http://www.autopia.org/forum Click and Brag for Professionals Only. Go ahead Pros... show us whatcha got! en Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:11:20 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia_style/misc/rss.jpg http://www.autopia.org/forum http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125406-1991-porhche-911-turbo-supreme-clean.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:04:48 GMT I have been swamped with school work and other business ideas to have time to post a decent write up thread. Finally, I caught a break in schoolwork and working and have time to post up this detail..

Some background info:
This 911T had about 110K miles on it, and has only been a weekend driver for most of its life. Somewhere in its life a garage collapsed on it and the Porsche needed extensive body work, repainting etc.. I found out all of this about 4 hours into the detail. :mad: Me and the owner agreed on a 2 step correction and interior reconditioning.

Products used:
Nikon D40
ONR- QD Strength as a clay lube..
Megs Gold Class Wash
Sonus Green Clay
CG Tire Dressing
Stoners Invisible Glass
M105
M205
Megs #7 Glaze
Megs #21 Liquid Wax
Optimum Poli-seal
Porter Cable
White/Orange LC Pads 5.5" and 3.5"
Lexol Leather Cleaner/Lexol Leather Conditioner
Megs QID
Optimum Metal Polish
#0000 Steel Wool
Misc Brushes
Misc Micro-Fiber towels/wash mitts etc..

Exterior Process:
Wash With ONR using two bucket method
Clay with Sonus Green Clay w/ONR as a lube
M105 With KB Method w/LC Orange Pad
M205 speeds 4-6 w/LC White Pad
Wash with ONR using two bucket method
Megs #7 Glaze by hand
Megs #21 Liquid Wax by hand
Wheels washed with ONR + Purple Power @ 15:1
All Rubber/Exterior Black Plastic treated with CG Tire Dressing
Exhaust tips polished w/ OMP and steel wool, followed up with M205 and a cotton applicator, then followed with poli-seal
Windows cleaned w/ Stoners invisible glass

Interior Process
Vacuum everything
Wipe down all surfaces w/ damp ONR QD strength microfiber
Wipe down all plastics with Megs QID
Clean Leather with Lexol Leather Cleaner and hot water
Condition leather with Lexol Leather Conditioner applied with a cotton applicator, allowed to sit for 2 hours, then applied again, let sit for 2 hours, buff off.
Clean windows w/ Stoners invisible glass


On to the pics!

Before Pics:
As you guys can see, the overall dirtiness of the car was not bad at all.

















The wheels had some brake dust build up on them.. the matte finish really hid it well..





Just some dusting/dirt on the surface. Half/Half of ONR Wash..


Taped up and Ready to go..




The condition of the paint was alright, most of the car looked like this, with some light holograms..



]]> dmw2692004 http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125406-1991-porhche-911-turbo-supreme-clean.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125401-wet-shine-detailing-honda-swirl-city-nighthawk-black.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:13:01 GMT Hey guys, so this is a detail for an ’06 Honda City in nighthawk black. It has been in an accident and resprayed in a few areas and there were some colour mismatches as well as other minor damage in other areas. So the whole car was resprayed and Honda kindly provided free buffer marks service. The car wasn’t too dirty to begin with. Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/01.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/02.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/03.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/04.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/05.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/06.jpg Process for cleaning the wheels were Meguiar’s Super Degreaser(cut 4:1) on the tires and wheel wells and Meguiar’s Wheel Brightener(cut 4:1) on the wheels. Tar spots on the face of the wheel removed with Perma Glass Tar Remover. Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/07.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/08.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/09.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/10.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/11.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/12.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/13.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/14.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/15.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/16.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/17.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/18.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/19.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/20.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/21.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/22.jpg Car’s body is washed with Osren Bubble and Wax shampoo, surface smoothened with Osren Magic Clay Cloth and exterior rubber and plastic trim cleaned with Osren Multi Clean. The paint is then de-waxed with Osren Multi Clean. Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/23.jpg Then a test spot was performed on the passenger rear door. First step would be Meguiar’s #105 Ultra-Cut Compound via Lake Country 4-ply twisted wool @ 1500-2100rpms and followed by Meguiar’s #205 Ultra-Finishing Polish via Lake Country Kompressor white pad @ 900-1200rpms. Due to the hardness of the paint, M205 was not enough to completely remove the wool buffer marks from the first step. Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/24.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/25.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/26.jpg So three polishing stages will have to be needed, which were: 1. Meguiar’s #105 Ultra-Cut Compound via Lake Country 4-ply twisted wool @ 1500-2100 rpm 2. Meguiar’s #105 Ultra-Cut Compound via Lake Country Kompressor white pad @ 1200-1500 rpm 3. Menzerna 106FF Final Finish via Lake Country flat black pad @ 600-900 rpm Some before pictures, Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/27.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/28.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/29.jpg Image: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/rohteeplunta/Honda%20City%20Full%20Ext/30.jpg Hey guys, so this is a detail for an ’06 Honda City in nighthawk black. It has been in an accident and resprayed in a few areas and there were some colour mismatches as well as other minor damage in other areas. So the whole car was resprayed and Honda kindly provided free buffer marks service.
The car wasn’t too dirty to begin with.













