My 850 and Platinum....

[imported_seres]

Hi all!



I finally used my Platinum sample and here is the result!



Procedure:



Dawn, PPCL, and 2x Platinum Paint Protection. I`ll be adding P21S Paste Wax tomorrow when it arrives by UPS, but couldn`t wait to post my picture.



Unfortunately, I think I need some lessons in car photography -- it looks so much better in person - I can`t get the super shine to show up via digi-cam!! Oh well - keep practicing, right! (Are there any threads I`ve missed which talk about photographing cars, best quality to photograph digitally, etc?)



P.S. Remember - this car is 6 years & 157K miles old!!



http://image1.villagephotos.com/pubimage.asp?id_=375973

[rstype]

Hi! Here is the thread in which carguy helped us all with a lesson on photography skills: OT: Short photo lesson (http://www.autopia-carport.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=6393&highlight=Photography) The hood of your 850 still looks reflective... especially considering the fact it has 157K miles. Good luck with any future detailing/picture taking!



Happy detailing,

~bw

[imported_seres]

Thanks BW! I plan to do some reading/studying tonight!! Hopefully my next pictures will be a good as those I`ve seen posted on here!! (Man, you can`t just be a good detailer, you have to be a good photographer, too! ;) )



And, yes, the whole car is very reflective -- considering it`s age & mileage -- it`s pretty amazing -- we worked and worked on the roof as it was pretty badly etched with acid rain spots. It was fairly dull when we bought it (after washing off the wax that the dealer had applied).

[thevolvoguy]

V4M, Hey buddy take a look at my image hosting site. I think my pics are decent. I like the reflections... www.funtigo.com/thevolvoguy



BTW what year and model 850? Mine is a `94 Turbo w/ exactly 150,000 miles today.



edit: Oh yeah I forgot... that car looks really nice. You get 2 :xyxthumbs :xyxthumbs

[imported_seres]

Hi volvoguy! Just FYI - I`m a "betty" not a "buddy" :D Honest mistake!



Thanks for the compliments. I`m going to practice with my son`s digital camera and try to get some better ones over the next few days. I hate that this one doesn`t really show how good the car looks.



I really like you reflection pics with the house shown! I like your wheels, too - the turbo rims are really nice looking!



Mine`s a `96 850 GLT. It`s got the leather interior, but not the wood dash package. I LOVE it!! It drives like new!!



We test drove a `96 Turbo Sedan when we drove the wagon - and I loved the spaciousness of the sedan. But, we had a wagon before, (740) and I like the versatility. (Plus, the wagon was blue and the sedan wasn`t :) )



Congrats on 150K miles! I`m goin` for 300!!



Do you have one of the High Mileage Club badges from Volvo? I got mine in a few weeks ago, but haven`t put it on yet.

[corvettez]

Nice job betty on bringing the paint back:up. I like that shade of blue, is that a teal? I always thought that color would be fun to detail and produce a nice shine. The car looks very good and I`m sure after you wax with the P21S the reflectivity will increase. The lighting plays a big part in the visual impact the shine has on the rest of us and sometimes getting that right can be tricky, IMHO. To a lesser extent I think the location or surroundings play into it as well, like you said you have to know how to detail and be a photographer also. What did you do to the paint before the dawn wash and PPCL? Nice job on the front wheels too by the way :up

[imported_seres]

Thanks V85097!!



The paint is called "Nautica Blue", and it`s a very dark blue with just a tiny green hint. It`s a metallic paint. I really like it too. It looks very rich.



I think that all the green in my yard and neighborhood is causing my pics to not look as good as I want them to, so I thought about trying to find a better location to shoot some.



Plus, using a digital camera with auto-focus is kind of a pain. It`s a Fuji FinePix 2600Zoom that I haven`t used very much (any advice VERY welcome!!!)



Before the dawn, ppcl & platinum, I had previously dawned, then clayed, then used 3M Perfect-It II & SMR by PC. We had to do the roof numerous times, and the hood a few too.



If you get really close, or use the dreaded halogens, or are an Autopian, you can tell that the hood has been repainted & hit with a rotary (there are these little "moons"), but under normal light & sunlight, it looks beautiful!



:)

[corvettez]

I wasn`t thinking blue but then again I`m color blind and your car looks more green to me;) but if I look at it long enough yes, I can see the blue, thank you. My cars are black and plum and I`m pretty good with not confusing those colors. The reason why I asked about the prep was because it almost looks like a polishing was missing from beneath the shine as a matter of prep but it must be the pic again, lighting can play tricks. I keep SMR and PI II in my supplies but have been trying PI III machine glaze lately and like it in place of the other two, it supposed to fall in between them in it`s level of abrasiveness. I like it because it contains no fillers and leaves very little residue to be wiped away after breaking down and it leaves behind a nice, deep gloss before adding anything else. The PI II leaves a haze on the black paint no matter how I use it so I may just retire it all together. You might want to try some 3M fine cut on the moons you have, I love that stuff and think it can work wonders and it might just take those down a little more for you. BTW, your car looks great for it`s age and mileage and excuse me for putting it that way but keep it up and you watch, folks that don`t know the model line will be asking you if it`s new :up