2000 Honda Accord EX

Before

This is my friend Ben's 2000 Honda Accord EX. This car has over 220,000 miles on it and you can tell by the paint that it really has not been taken care of. We are about to change that! This car came from the hot, sunny weather of Southern California, which shows in the car's faded paint.

Now being a college student, you don't have time (or the money) to take it to a professional detailer, which would charge you $200 or more for a really good job. I did this job for Ben for less than half of that amount.

Ben wanted me to detail his car so it looks nicer, but he also had a small electrical issue he wanted me to take a look at. Now instead of going to the dealership and asking them to reset an air bag light, which costs upwards of $300 (what college student has that kind of money to spare?), using a couple of simple hand tools like a screwdriver and a paperclip, we were able to get the job done.

The SRS light would stay on while driving, and it took about 10 times for me to reset the code cycle on the light. It eventually went out. If you have a more severe problem with your air bag system, the light may not turn off. If the issue persists, you will have to see a professional mechanic as this is not something that can be fixed yourself.

After we got the SRS light to turn off, I moved on to detailing it. Here is what the car looked like before I got started:

The engine bay on this car was super dirty and really greasy (probably had never been washed before).

The tires were really dull, as you can see. They had a lot of break dust build-up and had never really been washed before.

There were a lot of scratches and a good amount of rock chips/road rash on both sides of the car on the doors. A good wash and a heavy wax will take care of a lot of these defects and help them not get any worse.

This is what the whole car looked like from the side.

In the rear of the car, you can see the paint is super faded and you are probably wondering why not just paint the whole car over again. It is hard to even tell what color the car is. There is also plenty of mud, dirt, and road grime embedded in this old paint job, which is really bad for the finish.

As you can see by the roof's condition, there was severe oxidation around the sun roof and the paint was peeling away around the edges. We are not looking to paint this car over, but simply give it a good deep clean and a protective layer of wax, which will protect what finish is left.

The back seat was really dirty and cluttered with trash.

The trunk was really disorganized and had a lot of garbage and forgotten items in it. You would be amazed at how much more trunk space you have when your car is not treated like a storage unit or garbage bin.

Last but not least, were the floor mats. There were a ton of pebbles and dirt and road salt stuck in the grooves, which were obviously brought in from the driver's shoes. You would be surprised how filthy this part of the car gets, and it is often overlooked. We needed to give it a really deep clean

Now, the key to shampooing carpet and/or floor mats is to remember to let the material dry completely before putting them back in your car. As you can see by this picture, these floor mats are rubber and can easily be washed with soapy water and left out to air-dry, but under the floor mat is carpet, which needs to be shampooed and dried properly so mold does not grow.

This is the whole front of the interior was pretty messy. It was dusty from never being wiped down. The steering wheel and controls were sticky from being used by dirty hands and never being sanitized. With it being flu and cold season, you can easily pick up viruses and leave them in your car, which can bring them into your home. It can also make it harder to get better if you are constantly being exposed to those germs every time you get in your car to go somewhere.

After

For the exterior, I used a pressure washer and soap and water to give the the paint a good cleaning. After that, I hand dried the car with my microfiber towels and made sure I got it completely dry before I applied the Turtle Wax coat. I also used Windex on the windshield, mirrors, headlights, and tail lights. The car looks greatly improved after working so hard on it. You can actually tell that it is a dark blue color!

Funnily enough, there was another Honda Accord in our apartment complex that needs a good cleaning itself! This picture is a GREAT before and after comparison to give you an idea of what we were working with before, and how our hard work paid off.

The engine bay is able to breathe a lot better now that it has been degreased and cleaned.

I used tire shine on the tires, which made them look a ton better! This also helps the tires last longer because the tire shine helps condition the tire and the rim, which protects against cracking and wearing out too quickly.

Overall, the paint looks a lot better! Besides being a lot shinier, the paint chips and scratches are not nearly as noticeable and are now protected by a layer of wax, which will help keep the finish looking nice and prevent the imperfections from getting worse.

The oxidation on the roof and around the sunroof is now gone and protected.

For the interior, I vacuumed the floors and seats to get rid of any crumbs or dirt, and I threw away any trash left in the car. I did not do it this time, but something I would recommend doing is wiping down leather seats with leather wipes, which will keep them from cracking and make them last a lot longer. This is especially important to do in the summer when it gets really hot.

Ben carries a lot of stuff around with him, which is fine, but at least now the trunk is organized and clean. I also made sure that his spare tire was at the right pressure and was seated properly in the bottom of the trunk. I vacuumed out the carpet, which got rid of a lot of dirt and pebbles.

The floor mats look great! I vacuumed them to get rid of the dirt and pebbles and road salt. After I power washed them, I let them air dry before I waxed them, which will protect them from dirt in the long run. I also wiped off the gas and brake pedals, which get forgotten a lot.

The carpets in the car were pretty dirty despite being covered with floor mats, so I vacuumed them and shampooed them so they would last.

The interior looks like new! It is amazing how far a little bit of tidying up and wiping down surfaces will make. Overall, it feels a lot cleaner inside and smells better, too.







Conclusion

Ben was really happy with the final turnout of his car. This goes to show you that you can make any ordinary commuter car really stand out and look almost brand new. It takes a little elbow grease, but it is worth it! Not only will your car look better, but it will last longer as well.