# Skoda Fabia VRS - Exterior Paint Correction & Interior Steam Clean



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

This writeup is about the full detail carried our by Gordon, Davy and myself on a Skoda Fabia owned by AllyRS... Its been a while between the detail and the writeup, I'm afraid I am only getting round to writing up our details of late this week  The car was booked in for an exterior paint correction, including stone chip repair on the bonnet, and interior steam clean to get rid of some severe staining on the light fabric upholstery. It was great to have Ally back again after the detail we did on his Focus RS  As part of the day, Ally spent some time learning the DA polisher on a scrap panel and then his own car to get familiar with the machine he had bought for future spruce ups of the car months, and years down the line.

The car arrived looking reasonably grimy...










Ally's mate had rather usefully left us a key instruction incase we forgot...










The wheels were nicely coated in brake dust...



















The car was washed indoors, with the bodywork being washed using Optimum No Rinse. You'll probably be noticing this is featuring a lot more in our detailing of late, primarily because of the practicalities - its very easy to use, it is safe to use with the correct technique, and there is no run-off from the product. Two cap fulls in three gallons of water, one in a rinsing bucket and away you go... Light to no pressure, short distance passes to clean the paintwork...



















Rinse sponge thoroughly, and the wash bucket should remain as clean as at the start. Follow the sponge stage with wiping with a drying towel...










And the car is washed with no need to rinse. Very practical where skooshing large amounts of water around is not practical!

The wheels on this car were cleaned using the steam cleaner... ONR could be used here too but we find the steam cleaner and brushes more effective, especially for wheel insides. We used Diablo Gel Wheel Cleaner (Chemical Guys) - this is a product we have been testing for a while now and we are getting to be really pleased with it... it sticks and clings to the wheel rather than running off, which allows us to use less and have less wastage - waste not, want not  Very effective cleaning too, I'd say on a par with Bilberry but from less product courtesy of its ability to cling. Just a couple of trigger pulls per wheel, one into the brush and agitate the wheels, using steam to clean and "rinse" off...














































Et voila...




























Panel gaps and shuts were cleaned with APC, and wiped down with ONR...



















Once the car was washed, the bodywork was clayed...










As were the wheels, which help removed a little stubborn tar spots and pitting...



















The car was then ready for paintwork correction. This was carried out by diving the car into two main sections - the bonnet and the rest! The bonnet was singled out for stone chip repair which required a little painting, so correction here left until after the rest of the car. General before shots across the rest of the car...









































































Rear ¾ looked like it had been machine polished before, being notably less severe swirls...










Back to normal on the boot...























































Regions of the passenger side were showing evidence of previous machine polishing too... note the swirls are not severe but what you can see are lots of finer circular scratches indicative of unbroken down abrasives - this is typical of DA micromarring and is caused by too large a work area or too short a work time...




























On the bonnet, the owner was complaining of stone chips...























































Skoda paint readied...










And Gordon set about filling the chips with an artist's brush. The key here was very thin layers, and build these layers up rather than filling the chip in one go. Build layers until the repair sits proud of the paintwork where it can then be flatted back to blend...










Ready to be flatted...



















Flatting... Using P2000 wetsand (paper and block as foam disks can mould round the repair rather than effectively flat back) to flat, with absolutely minimal pressure. Pressure and sanding can result in deep sanding marks which are impossible to remove. During the flatting...










P4000 was then used to refine the sanding pattern, and this was then polished out using Menzerna PO85RD3.02 Intensive Polish on a Chemical Guys Hexlogic white polishing pad. While this removed the hazing, there still remained some RDS which the sanding has also not removed so we opted for 3M Fast Cut on a yellow Hexlogic Compounding pad in the end to combine removing the sanding haze with knocking back the much deeper RDS as well. The end results of the correction process on the bonnet...




























Checking under the 3M Sun Gun also for machine finish quality, and checking for stone chips as well (remaining ones would show as little dots in the light)...




























For correction across the rest of the car, we assessed the paint thicknesses (pointing to full respray) and then worked through the polish and pad combinations from least aggressive first... We settled on Menzerna PO85RD3.02 on a Chemical Guys white Hexlogic pad...










For the majority of the correction stage. This pad has a little more bite than the 3M Yellow which came in handy when used with a regenerating technique to maximise the cut from the Intensive Polish without having to go to more severe compounds. The product was applied as follows:

1) Spread the polish at 600rpm.

