Stain horror stories
Onion Conundrum
Hall of Stains
Chances are, as a detailer you have probably seen horrible messes. Pigment, odors, or just plain grossness can turn stomachs and perhaps even make you wish you were doing something else for a living. This section is dedicated to those horror stories and will share the tales of the really bad spills and stains that took special treatments and extra man hours to eradicate.
The Survivor: Michael Antenucci of Success Auto Wash Detail in Ames, Iowa
The Victim: Acura MDX
The Gory Details: I received a phone call from a new client that was looking for a “detail.” I went through the process of trying to ask the right questions for bidding time and product costs. I was told it was an Acura MDX with “two rows of seats.” But, it was actually three rows of seats. Right now I am trying to build some strong client relationships with my new business, so, I bid the price low and even threw in a free wheel cleaning the customer inquired about. I was told by
the client an onion had fallen out of her groceries and rolled under the seat. She did not discover it until much later when it had started to rot. I always start my cleaning by checking my surroundings, putting on my gloves, setting up my lights and hooking the car up to a battery tender. The car was trashed, food from kids, even a weird clear substance in the back cup holder. Come to find out the substance was brake fluid.
The Exorcism: Started my cleaning with Meguiars APC 10.1 on basically everything— working
counter-clockwise starting on the driver seat. I made it around the car then vacuumed the car. After I had removed all the leftover onion parts I foamed the entire carpet with Chemical Guys CWS 103 Fabric Clean Carpet & Upholstery Shampoo & Odor Eliminator. I agitated the foam with a drill brush attachment. I followed over with my steam cleaner then blotted with a microfiber towel. I added about 2 caps full
of Optimum No Rinse to my steamer’s water. I then proceeded by foaming the carpet trouble spots with 10.1 APC and steam. Since I do not own an ozone generator I vacuumed off the onion zone again. I then treated with Meguiar’s G19702 Whole Car Air Refresher Odor Eliminator (Spiced Wood Scent), 2.5 oz. After this experience, I will be strictly enforcing my $70/hr organic substance removal fees.
Got a scary stain story to share? Send it to Editor Debra Gorgos at debrag@autodetailingnews.com!
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AUTO DETAILING NEWS
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VOL. 3, NO. 2 • SPRING 2018