Whats up all,
so a few weeks back, after discovering that i had quite a few detail submissions that were sent through my website and were SUPPOSE to be sent through to my email, never actually made it there...i started emailing people back. The owner of this FR-S was one of them...and luckily he still wanted the paint correction done.
After talking to him about his ride, the color and condition and the fact he was going to be going to an imports show right after we finished with the work, we suggested he go with CQuartz Finest...just to really make the car stand out. He dropped it off this past Thursday morning and we were able to keep it for two days.
Upon arrival, we could tell right away there were some areas that were worse than others. The CF hood definitely had some nice deep swirls in it (probably from install), along with near the wheel well areas (again probably from guys leaning over to install the hood) and the trunk was quite a mess too. It definitely needed some work...we would also be doing an engine detail and a quick interior for him as well.
Here she was upon delivery. Not bad from a distance as usual...butttt let me go on ahead and take you through what we saw while inspecting it:
Well, it was swirled, duh. Roof was a bit lighter than the rest of the car.
Carbon Fiber hood was beat up pretty bad in some areas...had to pay some extra attention to it:
Here is a pretty cool shot up close...this is the edge of the hood where it meets the front quarter, you can see the swirls in the quarter, but you can also see the sweet look of the CF.
But, from this angle the CF doesn't look so sweet....yet
Had a small ding in the side, the owner pointed it out
Wheels, tires and wells had the classic Arizona coating on them...
The trunk had some wicked swirls as well:
Ouch!
After checking it out we pulled it into the back under the tent for a prep wash. While i tackled the wheels, tires and wells - Dani took care of the inside. The owner described it as filthy, when we saw it we kind of laughed and thought - THIS is our kind of car owner! It needed a decent vacuum and a light wipe down, far far less filthy than anticipated, gotta love surprises like that.
Then this detail took a bit of a depressing turn...Dani got pretty damn sick...stomach started acting up really bad, her energy was zapped...luckily we were home so she was able to go in and rest for a while. I sort of kept an eye on her for a bit - finally went back out to do the engine...which again wasn't that dirty...but after a rinse with some brush agitation in some tight spots...i was then able to hit it with some Car Pro PERL 5:1. This was the first time i had used it on an engine, Dani did some interiors with it, and it looked great. So i thought, i wonder how it will look on an engine.
At home i had my compressor, so i poured the PERL into one of my syphon feed guns and hit the engine with it. Some areas were hit a bit thicker than others, so i just took a brush and sort of spread it out...it turned out GREAT. I really loved how it looked...and even at 5:1 i could tell when brushing it down, that it still had a good amount of thickness to it...and not very greasy (which if applied too heavily, Hyperdressing can sometimes be a bit greasy and need a wipe down afterwards).
Here is how it turned out:
Not bad huh?
I went back in and check on Dani again, she was still resting...so i went out to start the wash, got it all foamed up...and of course in the middle of me trying to wash it, i get 2 phone calls lol. But hey, it was for a couple more coating jobs, so no complains!
In the middle of one of the calls, out comes Dani, grabs a mitt and starts washing away (there was a good layer of wax or sealant on it so we really had to do a good wash to remove all of the old stuff)...hardcore to the end i tell ya.
Finished up the wash and got it rinsed and pulled into the garage. Next thing i know, she has the tape and is taking care of all the taping around the car for me...i think she just knew id take forever if i had to do it lol.
In the mean time i worked on a test spot on the trunk. Figured since it was one of the worst areas, it would be a good spot to start.
Like i said, it was pretty ugly.
Out came the Rupes 21...I've used this machine on quite a few different types of paint since purchasing it from BuffDaddy.com (kevin)...it has yet to disappoint. I first gave a microfiber disc a shot, and while it worked well...after a few sections, due to the crazy heat we STILL have out here (was over 100 degrees again) the fibers began to bunch up. So i changed over to the Rupes green pad...and that thing went to work.
After compounding, we followed up with HD polish...and man after hitting it with that...the paint just glowed...prior to any coating...it was just awesome. In the shade it looked super black...and when the light hit it...the metallic just popped like mad:
Test spot was lookin good!
Sometimes hard to get a direct 50/50 shot on metallic paint but, i think you can tell which side is done
The rest of that day, Dani took off...she entrusted me to get as much done as i could.
I was able to basically complete the compounding, with the exception of the pillars and bumpers. All panels were turning out great though...and even though i was solo from then on, we were in a position to be able to have plenty of time to finish everything up the next day.
Friday morning came...and though she was still low on energy, Dani was back up and at it. Grabbing the PC and a 4" pad, she went to work on the tight areas i hadn't yet done, while i grabbed the HD polish and started turning the already compounded areas into panels that looks like gems.
Dani of course, got the lights as well while she was at it:
We did more video shooting that picture taking during the process for this detail (I will link the video at the end, hope you check it out and leave feedback), but after about 4 hours straight, it was time to re-wash.