Process for cleaning the wheels were Meguiar’s Super Degreaser(cut 4:1) on the tires and wheel wells and Meguiar’s Wheel Brightener(cut 4:1) on the wheels. Tar spots on the face of the wheel removed with Perma Glass Tar Remover.

































Car’s body is washed with Osren Bubble and Wax shampoo, surface smoothened with Osren Magic Clay Cloth and exterior rubber and plastic trim cleaned with Osren Multi Clean. The paint is then de-waxed with Osren Multi Clean.




Then a test spot was performed on the passenger rear door. First step would be Meguiar’s #105 Ultra-Cut Compound via Lake Country 4-ply twisted wool @ 1500-2100rpms and followed by Meguiar’s #205 Ultra-Finishing Polish via Lake Country Kompressor white pad @ 900-1200rpms. Due to the hardness of the paint, M205 was not enough to completely remove the wool buffer marks from the first step.








So three polishing stages will have to be needed, which were:
1. Meguiar’s #105 Ultra-Cut Compound via Lake Country 4-ply twisted wool @ 1500-2100 rpm
2. Meguiar’s #105 Ultra-Cut Compound via Lake Country Kompressor white pad @ 1200-1500 rpm
3. Menzerna 106FF Final Finish via Lake Country flat black pad @ 600-900 rpm

Some before pictures,






]]> fishbonezken http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125401-wet-shine-detailing-honda-swirl-city-nighthawk-black.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125397-07-g35-coupe-pearl-white-tad-swirly.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:06:56 GMT Good evening everyone,

Introducing the Infiniti G35 Coupe. In all honesty I simply love Pearl White. The flake is just fantastic. This particular flakey coupe had it's share of swirls but thankfully only needed a one step polish to clear it up. Oddly enough I didn't have issues capturing the defects on this particular brand of white.

I hope you enjoy the detail.

Wash
Chemical Guys Maxi Suds
Optimum Power Clean
Sheepskin Wash Mitts
Daytona Wheel Brush
Zymol Wheel Brush
Chenille Mitts
Microfibre Waffle Weave Drying Towel

Clay[/u][/b]
Chemical Guys Slick Synthetic Detailer
Riccardo Yellow Clay

Exhaust Tips
Optimum Metal Polish
0000 Steel Wool
Microfibre Towel

Paint Correction
Metabo PE12-175
3M BP
RB BP
Sonus 6 inch Blue finishing pad
Lake Country 4 inch flat White polishing pad
Meguiars applicator pad ( Trunk Area )
Menzerna Intensive Polish
Meguiars 205 ( Trunk Area )
3M Sun Gun
Halogens
IPA Isopropyl 2:1

Interior
Ridgid Wet/Dry Vacuum
1z Cockpit Premium
1z Leathercare
Costco Microfibre Towels

Seals
1z Gummi Fledge

LSP
Collinite 476s

BEFORE

All in all when I first took the car in it looked in alright condition. There were 3 spots where a lot of tree sap had accumulated. I apologize for not having those pictures. I attacked that area by using a heat gun which gave the sap a little more give and then I simply used isopropyl and cleaned it up with clay then one step polished. Aside from the tree sap you'll notice a significant amount of swirling.































