Ceramic

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 M135i

Enhancement Detail - Total Surface Protection

 The BMW M135i to most probably looks like a standard one series, it's not the most lary looking hot hatch but to the trained eye or any enthusiast it's certainly far from any normal one series. Under the bonnet is a three litre straight six engine with an additional twin scroll turbo which combined packs a punch of 320BHP. Not that normal little on series any more is it?

This particular M135i is owned by a soldier and it is his pride and joy. A little toy for the time he spends at home he wanted his pocket rocket looking its finest and booked it in with me after seeing my recent post about the Estoril Blue BMW 435D Gran Coupe I detailed a few months back. He wanted his to bounce with gloss and be rich in clarity as such booked it in with me to receive and Enhancement Detail along with my Total Surface Protection bolt on for the ultimate protection.

Over a 200 Mile round trip It was an early start, I travelled up to Oxford to Detail this little beauty leaving nice and early to get a good days work in. First up was a good deep clean, pulling cobwebs, dirt, leaves, grease and grime out of the engine bay, door and boot jams and then the arches. Meguiars Super Degreaser was the perfect product for the job breaking down the dirt and grime with ease. I then moved on to decontaminating the wheels. Bit Hamber Korrosol was applied liberally and let to soak. Using a variety of brushes and techniques this was agitated around the wheel to break down brake dust and fall out that had built up in the spokes and crevices of the alloy. The next step was to lay down a thick layer of snow foam, left to dwell and then rinsed. This ensures that the paintwork was free of loose dirt which helps prevent further damage when washing as I won't be dragging the loose dirt around the paint. Out came the trusty buckets and my nice big fluffy wash pad. Now the car had been safely washed it was time to decontaminate the paint. First up Bilt Hamber Korrosol was now applied to the paint and left to dwell then rinsed, then the exterior dried. Why dry it now? For tar remover to work effectively the paint needs to be dry, it does work wet but is 10x more effective when dry and quicker! Tar remover applied, dwelled and rinsed then finally the paint and glass were clayed using a clay mitt. 

Now the car is clean and decontaminated and safely dried its time to tape up and prepare for depth readings and inspection before the polishing stages. I work around the car methodically taking paint depth readings to ensure all panels have safe levels of paintwork on them to ensure the polishing can be performed safely. Readings taken and recorded I began testing on the bonnet trying a variety of pads and polishes to see which achieve the desired result. Taped up, Earphones in and Polisher on I worked around the car performing a single stage machine polish lifting light defects from the paint and restoring depth and clarity to the clear coat. After successfully lifting 90% of the defects from the clear coat leaving the odd RDS (Really Deep Scratch) behind due to it being an enhancement and not full correction. After the polishing stages were completed the paintwork was inspected using another pair of eyes (the mrs) and mine with a Sun Gun Torch which will pretty much find anything you can't.  

Happy with the results it was time to seal that finish in with the first part of my Total Surface Protection. Polish Angel Cosmic always looks stunning on German Paintwork so I decided this would suit best, the paintwork was prepped with Polish Angel Primer which contains compounds that are crucial to the bonding process of Cosmic and ensure it bonds properly to the surface of the paint. Now the paintwork was properly prepared I started applying the coating, once applied it was then layered to ensure optimum levels of protection and ensure durability. While these layers were curing I moved onto the wheels, applying two layers of Gtechniq C5 Alloy Wheel Armour and Gtechniq G1 to the glass. With the exterior coatings complete it was time to move onto the finer details. Firstly giving the exhaust a good polish to remove soot and coking, unfortunately the tips of these exhausts had perished so they were not immaculate but im sure you will agree a vast improvement was achieved. Once cleaned and polished the Tips were sealed with Gtechniq C5 which is also a heat resistant coating so can be used on the exhausts as well as the wheels. Next up is rubber and plastic trims, sealed with Gtechniq C4 and Tyres dressed with the only tyre shine that should be used, Meguiars Endurance Tyre Gel. 

The exterior complete it was time to move inside. Matts removed, hoovered and wet vac'd to remove stains and soiling, especially from the drivers matt. While they were drying I hoovered the interior lifting loose dirt in order to clean and coat all interior surfaces. Using Auto Finesse Leather cleaner and a leather brush I agitated the product to lift several years of embedded dirt from the leather pores. Once the leather was properly cleaned it was protected with Gtechniq L1 along with the Matts protected with Smart Fabric adding hydrophobic properties to the fabric. 

