Part 2 of Detailing your car

Doors

Doors have a lot of wear and tear.  Make sure you remove all the fingernail scratches near the door handles with the scratch removal product and apply wax.  Go over all rubber molding with Armorall both on the car frame and the door.  Check that the open door switches work fine and don’t stick.
Apply silicone spray to the hinges and use grease if necessary.  Check the outside mirror adjustment which can be manual or electrical switch.  Clean the mirrors so they are spotless.

Make sure the windows go up and down with no problems.  Window problems are VERY expensive and don’t you think about removing the door panel and fixing it yourself – you will simply make the window problem worse.  If there is a window problem take it to someone who knows what they are doing – you don’t.

Armorall the inside of the door and clean the windows, both inside and out.  Check any ashtrays and get rid of cigarette butts.

Inside of car

Seats

Thoroughly clean each seat with an upholstery cleaner.  If the car has leather seats buy a leather cleaner and apply a leather protector – they are sold in auto-supply stores.  If there are holes or tears do NOT try to fix them – either leave them or take the car to a specialist.

If the seats are made of cloth spray every inch with Febreze – the heavy duty one.  Allow two hours to dry before driving.

Clean the seat tracks and make sure there is no junk on the tracks.  Check under each seat and look for rust – get rid of rust and apply wax to protect the steel.

Check the adjustment switches and make sure they all work.  Check all four seat belts and polish the metal with car wax.  Fold the rear seatbelts in a nice way.

Dashboard

Clean the windshield first and the rearview mirror.  Apply Armorall to all surfaces that are not clear.  Clean the plastic over the instruments and use a toothbrush to clean every inch of the dash.

Radio

Clean the radio with a toothbrush and make sure all components work.  Find a nice radio station, both AM and FM and set the settings so the buyer will listen to soft music and not heavy metal radio.  Check the CD and tapes to make sure they work.  Put a nice playing CD and/or tape in the unit so nice music plays.

Glove box

Remove everything from the glove box but the owner’s manual, registration/title, state inspection paperwork, and proof of insurance.  Everything else must be removed.  Check the light bulb and clean the inside.

Arm rests

Clean all arm rests and compartments – remove everything.  Clean the inside of the compartments and spray Febreze inside the compartment.

Carpet

Carpets are very important; remove the carpeted floor mats and wash them thoroughly.  Throw them in the washer and dry in the sun.  Get a spray on carpet cleaner designed for cars.  Vacuum the carpet and lift the carpet and look for dirt and rust.  If you see any rust, clean it and apply car wax to prevent further rust.

Spray Febreze on every square inch of carpet and carpeted floor mats.  Allow one full day to dry.

Interior

Clean the upholstered ceiling and clean the hand holds.  Check the cigarette lighter and make sure it works.  If the cigarette lighter is missing go buy a generic replacement for a couple of bucks at the auto-supply store.

Conclusion

Once the car has been detailed don’t smoke in the car!  Don’t allow others to smoke in the car.  Non-smokers don’t want to smell stale cigarette smells in a car.

Don’t put an air freshener in the car – the Febreze killed all the odors and an air freshener is not needed.

Keys

Every new car sold has at least two sets of keys.  You need to have at least two sets too.  If not you must get another set made and probably from the dealer.  If I were buying a used car and the car came with one key I would instantly deduct $200 from my offer.  The new keys have a computer chip imbedded in the frame and only the dealer can order a replacement.

That’s it – you’ve done as much as possible to get your car ready for sale.

Good luck,

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