In the early 80’s, I was in the automobile detailing business and one of my clients was an exotic car dealer. I learned from him that the priority in cleaning and detailing a vehicle is to impress the driver. He pointed out that when the prospective purchaser sits in the driver’s seat, everything they see has to be as perfect as possible.
The logical inference from this is that when purchasing any car to look farther afield than just the driver’s environment. Many people are surprised when I inform them that the seats in their car have been painted and often it’s beyond the seats, it can involve the door trim panels and other areas. You need to know that the quality of this workmanship is going to endure normal usage.
The interior condition of a car contains many clues as to its history. This ranges from having new seat covers, carpeting or roof liners. One of the most common situations in older cars is that people have the seats cosmetically restored by putting new covers on or having them detailed and painted to have them look new but they rarely rebuild the seats’ internals. You nearly always know by putting your fist in the centre of the cushion and pressing down or sitting in the seat and feeling your posterior heading towards the floor that the foam and diaphragm have not been replaced. The seat cover has no inherent strength, if not supported properly it will lose its shape rapidly.
LIPSTICK ON A PIG
Avoiding Life’s Lemons
Lipstick on a Pig features excerpts from the vast library of Maurice Bramhall’s experiences.