DURING

Test Panel. I was lucky enough that after bumping up to Intensive Polish to my surprise removed most if not all the swirls from a single pass with Sonus Blue Finishing Pad. A IPA wipe down was used to check my work and there were no swirls. The rear trunk area where the Infiniti emblem was, I used Meguiars 205 and a wax applicator and it cleared it right up. I found using a machine in that area too cumbersome and it missed a lot of the smaller areas.




50/50


Cleared up.

AFTERS

Here are the afters inclusive of one coat of Collinite 476s. Yes the protection and beading of 476s are oh so very addicting.































]]> Nikku http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125397-07-g35-coupe-pearl-white-tad-swirly.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125379-1998-ferrari-355-spider-correction.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:10:57 GMT This car is timeless in it's styling, and when this car was in it's production cycle I worked on quite a few and loved every job(Ferrari paint was thin on these but NO sand scratches in those days at least).

The owner of this car is not one of my uber wealthy guys and saved for a long time for this particular car and came over at his lunch time to watch me work on his baby for the two days it was in the shop.

The top and trim were in excellent shape as it was kept in a climate controlled garage in the midwest.

The beginning..........

Crusty wheels and tires



Wheel wells



Little bit of an insect issue



After a thorough wash I cleaned the top with a citrus cleaner



Here was a nice scratch on the rear bumper



Hit the scratch with 2500, then 3000 grit to level the defect



Corrected nicely with just a dab of touch up needed on the end of the scratch



This was one of the re-sprayed panels and it was hazy from shrinkage



After wool correction the panel has more clarity



This part of the engine cover needed air sanding to level out the defects



After wool correction



After intermediate polishing with Menz 106FA



Close up pic of contrast of corrected and marred finish 50/50



50/50 pic after wool correction



After foam polishing



After jewelling stage



Spent quite a bit of time fine jewelling with Menz 87MC



The results of that effort



Clean wheels and wheel wells



Broke out the steamer to clean the fuel filler cap of left over compound residue from the re-spray

]]> Auto Concierge http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125379-1998-ferrari-355-spider-correction.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125376-2010-porsche-gt3-guards-red-clear-bra-install-spoiler-repair-detail-ucc.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:40:43 GMT This gorgeous 2010 Porsche GT3 in Guards Red was scheduled for a general cleanup and clear film install (clear-bra). The owner plans on tracking the car and wanted to make sure that all critical areas were covered in film to ensure that no damage was done and keep the car looking its best. Despite being new, the owner had a slight mishap and damaged the front lip spoiler. I told the owner I would repair the spoiler while it was at the shop.


Upon arrival, the car was already in great shape, which is expected being a new car. I started by giving all of the wheels, tires & wheel wells an extensive cleaning.


All tires and wheel wells were cleaned with Kleens degreaser and agitated with a soft bristle wheel brush as seen below.





The wheels were treated with P21S wheel cleaner and agitated with various brushes to get every square inch of the wheels spotless.







Once I completed the steps above, I gave the exterior a thorough rinse, paying special attention to all of the cracks & crevices where sand and dirt usually accumulate.





Once the vehicle was rinsed free of all loose dirt and contaminants, I soaked the car in foam using a Gilmour Foammaster II foam gun. I mixed a bit of degreaser in with the soap to help strip away any protection that may have been present.







By allowing the foam to dwell on the surface for several minutes, it helps loosen any grime that is on the surface and reduce the chance of marring the paint when performing the wash. After allowing the foam to dwell for several minutes, the exterior was rinsed for a second time with lots of pressure to remove as much contamination as possible.


Next, the exterior received a hand wash to prep the paint for the clear-bra install the following day.





After the wash was complete, all surfaces were dried and all door, hood & trunk jambs were wiped clean with a microfiber towel. In addition, all cracks & crevices were blow with compressed air to remove any excess water that was hiding…





Now that the paint was clean, I carefully inspected the paint to make sure it was absolutely perfect before the clear-bra install. Although this car was brand new, I did notice some sanding tracer marks on the front bumper, which were overlooked by the factory.


