C63S AMG, 66 Vette, 36 Ford, 12 Vette - Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT

[PinnacleAutoCT]

This 2015 C63S AMG had just been picked up from a dealership in Ohio and was scheduled for a one step correction and coating with 22PLE VX1 Pro. The paint showed signs of moderate marring from the dealership’s automatic car wash along with rotary swirling above the shoulder-line of the car. These factors together detracted from the car’s appearance in the sunlight, so the goal was to remove the majority of the defects and provide long-term protection which would aid in keeping the black paint clean and free of marring.

Before:
DSC00848 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

Here you can see the heavy brake dust accumulation from the Ohio to CT drive:

DSC00850 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00852 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

The black paint showed plenty of marring for a brand new car:

DSC00862 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00865 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

Here rotary swirls are visible in addition to the straight line marring:
DSC00869 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00884 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00891 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00893 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

A heavy compound had been slung under the window trim and left to harden up:

DSC00903 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

During:

To start the car was thoroughly washed with Optimum No Rinse, followed by a decontamination with Clay Magic medium grade clay. All trim and moldings were then masked off and a polishing process using HD Polish with Lake Country foam finishing pads was performed with the Italian-made, long-stroke Rupes 21 and 75E polishers. The car was then washed to remove polishing dust and the entire body was wiped down twice with CarPro Eraser to ensure all polishing oils and dust were removed, leaving a clean surface to promote maximum adhesion of 22PLE VX1 Pro.

The following pictures were taken after a post-polishing wash with filtered water and pre-coating application:


DSC00907 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00909 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00912 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00913 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00914 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00919 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00929 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00933 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

After application of 22ple VX1 Pro coating:

DSC00939 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00940 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00941 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr


DSC00945 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00946 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00948 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr


DSC00951 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00956 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00958 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00968 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

[PinnacleAutoCT]

Next up is the 66 Vette, this car had received a one-step correction and Meguiar’s #7 treatment during the summer (see here: 66 Vette, 42 Pontiac, RX-8, 74 Doge D100 - Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum) and was due for just an ONR wash with filtered water followed by a coat of Optiseal before being put into storage for the winter.

DSC00729 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00724 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00721 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00735 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00736 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00742 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
This ’36 Ford doesn’t see much driving time, so a ONR wash followed by CarPro Reload was all that was needed:
DSC00746 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00743 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00749 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00752 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00756 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
Finally, the 2012 Corvette Grand Sport. The main areas of concern for this detail were the wheels, which hadn’t been washed in months and showed signs of baked-on brake dust which had etched into the chrome finish, and the white road paint which speckled the nose of the car.
Before:
DSC00645 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00644 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00643 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
Here you can see the severity of the brake dust accumulation:
DSC00647 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00649 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00658 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00660 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00656 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
Chemical staining below the side mirror:
DSC00652 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
The exhaust tips were in need of attention:
DSC00666 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
Road paint had adhered to the bumper, hood and fenders of this Corvette:
DSC00684 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00688 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00689 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
During:
To start the car was given a wash with Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine while Optimum Power Clean was allowed to dwell on the wheels, tires and wheel wells. Next the paint was decontaminated using Clay Magic medium gray clay, then 3M’s Specialty Adhesive Remover was used with microfiber towels to carefully dislodge each individual spot of road paint. After this the finish was polished with HD Speed, Lake Country black pads & The Rupes 21 & 75E polishers. Protection was increased with CarPro’s Reload and the tires were dressed with 3D Thick Dressing. The wheels were thoroughly polished with Meguiar’s D300 and short nap microfiber towels.
A test of the wheel polishing procedure demonstrated that the finish could be revived:
DSC00683 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
After:
DSC00718 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00716 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00712 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

DSC00710 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00708 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00700 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr
DSC00705 by Mike Donoghue, on Flickr

Thanks for looking, comment and questions are welcome!

[OneQuickGT1]

Awesome work. Reload over speed? Does it hold up well?

[mjlinane]

Excellent work!

[Pats300zx]

Fantastic work !!! You gotta love HD Speed. Nice comeback on the Vette

[PinnacleAutoCT]

Thanks guys, and yep, HD Speed is great, a really amazing AIO.

OneQuickGTI- Reload actually holds up very well over HD Speed, probably not as good as being applied to bare paint, but for a basic interior/exterior package like the Corvette received it`s great.

[Migue]

HD Speed saves the day once again, awesome work on all of them!

[DBAILEY]

Why did you use the HD Speed AIO prior to coating the MB with 22PLE? Do you think a wipe down with Eraser was sufficient to remove the sealant/wax left behind by HD Speed?

[Ronkh]

Are you on well water or MDC ?

Just asking because you said filtered water.

[PinnacleAutoCT]

Ronkh- Well water.

Dbailey- That was a typo, I used HD Polish on the C63. I definitely would not recommend HD Speed before a coating, there`s no way it would bond.