Don't Forget Under The Trim
 

Yesterday, I started on my polish+wax process for winter. I've used Griot's Garage products for years, and having recently bought my '06 MCS JCW, it was time to put the Griot's stuff through its paces.

I started off by washing the car and applying Griot's Paint Prep to remove all of the wax from the vehicle. That's all I could manage before it got too dark -- today, I'll clay, tape, polish and wax -- but my process took a little detour.

Recently, and inspired by some posts I'd read on forums from a detailer from Scotland (http://www.theultimateshine.com/), I've been using my leaf blower to dry the car. It's just amazing at getting the water out of every groove and nook without having to put a scratchy towel to the paint.

Well, after yesterday's blower dry, I noticed there was some dirt just below the trim on the rear hatch. That was odd, since I'd paid lots of attention to getting my brush everywhere. I also had this happen before after my last wash, and assumed then that it was just sloppy cleaning. Something else was going on, and I suspected that what I was dealing with was some dirt under the trim. I figured the leaf blower managed to blow it out onto the paint.

For the hell of it, I poked at the trim and with a few simple tugs, it came right off. Then I looked at the paint underneath.

Holy moly. What a mess. Literally 1/8" of crud built up back there, and the normally white trim clips were stained black with grime.

I grabbed my Simple Green and covered the dirt to let it soak in while I refilled my bucket with fresh, soapy water. Removing the trim behind the door on both sides (feeling motivated now), I discovered equally nasty deposits of filth.

I grabbed my new "E-Z Detail" spiral detailing brush (a new purchase that I am DEEPLY in love with: http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Acce.../Mini-Size-S2/) and did a gentle pass over the dirt to loosen it. The resulting suds were a deep grey and brown. That was one dirty groove.

I rinsed the brush out, rinsed the car and went back at it again. Poking and twisting the brush got deep inside the groove and extricated the rest of the dirt. A final rinse and it looked like new. Even the trim clips were back to their original white.

Next for the trim pieces. Simple Green, let it soak, then the brush to loosen the dirt. Rinse, soap, rinse and one more time in the deep grooves for good measure. They now looked like new. A final rinse of the car, and I finished up with an air-dry with the leaf blower before it got too dark.

All told, this little side project added another 45 minutes to my wash process, but what a great feeling knowing even unseen bits are squeaky clean!

I'm attaching a few photos to give you an idea of just how filthy it was (see #2 for a closeup of the rear hatch…ugh).

i did the same thing a couple weeks ago... its scared me!

I used to use a leaf blower also until about 6 years ago. I was washed my S2000 and then did my Explorer. When blowing off my Explorer the blower somehow picked up a foreign object (heard it hit the fan blades) and pelted the side of my Explorer making a small ding/chip. No way will I ever aim another leaf blower at my car again. I would only use a filtered blower designed for cars.

Also since you don't use a "scratchy towel" do you use the leaf blower to remove the wax?:grin:

First time I used the blower, I found that when drying the wheels, all the blower did was lift dirt off the driveway and deposit it on my car. Now before washing, I blow the driveway clean before pulling the car out of the garage. Probably a bit anal, but should prevent the "foreign object" problem you describe.

As for wax removal, I used Griot's Paint Prep with a microfiber towel. But then, I only remove the wax once or twice a year to reapply.

if you're using the same wax no need to remove the 'old' wax. you'd want to use paint prep if you're going from polymer to carnauba or vise versa.

Could you not use a 50/50 mix of alcohol/distilled water for Polymer based and good old Dawn for the Carnauba?

My guess is that is what good old Griot's Paint Prep is

I ripped off my rear trim once. It was probably 4x as bad as that.

Isn't this a lot like moving the fridge to vacuum under it?:grin:

I gotta ask, when you pull the beltline off, do the clips break or are they re-usable?

The clips don't break unless you do it wrong. Which I did for a couple of them, so I am going to need to buy a few from the dealer.

Basically, the beltline comes off by grabbing the trim at one of the edges, and pulling perpedicularly away from the car. Don't twist or bend the trim. That's where you'll end up in trouble.

The first clip is the trickiest, but once you tackle that, run your hand slowly along the backside of the trim, pulling straight away from the car. After two or three pieces are off, it will come off with only a bit of effort.

note that while the clips on the car are fixed in position, the ones on the trim slide inside the groove on the back of the chrome piece. This is good, since you can move them around to really get the trim clean. It does mean, however, that you need to slide them back in place before reaffixing the trim.