Well...whilst waiting for the MAF and reman alternator to come in so my wrench can pull the car into the shop...thought I'd spend some quality spa time with the buggy in my driveway (since I really can't drive it anywhere with a dead alternator and gaping hole where the dead MAF sensor goes...) a couple doors down from the shop.



(What I started with; photo as she sat on dealer forecourt)

Tools: carpet shampoo. Griot's leather cleaner and conditioner. Windex for the windows. Back to Black for the plastic in the engine room. Microfiber towels and applicator. Bristle brush to scrub mats, squeegee to get water out of mats. Vacuum.

Engine first. Brush off all dust. Wash removable plastic cover. Soak a microfiber sponge in Back to Back. Wipe on. Buff off. Stand back. Admire. (yes, that right loose connector on the input hose is for the missing MAF that's on its way...and have to do something with that peeling back insulation on the fuse block...contact cement?)

Yes, that is the engine room of a car with 90K+ on the clock. If you take your time, step back occasionally, are patient (and a little picky!), they can all look like that.





On to the interior. Pull the driver side floor mat...liberally spray down with carpet shampoo. Scrub brush. More shampoo. More scrubbing. Hose down and drain. Place in sun to drain and dry. (Sorry, no photographs.) Passenger side was clean; going to leave for now.

Pull out the bottle of Griot's leather cleaner and conditioner and microfiber sponge applicator. Soak applicator in cleaner/conditioner, and as per the instructions, massage the cleaner into the leather and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Buff off with another microfiber cloth. Yes, it did pull up grime, dirt, and pretty sure moisture...and left the seats clean and satin smooth. Yay. Proceeded to do the same to the dash top. Figure it's not ever been done. Same process. Massage cleaner conditioner in, let stand, buff off. Yay. Looks great. Smells even better. Additional benefit? The lanolin in the conditioner REALLY makes your hands soft. I know. But it does. Better than what they come out like after wrenching on an oil change or brake bleed, right?



A swift vacuum out of the carpet in the trunk (boot). That Jag trunk holder is a hold over from my XE...and was in my Cessna 172 for many years as a catch-all. Now it's back where it belongs...and that umbrella is an official swag from a "visit to HQ in Mahwah" when JLR was a customer of mine while I was working for IBM. Back where it belongs, no?



All in all, a nice morning working on the buggy. Still need to have a couple dings taken out of the driver (left) front fender by a dent removal guy, clay, polish, and seal the paint, and take care of some chips on the lower front valance...amd polish the chrome bits and side window surrounds. If you do it in stages...it becomes manageable!