Having spotless water has changed our detailing lives lol. Seriously...we only had partial shade out front...and didn't want to have to play musical cars again to get this thing into the back under the tent, but with spotless water...the sun was of no concern. We were just smart, rinsed 3-4 panels at a time, then i used a fresh microfiber towel (for stripping away polish etc. i like using a towel more so than a mitt because i feel it "grabs" a bit better...but is still gentle) I'd wash those panels with dawn...being sure to in the tight areas where compound or polish may be hiding, then Dani would rinse. We also blasted off the compound dust from the jambs and any that got on the wheels as well.
It only took us about 15 minutes including drying - then pulled her back in and began our Eraser prep.
Obvious product shot there lol....but even though the water was running totally flat after washing, which indicated no polishing oils left...we still did an Eraser wipe just to be SURE the surface was completely clean before applying Finest. Btw that microfiber towel from CarPro-Us.com (Corey)...is worth every penny...its a must have especially when prepping black, soft paint. While this paint wasn't super soft, I have used it on super soft paint...and it has thus far caused no towel marring. I use it ONLY for Eraser wipe downs.
Carbon fiber nice and clean
Time to break out the good stuff...and this was the new Version 3 of FINEST
Even without the coating...the car was already glowing and looking show ready:
Applying FINEST:
It took me roughly 30 minutes to apply 1 coat to the entire car, Dani took care of the wheels and tires in the mean time.
Long arms come in handy:
I always do my final stroke in the direction i want the water to sheet off...in this case...parallel with the car:
Every nook and cranny received a nice thick coat:
The V3 of FINEST was very nice to work with. Usually even after waiting a full hour, when I'd go to wipe the first panel, id get a SLIGHT bit of a left over oily residue, this time however...after just 30 minutes, it wiped off completely clean. I found myself checking from several different angles because i was USE to having to re-wipe the area with a secondary towel just to remove any oily spots left (usually from where my fingers were pressing or where the towel last touched the paint)...but not this time.
After wiping away the first coat, a second was applied and then removed as well. FlyBy30 was applied to the glass, Dani applied Dlux to the plastic (there isn't a lot on this car) and a final touch up to the door jambs was done....and finally it was time for the fun part...after photos.
Now I took quite a few after shots....you might just scan through them...but i think if you take time to really look at each one...you will be quite impressed with the outcome. I dont KNOW if V3 has more gloss than the previous version, but when i tell you this car was GLOSSY and WET looking...i mean it...I'll just let these photos speak for themselves, but I'm tellin ya...it was gorgeous....roll that beautiful Finest/Windows and Wheels footage!
so a few weeks back, after discovering that i had quite a few detail submissions that were sent through my website and were SUPPOSE to be sent through to my email, never actually made it there...i started emailing people back. The owner of this FR-S was one of them...and luckily he still wanted the paint correction done.
After talking to him about his ride, the color and condition and the fact he was going to be going to an imports show right after we finished with the work, we suggested he go with CQuartz Finest...just to really make the car stand out. He dropped it off this past Thursday morning and we were able to keep it for two days.
Upon arrival, we could tell right away there were some areas that were worse than others. The CF hood definitely had some nice deep swirls in it (probably from install), along with near the wheel well areas (again probably from guys leaning over to install the hood) and the trunk was quite a mess too. It definitely needed some work...we would also be doing an engine detail and a quick interior for him as well.
Here she was upon delivery. Not bad from a distance as usual...butttt let me go on ahead and take you through what we saw while inspecting it:
Well, it was swirled, duh. Roof was a bit lighter than the rest of the car.
Carbon Fiber hood was beat up pretty bad in some areas...had to pay some extra attention to it:
Here is a pretty cool shot up close...this is the edge of the hood where it meets the front quarter, you can see the swirls in the quarter, but you can also see the sweet look of the CF.
But, from this angle the CF doesn't look so sweet....yet
Had a small ding in the side, the owner pointed it out
Wheels, tires and wells had the classic Arizona coating on them...
The trunk had some wicked swirls as well:
Ouch!
After checking it out we pulled it into the back under the tent for a prep wash. While i tackled the wheels, tires and wells - Dani took care of the inside. The owner described it as filthy, when we saw it we kind of laughed and thought - THIS is our kind of car owner! It needed a decent vacuum and a light wipe down, far far less filthy than anticipated, gotta love surprises like that.
Then this detail took a bit of a depressing turn...Dani got pretty damn sick...stomach started acting up really bad, her energy was zapped...luckily we were home so she was able to go in and rest for a while. I sort of kept an eye on her for a bit - finally went back out to do the engine...which again wasn't that dirty...but after a rinse with some brush agitation in some tight spots...i was then able to hit it with some Car Pro PERL 5:1. This was the first time i had used it on an engine, Dani did some interiors with it, and it looked great. So i thought, i wonder how it will look on an engine.
At home i had my compressor, so i poured the PERL into one of my syphon feed guns and hit the engine with it. Some areas were hit a bit thicker than others, so i just took a brush and sort of spread it out...it turned out GREAT. I really loved how it looked...and even at 5:1 i could tell when brushing it down, that it still had a good amount of thickness to it...and not very greasy (which if applied too heavily, Hyperdressing can sometimes be a bit greasy and need a wipe down afterwards).
