Pro vs Amateur Detailing - All About the Details. Plus a Modernization Improvement

So the used car dealership claimed that before I could pick up the Elgrand, they would have to put a "glass" (ceramic) coating on it (and charge me for it, of course).  Normally, any kind of ceramic coating means that the paint is properly prepped before application so of course I was curious to see what they had done.  As I suspected the quality level would be that which might impress the average person, but not me.  And I was right. Check this out, the inside of the fuel filler cap!

FAIL.

So a quick wipe-down with an All Purpose Cleaner (I think I used CarPro Eraser this time) meant that in less than a minute, this was looking much better. 

Looks much better! But...

But now, those stickers look messily applied. Turns out they demonstrate that the prior owner regularly added a fuel additive (to clean the engine). But to get off all stickers, there is nothing I have found better than the 3M Seal Remover (extra strength).

Which meant that these stickers were quickly gone!

Here is what they look like up close.

So at least since 2019, 3 years after he purchased the car, he was using this additive.  So I figured, I should continue to do the same!

Next issue - why no fuel cap holder? Actually, there is this hook...

So it doesn't work too well, since you hook the cable but not the cap on this hook

So a few hundred yen later on Amazon...

Easy to apply, double stick tape.

Testing to make sure the cap actually fits before I stick the holder onto the fuel filler door.

And yes it works. Note that I have CLEANLY applied a new Pitwork F-Premium sticker above the orange unloaded fuel reminder sticker.

99,033km, March 2022.

Voila! It works!

So what next? Another Modernization mod next, but I am wondering if I went a bit too far...stay tuned!