Nothing Says "Subaru" like Rally Blue & Gold... 2004 STi Exterior Enhancement

[zmcgovern45]

The owner of this vehicle, was a winner of one of my $50 Facebook giveaways last year. He chose to use it towards a one-stage polishing detail on his STi. This car is clearly enjoyed and driven frequently as its paint and body showed plenty of `love marks`. The paint was dangerously thin in many areas, reading below 70 microns in some spots, therefore the main goal of this detail was to enhance the gloss and color, but not focus on heavy defect removal. The car turned out great - this World Rally Blue & Gold combo suits this car perfectly!


Process

Exterior
- Tires: Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner & Tire Brush
- Wheels: Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner & Various Brushes/Wheel Woolies
- Pre-Soak: CG Citrus Wash via DI Foam Lance
- Wash: CG Citrus Wash (two bucket method)
- Iron Decontamination: CarPro Iron X
- Dry: DI Waffle Weave Towels and Master Blaster Sidekick
- Decontamination: Nanoskin Fine Grade Mitt with Nanoskin Glide for lubrication
- Tape Trim
- Paint Thickness Readings Taken
- Polish: Meguiar`s M205 w/ Orange Light Cutting Pads via Rupes LHR21ES (5.5" Pads) and Rupes LHR75e (3" Pads)
- Paint Sealant: Sonax Polymer Net Shield
- Trim Prep: IPA Wipedown
- Trim Restoration: Solution Finish
- Glass: Stoner Invisible Glass
- Wheel Sealant: CarPro HydrO2
- Tires: CarPro PERL
- Exhaust Polish & Sealant: CG Metal Polish + Protection


Interior
- Light vacuum
- Jams wiped down with ONR
- All vinyl/plastic trim wiped down
- All vinyl/plastic trim protected with 303 Aerospace
- Glass: Stoner Invisible Glass




Before

The car arrived fairly clean. There was light dirt, but given the condition of the roads lately, it was quite clean.





Wheels were kept in good shape. Only minor dirt buildup









Swirls were easy to spot even with the dirty paint







You can see some odd texture in this area. Clear signs of a repainted panel.





During


As usual, I began cleaning the wheels. They cleaned up great! The gold really pops in the sunlight.




The wheels were then treated with CarPro HydrO2 Silica Sealant to provide some protection and make for easier cleaning. You can see how hydrophobic the sealant is as the water is repelled from the surface and forms tiny beads.








With the wheels clean, I turned my attention to the paint. I started with a rinse and a foam pre-soak. The car was then hand washed and then blown dry.




With the paint clean, the defects were easily visible in the sunlight. The swirls and scratches created a lack luster finish.




This car is clearly driven and enjoyed... there were plenty of rock chips that were beyond repair. This is a rally car after all!








Some peeling paint on the hood.




I began with my test spot on the hood. You can clearly see the defects and the haze in the reflection of the lights.




The majority of light defects were removed and gloss was enhanced with the one stage polishing process.




You can see the difference in reflection on the right side that was polished vs. the left side that was not.




Taking a look at correction in the sunlight. A nice improvement




Inspecting the corrected area in the sunlight.





Here`s a quick iPhone video of this same spot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB6IMw2EyPI




Hood looked great after polishing




50/50 shot on the door




There were plenty of deeper defects remaining, however the gloss was noticeably improved and that was the real goal for this detail.




Fender before polishing.




Fender after polishing.




Very glossy!

[zmcgovern45]

Side skirt before polishing... very dull



Side skirt after polishing... much improved




Cool reflection shot of the rear door.





With the paint all cleaned up, the faded trim became much more noticeable so I decided it was a perfect time to try out the bottle of Solution Finish that I had been given a while ago.




Solution Finish quickly and easily restored the trim to a like new appearance.




Quite the difference!






The wiper cowl looked like new after it was treated





Mirror trim before restoration




Mirror trim after restoration




Tires were dressed, and the dark rubber made the gold wheels pop even more! Absolutely love these wheels.







The exhaust was in pretty good shape, but it needed a little help.





