- Vehicle
Chemical Protection
- Car Care
Chemicals
- Auto Detailing
Insider Information
- Safe Vehicle
Quest
- Safer Car Tip
- Car Care
Chemicals
- An auto
detailer outlines how to check for toxic chemicals
- Jim Hammill
-
- Buying a used car can
always be an unpleasant experience even more so for the
chemically sensitive. Nearly all used cars have been
detailed in some way, if not then they will usually have
some kind of odor or stains that have the potential to
cause problems.
- Here are a few tips to
find out the past history of the car, and any repairs
that have been carried out.
-
- 1/ Smokers.
I have never seen a used vehicle on a lot with ash all
over the floor, dealers will always clean this up. There
are several things you can check to see if the vehicle
was a smoker.
- i/ The
most obvious of course, the ash tray. Check this, usually
clean but look deep inside the ash tray, pull it out and
check behind it , a lot of the ash falls out and down
behind.
- ii/ Check
the cigarette lighter, look inside it and see if there is
any ash build up around the rings, this is one of the
most overlooked areas in vehicle detailing.
- iii/ Window
frames. Many smokers flick the ash out of the window, and
usually keep it open only about one cm in the winter,
check the window slider ( the rubber/felt ). You will
usually see small burn marks along its length.
- iv/ If
the vehicle had an automatic transmission, pull the
shifter back from park and check around this area,
another overlooked area by some detailer’s.
- v/ Check
the rear window shelf area . Many times when people smoke
they do so with the window open, the wind blows the ash
to the back of the vehicle.
-
- 2/New car smell.
There are many new car scents on the market, and often
used by dealers to hide smells. These scents are not long
lasting and do not remove the offending odor, they just
mask it , eventually it will fade and the original odor
will return.
-
- 3/ Pets.
These are the vehicles that I don’t particularly
enjoy detailing, as sometimes it is almost impossible to
get the scent or the dog hair removed. While it can be
brushed out or even vacuumed out so you cant see it ,
there are several areas you can check.
- i/ In a
regular car, again check the rear shelf , small dogs seem
to like laying on these places and it is an area often
overlooked.
- ii/ If
the vehicle has split seats, open them up and look at the
sides of the seats, this is where I always find traces of
dog hair on vehicles that the dealers have bought from
auctions.
- iii/ Seat
Belts. Most dogs don’t usually wear these but the
owners do, pull the seat belt out to its full length and
examine it for hair, if it’s not on the belt, then
look down inside the roller where the seat belt is
stored, the hair usually gets stuck to the grease on the
seat belt mechanism.
-
- 4/ Engines.
Most dealers will usually have the engine power washed
and then "dressed " with a chemical to give it
that nice new clean look. Sadly a lot of detailer’s
use solvent based silicone dressings. These are
potentially dangerous as the solvents have a very low
flash point , and the risk of an engine fire is high.
Secondly, the silicones in the dressings can get sucked
in to air intakes and then cling to vital sensors in the
engine that measure air flow etc. So they can lead to
expensive problems. The side affect of this is that when
the hood is up and the dressing is being sprayed on it
can be sprayed over the air intakes that you have in
front of your windshield. This is the air that is then
blown in to your car to warm/cool the vehicle. If the
silicones or solvents are sucked inside these intakes
then you will have a car full of them. Ask the dealer not
to dress the engine. You can easily tell if the engine
has been dressed as it will be very shiny, or have the
wet look to the plastic components and rubber hoses.
-
- 5/ Carpet shampoo.
Most detail shops and dealers use an Extractor to clean
the carpets. Many do not follow the correct procedures
for cleaning a carpet, the carpet should be very lightly
sprayed with the correct chemicals, then extracted with a
dilution ratio of 64: 1. Some people use a 50/ 50 mix or
just pour however much chemical they think they need in
to the water tank. This usually means that there can be
as much as ten times more chemical than is needed.
Secondly, many detailer’s make the mistake of
soaking the carpet until it is almost awash with fluid.
This not only has the potential to cause huge amounts of
damage , but also saturates the carpet to the extent that
the extractor will not be able to remove all the water
and soap from the carpet.
-
- When there is too much
water in the carpet, it will sink through and become
trapped beneath the carpet. This will cause mold/
bacteria to grow . Secondly, if too much soap is left in
the carpet it will stick to the carpet fibers and
"wick" . When this happens, dirt particles
actually become stuck to the soap residue and the carpet
will become dirtier quicker, and of course leave a large
amount of chemical in the carpet.
-
- When looking at a used
car, check the following.
