A prayer, a detail, and a boy’s first car…
Last week I received a call from Molly. She said she came across my Google Listing and said I had great reviews and called me. She needed a car detailed. Not just any car, but what will become her son’s first car. She said it was in bad shape and she sent pictures. She was not kidding! This car sat abandoned outdoors and was completely filled with trash. Molly did what she could but then called me for help. I normally don’t take jobs like this but something told me I should. Without hesitation I said I would meet her at 8:30 the next morning.
When I first met Molly we were talking about how cute this car was and would be a great first car for anyone. It was a 2018 Nissan with only 30,000 miles! The story is that Molly had always wanted to be able to give her son a car. She often wondered how she would be able to do this so put her intentions out to the Universe. Little did she know that a family member that suffered in life had passed away. Through the inheritance process she was given a car!
Most detailers wouldn’t have taken a job like this. Most detailers would have charged in excess of $400. I gave her my small car detail price and added $30 to the price. All in all it was still under $200. I wanted this kid to see his new car and be proud and excited!
Here is what I did:
Exterior Detail
The car was covered in mold/sap/ filth so I covered it in Superior Products Dark Fury diluted 5:1. Now this is an amazing wheel cleaner. Cleans better than acidic wheel cleaners and safe on clearcoat. I needed that extra strength this product provides.
After power washing the majority of this film I got my bucket and started the agitation using extra elbow grease when needed.
I then used a Clay bar on the paint and exterior windows
I Covered the car in McGuires Express Spray Wax
Tires dressed with Chemical Guys VRP diluted 5:1.
Now for the interior detail:
Upholstery and carpets: Vacuum, scrub with drill brush, vacuum again, shampoo with P&S Carpet bomber (diluted 5:1), steam and wipe with microfiber. As filthy as this car was no extractor was needed! This even had dried crusty stuff on the upholstery. Most auto detailers in Nashville TN would have sold a higher price package that has the shampoo extractor as a service. Did you know that extraction is just needed in maybe 1% of the filthiest interiors ever? 99% of interiors can be cleaned with a vacuum, P&S Carpet bomber, some scrub brushes, steam cleaner and microfiber clothes.
Plastics were sprayed with McGuires APC diluted 10:1 and scrubbed into all surfaces with a blue scrub pad. The pads you can find at Kroger in the dish cleaning section!. These are gently and strong! After the scrubbing all plastics were blasted with steam to melt away any gunk and germs and wiped dry.
Interior Plastics protected with McGuires Express Spray Wax
Windows cleaned
Headliner cleaned: Headliners can be tricky. Best method is spraying P&S carpet bomber on a microfiber cloth and rub in a buffing type motion.
Molly returned and was speechless. She couldn’t believe it was the same car. Now expectations were set and we knew before we started that after everything was clean she would need seat covers. The foul smells were gone. The car shined in the sun. The carpets and plastic was clean and renewed. What started out as a prayer delivered what some would call a hopeless situation. I came to the rescue and now a young man will have a very nice first car!
Below are some links to some of the items I used. Please know I receive a very small commission when these items are purchased. I believe in these products and wanted to share.
P&S Carpet bomber: https://amzn.to/4bcv5Zm
McGuires APC: https://amzn.to/4b6QnYw
Chemical Guys VRP: https://amzn.to/4aU1sfx
McGuires Spray Express Wax: https://amzn.to/4bajiuu
Superior Products Dark Fury: https://amzn.to/49Z1eTg
Call Me so we can talk about your vehicle and have your prayer answered too!
