Vauxhall Astra Tuition Detail - Solid White Beauty

Dave KG · 06-07-09, 05:03

The subject of Saturday's tuition detail, this Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch...

The car is owned by Helen, MissyR on the forum, who is already experienced with a DA polisher but fancied learning how to use the rotary

Gordon (caledonia) was also along for the day to help out, huge thanks to Gordon for his assistance on the day - very enjoyable team detailing today :thumb:

Starting off with the wheels and arches, Bilberry Wheel Cleaner was used, with All Purpose Cleaner from Meguiars used on the tyres and arches. This was before the car was foamed using Meguiars Shampoo Plus through the foam lance...

After washing the car using Shampoo Plus and the two bucker wash method, it was clayed using Bilt Hamber Soft Clay. The car had clearly been clayed quite recently, the paint aleady very smooth and only the odd bit here and there being lifted off the paint.

With the car cleaned, and clayed, we could now assess the finish... the swirls were there, but they were very light...

While Helen and I worked on the test car for rotary tuition, Gordon got started on the rear of the car...

Once Helen was happy with the control of the rotary on the test car, it was time for her to tackle her bonnet... I stepped up first, assessing the paint finish and what was going to achieve the results and explaining the process of product choice as I went. A light finishing polish was knocking out all of the swirls but leaving some RDS in the finish. In the end, we decided on Menzerna PO85RD3.02 Intensive Polish applied by rotary using a Meguiars W8006 polishing pad, using a "correction-only" technique as follows:

Spread at 600rpm
Begin working at 1200rpm
Work at 1500 - 1800rpm until defects corrected

No attempt at refining was made here. Instead, we used a dedicated finishing stage: Meguiars #205 Ultra Finishing Polish on a Meguiars W9006 tan finishing pad. Quite a polish this new finishing polish from Meguiars, using unigrit technology it remains abrasive till the end of the set but you can vary the cut by varying the pressure you apply to the pad (as well as the pad itself...). For finishing purposes, we have used a finishing pad. Product applied as follows:

Spread at 600rpm, light pressure
Begin working at 1200rpm, light pressure
Work at 1500rpm for a couple of minutes, moderate pressure, until the residue goes clear
Refine at 900rpm, light pressure to burnish to a gloss

The end result of this process:

Dave KG · 06-07-09, 05:04

Happy with the results, Helen went down the passenger side of the car, putting into practice what she had picked up so far...

Before:

Working away...

End results, well worth the efforts put in:

I went down the driver's side, some befores:

Working away...

Using a 4" pad for tight spots and small details...

End results...

Dave KG · 06-07-09, 05:06

Corrected in the tight small regions...

Door handles corrected (using rotary at slow speed, light pressure to avoid heating the plastic edges):

Below the styling line and sill...

Gordon was doing sterling work on the rear and roof...

Paying off in the results...

Helen corrected the front V-grille... Before:

A full box of cakes were nearly completely scoffed by this point! :doublesho

:

Protection for this car was chosen to be Duragloss Track Claw - something slick and easy to clean on a show stand after a long drive was the remit here.

Track Claw also applied to the wheels. Glass cleaned with Autoglym Fast Glass, plastics with Black Wow and tyres with Meguiars Hot Shine.

The afters are a result of teamwork - three of us working our socks off, some tuition, lots of cakes, good banter and all in a mighty enjoyable day

The results of our efforts...

Nice clean arches

and wheels...

Dave KG · 06-07-09, 05:07

More afters...

Big thanks to Helen, Gordon and Jane for a cracking day

OCKlasse · 06-07-09, 09:09

Excellent writeup and wonderful work as always!

mixmaster209 · 06-07-09, 09:37

Nice write up as well. Always love threads with a ton of pictures!

salty · 06-08-09, 02:27

Nice as always.

I would have loved to hear the banter going on, with that strange language you guys speak over there, thinking Rock'n Rolla.

What is one of those car worth?, it would be nice to see some of them over here.

Rhino · 06-08-09, 03:19

Great work and excellent writeup. I like that car.

I look forward to the next tuition detail writeup.

Dave KG · 06-08-09, 03:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty

Nice as always.

I would have loved to hear the banter going on, with that strange language you guys speak over there, thinking Rock'n Rolla.

What is one of those car worth?, it would be nice to see some of them over here.

Brand new, about £14k will get you a 1.6 litre version of the car, £20k will get you a 240bhp 2.0 litre Turbo VXR version (0-60mph in 6.2secs, 152mph top whack - pretty good for a hatchback

)

Perhaps one will turn up on your side of the Atlantic soon

the other pc · 06-08-09, 09:32

Great work, Dave!

And a brilliant job teaching too.

Quote:

Originally Posted by salty

.... it would be nice to see some of them over here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave KG

....Perhaps one will turn up on your side of the Atlantic soon

They’re finally sending Astra’s our way, via Saturn dealers. Saturn | 2008 ASTRA XE & XR | Hatchback - Sport Compact Car | Saturn Astra

It’s about damn time.

pc.

Dave KG · 06-08-09, 10:00

Just had a look at that, nice to see the AstraH (as we call it) heading your way... 1.8litre engine is a cracker, I had a derivative of it in my AstraG without VVT and it was a frisky, rev happy little engine. Wonder if they will export the VXR version to you...? 2.0 Turbo, 240bhp, 152mph

the other pc · 06-08-09, 01:45

We can only hope.

Everybody who even knows the Astra exists in the US (which is almost nobody since GM’s done a miserable job promoting it here) is hoping for a “Redline” version with a turbo motor, just as they did with the Sky/Solstice/GT.

With all the, um, complexities down at GM right now, who knows?

Of course, now that Roger Penske’s taking over Saturn, things are going to be a whole lot different. Roger’s a guy who knows a thing or two about fast cars. So we’ll keep our fingers crossed.

pc.