- i/ rub
your hand across the carpet, if it feels sticky or
crusty, this is the shampoo in the carpet still.
- ii/ Look
for extractor marks in the carpet, these will look like
straight lines , much like you get when you use the
vacuum cleaner at home.
-
- 6/ Paint work.
Often, especially on newer vehicles, the dealers will
have minor scratches and door dings repainted before the
vehicle goes on the lot. This also has the potential to
cause problems. These repairs are usually done quickly
and cheaply, with little preparation and even less clean
up work. Typical problems will be paint overspray on the
vehicle, masking tape lines and even overspray on the
glass. Some things to check are:
- i/ Look
for signs of overspray on the bodywork, this looks line a
fine layer of dust and feels rough to the touch.
- ii/ Look
for signs of overspray in the door jams , door hinges and
fenders. These are typically the areas where overspray is
found.
- iii/ Look
for paint on the black rubber or vinyl trim around doors
and windows .
- iv/ Look
for differences in the textures of the paint.
-
- Finally , most paint
manufacturers state that no wax should be applied to
fresh paint for 30-60 days , as it takes this long for
the solvents to evaporate from the paint, if overspray is
in the door jams then you have the potential for solvents
evaporating inside the car for this length of time.
.
. .
- It is always worthwhile to
have the vehicle inspected off the lot by a trusted auto
technician, and I would also recommend that you take the
car to an experienced detailer to have him check these
things for you, as they will know exactly what to look
for, and will point them out to you.
- If anyone would like more
information on where to find a reputable detailer, then
please e-mail me and I will be happy to try and locate
one in your area. Jim
Hammill, Det Tek Detailing jimhammill2003@yahoo.com
- Auto Detailing
Insider Information
- Correspondence between
an auto detailer and an MCS person (the editor)
Hello there. My name is Jim
Hammill and I am a regular visitor to an auto detailing site
where someone recently posted a question about detailing cars for
people who are chemically sensitive. I wondered if you might be
able to visit the forum and post any information for us as
detailers and what we can do to help people, any advice on what
chemicals to avoid etc.
The post is at web-cars.com/detail/phorum/list.php?f=1, the post topic is customers/clients with medical
issues. Any help you
can give us on this issue would be greatly appreciated. Several
people who post on the forum write articles for some of the
industry magazines and web-sites, perhaps this is something we
can get published as an educational guide for detailers across
the country. Thank you for your time. Jim Hammill. jimhammill2003@yahoo.com
. . .
The chemically sensitive
generally want no detailing with chemicals at all. We can do the
cleaning, and perhaps that is the safest. I have asked dealers if
they would show me cars that had not been detailed at all. This
was preferable, but only some of the dealers would comply. Well,
that helps to narrow down the sale!
If there is a particular car
that a chemically sensitive person is interested in, and it needs
to be detailed, ask what the safe products are or maybe they
would be willing to supply the product. Water and baking soda are
reliable, but probably difficult to keep from streaking. The main
offenders are scents, detergents, volatile organic solvents,
lubricants, mold and rust inhibitors, to name a few. The
petroleum based products to restore life to vinyl and rubber
tires, fabric cleaners, and protectors are all off limits to most
of us. The chemically sensitive vary in their degree of
sensitivity and to what substances. Depending on the degree of
sensitivity, sometimes knowing a good length of time since
detailing is all that is needed.
Since each chemically sensitive
person varies in their tolerance, an ability to be flexible about
what can be done is very helpful. Maybe a solution can be reached
if you get specific information. Of course, all this takes extra
time and energy. If something cannot be worked out, please refer
us to another dealer who might allow selling a car without
detailing. Thank you for your efforts to help the chemically
sensitive. Mary Kempf maryk555@yahoo.com
. . .
I have worked for two dealers
here in Iowa and I can give you a little behind the scene info
that may help. All dealers are very different, as are the
detailers that work for them . There are good dealers, and bad
dealers, good detailers and bad detailers. The last dealer I
worked at would detail the car as soon as it was traded in, so
the vehicle would be back on the lot within a few hours. They
simply don't like inventory sitting out the back . There are many
"shortcuts' that some detailers take including the incorrect
use of the chemicals used to detail vehicles. Not only can this
pose some danger to themselves, but also to the customer buying
the vehicle. I have seen some people use engine degreaser to
remove oil based stains from carpets.
