Properly Prepping a Brand New Interior - Day 3

I finally got in my Volkswagen Rabbit in that I've been anxiously waiting for, a 2008 Tornado Red, 2 door 5 speed. I've been looking for a brand new vehicle that I could document caring for, from day 1 until the day it is sold. While this isn't exactly the same caliber of vehicle as my last car, Audi S4, this is quite the vehicle bang for the buck. It doesn't feel cheap like other cars in its price range, it has loads of standard features, good on gas, and best of all, it is fun to drive with it's 5 cylinder 170 hp / 177 tq engine. This was the perfect vehicle for my documentation as it is relatively small and has straight panels, which makes it quicker to detail. Onto the good stuff...

Knowing that dealership preps can often leave you with swirl marks and other imperfections that will dull the paints finish, I asked them to deliver the vehicle untouched from the truck so I could properly prep the vehicle myself. When I returned to my friends house, this was what the car looked like:























The passenger side door was sealed shut with plastic, so we used a key to separate it in order to gain access to the door for the drive home. Normally, I would suggest using a razor blade instead of a key:











After giving the car a walk around and snapping the pictures of how it was delivered, it was time to get started. Starting with the interior, I began to remove all of the plastic protection that was installed from the factory.





To remove the seat covering, you have to remove the headrest.



Remove each of the protective floor pieces, just by lifting them up from the carpet.



After this, the next step was the get my products ready that I planned on using.

This was what I selected:

• Metro Vac 'n Blo
• 6x Microfiber Towels
• 1x Glass Microfiber Towel
• Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
• 303 Aerospace Protectant
• Distilled Water
• 303 High Tech Fabric Guard
• Stoner's Invisible Glass
• 303 Fabric & Vinyl Cleaner
• 3x 22oz Empty Spray Bottles
• 2x 4oz Pump Misters

I mixed up a solution of 50/50 distilled water and isopropyl rubbing alcohol in one of the 22oz spray bottles. I didn't really use this on the interior, but used it later on for the exterior. A full 22oz spray bottle of distilled water, and for the final 22oz spray bottle, a 8:1 ratio of distilled water & 303 Fabric & Vinyl Cleaner. I also poured some 303 Aerospace Protectant into a 4oz Pump Mister as well as some 303 High Tech Fabric Guard. I labeled the bottles with a permanent marker.

I decided to tackle the interior starting with the rear hatch and working forward. This way, when I am finished with an area, I'm done and I know I don't have to go back. (Another way to tackle an interior is to clean by material, meaning, clean all the vinyl in the car, then clean all the fabric in the car, then clean all the glass in the car... etc.)



I began by removing the trunk floor in order to clean around the edges and to inspect the spare.



I did a quick color overlay of which products I used where. The blue areas are for the 303 Aerospace Protectant and the green areas are for the High Tech Fabric Guard. I only applied these two products after I made sure each surface was properly cleaned with the 303 Fabric & Vinyl Cleaner and vacuumed.



I chose not to protect under the rear hatch cover because the chances of something staining or fading that area are very unlikely. Same goes for the white fabric that runs on the sides.

To really see what a bold but matte finish 303 Aerospace Protectant leaves behind, here is a side by side comparison, right side having the Aerospace Protectant applied.



For interior glass, I used Stoner's Invisible Glass and three microfiber towels. The Invisible Glass can be used safely on tinted glass (not that mine is, but I know many of you may have it) so it's great choice. I fold a 16" by 16" all purpose microfiber towel in fourths and spray a light coating of Invisible Glass on the towel outside of the vehicle. Applying the product to the towel outside of the vehicle helps ensure you don't get any over spray on any other part of the vehicle. The biggest problem I see with streaking is detailers often over apply the glass products.

I then work in a logical pattern side to side exerting equal pressure throughout my hand and fingertips. Working slowly can help minimize streaking. I then repeat the process going up and down until I have removed all of the surface contamination that I can see.

Next I take my second microfiber towel and fold it in fourths, then spray 1 mist of distilled water and wipe down the glass in a similar pattern. This step helps ensure any chemical residue is removed and helps further ensure all the contaminates are removed from the glass. I'll then flip to a dry side and give it a complete wipe down.

My last microfiber towel is folded in fourths as well and used dry to ensure I remove any and all streaks. I really like using a glass specific microfiber towel for this last step. These towels have a tighter weave with a lower nap and make great contact with the glass to ensure no streaks are left behind. I realize this process is a little more time consuming but I find it very effective if you really want streak free glass.