Ford Expedition Detail (Interior mostly) - TLC Auto Detail

**Flannigan** · 06-17-2012, 10:08 AM

Hey everyone. Today I've got a Ford Expedition that belongs to my sister-in-law. She wanted to get it cleaned up since it hadn't recevied much attention in recent years. She wanted it to look better inside and out, but I spent more time on the exterior since it needed the most work, mostly due to her two kids...lol

So I started the detail off by thouroughly vacuuming all of the seats and carpets in the vehicle. then I wipes down the dash board which just had some light dirt and dust.

Nest, the real cleaning started. I started with the door cards which had some nasty build up on them, especially on the arms rests. To clean them up I used Autoglym Interior Cleaner and a Swissvax Leather Brush.

Before:

50/50:

After:

The front doors were the worst, but the back doors needed a little clean up as well. Mostly due to some crayon marks.

Before:

After:

Next up on the docket were the leather seats. These seats are a very light color, and had not been deep cleaned in a while. To clean these seats I used the same combination ad the doors, Autoglym Interior Cleaner and a Swissvax Leather Brush.

Before:

50/50:

After:

There was also leather on the center console lid. This wan't super dirty, but it was very shiny, due in part to body oil build up, and nasty interior dressings being used over the years. Healthy leather should not be shiny, it should just have a natural look to it.

50/50: Far side not cleaned, close side cleaned.

50/50: Top not cleaned, bottom cleaned.

After:

The carpets weren't in bad shape, but the floor mats and rear cargo area needed some attention, due to some stains. To clean these up I used some Optimum Power Clean, a PC brush attachment, and then used the LGM to extract the carpets.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

And here are some pictures after the interior was all finished up:

Next I turned my attention to the outside. I was running out of time, so I didn't get tons of pictures. I did my normal washing and decon routine, and followed that up using Auto Finesse Rejuvenate to clean up the paint.

It's kinda hard to see, but on the left I've used the cleaned, and the right hasn't gotten it yet. You can see how much cloudier the paint looks on the right. This product certainly didn't perfect the paint, but it did a great job cleaning it up and bringing some gloss back.

It also has some awesome cleaners in it. Here is what my pad looked like after just the hood, and that is after the hood was washed, clayed, and had Wolfs Decon Gel applied to it!

After I finished with Rejuvenate I topped it with Auto Finesse Spirit. This was gives an amazing look, and as long as you are out of the sun, it's a joy to use. Here are a couple pictures of the vehicle all finished up.

That about does it. This vehicle looks 100 times better now, and everyone was very happy with the outcome. Thanks for looking and I look forward to your feedback.

**Becciasm** · 06-17-2012, 10:15 AM

Very good turnaround on the interior! Having two kids and an SUV, i can appreciate the time you spent on it..

**RMM** · 06-17-2012, 10:22 AM

Excellent as always!
There is just one detail that I think you overlooked: the pedals.
I know probably there isn't a single customer that will notice it, but an OCD like me...

bmwgalore · 06-17-2012, 10:23 AM

Very nice save! Good job.

Was that a wine stain in the trunk?

**Flannigan** · 06-17-2012, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Becciasm

Very good turnaround on the interior! Having two kids and an SUV, i can appreciate the time you spent on it..

Thank you! It wasn't as bad as some I've seen, but it did take some work.

Originally Posted by RMM

Excellent as always!
There is just one detail that I think you overlooked: the pedals.
I know probably there isn't a single customer that will notice it, but an OCD like me...

Thank you! Actually the after interior pictures were taken after driving it around from the back parking lot where I stored it overnight, and i totally forgot to re-wipe the pedals. nice catch though!

Originally Posted by bmwgalore

Very nice save! Good job.

Was that a wine stain in the trunk?

Thank you! We think it was from colored mulch that leaked out of a wet bag.

**Meticulous-Detail** · 06-17-2012, 10:34 AM

Awesome job! What products did you use on the interior besides Autoglym Interior Cleaner? Paint looks great too!

I have a 07 Expedition Limited L white with black leather coming up and the customer wants everything on the menu! How long did it take and if you don't mind how $$$$? (PM if you want)

This customer is a co-worker but this ride is allot of real estate inside and out.

**Flannigan** · 06-17-2012, 10:37 AM

Originally Posted by inyadreems

Awesome job! What products did you use on the interior besides Autoglym Interior Cleaner? Paint looks great too!

I have a 07 Expedition Limited L white with black leather coming up and the customer wants everything on the menu! How long did it take and if you don't mind how $$$$? (PM if you want)

This customer is a co-worker but this ride is allot of real estate inside and out.

Thanks man. I forgot to mention the plastic and vinyl was dressed with Ultima Interior Guard + and the leather was conditioned and protected with the Leathermasters line of products.

Overall I only had about 8 hours in this vehicle. Being it was my sister-in-law I didn't charge anywhere near what I normally would. normally i would want to stay at $50/hour so I would have charge around $400.

**Meticulous-Detail** · 06-17-2012, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by Flannigan

Thanks man. I forgot to mention the plastic and vinyl was dressed with Ultima Interior Guard + and the leather was conditioned and protected with the Leathermasters line of products.

Overall I only had about 8 hours in this vehicle. Being it was my sister-in-law I didn't charge anywhere near what I normally would. normally i would want to stay at $50/hour so I would have charge around $400.

Thanx.

**Marc08EX** · 06-17-2012, 12:23 PM

Amazing turn around as usual Dave!!! The interior was extremely trashed and you brought it back to life. Your after pictures always look great!

And I was wondering how long it took you and you say only 8 hours?! That's pretty good for an extremely large vehicle like that.

I wish I could get close to $50/hr. There's this guy who's asking for a 2 step detail on his black LS430 and he wants it as perfect as possible. I quoted him around 50-60% of that hourly quote and he thinks I'm charging too high...

**Flannigan** · 06-17-2012, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Marc08EX

Amazing turn around as usual Dave!!! The interior was extremely trashed and you brought it back to life. Your after pictures always look great!

And I was wondering how long it took you and you say only 8 hours?! That's pretty good for an extremely large vehicle like that.

I wish I could get close to $50/hr. There's this guy who's asking for a 2 step detail on his black LS430 and he wants it as perfect as possible. I quoted him around 50-60% of that hourly quote and he thinks I'm charging too high...

Thank you for the kind words Marc! as for hourly rate it is largely determined by your market, and what it will bear. I used to live in a fairly rural part of North Carolina and I know that I could never charge anywhere near what I charge now if I was still there. That said, it's also much cheaper to live there so it would certainly balance out.