2) Begin to work the polish at 900rpm, building a little heat in the panel to spread the residue evenly. Being a waxy lubricant the polish benefits from a little heat to evenly spread it out.
3) Work the polish at 1500 - 1800rpm with moderate pressure and steady sweeping movements of the rotary. The machine should glide over the panel, if not, return to lower speeds and coax the polish. The polish was worked until residue went clear.

4) Speed reduced to 1200rpm, and pressure lightened for a couple of passes and the residue came back and panel cooled a little.

5) Return to work speed of circa 1800rpm and work until residue clear again.

6) Reduce speed to 1200rpm to refine the finish.

Each set takes roughly five minutes but for us represents a more controlled way of removing paint as it was achieving the maximum correction desired with the minimum removed paint. Hitting it with 3M Fast Cut would have acheived faster correction but in a less controlled manner in the respect of removal rates - I'm never in a hurry so a little extra time doesn't bother me  On regions with very deep RDS, such as the bonnet, Fast Cut was used where a removal of notably more paint was required.

The finish was then refined using Meguiars #205 on a black Chemical Guys Hexlogic finishing pad...










Using a Double Zenith technique where the speed and pressure were raised and reduced in unison.

Another key factor when machine polishing is that no region is missed out... The sills before, for example, covered in swirls:



















During...



















And after...




























After shots across the rest of the car - following correction and refining:

























































































































































































































The beauty of the two day detail was that we were able to roll the car out into the sunlight to see the quality of the machine finish in natural daylight 





































And then roll the car back in to finish off... The paintwork was protected using Collinite 476S wax for its durability. Glass was cleaned inside and out and then sealed with Carlack Glass Sealant. Wheels protected with FK1000P, tyres dressed with Espuma RD50. Plastics were treated with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel, and the arches with Silkshine. Exhaust with the new Zeppelin metal polishes - the restorer and the custom metal polish.

The car was then rolled outside for some natural light after shots...




































































































Stone chips be gone 



















Normally at this stage, that would be the end of the writeup... but this is just the half way point (so make another cuppa ) ... As the interior on this car was also cleaned, using the steam cleaner. The interior before was not too bad for general dust and dirt, but the staining on the upholstery was a bit awful!:










A quick 50/50 of the effects of the steam cleaner and some APC...










The befores... (with the 50/50 as well )
































































The interior cleaning involved the use of the steam cleaner... which naturally led to some amusing photographs...










Steam cleaning in progress....




























Before shot of seat bolster:



















For the seats, All Purpose Cleaner was sprayed onto the fabric...



















Agitated with a brush...



















The steam cleaner was then used to remove the APC foam, and clean the seat...




























The end result...



















The same process was also used on the mats. The steam cleaner here was showing itself to be very practical and capable - effective like a wet vac, but the interior was dryer far faster and if anything the results were a little better than we have seen from a wet vac / extractor.

Interior plastics cleaned and dressed using Poorboys Natural Look which helped remove a shiny look originally on the trim.. I like Natural Look for its clean, matt finish.

The end results on the interior:
































































And to round off, some final afters inside the unit...
































































A long writeup this one, but there was a lot of work went into this car both inside and out so we thought it warranted the number of pics and detail  Hope you enjoyed it. Many thanks to David G who's unit this detail took place in 

Next writeup...


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Truly stunning work again Mr D  Bonnet came up a treat  :thumb:


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## kenny-c (Oct 5, 2009)

Another great write up - thanks for posting


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## bradfordfabia (Jun 14, 2008)

I used to have as Vrs before my Elegance estate and the seats were a nightmare. Great Job.


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## Warwickshire Detailer (Oct 11, 2009)

Great write up :thumb: Lovely results


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

superb as usual Dave, Gordon and Davy :thumb:

(has Ally sold the RS already)?


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## Pink_Floyd (Nov 11, 2007)

Amazing work there. I really need to organize to let you loose on my car :thumb: although I have signed up for the training day to pick your brains and hopefully learn some secrets


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

-Kev- said:


> superb as usual Dave, Gordon and Davy :thumb:
> 
> (has Ally sold the RS already)?


No Kev this is Ally second car. Will his work horse.
RS is for the fun filled weekends. :thumb:


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## christian900se (Nov 10, 2009)

That steam is really a jack of all trades it seems, good to see you are having some great success with that! Reading your threads really inspires!


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

caledonia said:


> No Kev this is Ally second car. Will his work horse.
> RS is for the fun filled weekends. :thumb:


fair enough :thumb:


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Great job guys, gives me an idea of how to do my few small chips now, although doubt I will be flatting!