After polishing, it looked great.




The paint was sealed with Sonax Polymer Net Shield. This synthetic polymer sealant will provide several months of good protection. It will help to repel dirt and contamination - notice how water beads up and easily rolls off of the surface.







After


The Blue/Gold combo is just so perfect on this car. The wheels and tires looked great!





The car cleaned up very nicely. The paint looks deep and glossy.










Reflections were vivid and the paint looked dripping wet.










My favorite angle of this car... so aggressive!








The blue really pops now!








Thanks for reading!

[bswombaugh]

Great Job ! It appears that you still got some pretty good correction with the M205. Did the car had some previous corrections for the paint to be that thin ? The solution finish looked like it did an awesome job. I was impressed. What kind of durability are you seeing with it ?

[zmcgovern45]

Great Job ! It appears that you still got some pretty good correction with the M205. Did the car had some previous corrections for the paint to be that thin ? The solution finish looked like it did an awesome job. I was impressed. What kind of durability are you seeing with it ?

Thanks... M205 is capable of some good correction despite the fact that it is a finishing polish. An orange light cutting pad gives it a bit more cut and still allows it to finish down flawlessly on many paint types... it is one of my most used combos for one-step corrections. The current owner has not had it for `too long` and there are many areas that were clearly repainted so the true history of the vehicle is not known.

This was my first time using solution finish... I was given 2 sample bottles a while ago, but hadn`t ever gotten around to using it until now (I usually upsell CarPro DLUX trim coating - which is an amazing product ). I was impressed at how little product is needed and how easy it was to apply and create a very even, like new finish. I have asked the owner to keep me posted on how it holds up.

[jtford95]

Really came out great! I too like that wheel and paint combo.

[Klock]

I`ve always had a soft spot in my heart for these cars, and you did an excellent job brining this one back to life! Especially with what little you had to work with.

[Pats300zx]

Excellent job...

[Todd@RUPES]

I love those style Subbies... You did excellent work on it! Looks awesome!

[mnehls86]

I freakin love those Enkei RPF1`s also. Great job Zach.

[zmcgovern45]

Thanks guys! I`ve got a 2011 World Rally Blue WRX coming up this weekend... I`ll try to document that one as well

[JSFM35X]

Great correction and photo capture of the process. I think any car guy loves these cars. I love the paint color and always have.

You did a great job capturing the trim in that 50/50. makes me want to try the product on my faded out trim on my QX4. Any special tips on the application other than pre-clean to strip any dirt or LSP?

[zmcgovern45]

Great correction and photo capture of the process. I think any car guy loves these cars. I love the paint color and always have.

You did a great job capturing the trim in that 50/50. makes me want to try the product on my faded out trim on my QX4. Any special tips on the application other than pre-clean to strip any dirt or LSP?

Application was incredibly easy... I used a basic yellow foam applicator pad and just wiped it on. After several minutes, I gently wiped away any excess/wet product that was left on the surface. It dried quickly and looked like new with a natural sheen that was not greasy. Very, very little product was required so even the small 1oz bottle will last a while depending on what cars you are using it on.

I will have a review posted on DI eventually. I took video of the application process to go along with the photos.

[JSFM35X]

When you post the video please let me know or send me a link if you can remember. I am putting together a plan for my 2002 QX4 that desperately needs some HD refurb especially on some faded trim.

Thanks.

Application was incredibly easy... I used a basic yellow foam applicator pad and just wiped it on. After several minutes, I gently wiped away any excess/wet product that was left on the surface. It dried quickly and looked like new with a natural sheen that was not greasy. Very, very little product was required so even the small 1oz bottle will last a while depending on what cars you are using it on.

I will have a review posted on DI eventually. I took video of the application process to go along with the photos.

[zmcgovern45]

When you post the video please let me know or send me a link if you can remember. I am putting together a plan for my 2002 QX4 that desperately needs some HD refurb especially on some faded trim.

Thanks.

The article is pending review... they will publish it when they choose to, so it is not up to me. Just keep an eye out.