Parked Outside All Year: RAM 1500 4x4 Detail in Vancouver, WA
Interior and exterior detail
Before and after
Tap any one to zoom in.
BeforeAfter
This RAM 1500 4x4 lives outside every day of the year, and it looked it. Road film across the panels, water spots dried into the paint, dirt packed into the wheels, and an interior carrying the dust and loose trash that builds up in a truck that actually gets used. We detailed it on site in Vancouver, Washington, in about three hours, inside and out.
What we did
A truck that is parked outside in all weather. Road film on every panel, water spots dried into the paint, mud and brake dust worked into the wheels, and the usual layer of dust and loose trash through the cabin.
The truck is lifted and tall enough that the roof and the upper panels are out of reach from the ground. We worked off a ladder so the top got washed properly. The alternative is a truck that looks clean from the driveway and dirty from the curb.
Panel by panel hand wash, then the wheels and tires cleaned on their own, because that is where the brake dust and the trail dirt actually sit.
Inside, the mats came out and were cleaned separately, the carpet underneath was cleaned, trash and dust were cleared, and the leather seats were cleaned and protected.
The owner was not there for any of it. He confirmed the appointment time, unlocked the truck remotely when we arrived, and got on with his day. We did the whole job and sent him photos of the finished truck when we packed up. Nobody spent three hours waiting in a driveway.
Working around the height
A lifted truck is a different job to a car.
- A ladder, so the roof, the upper doors and the top of the bed get washed instead of skipped.
- Wheels and tires cleaned on their own. A wash mitt never reaches into an off road tire.
- Floor mats pulled out and cleaned separately, then the carpet underneath vacuumed and cleaned.
- Leather seats cleaned and protected last, once the dust from everything else was already out.
Result
- Every panel hand washed, including the roof and the upper panels reached from a ladder.
- Wheels and tires cleaned separately from the body.
- Interior vacuumed, mats and carpet cleaned, trash and dust cleared.
- Leather seats cleaned and protected.
Some water spots come off in the wash. Fresh ones, and ones that have not been sitting long, lift with everything else. What does not come off is a spot that has been drying onto the paint for months. By then the minerals have etched into the clear coat, and no amount of washing brings that back. On those we can try a dedicated spot remover, as an extra on top of the detail, and we will look at your paint and tell you honestly whether it is worth paying for before you do. What neither will fix is stone chips and scratches on a truck that gets driven on gravel. That needs machine polishing, and we do not machine polish.
About three hours, on site in Vancouver. Trucks are welcome, lifted or not.
Finished
How it looked when we packed up.
Questions people ask about jobs like this
Yes. This one was tall enough that we worked off a ladder to reach the roof and the upper panels. Height is a time factor, not a problem.
This RAM took about three hours, inside and out. A truck is a lot more surface than a car, so it runs longer than a sedan in the same condition.
Fresh water spots come off in the wash. Spots that have been drying onto the paint for months have etched into the clear coat, and washing will not lift those. We can try a dedicated spot remover on them for an extra charge, and we will tell you which kind you have before you pay for anything.
Yes, and separately from the body. On an off road tire that is where most of the dirt is hiding.
No. On this truck the owner unlocked it remotely, we did the whole job, and we sent him photos of the finished truck when we packed up. For exterior only work we never need to get inside at all. For interior work the vehicle just has to be unlocked, by you or by anyone else at home.
A standard power outlet we can reach, plus an outdoor water tap for the exterior work.