I masked off the front spoiler with blue painters tape and polished all areas being covered with the clear film using Menzerna PO203S on a white foam LC polishing pad, followed by Menzerna PO85rd using a black foam LC finishing pad. After all polishing was complete, the surface was wiped clean with 91% alcohol to ensure that all carrier oils left from the polish were completely removed. This did a great job clearing up any imperfections and left the surface ready for the clear film install the following morning.


Because the owner planned on using the car the way it’s supposed to be, he opted to have a custom kit installed to the front of the car as well as the bottom rocker panels, behind the front & rear wheels, door jambs and the back of the carbon fiber seats. This is a very smart idea, since the car would be visiting the track often and will protect the super soft Porsche paint from getting chipped up.


Door jambs covered in film…





Carbon fiber seats covered in film…





Partial hood & complete front bumper covered in film…





Once the clear-bra install was complete, I inspected the damage to the front spoiler to see what supplies would be needed in order to make it look new again. Below is the extent of the damage…













I took a ride to the local body shop supply store to pick up the necessary supplies to complete the repair. I asked them what products would yield the best results for a factory look. They recommended that I sand the spoiler with 400 grit sandpaper, clean the surface with prep solvent, then apply multiple coats of SEM Black Texture Coating.


Before attempting the repair, I carefully masked off the spoiler with masking tape and covered the rest of the car to make sure no overspray made its way onto the paint. To save a little time, I sanded out the defects using my pneumatic sander using Micro Surface sanding discs.





After most of the defects were removed by machine, I sanded the spoiler a second time by hand using 400 grit sandpaper. Since the car is going to be driven at the track often, I decided to go easy on the sanding to make sure there is plenty of surface left if it needs to be repaired again in the future. I decided to leave some minor defects, which I was hoping would be filled in by the coating. Here is the spoiler after sanding out the major defects…





Once all of the sanding was complete, I wiped the surface clean with prep solvent to ensure a perfectly clean surface. I applied 3 thin coats to the spoiler with about 5 minutes between coats. It went on very nice and gave the spoiler a flat black look. To be honest, it was not the look I was after (I wanted a satin finish), but decided to leave it because the owner needed the car the following day.


Here is what it looked like after the repair…















As you can see, the repair came out great, but I was not happy with the sheen of the coating. I decided to leave it for the time being and told the owner I would give it another shot the next time the car was in for a detail.


After the spoiler repair was complete, I inspected the rest of the car for any imperfections before the application of a paint sealant. I discovered some leftover cosmoline residue on some of the panels, which the dealer forgot to remove as you can see below. To remove the adhesive, I used a microfiber towel saturated with acrylic solvent, which worked great.







Now that the paint was free of any defects and all of the cosmoline residue was removed, I applied a thin coat of Blackfire Wet Diamond paint sealant to the entire exterior, including the clear-bra using a gold CCS concours pad.





I let the Wet Diamond set up for about 20 minutes before removing with a fresh microfiber towel. Next, I sealed the wheels and exterior glass with Opti-Seal, then dressed all tires & wheel wells with Super Blue tire dressing.







The exhaust tips were black and were looking a little dirty…





I sealed them with some Bilt Hamber Auto Balm…

]]> RickRack http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125376-2010-porsche-gt3-guards-red-clear-bra-install-spoiler-repair-detail-ucc.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125375-envious-detailing-honda-s2000.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:18:14 GMT So I arrive today to detail this car for a L4P member and I glance over the car, think about what it would take to get it looking best again, give him my thoughts and he says...this is just for a clean up/polishclay/wax...we will do the full complete detail after I do a couple things to the car!" Sounds good to me, I know my game plan! What I didnt know was exactly what polish I was going to go with! I ended up trying out two polishes for a mild polish with SOME corrective ability - meguiars 205 and menzerna 203...overall winner was menzerna for more defect removal, and total gloss!!! It was a much needed overhaul for the car as oxidation, swirling, fallout was taking over the car!

I started on the car with an ONR wash (quick wash)
Then I followed with the following process/products:
clay - megs last touch with clay magic red clay
polish - menzerna 203 power finish
waxing - collinite 845

total time estimated - 4 hours
total time invested - 6 hours (the things I do for L4P members)
extra time invested was well worth the results as the embedded contaminants were not coming off the paint easily!