Here is how it turned out:
Not bad huh?
I went back in and check on Dani again, she was still resting...so i went out to start the wash, got it all foamed up...and of course in the middle of me trying to wash it, i get 2 phone calls lol. But hey, it was for a couple more coating jobs, so no complains!
In the middle of one of the calls, out comes Dani, grabs a mitt and starts washing away (there was a good layer of wax or sealant on it so we really had to do a good wash to remove all of the old stuff)...hardcore to the end i tell ya.
Finished up the wash and got it rinsed and pulled into the garage. Next thing i know, she has the tape and is taking care of all the taping around the car for me...i think she just knew id take forever if i had to do it lol.
In the mean time i worked on a test spot on the trunk. Figured since it was one of the worst areas, it would be a good spot to start.
Like i said, it was pretty ugly.
Out came the Rupes 21...I've used this machine on quite a few different types of paint since purchasing it from BuffDaddy.com (kevin)...it has yet to disappoint. I first gave a microfiber disc a shot, and while it worked well...after a few sections, due to the crazy heat we STILL have out here (was over 100 degrees again) the fibers began to bunch up. So i changed over to the Rupes green pad...and that thing went to work.
After compounding, we followed up with HD polish...and man after hitting it with that...the paint just glowed...prior to any coating...it was just awesome. In the shade it looked super black...and when the light hit it...the metallic just popped like mad:
Test spot was lookin good!
Sometimes hard to get a direct 50/50 shot on metallic paint but, i think you can tell which side is done
The rest of that day, Dani took off...she entrusted me to get as much done as i could.
I was able to basically complete the compounding, with the exception of the pillars and bumpers. All panels were turning out great though...and even though i was solo from then on, we were in a position to be able to have plenty of time to finish everything up the next day.
Friday morning came...and though she was still low on energy, Dani was back up and at it. Grabbing the PC and a 4" pad, she went to work on the tight areas i hadn't yet done, while i grabbed the HD polish and started turning the already compounded areas into panels that looks like gems.
Dani of course, got the lights as well while she was at it:
We did more video shooting that picture taking during the process for this detail (I will link the video at the end, hope you check it out and leave feedback), but after about 4 hours straight, it was time to re-wash.
Having spotless water has changed our detailing lives lol. Seriously...we only had partial shade out front...and didn't want to have to play musical cars again to get this thing into the back under the tent, but with spotless water...the sun was of no concern. We were just smart, rinsed 3-4 panels at a time, then i used a fresh microfiber towel (for stripping away polish etc. i like using a towel more so than a mitt because i feel it "grabs" a bit better...but is still gentle) I'd wash those panels with dawn...being sure to in the tight areas where compound or polish may be hiding, then Dani would rinse. We also blasted off the compound dust from the jambs and any that got on the wheels as well.
It only took us about 15 minutes including drying - then pulled her back in and began our Eraser prep.
Obvious product shot there lol....but even though the water was running totally flat after washing, which indicated no polishing oils left...we still did an Eraser wipe just to be SURE the surface was completely clean before applying Finest. Btw that microfiber towel from CarPro-Us.com (Corey)...is worth every penny...its a must have especially when prepping black, soft paint. While this paint wasn't super soft, I have used it on super soft paint...and it has thus far caused no towel marring. I use it ONLY for Eraser wipe downs.
Carbon fiber nice and clean
Time to break out the good stuff...and this was the new Version 3 of FINEST
Even without the coating...the car was already glowing and looking show ready:
Applying FINEST:
It took me roughly 30 minutes to apply 1 coat to the entire car, Dani took care of the wheels and tires in the mean time.
Long arms come in handy:
I always do my final stroke in the direction i want the water to sheet off...in this case...parallel with the car:
Every nook and cranny received a nice thick coat:
The V3 of FINEST was very nice to work with. Usually even after waiting a full hour, when I'd go to wipe the first panel, id get a SLIGHT bit of a left over oily residue, this time however...after just 30 minutes, it wiped off completely clean. I found myself checking from several different angles because i was USE to having to re-wipe the area with a secondary towel just to remove any oily spots left (usually from where my fingers were pressing or where the towel last touched the paint)...but not this time.
After wiping away the first coat, a second was applied and then removed as well. FlyBy30 was applied to the glass, Dani applied Dlux to the plastic (there isn't a lot on this car) and a final touch up to the door jambs was done....and finally it was time for the fun part...after photos.
Now I took quite a few after shots....you might just scan through them...but i think if you take time to really look at each one...you will be quite impressed with the outcome. I dont KNOW if V3 has more gloss than the previous version, but when i tell you this car was GLOSSY and WET looking...i mean it...I'll just let these photos speak for themselves, but I'm tellin ya...it was gorgeous....roll that beautiful Finest/Windows and Wheels footage!
