Hyundai Kona detailing in Houston

What we watch for

Paint and interior on the Kona

Paint and exterior

Kona buyers pick bold colors like lime, bright blue, orange and red, often with a contrasting roof. Bright paint shows water spots and pollen film clearly, and the thick black cladding around the wheel arches fades grey in the sun.

Interior

Cloth on most trims, with colored stitching or accent trim on some. The small cabin cleans quickly, but the cargo area is shallow and the rear footwells are tight, so seat rails and corners are done with a detailing brush.

Living in Houston

A Kona Electric charged at an apartment complex lives outside all year, so the dash and the black cladding take the most sun. Love bugs pile up on the short, blunt nose on I-45 trips to The Woodlands.

• Unpainted textured trim: it fades grey in the sun, so it is cleaned and dressed with a matte UV protectant.
• Cloth seats on many trims: spot-treated in every interior detail, with shampoo extraction as an add-on when they need it.
• Soft clear coat: it marks from a dirty towel or an automatic wash, so every wash is two-bucket with clean mitts, and polishing finishes down with a fine pad.