With the re-released new & improved version of HD TOTAL soon to hit the market, I thought I would tempt everyone with a small example of what HD TOTAL is capable of accomplishing. Here’s a 1963 Aston Martin DB-4 valued at nearly $2 Million equipped with its original leather interior that I decided to restorically clean with my all-time favorite cleaning product. This interior had certainly seen better days and was in desperate need of a surface appearance reconditioning. The owner firmly believed that a total restoration was in order, but I assured him that I had a solution that would keep that option at bay.


I originally fell in love with HD TOTAL back when it was released in 2009 when I volunteered to test this product for 3D. Many might remember this product review thread I created: http://www.autopia.org/forum/detailing-made-simple/123175-how-clean-protect-interior-dirty-ferrari-w-high-definition-products.html


Basically for those who aren’t aware, HD TOTAL is an All Purpose Cleaner that can be diluted to the desired level to cater not only to the extreme cleaning power needed of a greasy engine compartment or grimy wheels, but also to the most gentlest manner for delicate leather surfaces like this uncoated European classic leather interior. HD TOTAL can be used straight when you truly need a heavy hitting cleaner, but also be diluted up to 10 to 1 (such as this Aston Martin) for extremely sensitive applications such as this application making it a very versatile, but efficient cleaner that can wear many hats in your product arsenal. One of the reasons why this product is able to sustain its cleaning power with such a wide range of dilutions is the implementation of special super cleaning polymers that has been reintroduced into the latest version. What also makes this possible is the use of special proprietary non-caustic ingredients that gently break away and clean dirty build up from virtually any surface. Unlike most cleaners, HD TOTAL is 100% biodegradable and will not white out trim or leave a troublesome residue on the surface after removal. It’s also very safe for your skin and will not give you any respiratory distress like other cleaners on the market are prone to doing. Hopefully after this thread you’ll be interested in giving HD TOTAL a look.


So onto the interior of this Aston Martin…...

Befores showing how soiled, dark and dirty the interior was prior to cleaning:





Here’s a shot of this car’s Owner’s Manual and its instructions for cleaning. I think we’re gonna bend the rules a little.




1st, I removed the flooring and rear seats:



This also gave me a lot more room to move around in the rear seat area:




The tools needed for this cleaning operation. HD TOTAL, Drying towel, Flushing towel & special soft bristled hand brush.




***WORKFLOW:
Spray HD TOTAL unto dampened brush:




Gently apply to surface and lightly agitate to release soiling:



Wipe surface removing initial broken down soiling:




IMPORTANT TIP: Next, take damp towel (rung out) a wipe down surface again. This will not only flush any remaining dirt and chemical from the surface, but will also give final hydration to your finish. You can do this after each section or at the end of the interior cleaning.







Here’s a short video of the basics of how the leather was cleaned (you might need to cut and paste link:

You Tube

Here’s the water looked like after just one seat.



Here’s some 50/50 shots that tell a huge part of the story:

FRONT SEATS:







REAR SEAT:




OTHER surfaces were scrubbed via Toothbrush:






Here’s an interesting turnaround:







Foot Pedals scrubbed of course:




Miscellaneous Trim:

 

Process for Fabric:

Before:



Pre-soak stains/soiling with HD TOTAL:



Aggitate:



Mix 3D Carpet Shampoo:



Apply foam to surface and work in:




Vacuum:



Dry with Towel using it to lift away residual soiling as well:



Let them dry out in the sun:



After:



The rest of the interior cleaned up great with HD SPEED:






And after about 6 hours of work, here’s the final product:









Follow 3D Products for more information on HD TOTAL: 3D Car Care; Car Wash, Car Wax, Auto Detailing supplies, Car Polishers, Car Buffers & accessories store

 

Solid job! You have the 'cookie monster' microfibre towel lol, those are my fav for washing the Vantage.

 

Thanks Aston.Ca! Yes, very nice and my preferred towel for washing too!

 

^^^ Excellent thread and awesome job! You made that interior look new again!!! What is a cookie monster micro fiber??

 

Nicely done. The contrast between cleaned and not is remarkable!

 

Thanks a bunch sunir! Much appreciated.
I tried searching for the original source for these towels, but unfortunately they are no longer offered. The closest place would be here: http://metropolitandetail.com/boutiq...1616-edgeless/

Thanks LRDog! Amazing how dirty these seats really were. Dirt just came running off of them.

 

Awesome work to be proud of. What product did you use for the aluminum poker dots? Unless it is GT, its value is about 700K for a LHD. If higher, that is great too, it only increases the value of these fine cars.

 

Outstanding. Thank you for posting here, David. I've always enjoyed your posts on Autopia. Folks, anything you want to know about detailing can be found on Autopia - it is an amazing database of knowledge, thanks to guys like David!

Any details on the paint? Type/age? Colour - is it California Sage? Chiltern Green?

 

Ask ... and ye shall receive

 

Impressive cleaning for sure. I am in the residential leather retail furniture business and have to ask if you have ever seen any long term negatives in using this HD product over time (such as a year after application)? The reason I ask is because three to four times a year I have customers that ruin their fine leather furniture by applying a non-compatible leather cleaner that reacts with the leather and causes it to degrade. We are always very careful at my store to use approved cleaners and conditioners for specific hides and I am always very skeptical to try a new product for that reason.

 

drcollie: How do you like the Leatherique Products--Pristine Clean, Rejuvenator, etc.?
I've used them for years with what appear to be excellent results.

http://www.leatherique.com

 

Hey David,
Where do you work from? I notice your location says Metro Detroit. I had a bad experience with my previous detailer in Bloomfield a few months back and have been doing my own car ever since. Some good help would be appreciated!

FF

 

Thanks mto - "poker dots"? Are you referring to the coat hook trim? If so, I used an All In One product called HD SPEED. It has light abrasives to polish the finish and also leaves behind a bit of protection as well. Not exactly sure if it's a GT of not? I'm going to be doing the exterior in the next couple day and will try to find that out.

Thanks for the kind words spinecho. I try to do my best to educate when I can. Autopia.org is a great place to hang if you want to bringout your A game to detailing.

Not sure on the color, but I'll try and find out. It was recently refinished and in desparate need of some light refinement to make 100% perfect.

Thanks drcollie! I've been exclusively using HD TOTAL since 2009 on both my own vehicles as well as all the cars that I maintain for clients and have seen NO ill effects from the product what so ever. I also use it to clean my leather sofa as well. I would encourage you to give it a try and let me know what you think.

Hi Frank - I live in Grosse Pointe and have a detail studio in Troy. I'm also mobile too. I would love to meet with you and take a look at your car. If you're interested in making it look it's very best I can give you tons of advice. There are only 2 people(besides myself) in the Metro Detroit area that are knowledgeable with regards to high end detailing. There are several shops that give off a high end personna, but really lack in the follow through/ability to deliver the goods to someone like yourself who can tell a difference. I'll send you a PM with my contact info.

 

David,

The poker dots are the aluminum trip for the door sills, it also inside the boot lip. From the photos, it looks like a '63 Series IV DB4. Quite a rare car, if original LHD, and depending on history and overall condition, suspect range is about 700 to 1M.

A very fine car, and clearly wonder work by you. Congrats.