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## Black-Cat (Oct 7, 2009)

Well impressed with the results on the interior! :thumb:
Those seats are a nightmare to keep clean, great write up BTW!


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## Supreme Detailing (Sep 5, 2007)

Very Good Dave guess that would be one very happy owner


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## ross-1888 (Feb 22, 2009)

great write up kg. the interior turned out to be minted. can`t buleve i had to wait this long to see it tho lol


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## -Ally- (Mar 6, 2009)

Hi guys, thanks for the write up and the text to let me know it was live, much appreciated. I learned a lot from that day and enjoyed it just didn't feel confident enough to do a full tuition detail if I'm honest. 

And Kev, don't worry I've not punted the RS she's just keeping quiet over the winter n gettin a few things done to it before it's colour changes  

Such a cracking job on the interior, got the covers on now so they never get that bad again. Just wish the exterior was still as nice haha 

Ally


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

what colour you going for then, or is it a secret for now?


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## big shamone (Oct 9, 2009)

Great work as always dave,gordon,davy,at least you got to see this one drive away when it was still light outside.


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## Scotch (Jul 23, 2009)

The Scottish A-Team strike once more.










Great work and thanks for the write up. You are getting me interested in ONR.


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## Ben_ZS (Sep 28, 2008)

Nice work as usual, and a great write up.

How do you rate the Hex Logic pads Dave? Are they suitable for DA use?
Do you need a specific backing plate?


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

A proper detail, comprehensive and great attention to all the little bits. Love the touching in and wet sand and the care to sort the interior, well done to all the team!


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Great work guys. Take it you thought the Mondeo in the background was beyond machine polishing?


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## hakanerdogan (Sep 19, 2009)

Ov... Top job, perfect. I'm really impressed, respectful work.


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## Caped Crusader (Sep 27, 2009)

Fantastic work as per usual. Love how the bonnet was restored and Gordon managed to get the interior so clean.

:thumb:


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

That intierior was minging!!!!!

Now I can see why I bought seat covers for mine!!!!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Ben_ZS said:


> Nice work as usual, and a great write up.
> 
> How do you rate the Hex Logic pads Dave? Are they suitable for DA use?
> Do you need a specific backing plate?


I rate them highly. They are suitable for the DA and you can just use the backing plate that you have - 5" backing plate for the 5.5" Hex pads, and 3.5" backing plate for the 4" Hex pads.

They are a very good quality foam and the early ones we have are still lasting very well - the one you see in the pic must be a good ten cars old. Effective pads, work well with Menzerna and Meguiars polishes I use them with and are very easy to clean at the end of the day. Nice size at 5.5" too. Perhaps, for me, too many different ones on the range - black, white, green and yellow would happily suffice for me, but then others like a bigger range.

Worth a little trial if you are thinking of new pads - they are my goto DA pads now, and I always use either Hexlogic or 3M pads on the rotary.



Mirror Finish said:


> Great work guys. Take it you thought the Mondeo in the background was beyond machine polishing?


Nah, thats Gordy's new motor!


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Mirror Finish said:


> Take it you thought the Mondeo in the background was beyond machine polishing?


Believe it or not we did clay it once. :lol:and I am not joking either.



Caped Crusader said:


> Love how the bonnet was restored and Gordon managed to get the interior so clean.
> 
> :thumb:


We all bring something to the table. Thats one of the major benefits we find.:thumb:


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

great work there guys:thumb:

that interior water staining was not good... great turn a round:thumb:


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## david_h (Sep 19, 2006)

Fantastic job as usual. Interior work is immense.


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## Dunkwho (Jan 23, 2009)

That's it, I'm going to stop reading now ... someone show me how to delete my account  ! There's just noooo way I'm going to get my car anywhere near that standard, amazing work by the team.


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

spot on work dave and the gang realy enjoyed that, two questions what steam cleaner do you use? and secondly dave did u get my pm :lol:


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

top turnaround,seats came up a treat


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

great detail ad write up gang - impressive results.

good to see Gordo has whipped you into shape and has got you successfully working with the steam and ONR  Eco Dave is born :lol:

BTW, Dave, you need a HAIRCUT


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## Yoghurtman (Dec 9, 2008)

Lovely write up, as always, very comprehensive and easy to follow....

The work with the steam cleaner on the seats was really helpful, I have a small hand held steam cleaner at the back of the garage so may give my fabric seats a going over this weekend, using APC as you did.... :thumb:


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Dunkwho said:


> That's it, I'm going to stop reading now ... someone show me how to delete my account  ! There's just noooo way I'm going to get my car anywhere near that standard, amazing work by the team.