Onto the last part of the Total Surface protection, Sealing the engine bay. Trying out a new product on this M135i, Koch Chemie Nano Plast Care, This product forms a highly durable chemical bond with the surface and restores a satin black finish to the plastic and protects it form further deterioration. I was highly impressed with the product and it'll certainly be used again. 

The owner was blown away with the end result, commenting how he wasn't expecting such high levels of attention to detail, another transformation complete. Next!

Audi RS6

Enhancement Detail - Ceramic Bolt On

An Audi RS6 is a truly versatile car and this was a true example of what they can do. On one hand an absolute powerhouse ready to be driven hard, on the other hand a great family car. This one clearly is used for both and in the last few months had been down to Italy and back and hadn't seen a soap sud in over 3,000 miles. It was long overdue a good clean and the owner was keen to have it looking its best again.

The owner got in contact primarily to book the car in for Ceramic coatings, after some discussion and a little education we discussed and explained why the car would benefit from an enhancement detail prior to the application of coatings and the customer agreed. Upon arrival it was clear why the owner was so keen to have the car done. 3,000 miles and all four seasons of dirt - This RS6 certainly needed some TLC and I was just the man for the job. 

Starting with the all important snow foam, nice an thick to drag off as much of the surface dirt and grime as possible. While it was dwelling I went round the creases and cracks with a Hog hair brush to agitate the snow foam into the sitting dirt and lift months of grime. After a few minutes dwelling the car was rinsed down and I moved onto the wheels. Oh the joys of ceramic brakes! Now a note to all owners with ceramic brakes, you have to be extremely careful with what products you use and if you have any questions please get in touch and ill be happy to advise but its strongly advised that you dont use normal wheel cleaners! Wheels deep cleaned I moved not the arches and slowly worked my way around the car. Once the wheels, arches and shuts had been deep cleaned and degreased I moved onto the engine bay and did the same here. After about two hours meticulously cleaning and degreasing the grubby parts the car was rinsed down again and ready to be washed. 

The all important two bucket method was used with grit guards in place and a nice soft lambswool wash mitt. I worked my way around the car starting from the top carefully removing months of dirt, salt and grime to reveal that stunning Midnight Blue Metallic Paint. Once safely washed the car was rinsed again and I liberally applied a later of Car Pro Iron X to remove Iron fall out and other contaminants. Left to dwell and rinsed the car was then dried for application of tar remover. Once the TFR stages were complete the car was clayed with a clay mitt and then safely dried with a variety of towels and a Metro Vac Master Blaster.

Now the car was ready to be taped up and inspected. All plastics, rubbers and delicate trims were taped prior to polishing to prevent them being damaged during the polishing stages. Paint depth readings were taken and the lights were switched on. The owner was fully aware of the damage that Hand car washes can do so fortunately the car had never been near one, It had seen one or two dealer washes and that was about it since new which to be honest was probably a blessing in disguise as the paint really wasn't too bad. Dont get me wrong it was far from perfect but given the mileage and the fact the car was nearly a year old it could certainly have been worse. I completed a few tests with various pads and polishing combo's and found the optimum choice and began enhancing the paint to remove light swirls and defects from the paintwork. In total I spent around 15 Hours polishing meticulously lifting as many defects as I could with a single stage machine polish. Once the polishing stages were complete, tape was removed and further readings were taken. The car was then wiped down twice with Car Pro eraser, Glass polished, Exhausts Polished and all surfaces prepared for coatings. 

Car Pro C Quartz UK was the ceramic coating I had chosen to add durable, hard and extremely glossy finish to the lovely Midnight Blue paint. G-Techniq alloy wheel armour was used on the wheels and a product I've not used before for the glass, Car Pro Flybe. All coatings were layered twice to ensure optimum protection and left to cure in appropriate conditions to ensure safe bonding. 

While the coatings were curing I moved onto protecting the exhaust with G-Techniq C4, The engine bay with Aerospace 303 and completing all the finishing touches on the exterior. It was then onto a deep clean of the interior. Firstly the interior was hoovered to lift loose dirt and grime. The leather was then deep cleaned with Dr Leather Leather Cleaner and agitated into the pores of the leather with a  small leather brush. Once the leathers were cleaned they were conditioned with Auto Finesse Leather conditioner restoring a lovely fresh finish to the leather and the all important leather smell. Plastics, Rubbers and Fabrics were wiped down and cleaned and the interior was complete. 

