CarPro

Jaguar XF-RS

Multi Stage Correction

When the enquiry came through for a Single Stage machine polish on a 911 the last thing I expected to arrive was a French Racing Blue Jaguar XF-RS. In the short time between arranging the initial inspection and bringing the car to see me the client had sold the Porsche and replaced it for this rather shouty V8 Powerhouse.

During it's initial inspection it was quickly evident the bodywork and exterior in general had been through a lot and it was going to take some serious work to get it up to scratch. A solid pastel blue French Racing Blue is an individual colour rarely found on many other Jaguars. 14 weeks later the car arrived onsite and I was relishing at the opportunity to transform such an iconic car for Jaguar.

The RS received the usual treatment outside a thorough decontamination and deep clean prior to the commencement of any machine work. These stages always reveal the true story behind every car and the true level of the task ahead. Booked for a multi stage correction detail I knew I had my work cut out but I wasn't prepared for some of the discoveries I made with the bodywork and wheels. Once inside the car was raised up and the wheels removed. Once I had the wheels off I was able to see the the terrible state they were in, neither me or the client were expecting me to find the nasty smart repairs on the wheels or the heaps of overspray in the barrels so after short discussions with my Wheel guy and the client all four wheels were sent off for full refurbishment while the car was with me. The discoveries didn't end there, the nearside had seen its fair share of repairs, the worst being the rear quarter which left a lot to be desired for.   After completing the full initial assessment, depth readings and inspection delicate surfaces were taped and the initial cutting stage of machine polishing commenced.

In total I spent nearly three days cutting, being a solid paint French Racing blue was a super super soft paint to work with so patience was key. Go in too heavy and the paint micro marred, go in too light and I'd have been there all year. It was about finding a happy medium but the result of that is extended cutting stages as you can't go in with anything too agressive. The upside to this is that very little refining is required as I took my time with cutting very few defects were inflicted by the initial stage. The cutting stages were followed by a refining and finishing stage in order to ensure the striking blue was finished to the highest possible level adding a deep rich gloss and a very sharp crisp finish. In total I spent five long days cutting and refining the paintwork in order to reach a finish I deemed more than acceptable. Door shuts, boot shuts and the engine bay all received some level of polishing to ensure the highest possible finish throughout the vehicle. With final wipe down complete the first stage of coatings got underway with the base layer of GTechniq CS Light applied and left to cure overnight before returning in the morning to apply the top layer of Gtechniq EXO v3. At this point the wheels returned and the coating of the glass and wheels were complete and the end was finally in sight. I tend to spend in the region of a day completing all the final touches once all the coatings are applied. This allows me to work around the vehicle meticulously dressing the engine bay, polishing exhausts, dressing arches and tyres and chasing the level of perfection I pursue.

On the final day the wheels were returned and coated. The wheels unfortunately had seen an extremely hard life. Upon removal the faces had seen multiple cheap smart repairs and at some point some full refurbishments where they had taken the life out of the wheel. Diamond cut wheels are a challenge when it comes to refurbishment if you don't know what your doing, they are extremely easy to mess up and these wheels are prime examples of wheels that have been poorly refurbished time after time. The result of this was that they were not perfect when they returned. The reason being is because so much had been taken from the face of the wheels during previous refurbishments that my wheel guy had very little alloy left to work with making it extremely difficult to get the perfect finish with clean lines between the contrasting diamond cut and black. The client was kept informed throughout and both myself and my wheel guy did all that we could to ensure he was satisfied with the end result but it goes to show you really don't know what your buying until it's in the hands of a professional.

This detail was a challenge from start to finish. I enjoyed every minute of it and in some areas it was a learning curve but I take positives from that and it only makes me a better detailer. The outcome was stunning and was the result of over 100 hours detailing. This doesn't come cheap but when your looking for the level of finish I achieved with the additional touches of wheels and coatings you would be a fool to pay an amateur.

Thats enough of my waffle and time to let the photos do the talking...

 

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BMW 520D Touring

Correction Detail

This detail was booked months in advance and the owner was certain about what kind of detail he wanted and wanted the best possible detail available with all the added extras. With that out the way the big questions was what car did he want? Spending months searching and waiting for the right car to come up this little gem came up and he was quick to decide it was exactly what he was after. 

Due to being so busy he had to wait a few weeks before I could get the car in and having a budding interest in detailing he was keen to spend some time focussing on areas such as the interior, wheels and getting the exhaust tips looking a little more appealing. Upon arrival the car was showing signs of use and was certainly going to benefit from some Detail Driven TLC.