You think you do a good job on your own car then the semi pros come in and show you how it's done. You always find something new to add to your own detail from these write ups, that's why I keep coming back for more.

Good job and write up guys (Scottish A Team):thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Bigpikle said:


> great detail ad write up gang - impressive results.
> 
> good to see Gordo has whipped you into shape and has got you successfully working with the steam and ONR  Eco Dave is born :lol:
> 
> BTW, Dave, you need a HAIRCUT


No haircut for me - what with all this green detailing I've decided to grow my hair long


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## dbaillie (Apr 6, 2009)

great turnaround as always :thumb:


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## williamsclio1 (Oct 5, 2009)

very impressed with the seats, great write up and lovely overall finish
10/10

David


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## Guest (Dec 9, 2009)

Great detail and write up chaps :thumb:. 

I always enjoy seeing steam being used to great effect - the only time I tend to use a wet vac now is on really dirty floor mats. 
I must try the wheel cleaning technique - I've only really used mine for interior (and household) jobs so far.

Out of interest, what was the motivation behind wetsanding the whole bonnet as opposed to just the touchup spots? To get a more even finish?


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## ross-1888 (Feb 22, 2009)

i popped in when gordon was touching them up and im pretty sure that there was 100's of them all over the bonnet


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Phisp said:


> Out of interest, what was the motivation behind wetsanding the whole bonnet as opposed to just the touchup spots? To get a more even finish?


Because of the large area the stone chips covered, it was decided best to sand the entire area as most would have needed it anyway.


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

only looked in to see the steam cleaning, liking it a lot

what were you using? nimbus?


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Bigpikle said:


> BTW, Dave, you need a HAIRCUT





Dave KG said:


> No haircut for me - what with all this green detailing I've decided to grow my hair long


I am glad you mentioned this Damon. I have been wondering about the hair. Just thought it was the new found freedom and rebel at heart.

Right enough on hair, I am out if this subject. Not really my forty :lol:. Well for at lest 15 years anyway. 



David said:


> only looked in to see the steam cleaning, liking it a lot
> 
> what were you using? nimbus?


Yes David it was the nimbus 1300. Great small and compacted machine with plenty of clout. 4 wheels and interior on 2 1/2 litres of water.
Gordon.


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## David (Apr 6, 2006)

thanks for the info Gordon!


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## saxomad (Apr 16, 2009)

what a result


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## Will-S (Jun 5, 2007)

Fantastic result using the steam cleaner. A really useful tool


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## beany_bot (Oct 6, 2008)

Best in the buisness. end of


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Top job there guys - looks better than new now :thumb:


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

*I've seen many interior details but these pictures are truly amazing. Looks NEW!!!!!* :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Nice clean up there - interior came up really well


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

excellent work! Seats look amazing


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## ntynan528 (Aug 20, 2009)

great work guys


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## Sweetcakes (Dec 9, 2008)

Excellent turnaround, very impressive work:thumb:


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## liammc (Mar 9, 2009)

another great detail guys.they seats came up a treat as well


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## carrera2s (Jun 28, 2009)

Very nice job!:thumb:


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## mart21 (May 15, 2008)

where you 100% satisfied with the steam cleaners performance on the interior? only i'm debating weither to get one of these, i already have a tornador and a wet vac, and find the tornador great on dashboards,door cards,headlineings,carpets and mats. but to weak for seat, and the wet vac leaves the seats to wet this time of year so would one of these solve my problem?. cheers martin


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## Mini One Cabrio (Mar 9, 2007)

Fantastic write up!! Wet sanding never fails to amaze me. The results on the seats with the steam cleaner are inspiring!!

Paul


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## Liverpool-Lad (Jun 27, 2006)

Awesome job, especially on the interior!


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## JoeAVS1 (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for that Dave & team! You've got to love the clarity you can get from spending a bit more time with Megs 205. Been testing on the van (white) bonnet, wings & front bumper and the depth compared to the rest is just astounding!

Regards, Joe


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

absolutely fantastic work!!!!


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

Impressive stuff, had to check this out after you mentioned it yesterday. That bonnet must have taken some amount of effort and patience!


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

excellent work, looking very glossy and the interior looks great.