The car was then moved out into the sun for final checks and wipe down before photos and handover. Another extremely satisfying detail, Admittedly two long days and a late finish but the end result is always worth it!

BMW F80 M3

Enhancement Detail

A BMW Man through and through I'm always happy to have one through the doors. This stunning F80 M3 was no exception. This colour is exceptional, to look at the paint looks like solid blue, however under lighting and when the sun comes out it has a stunning metallic tint to it which I couldn't wait to fully extract through the polishing stages. 

The owner had booked the car in mainly for the purposes of coatings. He knew about ceramic and glass coatings and was looking for the best possible protection from the british elements with good durability too. C-Quartz UK seemed like a great choice, always adding a silky gloss to solid colour cars I though it would suit this M3 perfectly. 

Upon arrival the car was showing signs of some neglect and good use, which dont get me wrong good use certainly isn't a bad thing. First things first was to go through all the decontamination stages prior to any paintwork work. So a nice thick layer of snow foam was applied, removing all surface dirt and contaminants. Whilst that dwelled I began working on the wheels. BMW wheels can be right nightmare if they haven't been looked after properly, Iron fallout builds up in the well that runs around the back of the wheel spokes and takes some time and dedication to remove. So after ensuring every last spec was removed from the wheels I jetted the car down and moved on. 

Time to get washing, two buckets of course with grit guards, and a good soft mitt is essential to the washing stages. A good thorough wash, she was rinsed off ready to apply TFR removers. Iron X removing the Iron Fall out and Tardis removing tar, both products make for easy decontamination in prep for clay. Now not everyones a fan of clay mitts but I must say on a newer car they are an utter time saver, this M3 hadn't seen too many months of use so out came the mitt and a good clay later she was rinsed down ready to be dried. 

Dried safely with a variety of towels and our handy little metro vac the car was taken inside and left to dry naturally to ensure that all the water ran out the cracks to make sure when we taped up the tape didn't peel back or bubble. Tape up, gloves on, machine out, STOP! Dont forget paint measurements. So step by step I walked around the car, taking measurements and recording them to ensure that every panel was machine safe, fortunately it was so lights on and I got down to business. I tried out a new single stage compound and polish to do this F80 M3 after a recommendation from a fellow detailer and I must say what a cracking product it is. The polishing went without a hitch on this lovely M3 and after around 20 Hours of polishing she was finally ready for IPA Wipe down and final inspection.

Ceramic Bolt on meant the customer had a few choices to make, he opted for Car Pro C Quartz UK for the paint, Gtechniq C5 for the Wheels and Carbon Collective Platinum for the glass. This stage must not be rushed, so several hours were spent applying various coats to the different parts of the car before leaving it to cure. Whilst curing I got on with the interior. By the time the coatings had cured, the interior was done and I had also done all the last few bits such as dressing the engine bay, polishing the exhausts and dressing the tyres. 

Two and Half days later she was finished, light swirling and a few minor defects removed by a single stage enhancement detail, followed by ceramic bolt ons to the paint glass and wheels. Lovely car, lovely finish and a pleasure to detail. 

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! 

Land Rover Discovery

New Car Protection Detail

Land Rovers are a different breed of cars nowadays, full leather interior, thousands of pounds of electronics and in general a league above many of its competitors. Over the years they have soared in value and are such a high value car now its worth investing in having your investment protected at the highest possible level, in the highest possible detail. Booked for a new car protection detail the owner was solely focussed on having every possible surface protected with the most durable and resistant coating. Carbon Collective Oracle an extremely hydrophobic coating offers maximum repellency against anything that comes into contact with the paintwork whilst increasing gloss levels. With a durability of up to three years dependant on maintenance Oracle was the perfect fit. Already showing signs of minor use between the time it was collected to the earliest time I could get to the car some decontamination was required prior to any coatings. Following complete decontamination and cleanse all surfaces where prepared with Carbon Collective Panel Prep before 2 coats of Oracle were applied to paintwork, rubbers, plastics and trim. Following that Carbon Collective Platinum Glass was applied to all exterior glass and Platinum Wheels applied with the alloys. Moving to the inside, G-Tehcniq L1 was applied to all leather surfaces and interior cleaned and dressed. The end result, an extremely glossy Discovery ready for all the elements can throw at it.