An early start before it even got light my first priority was the wheels and arches. Using a variety of heavy wheel cleaners, APC, TFR remover and a hot pressure washer and brushes I spent several hours removing the build up of dirt, road grime, tar and fallout from the wheels and arches. The owner had spent some time himself on the wheels but struggled to remove the build up of tar that was sitting behind the wheel spokes and in the gulley that ran around the outer edge of the wheels. Moving onto the arches, APC and brushes and a hot pressure washer were used to remove years of dirt build up that was gathered in the depths of the arches. 

After persevering with the wheels it was time to move to the exterior. This began with an exterior snow foam, APC'ing the door shuts and engine bay and going round all the nooks and crannies with a hog hair brush. Washed down I moved onto washing the exterior via a two bucket method using a Microfibre Madness wash mitt. Washed and Deep cleaned it was time to decontaminate, the first step was to remove iron fallout with Car Pro Iron X, Left to dwell it was rinsed down then Autosmart Tardis was applied to remove all traces of tar from the exterior. Once TFR removed I moved onto claying the paintwork and glass using the wonderful Carbon Collective Clay Mitt, a much quicker more efficient way of claying the paintwork.

As I began drying so came the rain, so I quickly moved the car inside to finish drying the car down in preparation for paint inspection. Once dried all plastic and rubber trims were taped up to prevent any staining during polishing aswell as any delicate parts to ensure they were not damaged by the polishing stages. Once taped up readings where taken from all panels to ensure paint depths were at safe levels for polishing. With average readings of 125 to 145 I was satisfied there were no dodgey repairs or thin panels I began the first stage of correction. After hours of correcting removing Etching, Bird Poo stains and a few RDS along with the swirls using the Rupes UHS system the correction stages were completed late into the night and it was time to call it a day. Even though the paint was looking overall much better I wasn’t quite finished, I pulled out the Meguairs 205 along with a fine finishing pad and spent hours refining all my hard work removing the imperfections and swirls. Once refined it was time to do a final wipe down to remove all traces of polishing oils and compound in preparation for Carbon Collective Platinum Paint coatings.

The owner opted for a durable, hard and chemical resistant coating which allows for easy and safe maintenance and requires little maintaining. Due to the hardness requirement I recommended Carbon Collective Platinum paint, with a 7H reading on the hardness scale it was perfect for the Job. Two coats applied along with Platinum Glass and Platinum Wheels this 520D Is now ready for whatever winter can throw at it.

Moving onto the exterior finishing touches I layered up the coats of Carbon Colective Sateen on the tyres, used a variety of metal polishes and techniques the exhaust tips were restored and then sealed with Carbon Collective Platinum Wheels.

Finally onto the inside, first the obvious hoover to remove all loose dirt, hair and dust in preparation for wipe down and deep leather clean. Once all loose dirt was removed I used APC to remove any stains from the carpet and then moved onto cleaning the leather with DR Leather and Swissvax leather brush. Years of dirt and staining were extracted and that horrible shiny finish was removed and a satin finish resotred along with the lovely fresh leather smell. All leather surfaces were then dressed with G-Techniq L1 and Carpet/Cloth surfaces dressed with Carbon Colective Repel.

Exhausted and extremely satisfied this 520D was now looking better than it ever had and the smile on the owners face said it all, another satisfied customer and another budding detailers enthusiasm restored! 

Renault Sport Megane R26R

Enhancement Detail

This Renault Sport Megane had seen months of hard track use prior to arrival at Detail Driven. A pedigree track car, it has been used for what it was built for. The owner decided it was time to sell up and decided to let me turn back the clock and restore the life back into this tired looking car. Following a heavy decontamination process and deep cleanse, the car was taken inside for paint readings. Some signs of repair, it was a good job readings where taken as they varied throughout. The paintwork underwent a single stage correction via the Rupes Bigfoot system. The interior and engine bay were deep cleaned and enhanced prior to the exterior being sealed with G-Techniq C2v3. Wheels were sealed in Auto Finesse Mint Rims and engine bay, trims and tyres dressed. The outcome, a stunning R26R that deep down, I wish I could have bought myself.


Ferrari 458 Italia

Enhancement Detail

This Ferrari 458 Enhancement detail was a sales prep. The customer felt it was time to part with his pride and joy and wanted the paint in exceptional condition. Following full decontamination, Clay and meticulous removal of all the tar the car was taken inside for paint readings and inspection. Given the car it is the paintwork displayed minor swirling which was gently corrected out using lightly abrasive polishes and then refined. The paintwork was then sealed with Auto Finesse Illusion a show car wax to enhance the finish and appearance as much as possible. Wheels were sealed in Auto Finesse mint rims and the engine bay and exhausts fined and enhanced. A beautiful car looking absolutely stunning ready for its new life.