Befores:










this is why it took soooo long to clay...like this all over the car, and I dont just get it "good enough". I go for it all!!!
]]> toyotaguy http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125375-envious-detailing-honda-s2000.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125340-season-photos-esoteric-auto-detail.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:13:14 GMT by Esoteric Auto Detail of Columbus, Ohio.

It's getting towards the end of the season, so I wanted to put together a photographical index of some of the vehicles I worked on this year. Most of these have full write-ups available, so I simply provided a few shots of each...

I've got some really exciting projects I will be working on over the winter, so stay tuned for much more in the future!

Enjoy...

Porsche Cayman.

Before:


After:








Caddy CTS-V





]]> TSC17 http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125340-season-photos-esoteric-auto-detail.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125335-2010-vw-gti-stage-3-a.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:05:52 GMT *After* A]]> This is a repeat customer that just put on a APR stage 3 on his new GTI. It has less than 100 miles on it. Crazy!!!
It's supposed to be featured in Eurotuner sometime next year.

Okay the detail
Just a Wash, Clay and Wax:

Wash
Meguiars Gold Class with APC
Two Bucket Method
Foam Gun

Wheels
PS21, soak for 5 minutes
Long horse hair brush
Short horse brush for the bolts
Adams VRT for dress

Clay
Adams with Meguiars final inspection

Wax
Two coats of Meguiars NXT 2.0

Sorry my camera was acting up so I don't have a lot of pics

Before




After


A ]]> GallagherAuto http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125335-2010-vw-gti-stage-3-a.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125334-porsche-gt2.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:57:02 GMT After: ]]> Hi Everyone, I've been detailing for about 5 years and doing it professionally for about 3. This is my first really post. Just wanted to know what you all thought.
Okay, I've had this client for a while. He's getting ready to sell the car and just wanted a wash, clay and wax.

Wash
Meguiars Gold Class with APC
Two bucket method

Wheels
PS21 for wheels
Horse hair brush Big and small
Stiff brush for tires.
Dressed with Adams VRT

Clay
Adams clay with Meguiars Final Inspection

Wax
Meguiars Sealant topped with NXT 2.0

Oh..This car has 515 RBHP...love it!!! :woot:
Enjoy!!!

Before:






After:



]]> GallagherAuto http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125334-porsche-gt2.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125324-mercedes-amg-sl55-complete-detail.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:41:06 GMT I did this 04 Mercedes AMG SL55 over a year ago and just came up with a few hours to do a write-up on it. Basically a complete detail with Stage 3 paint correction. Nothing too heavy, just a ~85% swirl correction, Interior & Engine Detail. Here’s what I did:

Befores:



















Wash/Paint Prep:
Soaked the engine compartment down with Auto Magic Special Cleaner:



Hand washed with one of Phil’s microfibers:







Clayed with Blue Clay Magic & Body Shine:



Once the paint was free of topical contaminants, I used Micro-Surface’s 4000 grit sandpaper to flatten things out more. I used the idle setting(no pressure) on my Pressure Washer to allow for constant flushing of the surface:



Once the paint was clean & sanded, it was still beading water from the recent wax job. That had to go before I buffed so I used some special cleaner from Stone Soap Company to strip any remaining protection:

Beading before:



No Beading (50/50):



Removed certain trim & taped the rest:







This is one of the early rock hard Ceramiclear paints. Notice the “C” in the paint code:





Before shots of the paint:






The entire front end had a Clear Bra & it was even swirled up:









