We now reupholster seats, benches, headliners, and carpets in vehicles and boats.
Have a look at a recent repair of an F150. Its bench had seam failure and the headliner had delaminated and begun to sag.
The headliner was removed, its wrap removed, and a new one applied.
The bench was removed, its cover removed, and a new one applied.
Pictures:
Seam failure and missing panels in F150 vinyl bench.
Bench removed, old cover discarded, and entire bench rewrapped in durable commercial grade vinyl.
Sagging headliner in F150.
Headliner removed, fabric discarded, headliner rewrapped in matching fabric, and headliner reinstalled.
These repairs are permanent and performed with top quality materials. Email info@acecars.net with photos of your auto and boat upholstery needs and we’ll reply with a repair estimate within 12 hours.
Secure customer’s personals (loose change, sunglasses, pens, notepads, etc.) in Zip Loc bags and set aside.
Pre-treat door jambs, wheel wells, trunk jambs, frame rails, and grill with mild degreaser/cleaner.
Pressure wash all door jambs, wheel wells, trunk jambs, frame rails, grill, window seals, door seals, emblems, key holes, door handles, gas filler area.
Wash car by hand with clean microfiber wash mitt and mild car wash detergent. Scrub license plates clean with appropriate brushes and cleaners.
Hand clean wheels with industrial strength wheel cleaner and assorted brushes and degreasers. Pressure wash wheels and wheel well with 1500 psi of water.
Remove large deposits of road tar, bugs, and tree sap using multiple applications of Stoner’s Tarminator. In some cases, lacquer thinner must be used to remove exceptionally embedded contaminants.
Hand dry vehicle with damp chamois towel. Door seals, window seals, trim pieces, trunk jambs, emblems, and external mirrors must be “blasted” dry with 90 psi of compressed air.
Polish and wax all painted surfaces with Cyclo polisher, mild compounding/polishing foam pad, and high gloss Klear Kote Vanilla Hand Wax. Minor surface scratches are removed, paint achieves a reflection superior to new condition, and the embedded wax provides approximately 6 - 12 weeks of protection from dust, water spotting, and UV fade if vehicle is washed every 10-14 days.
Dress tires and wheel wells with high-silicone rubber/plastic dressing.
Remove floor mats from interior. Blow clean with 90 psi of compressed air. Scrub dry soil with carpet brush and vacuum clean. Spray generous amount of high-foaming carpet shampoo. Scrub with heated steam to bring embedded dirt to surface. Inject high temperature water into carpet followed immediately with high suction steam from carpet shampooer. Allow floor mats to air dry for 1 hour.
Using compressed air gun (90 psi), “blast” dust from vents, console, dash, under seats, between seats, upholstery seams, in crevices and hard to reach places, between seat cushions, into map pockets, into cockpit switches and controls, steering wheel gaps, trim pieces…anywhere fingers cannot clean. Vacuum out resulting dust and dirt.
Clean headliner stains with Desiderio vapor steamer. View videos of the Desiderio vapor steamer in use here.
Clean upper trim parts (upper seat belt anchors, plastic pillar facades) with appropriate cleaners and degreasers.
Clean leather seats and head rests with appropriate brushes and clenaers. Be sure to clean deep in seams, creases, along piping, and in map pockets. Apply leather conditioner when dry.
Apply high foaming upholstery shampoo to cloth seats. Scrub into a foam. Extract clean with vapor steam and vacuum suction.
Clean all surfaces in trunk area. Remove spot stains as necessary from trunk liner. Lift trunk liner and vacuum/clean spare tire. Push seats forward to vacuum crease where rear seats meet trunk. Wipe clean trunk jambs and decklid.
Clean lower trim parts (door sills, lower seat sections, foot wells, door panels, map pockets, ash trays, door handles, door pulls, windows switches with appropriate cleaners and degreasers.
Scrub clutch, brake, and gas pedals clean with appropriate cleaners and degreasers.
Apply high foaming carpet shampoo to all carpeted surfaces. Scrub with pressure to create foam. Extract clean with vapor steam and vacuum suction.
Clean exterior and interior glass using Cobra Glass-Specific Microfiber towels and Stoner’s Invisible Glass glass cleaner. Repeat 2-3 times to remove all hazing and streaks. Remove glue, tree sap, and stickers when necessary using lubricated razor and adhesive remover.
Return customer’s personal items to car.
Inspect vehicle for errors. Return keys to customer. Allow inspection of vehicle by customer. If work is acceptable, present with receipt and accept payment (cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover).
At Ace Car Reconditioning in Portland, we specialize in 8 hour bumper repairs. Scuffs, cuts, splits, chips…even full replacements can be completed in 8 hours or less for 30% to 50% less than body shop prices. Consider rapid bumper repair for your car: a convenient, quick, and affordable alternative to conventional auto body repair.
With an average cost of $200-$300, one has to consider the long-term value of auto detailing. Won’t the wax wash away after a few washes? Won’t those freshly shampooed carpets be trampled on soon after the service? The seats, cup holders, map pockets…all will get dirty again.
Are the improvements of a full detail simply temporary? They’re not. Here’s 4 reasons why.
1. Prevention and repair of paint failure. Have you seen a red car that turned pink? A black car that turned gray? Even worse…a relatively young (6-10 years old) car with paint that’s peeling away? Regular waxing can prevent these conditions. Applied once a season (twice in the summer), the UV protection of wax prevents the fading of paint pigments and delaminating of paint materials. Most neglected paints (excluding peeling paint) can be repaired with a combination of buffing, polishing, and waxing. Consider this oxidized Mercedes 300E:
190E: Hood pre-polishing
190E hood after buffing, polishing, and waxing.
2. Stain removal. Grease, food, dairy, coffee, soda, glue, paint…all the things you transport in your car can potentially stain interior surfaces. Detailers are equipped with chemicals and machinery to remove MOST stains: battery acid, gasoline, and certain food dyes (if left untreated for too long) require replacement of carpets and/or seating surfaces. The water rings and beverage stains in this SUV’s rear seat were removed with a commercial strength steamer. Consistent (every 6 - 12 months) detailing will remove interior stains before they become set and permanent.
Stained Saturn Vue Seat
Saturn Vue seat after steaming treatment
3. Prevention and removal of brake dust staining. Brake dust buildup–if not treated–can become permanent. Many cars 5+ years old (BMWs are particularly sensitive to brake dusting) have permanent brake dust staining that cannot be removed. Pro detailers use a combination of industrial-strength cleaners, brushes, and pressure washing to remove heavily caked on brake dust from your vehicle’s wheels.
Heavy brake dust build up in BMW wheel
BMW wheel after chemical treatment and pressure washing.
4. Water Spot Removal. Water spots on paint and glass surfaces are common and very difficult for the do-it-yourselfer to remove. Professional car detailers use a combination of compounds, chemicals, buffing, and polishing to permanently remove water spotting.
Audi A4 window with hard water spot stains
Audi A4 window after polishing
Thus, it’s clear that a professional car detailer can make permanent improvements to your vehicle that maintain its like-new appearance during your ownership and preserve its value when it’s time to sell or trade it in. In fact, one could expect a large % of their investment in detailing to be returned to them when their car is sold.
View 40+ photos and even a video of our work at Ace Car Reconditioning here.