Detailing a Vehicle's Interior

The Volkswagen Touareg is one of r1's Favorite Things.
No doubt that this is just the first mention of a topic that will surface repeatedly on this blog.

On Friday we took possession of a 2011 Touareg V6 FSI Sport + Nav, Campanella White with Anthracite.
Call it what you will, new to us, newused pre-owned, pre-loved, or Certified Pre-Owned, it's still the first used vehicle to come into my life since my first car 20 years ago.

The dealership we purchased from, Volkswagen of Kingston AKA Heart Volkswagen did a great job through the sale and delivery process. I have to admit the detailers did an above average job in prepping the vehicle for sale and delivery.

Sorry, not good enough for a Touareg in my family!  If my wife is going to drive a pre-owned vehicle it's going to start out as close to new as possible, which is why I spent a good 3-4 hours yesterday detailing the interior to remove any trace of the old owner. Good thing it's condition was excellent to begin with, otherwise I might still be out there!

The interior was pretty spotless to begin with, but my eye for detail saw some issues.
People might think I'm crazy for wanting to remove the shiny detail chemicals on the dash and front seats, or for even noticing the faint watermark on the headliner where some spots had been cleaned off.

Anyway, since cleaning Touaregs is a favorite thing of mine, this is what I did to detail a very good condition pre-owned vehicle:

Started the night before by putting a fan and tower electrostatic ionizer in the vehicle to circulate and ionize the interior.

First thing in the morning I got to work on the labor.
Step 1: Carpets - Folex
I began with cleaning the carpets by spraying down all carpeted material with Folex and wiping with micro-fiber cloths. When I say all, I mean all, including under the front and rear seats!
Step 2: Interior Surfaces / Seats / Carpet
Next I mixed up a pint of  1part Woolite diluted with 10 parts purified water and poured it into a spray bottle. This mixture was used to wet down and wash all interior surfaces except Nav and climate control, and then wiped off with microfiber cloths. Getting the cargo cover washed on both sides was a slight pain, but manageable.
I also used this mixture to wash down the leatherette seating, and go over the carpeted areas again.
Inside the center glove box was evidence of an old spill. Still a little sticky at the bottom once the rubber insert was removed.  I'm guessing vanilla or caramel iced coffee or a caramel latte based on the smell.
For this I first washed with Folex, then again with the Woolite mix. Stickiness gone, but still some light odor so I hit it with a vinegar soak as well.  The rubber insert and plastic piece were washed off using dish soap and water.
The watermark on the headliner I hit with Folex and a microfiber cloth, which cleaned it up nicely. Also hit a couple of light marks on the side pillars which came right out.
Step 3: Steam Everything
Steam is good for everything!  I fired up the Wagner and fit a microfiber cloth over the floor cleaning brush.
I began with the fresh cloth and steamed the entire headliner, once that was done I worked my way around the vehicle steaming everything. I changed cloths twice during the process and then a third time before I did the inside of the windows.
Step 4: Vacuum
Vacuumed the entire vehicle including as deep inside the vents as I could get using the variety of attachments in my vacuum detail kit using my Armor-All detail vacuum. Fortunately either the previous owner was extremely clean or the dealer had done an excellent job so aside from the vents this was a pretty easy step.
After vacuuming I hit the floor carpets with a light mist with Spray as You Wax and wiped it in with microfiber purely because I like the odor.
Step 5: Glass
Almost done, on to the glass.  Prepared by laying out 6 cotton terry shop towels, one each for the front windshield, drivers side front, passenger side front, driver side rear + cargo, passenger side rear + cargo, and tailgate hatch. I also ripped off 6 sections of brown recycled kraft paper to dry each section.
Then I rolled down all windows halfway and took a 7th towel and washed the rim of all the windows and also where they go into the frame.
For the glass I used Perfect Glass glass cleaner because it's in my auto detail kit, Sprayway is also a good product.
I heavily wet each window and wiped with force using the cotton shop towel.One satisfactorily cleaned, I switch to the sections of brown recycled kraft paper to dry the windows. The kraft paper was my best choice for drying as I cannot seem to get an acceptable streak and lint free perfect finish out of any paper towel, microfiber cloth, or terry towel.  Sure I can get it working my butt off with the microfiber polishing and polishing, but the kraft paper works better and takes a lot less effort!
The windows are where I experienced a good deal of frustration on this Touareg. The two small windows in the front by the mirrors were super aggravating to get perfect, and also where the dash meets the windshield was not easy to get cleaned either.
Step 6: Leather Surfaces and Trim Touchup
This being a Sport model, there wasn't much leather to worry about. I used Zymol cleaner to clean the wheel and shifter, then followed up with some Zaino Leather in a Bottle to condition them. After that I used one of the damp window cloths to touch up the instrument panels, nav, and console trim.
You may be wondering at this point what I used to condition the interior, dash, and seats. The answer is: I didn't, I just left as is.  My new 2013 Touareg came with all matte low lustre finish and I believe the natural state of this 2011 should be the same. Eventually I might condition, and if I did would probably use 303 Aerospace Protectant.
Step 7: Cargo Blocks and Monster Mats
I took the cargo blocks and monster mats out and washed in hot water and dish-soap.
Then I called it a day.
Step 8: Put back together
After leaving the glove inserts, cargo blocks, and monster mats out to dry all night I put everything back together.

