Hi Humphrey,
Thanks for the link an interesting read..... i still think stripping it down was the quickest, and best way to ensure it passes inspection, the door trim has to come off, the loose carpet has to come out and be cleaned, we have to clean under the seats, the tar and mud has to be scraped off the plastic wheel arches and the bumper, the dust and debris has to be removed from the loose dash and rear trim where we have a spare battery, if our car had less plastic maybe it would be easier, we could have just hoovered up inside, but given its age, its condition and 3 days of labour...
From the Link:
http://xor.org.uk/travel/oz2010/20091118.htm
This page is a summary of, and an index to, the cleaning of Man (my Bimobil EX480 expedition campervan). Even though Man is a relatively new vehicle and has not (yet) been to many countries the process of cleaning it inside and out "as new" has taken more than 130 hours!
1. Wheels and Tyres. (9 Hours)
2. Rear Storage Boxes. (5 Hours)
3. Wheel arches and mud guards. (7 Hours)
4. Air Filter. (3 Hours)
5. Toilet. (5 Hours)
6. Gas Locker. (1 Hour)
7. Table Locker. (2 Hours)
8. Battery Compartment. (3 Hours)
9. Underrun Bar. (1 Hour)
10. Water and Water Tanks. (2 Hours)
11. Engine and Under Cab. (6 Hours)
12. Cab Interior. (10 Hours)
13. Dirty Things.
14. The Roof. (6 Hours)
15. Storage Locker. (4 Hours)
16. The Cabin Interior. (16 Hours)
17. Fumigation and Insects. (2 Hour)
18. Outside, Windows and Doors. (6 Hours)
19. Electric Steps. (7 Hours)
20. The Chassis. (30 Hours)
The best source of detailed information I found about how to clean a vehicle destined for Australia was this one prepared for the Australian military. (Read, weep and think hard if you really want to take your vehicle to Oz!).
Note: If you were wondering if I had someone standing around all the time taking photographs, no I didn't. I often just set my camera up on a tripod to take one photograph every 10 seconds and selected the best shots afterwards.