Thinking of getting my interior professionally cleaned

[SPARTAN sui]

I'm thinking of getting my interior cleaned professionally for a couple of reasons. Biggest reason is I don't have a carpet cleaner. It's mostly my carpet that needs all the work. Leather is pretty clean, minor wear, but carpet is not in the best of shape. My car was a rental car, so it wasn't treated the best. The dash, all the plastic, and seats are near perfect. I'm surprised there isn't more wear on the seats, but the carpet has soiling that I'd like to get cleaned out. Do you guys think this is worth it?

Here's where I'm thinking of taking it.

http://www.autosalonfargo.com/about.html

It doesn't seem like a bad price, and I know I'll never have to have it done again since I take very good care of my car. It's just the previous owner (I should say company) didn't.

It feels like they tried cleaning the carpet, but they did a lousy job.

Has anyone else taken in their car to have this done? I'm guessing a lot of you guys are the first owners, so maybe this question is better pointed at guys and gals that purchased their Camaro preowned.

I'm also thinking of taking my car in to get professionally polished, do places like this typically do a good job? Or would I be better off spending the money on tools and product and doing it myself? I have swirls, again, from the prior owner. I imagine my car has seen a fair share of automatic car wash. Ugh!

I already plan on getting Adam's cleaning products and doing the 2 bucket wash and all that jazz. Seems well worth the invest. I just don't know if all the polishing products and tools are worth it.

[lscamaro]

I would personally think you would do a better job yourself since you know how you want it to look in the end. If you looking for a good carpet cleaner, the Adam's is a great one. I've gotten over the "only Adam's polishing supplies" stage and have started trying many things but Adam's does make a great carpet cleaner. Just be careful because it has no odor and doesn't create suds so don't let anyone think its water

I recently cleaned my carpets and mine were pretty bad too. Mud, dirt and leaves all over the place.... Dont ask. What I did was first vacuum them, then I got a stiff brush and brushed them to dislodge any dirt that was trapped, I then smacked them against a wall to get a lot of dust out, and finally, I used the carpet cleaner and scrubbed... After that, looked brand new!

Also, getting your car professionally detailed is not a bad idea if you don't have time to do it yourself. I've heard a lot of horror stories of companies that have actually done more harm than good. Not saying that there aren't good detailers but just be careful who you take it to. If you have the time to do it yourself, its really not that hard. The pc is a very forgiving machine and with patience, you can make your paint look better than when it was new.

BTW... Once you get the bug to get your paint looking perfect, it won't stop. It's kinda like the mod bug lol. Also, when you get there you will realize why the polishing supplies and machines will be totally worth it lol

[chicagobulls]

After what i did to a v6 camaro rental car. I Apologize to you and other rental car buyers.


I think i never shifted out of first gear with that rental!

[J666]

Originally Posted by chicagobulls

After what i did to a v6 camaro rental car. I Apologize to you and other rental car buyers.


I think i never shifted out of first gear with that rental!

I would never buy a Camaro that was a rental car. You know it's been beaten on.

[Angelo@Autopia]

Do you have the time to do it yourself? if not then let them do the carpet and mats only and tackle the rest yourself. Anyone can take care of the interior of their car by having the time and with the right products. At the Autopia Car Care Store there are many products you can use to clean and maintain your car. Our " How To" articles are very helpful in aiding you when it comes to detailing. Save money and be proud that you did it and enjoy your own work. Your Camaro will thank you.

[Stex]

Here and enjoy as it is painless to watch:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/t-Detai..._Cleaning.aspx

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by chicagobulls

After what i did to a v6 camaro rental car. I Apologize to you and other rental car buyers.


I think i never shifted out of first gear with that rental!

Oh man, I'm glad I have an automatic.

I didn't know it was a rental car when I bought, only later found out when I found the proof of insurance in the owner's manual.

Hmm, I might consider tackling it myself. My biggest thing is I don't have a nice shady area to polish the car in. I'm going to have to do it either really early in the morning, or later at night. I guess $130 isn't too bad for a kit like this

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-515-a...r-wax-kit.aspx

That Adam's carpet cleaner looks like it works really well. That might be worth it just to try and clean on my own. My carpet doesn't look as bad as that mat.

I'm looking at spending between $300-400 on Adam's products I think now lol

[nyrfan]

Do yourself a favor and invest in Adams carpet cleaner, this stuff is the bomb! Not many people talk about this Adams product here, but I found it to be one of their best products. My wife even loves using it in on the house carpets when needed.

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-711-a...y-cleaner.aspx

[Fiveg56]

Rental?

[Adam's Polishes]

For a relatively reasonable amount of money you can have all the supplies to do it yourself if you have the time and patience to go that way. In the end you'll be able to detail your car(s) many many many times over for close to what you would have paid to have someone else do it for you.

On the interior you don't necessarily need a professional carpet cleaner to get really good results. The Bissel Little Green Machine Pro-Heat is a really nice step up from just cleaning by hand and its usually only about $100 at the local target/walmart. Its definitely not on the level of a full professional grade extractor, but its a big jump up from just cleaning by hand and with some time and a little of our Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner you can get those rugs looking like new.

As far as not having shade, it can be a big challenge to work in direct sun. It can be done, but it just makes everything more difficult (plus you get hot, tired, and sunburned in the process) You can usually find pop up shelters at the local warehouse store that will get you some shade. May not cover the entire car, but you can move it around to shade the area you're working on a little at a time. Also, like you mentioned start early in the day or later in the evening and even break the process up over a few days if you have to. Start on Friday evening work a few hours. Wake up early Saturday, continue until the sun gets intense, take a break. Resume in the evening and repeat on Sunday as needed.

I've had details last as long as a week depending on the car.... and heres a great example of having to deal with the elements. I tackled this F350 over the 4th of July weekend last year when the temps here in socal were in the triple digits. Just proves that its possible... its not easy, but it is possible:

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/de...-ups/12552.htm

[SPARTAN sui]

Nice write up Dylan, that's really going to help out if I do tackle this thing head on. Currently I'm counting down the days until my vacation. I'll be traveling across country, so this detail job will have to wait.

[Adam's Polishes]

Cool. Enjoy your vacation! I'm taking off this weekend as well... but not quite going cross country, just flying out to Colorado to see the Angels play the Rockies with a good friend on Saturday and Sunday.

Have fun and let me know if you have any other questions.

[justa25thTA]

I get mine professionally detailed inside and out twice a year and is money well spent.

[SPARTAN sui]

Originally Posted by Dylan@Adams

Cool. Enjoy your vacation! I'm taking off this weekend as well... but not quite going cross country, just flying out to Colorado to see the Angels play the Rockies with a good friend on Saturday and Sunday.

Have fun and let me know if you have any other questions.

Nice, I'm sure that's going to be a great time! I'd love to fly, to spare my car from any abuse on the interstate. But I love the liberating feel of driving through several states in your own wheels.

A weeks worth of camping and paintball. It's ging to be awesome.

I'll be sure to let you know if I need any advice or have any questions!


justa25thTA, how much do you spend for your inside and out detail job?