]]> David Fermani http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125324-mercedes-amg-sl55-complete-detail.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125313-handz-detailed-sn95-mustang-w-cg-50-50-photoshoot.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:01:09 GMT So This weekend I had a detailing job cancel on my so I Took the time to do some work on my SN95 Mustang. It had been a few weeks since I had waxed the stang so i decided to strip everything and try out a new Combo. The stang came out SO good that i decided to drive to Downtown Los Angeles and stoot some pics after i grabbed some lunch!! Enjoy!!! *CG Citrus Wash+Gloss (Body) CG Citrus Wash Clear (Wheels) CG Wet-Mirror Finish CG Jetseal 109 CG 50/50 Pure Consours Paste Wax CG Wheel Guard * *#1* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_2214Small.jpg *#2* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_2242Small.jpg *#3* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_2245Small.jpg *#4* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_2255Small.jpg *#5* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_2277Small.jpg Some Detail Whoring.... *#6* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_1847Small.jpg Flawless Paint *#7* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_1840Small.jpg *#8* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_1861Small.jpg Beading From 50/50 is Very Tight *#9* Image: http://handz.hardbraking.com/DowntownLAPhotoshoot/IMG_1862Small.jpg So This weekend I had a detailing job cancel on my so I Took the time to do some work on my SN95 Mustang.

It had been a few weeks since I had waxed the stang so i decided to strip everything and try out a new Combo.

The stang came out SO good that i decided to drive to Downtown Los Angeles and stoot some pics after i grabbed some lunch!!

Enjoy!!!

CG Citrus Wash+Gloss (Body)
CG Citrus Wash Clear (Wheels)
CG Wet-Mirror Finish
CG Jetseal 109
CG 50/50 Pure Consours Paste Wax
CG Wheel Guard


#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


Some Detail Whoring....

#6


Flawless Paint

#7


#8


Beading From 50/50 is Very Tight

#9
]]> Handz http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125313-handz-detailed-sn95-mustang-w-cg-50-50-photoshoot.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125308-concours-finish-detailed-audi-a8l.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:39:46 GMT Audi A8L

This was exterior only detail as requested by the client. Beautiful car and would take this over an S class or 7 series any day.

Wash
Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss
P21S Total Auto Wash
P21S Gel Wheel Cleaner
Meguiars APC +


Clay
Chemical Guys Gray Clay
ONR QD Strength Clay Lube

Paint Correction
Makita 9227c
Purple Foamed Wool and Menz SIP
Orange Pad and Menz SIP
White Pad and Menz PO106FF
Black Pad and Menz PO85 RD


Trim
Prima Clarity Glass Cleaner
303 Aerospace Protectant
Meguiars Hyperdressing

Interior
5.5 hp Rigid Shop Vac

LSP
Chemical Guys Jetseal 109

Befores



































Jet seal 1st layer applied









]]> rlguy28 http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125308-concours-finish-detailed-audi-a8l.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125293-phantom-black-exterior-revival-audi-rs4-autolavish.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:05:31 GMT This awesome B7 RS4 came to us in hopes of us being able to not only prep her for the Winter, but to give her back a little youth in the process. With nearly 40k miles, she was in good shape for her age, but could certainly use a little autoLavish love. After a thorough walk-through with the owner, the goal was to thoroughly clean and clay the exterior, bring back the exhaust tips to their original beauty, de-grease the door jams, clean the stock 19 inch rims which were currently removed, and leave the car ready for the Winter... all within a strict time limit as he had obligations for the evening. :WHEW: no problem...

Upon first inspection, the car wasn't too beat, but did have a lot of swirling and light marring that took away from the clarity and gloss of the finish, not to mention she was in need of a wash.








Jacob began by working on the already removed stock wheels. It's a lot easier and quicker to give a thorough cleaning to a wheel that's removed.









Done!




While the rims got cleaned, I started with the pre-soak






After a rinse, then a re-foam and wash, it was time to clay. Most of the car wasn't too bad, but certain areas were overly contaminated such as the usual aft of the wheels, the rear deck lid, the door sills, etc. A quick rewash after insured the paint was correctly prepped for machine correction.






Prior to taping the vehicle off, the sun decided to hide for the rest of the day making our job that much harder with the pearl paint. After trying several combinations to maximize results in the time we had left, we ended up going with M105 on the Flex with a Meguiar's W66 backing plate and an orange LC pad on the trunk lid, hood, and roof, then everything else was hit with Meguiar's M205 on the PC with an orange LC pad.

left side corrected, right side still with spider swirls



No sun looks like this:



Halogens show the real difference in the lower rocker panel area



Inside the door handles was hard to capture, but you'll get the idea
before:



after:

]]> MuttGrunt http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125293-phantom-black-exterior-revival-audi-rs4-autolavish.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125287-2007-mkv5-step-step-full-correction-100-pics.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:18:19 GMT VW GTI Full Correction – Step by Step Write-Up

A few months ago I promised to detail my cousins VW GTI however I have been busy with client details and I wanted to make sure that I had enough time to take a lot of step by step pictures and do a full correction.