If I may, I'd like to offer a
few tips that may help a little. Call a few dealers and let them
know in advance what type of vehicle you are interested in , and
ask them if they would hold the vehicle until you get there to
look at it . While the vehicle may not be clean, it should be a
little more chemical free than one that has been detailed. Ask
the dealer if they detail in house or have a contractor come in
to do it . If it is done in house, then they are probably doing a
better job than some of the contractors who do the detailing for
them. Wholesale detailing for dealers is done at rock bottom
prices, usually using cheap or incorrect problems. I really wish
there was more I could do to help you , if any one you know ever
has any questions about detailing or the chemicals used, or even
ways to clean without using chemicals , please feel free to
e-mail me, or visit us at the www.web-cars.com forum. We would always be happy to
help. Thank you. Jim. jimhammill2003@yahoo.com
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- Safe Vehicle
Quest
- Mary Kempf
Some of the
things I mention here need to be taken with a grain of salt. MCS
sensitivities vary from person to person. Hopefully, after all is
said, some of these tips will be helpful. I have spent 7 weeks to
find a safe car for myself. I was successful, but the search
process was discouraging at times.
- Before and
after the seach:
- It was most helpful to explain to the salesman that I
have reactions to chemicals from a chemical injury. The
term chemical sensitivities might suggest a phobia to
some people. Then, I listened to how accepting they were
and sometimes would volunteer to go out of their way to
help. To be honest, our special needs are a pain. I tried
to remember to always express appreciation for their
extra efforts. There were two salesmen at dealer that
worked exceptionally hard for me and treated me with
respect, but I could not find a car there. I wrote
letters of appreciation to their supervisor and carbon
copied the letter to them.
-
- Some questions
for the auto dealer or seller:
- 1. What do you use for
detailing? If they didn't know, I asked
to be put in touch with the detailing department to ask
what they use. Often, they were willing to help.
Some detailers agreed to tailor their cleaning to my
needs. When I test drove any car, I wore protective
gloves.
Auto Detailing
Chemical Warning: I do not react to all auto
detailing chemicals, but my reaction to one popular auto
detailing chemical is intolerable. Some other MCS persons
also had strong objections to it. I would not even want to buy a
car from a dealer that uses it, even if they let me test drive a
car from the lot before detailing. I am so sensitive, to it that
I detect levels that are spread by the hands. Most MCS persons
are not that sensitive, so you can be the judge.
2. Are you willing to let me test
drive a car before it is detailed? Some dealers
are willing and some are not. At one dealership, a salesman told
me that the cars were detailed before auction. When I spoke to
the sales manager about it, he agreed to set a car aside not to
be detailed after the auction. In other words, I found out that
vehicles are not detailed before auction.
3. Would you be willing to screen
cars for cigarette smoke or heavy perfume? Some
good-hearted salesmen will do this for you. One salesman would
check the cigarratte lighter for ash, which was a good indicator
of heavy or light use.
4. Do you have any fleet or program
cars for sale? These are leased cars used by executives
and generally not for personal use. That means the flea dipped
dog has not been jumping all over the seats nor did they use the
trunk to transport toxic fertilizers. Generally, I had better
luck with vehicles not privately owned. There
were exceptions, and this time, I ended up with a privately owned
vehicle.
If you would like to check out the history
of any used car, Carfax provides complete
information on a vehicle’s history for about $20 and the VIN
number of the vehicle. http://www.carfax.com
- Test Drive
Precautions
- The first thing I learned to do was to stick my head in
each car for a sniff test and then the trunk. I made note
of my symptoms, how strong they were and how long they
lasted. Then, I test drove the best vehicle. At first, I
test drove just one car a day, made note of my symptoms
the next morning and what chemicals were on my clothes. I
eventually got much better at this, and test drove
several in one day, at my "safe" dealers.
Be careful of the environment that the car
for sale is in. Once, I bought a used truck that was close to an
oil rig (pump). I thought it could be cleaned up, but I was never
able to drive it for more than 15 minutes. I think it absorbed
the chemicals from the rig. Steam cleaning couldn’t
even get it out. I think it absorbs into the foam rubber in the
seats and insulation. In those days, I was not aware of ozone and
never used it to clean the truck. It may or may not have been
able to make it safe.
Safer
Car Tip
I needed to get a new car last
year. Most of the models I test drove which were made in the US
were a nightmare in terms of outgassing---even used ones were so
toxic! I then looked at a Honda Pilot. It is made in Canada. I
got one just off the line from Canada and there were NO
outgassing problems!!! I was amazed. It CAN be done! I drove
other Honda models made in the US, and they did have toxic
outgassing. Canada is definitely ahead of the pack in terms of
using less toxic materials!
- Anonymous MCS
- December 2004
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