There is no doubt in my mind that this Touareg is as clean inside as it's been since it left the factory floor. Immense satisfaction knowing the wife is driving a clean and sanitary vehicle from day 3 forward.

List Materials used:
Vornado Fan
Sharper Image Ionic Breeze
Crevice Tool
Armor All Detail Vacuum
Vacuum Detail Tools
Folex Carpet Cleaner
Perfect Glass Cleaner (alternative: Sprayway)
Terry cloth shop rags
Recycled Brown Kraft Paper
Zymol Leather Cleaner
Zaino Leather in a Bottle
Eagle One Wax As You Dry
Woolite
Dish Soap
White vinegar
Nitrile Gloves

Next weekend: Quick outside detail with liquid wax to hold over until late April / Early may.

Amazon Prime

Wow, it's been a while since I first intended to get this blog going.  Well, I'm back into it and hopefully can move forward from here with some of r1's favorite things!

Let's start with one of my favorite things and a basic element that makes getting more of my favorite things easier.

Amazon Prime

This is definitely the best $79/year subscription going.

If I want to buy anything the first thing I do is head straight to Amazon  and check if it is available for prime shipment because with Prime I can have it in two days with no additional shipping charge. If I want something tomorrow it's no problem either, the $3.99 fee is less than the price of gas + aggravation to go to the store.

I can tell you that I buy a significant amount of products using this service and am always happy with the results.  I have been a member for years and I think its less than 5 times where something didn't ship or arrive correctly that was not caused by an error on my end.

There is also Prime video service which had loads of selections and works very well.

A tip for users of prime is that prime may not necessarily be the best price.
If you still want it shipped Prime click on the More Buying Choices on the right-hand side and scroll down until you find one shipping with prime.
This also can work if you have missed the daily cut-off for shipping. Different vendors have things in different warehouses. Sometime you can find a Prime vendor in the More Buying Choices that still has time left to ship it out today.

Recently I did start experiencing my first frustrations with the Amazon Prime service.  This frustration is called "Add-on Items".  It seems Amazon has taken a multitude of items less than $10 and made them near impossible to buy without a $25 order.  This is a major pain!  For years now I'm accustomed to ordering whatever I need and having it show up two days later.  Now if something shows up as an "Add-on Item" I rarely buy it, because I'm not thinking about buying stuff that equals over $25. It's lost revenue for them since I don't buy, and a pain for me since I have to stop at a store!