Ok so to the present day. My cousin went on vacation so I chose two days out of the two weeks he was away to work on his vehicle. Thankfully our schedules worked out and I had freed up two days so I could detail his GTI.

Ok so let us get started. I am going to try something a little different this time around by accompanying the pictures with product and process information. So bare with me and hopefully you will enjoy the write up as much as I have enjoyed writing it up.

BEFORES

So before I do anything to the car I like to go around with my D40. You can use any camera with a decent quality pixel rate but I find that DSLR provides for better depth and sharpness. Even though I do a walk through at the beginning I find that the process of snapping quality pictures really helps with me with prioritizing trouble areas. If surprises pop up I make sure to call the customer to let him know of the issue before proceeding. It really saves me and customer time and hassle.







Possible bird etching issue on this particular panel.





Scratch on driver side mirror with paint transfer. Possible solutions could be heat gun and a light wipe, ISA wipe (isopropyl and water 50:50 mix), clay & clay lube and polishing.

















The GTI is obviously dull but there is also a noticeable grayish tinge but it is nothing to be overly concerned about.

WASH

Ok so I’ve done the post detail walk through now let us move on to the wash phase of the detail. After my washes I always like to snap additional pictures because you never know what could be hiding underneath all that dirt. Dirt may not be dirt and maybe a scratch.



My tools of choice for washing this GTI’s paint is as follows:
2 Grit Guards
2 Sheepskin Wash Mitts
1 Detail Brush
Chemicals Guys Maxi Suds
Optimum No Rinse
Optimum Power Clean

I mix all three together. 1 oz of Maxi Suds, 1 oz of ONR and 2 oz of PC. I like a little suds so I use Maxi Suds to lift the dirt, ONR is added to soften the water and to pull the dirt away from the paintwork and PC to get rid of any existing wax or sealant even though this particular GTI did not have any protection to speak off.





The tools that I used for the wheels are:
Detail brush (which are brilliant for lug nuts)
Grit guard
One bucket
Daytona Wheel Brush (completely invaluable when cleaning inner rims)
2 Chenille wash Mitts
Chemical Guys Wheel Gel ( 1 part water 1 part Wheel Gel used directly on surface)
Optimum Power Clean (1.5 oz of Power Clean used in bucket solution)







When rinsing wheels it is always safer to wash your wheels when they have cooled down. If you rinse a vehicle that has just been driven you risk the rotor warping because the rotor is hot while the water is cold. GTI was picked up the day before so the wheels were cool so there were no issues rinsing the wheels.



Coating the caliper and wheel with Chemical Guys Wheel Gel.



CG Wheel Gel also sprayed on tires.



You can see the wheel gel working and pulling the dirt away from the tire. This will help the longevity and look of your favourite tire dressing by having a clean canvas to work on.



Here is the Daytona brush in action. I scrub by brushing in side to side and back and forth motion to get the best cleaning action. Again I can’t emphasize how much it’s helped me keep my hands from getting tiny cuts from the rotors.





The Daytona Brush bent and being used behind the spokes.





The chenille mitt being used for the face of the rim. Although I prefer using the detail brush or zymol brush I find that the chenille mitt saves me some time because it has more coverage. I still use the detail brush for the corners of spokes.



Detail brush being used for the lug nuts.



All cleaned up.



Whoops almost forgot the calipers. When cleaning your calipers or the inner rims if you find that it’s being blocked by a spoke or caliper just roll your vehicle backward or forward to clean the previously inaccessible area.



Another example of a wheel scrub down.