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## annabelm (Nov 14, 2009)

great work but seems a kittle highly priced


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

annabelm said:


> great work but seems a kittle highly priced


Compared to? Bear in mind two days work with two men (four man-days, and circa 40 man-hours) went in to the work you see in this thread. Detailing on the face of it always seems a "little highly priced", but you do have to consider the man hours that goes into producing the work. Its not a job that can be rushed (well, it can, but invariably, quality will slip if the job is rushed: polishes take time to fully work to get the best clarity, paint takes time to be clayed, every area needs to be polished with no missed bits, the hours soon add up). We'd rather put in the man hours and get the job right rather than cutting corners to cut costs. If it means we are viewed as being expensive then we are happy to live with that, as we will only turn out work we are proud of 

And is there a price mentioned in this thread? I tend not to advertise prices in Studio posts, the point of them for me is to share the results and discuss the techniques used rather than discuss prices. I can't see one which means I cant see what you are basing your post on in the first place?


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## stifler (Jul 25, 2007)

Great work as always Dave, I'll be in touch soon about another detail if you are not too busy!


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## buckas (Jun 13, 2008)

how disgusting were those seats! :doublesho

fantastic work chaps :thumb:


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## beany_bot (Oct 6, 2008)

annabelm said:


> great work but seems a kittle highly priced


Youve lost your marbles


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

stifler said:


> Great work as always Dave, I'll be in touch soon about another detail if you are not too busy!


Never too busy to chat about detailing :thumb:


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## Prism Detailing (Jun 8, 2006)

Good work guys, really showing the steam cleaners capabilities


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## Mike Hunt (Jan 31, 2008)

Did the water marks come back? as most non leather seating facings are a laminated cloth and foam, not picking fault just wondering how the dirt is extracted and not just pushed into the foam to bleach out a later date.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Mike Hunt said:


> Did the water marks come back? as most non leather seating facings are a laminated cloth and foam, not picking fault just wondering how the dirt is extracted and not just pushed into the foam to bleach out a later date.


We haven't any such issues in our own vehicles with dirt returning (well, other than new dirt being added in my case, the Volvo has beige carpets), so we are confident that water marks will have been fully removed here... The fabric trims of my test cars are velour and also the "harder" fabric. Perhaps the owner of the car who will be able to check it may confirm though for the case of the Skoda 

Not sure about how the process you describe would work however - that the dirt is pushed into the foam, making the underlying foam "dirty" which then leeches back to the surface presumably through cloth foam contact with people sitting on the seats... To me I see the process working more that the steam heats and dislodges dirt from the surface. If you simply place a microfibre on the dirt and the steam cleaner on top and use the steam, the microfibre becomes dirty which points to the dirt being lifted into the cloth, not being forced downwards.


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Pretty much that Dave.
Due to the temperature of the steam the grime that was bonded to the fabric is broken and the convection created lifts this to the surface with the moisture. Which drys off and leaving the grime or dirt on the surface to be wiped away with the clean MF. Good know how many we when though that day. But there was a few :lol:

Steam cleaners and extractors work hand in hand and neither machine will replay the other. But to much water within a seat is never god news to the internal strings and leaves the seat wet for a very long time. The 145C temp of the steam drys within minutes and this is the main advantage when using it on Upholstery, as well as head linings.

Carpets and mats dependant on soiling this could require an extractor over steam.
But always better to base every job on its own merits.
Ally will be the best person as Dave has already mentioned to say whether this has returned. But I have been in contact a few time and he has never mentioned any issues with this.


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## Braz11 (Aug 28, 2009)

Nice Work On the Fabia !


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## -Ally- (Mar 6, 2009)

Well, to answer a few questions: 
Annabelm is getting the price from here http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=150660

I really do not understand how he can say that the detail was "highly priced". Perhaps he is just ignorant to what was truly involved. I really appreciate the amount of hours that went into the fabia and would say it was more than 40 man hours as BD was helping too. Coupled with the fact that you gave me a lesson on machine polishing I think your service represented excellent value.

Secondly, with regards to the seats, I have not experienced any issue with reappearing dirt. They are just very hard seats to keep clean generally but are covered now anyway.

Ally


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Superb work with stunning results :thumb:


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## najed (Sep 8, 2009)

great writ up


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## Purity (Mar 3, 2010)

Spot on m8


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## CJS Evo (May 6, 2010)

Amazing work and a fantastic finish. Love it!!


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## Lunddean (May 8, 2010)

this is vory gud kar, but you make special jab, welcome


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## [email protected] (Jul 12, 2010)

First time I've seen this write up. Awesome work as always !


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