC and the crevice tool is great for removing all the dirt from the pedals.

Clean pedals!!!

Now the ENTIRE interior is vacuumed. Care should be taken to get those spots under and between the seats as they usually collect the most dirt.

After vacuuming you can see there are a few stains in the floor mats. How do we get those out? Just liberally spray the APC on the floor mat and agitate the dirt with the carpet brush.

The carpet brush helps lift the stains out of the carpet and into the APC foam.

Now that it is clean use a microfiber cloth to mop up the foam

Use the vacuum again to remove some more of the water. You will be left with clean shampooed carpets without having to use heavy machinery such as a steam cleaner or hot water extractor.

Now I will show you how to shampoo your seats. As you can see there are a few stains and spots in what would be otherwise clean seats.

Using our APC we liberally spray the seats applying extra sprays to those pesky stains.

Now with a interior carpet brush work the APC into the seat to get the stains from the seat to the foam.

Then mop up the foam.

MUCH BETTER!!

This is a good time to spray your interior smell good of choice. I use OZIUM air sanitizer as it is a neutral smell and works to remove odors without leaving a strong smell clients might not like.

Here's our finished product. Total time about 3 hours.

Thanks for viewing!!!