Clean and Clear bucket. Keep that in mind for after the wash. ]]> Nikku http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125287-2007-mkv5-step-step-full-correction-100-pics.html http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125278-black-cts-v-paint-correction.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:17:37 GMT 2005 Cadillac CTS-V, exterior correction only. The owner recently purchased this car used and wanted to give her a new lease on life. He had contacted me via email about my services and mentioned he was getting the hood painted under warranty, and that he would then bring the car over for me to inspect. Upon inspection the car really didn’t look too bad; especially considering it was black and 4 years old. We had decided that a 2-step correction was they way to go for this daily driver, and I was confident it would remove 90-95% of the defects…. HOWEVER, the body shop somehow happened to get overspray all over the ENTIRE car when they painted the hood!!! The owner brought the car back to the dealership/body shop to have them remove the overspray via clay bar prior having me do the work. I had also done a test spot with some OTC Meguiars clay, and the overspray came off with very little effort… The car was dropped off late on Friday night in the rain so I really had no idea what I was in for until after I washed the car and pulled out the Brinkmann… Before pics Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2190.jpg P21S Gel dwelling Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2196.jpg After an ONR bath the damage was sadly revealed with the Brinkmann and Halogens lamps. You can clearly see the deep marring and RIDS inflicted by the body shop, who apparently was using a very aggressive and dirty clay bar….so much for the 2-step process. Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2197.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2198.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2199.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2200.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2208.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2210.jpg Very deep scratch in the newly painted hood…apparently done during the claying at the dealer/body shop. This was definitely not coming out but I did try to make it less noticeable. Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2203.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2207.jpg The car also had those ugly door edge moldings that not only take away from the look of the car, but they also make buffing a PITA. I asked the owner what he though of them and he agreed that they should be removed if possible. Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2216.jpg Some glue left behind… Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2218.jpg 3M adhesive remove to the rescue Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2219.jpg It was late Friday night after washing the car and I wanted to have my process dialed in for Saturday morning. My original plan of attack was M105 on the rotary with Solo wool pad, followed by M105 on the PCXP with an orange LC pad, finishing off with M205 on a black LC pad. It may be hard to see in the 50/50 shots but M205 left some very faint micro marring. Because of this I decided to finish with Menzerna 106ff as it finished down perfectly. 50/50 test spot (Note that these were taken after finishing with M205, not 106ff) Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2211.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2213.jpg Image: http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i288/Raskyr1/CTS-V/IMG_2214.jpg 2005 Cadillac CTS-V, exterior correction only.

The owner recently purchased this car used and wanted to give her a new lease on life. He had contacted me via email about my services and mentioned he was getting the hood painted under warranty, and that he would then bring the car over for me to inspect. Upon inspection the car really didn’t look too bad; especially considering it was black and 4 years old. We had decided that a 2-step correction was they way to go for this daily driver, and I was confident it would remove 90-95% of the defects…. HOWEVER, the body shop somehow happened to get overspray all over the ENTIRE car when they painted the hood!!! The owner brought the car back to the dealership/body shop to have them remove the overspray via clay bar prior having me do the work. I had also done a test spot with some OTC Meguiars clay, and the overspray came off with very little effort…


The car was dropped off late on Friday night in the rain so I really had no idea what I was in for until after I washed the car and pulled out the Brinkmann…


Before pics





P21S Gel dwelling




After an ONR bath the damage was sadly revealed with the Brinkmann and Halogens lamps. You can clearly see the deep marring and RIDS inflicted by the body shop, who apparently was using a very aggressive and dirty clay bar….so much for the 2-step process.


















Very deep scratch in the newly painted hood…apparently done during the claying at the dealer/body shop. This was definitely not coming out but I did try to make it less noticeable.






The car also had those ugly door edge moldings that not only take away from the look of the car, but they also make buffing a PITA. I asked the owner what he though of them and he agreed that they should be removed if possible.



Some glue left behind…



3M adhesive remove to the rescue



It was late Friday night after washing the car and I wanted to have my process dialed in for Saturday morning. My original plan of attack was M105 on the rotary with Solo wool pad, followed by M105 on the PCXP with an orange LC pad, finishing off with M205 on a black LC pad. It may be hard to see in the 50/50 shots but M205 left some very faint micro marring. Because of this I decided to finish with Menzerna 106ff as it finished down perfectly.

50/50 test spot (Note that these were taken after finishing with M205, not 106ff)







]]> RaskyR1 http://www.autopia.org/forum/pro-details-before-after/125278-black-cts-v-paint-correction.html