Newbie to detailing.

[gn02156668]

Did a friend's 2011 WRX Sti today since it was so sunny in the afternoon.

The vehicle was foam cannoned to remove loose dirt. After that, it was hand washed and clay bared to remove contamiants on the paint.

After the paint was cleaned, a 1 stage polish was performed to correct to oxidized paint / remove swirls.

A last step product was applied and enhance the wetness effect.

It took over 8 hours to correct the paint's condition but the outcome was Priceless =)






before 1



before 2



before 3



Before & After

left = untreated
right = after 1 stage polish



after













Hope you all enjoy !

[maxxxboost]

^^ Looks good. What kind of soap and setting were you using on the Gimour foam cannon?

[Euro7r]

gn02156668 - You wanna wash my car too I can only afford to buy you lunch for compensation

[gn02156668]

Thanks guys for the compliment. I used mothers car shampoo and setting E for the subie because it was filled with dust and lose dirt.

I then used Meguiar 105 and paired with Chemical guys V58 to refine my work.

The rest of the detailing items can still be purchased from ken at Auto Werkes as he is still selling the basic maintenance items which he uses daily. Just make sure message Ken ahead and see what he has in stock, so that you can go and buy the items in person.

Euro 7r, may be we can go for shark fin congee for lunch with abalone as snack later ? LOL

Cheers!

[6o4allmotor]

what dilution ratio are you using for the soap?

[gn02156668]

I did 50 / 50 water and shampoo approximately

[Sunfighter]

Wow! Great thread ... keep the great updates flowing!

[gn02156668]

Thanks for the support guys ! I have always been a fan of Subaru but unfortunately could not afford one financially. However, I am getting quite satisfied by being able touch / wash / detail the impreza through different years' models. =)

Some of you might have seen this one at the Rev Scene Spring meet last month. It looks really great with body kits and GT wing. However, the vehicle's paint was filled with swirls and oxidized due to improper care by previous owner.

Therefore we were there to tackle the problems.



marking line / drilled holes from previous spoiler







the paint looks little better after a 1 stage polish







polished exhaust pipe



protected with high carnauba's level wax with wettness effect



crystal sharp reflection







After layering synthetic wax and topped up with carnauba wax.

[gn02156668]

Here is another friend of mine , a 2012 WRX Blk Sti which I detailed previously in 2013. The vehicle had been driven up to the snow mountain during the winter time and furthermore, the vehicle was filled with swirls with oxidized paint.





slimy appearance without any wax protection





After 1 stafe polish and protected with Mothers wax

















Enjoy !

[6o4allmotor]

Nice work

[kross9]

How did you fix the holes from the old spoiler? and pics?

[gn02156668]

holes cant be fixed by me lol. However the holes can be filled with bondo and sand it down, prime it and repaint the whole trunk.

I just made the trunk look better and removed the swirls / oxidized paint.

[v_tec]

This thread is anything but 'newbie' detailing

[freakshow]

dang..i need a friend like you!

[gn02156668]

Being fortunate enough to detail so many friends' STI , I did something totally different yesterday - Fiat Abarth.

This is a 2013 black metallic Abarth purchased brand new. However, the vehicle was parked outdoor daily and therefore paint was oxidized as it was exposed to the environment. Moreover, swirls were created due to improper washing technique.

It took over 8 hours to complete a 1 stage polish.
Choices of last step products were Autoglym HD wax and topped with Mitchell & King boutique wax to enhance wettness effect.



bubble bathing



swirls and swirls



left untreated
right treated with a 1 stage polish



swirls on plastic tail light



cleared tail light



cleared and opti coated headlights



reflection on the rear hatch



reflection on door



front shot of Abarth



Enjoy !~

[RevYouUp]

Nice work! Which buffer are you using, I want to start detailing my car with one as I am currently using my hands lol.

[gn02156668]

Thanks ! I use PC 7424 XP . May be you should ask Ken from AutoWerke and see if he has PC or better one for sale.

Machine is way faster and better than doing it manually =)

[gn02156668]

Been invited to detail a 2008 BMW M3 in jerez black colour yesterday due to severe swirls caused by the dealership.

Vehicle was hand washed with Mothers california gold car wash shampoo and claybared to remove contamiants on the paint.

After that, a 1 stage polish was conducted to tackle the problem. Each panel was required numerous passes in order to correct 75% of the paint imperfection.

Lastly , vehicle was protected with Autoglym HD wax and layered with Mitchell & King high carnauba level wax for the wetness effect.

Enjoy













Test spot of a 1 stage polish

[911fanatic]

Nice save!!

[jinxcrusader]

Holy smokes!! Really nice work!

Which shampoo did you use for the Abarth with your Gilmour?

[gn02156668]

I used Mothers california gold shampoo =)
They are foamy !

[gn02156668]

Situation : Been assigned a task to clean up a VW silver beetle which was sitting outside for an extended period of time. Owner wanted to have the beetle looks like new again.

Task : To assess the paint situation , paint was oxidized with several damaged area beyond repairable. Not yet to mention there were swirls all over the vehicle with embedded rust practicles.

Action : Foam cannoned the vehicle to remove loose dirt. Then hand washed and clay barred.

Conducted a 1 stage polish to remove oxidized & swirled top coat.
Cleaned up the brake dust filled rims with Autoglym wheel cleaner and lots of elabow grease with the wheel brush.

Protected the finish with Poor Boys Black hole glaze to mask the unrepairable scratch and layered with Autoglym HD wax for protection.

Rejeventiated all the plastic trims and cleaned up all the windows

Dressed up tires

Result : Hope you all enjoy !



Caked brake dust on the rim



hmm , yummy !



It hurts my eyes to see that ......







After several stages of polish , my eyes do not hurt that much anymore...



80 % scratches were gone and the rest were masked with poor boys blackhole



after 1 stage polish

[gn02156668]

Being fortunate and invited by a returned client to detail his Candy red Abarth today. The vehicle was in a very good condition except with minor swirls & oxidized paint.

After discussion with the client , we decided to conduct a 1 stage polish in order to remove the swirls and to renew the oxidized paint.

The vehicle was foam cannoned and hand washed. After that , it was clay clothed to remove embedded contamiants on the paint.

After the 1 stage polish , the vehicle was washed again to remove the polish oil. After that, we decided to layer a coat of Autoglym Extra Gloss sealant on the paint and further enhance the paint with a high end boutique wax from Mitchell & King , composing of Brazilian carnauba level of 50% and providing the vehicle with a wet & warm glow result.

Furthermore, the front headlights were opti-coated to prevent them from turning yellow and special rim protection wax was applied to the four corner of the wheels as per Ross's instruction.
Last but not least, windows & exhaust pipes were polished and the tires were all dressed for protection






Foam cannoned to remove loose dirt on the vehicle



clay clothing the paint to remove embedded dirt on the paint



Pay attention to the reflection of halogen light, there were light swirls on the side mirror case before 1 stage polish



After 1 stage polish




After 1 stage polish on the rear back



choices of protection combo - Autoglym sealant with M&K custom made wax



M&K wax has a soft butter like texture with a smell of honey as it is made of natural ingredients. Luxury is not mass produced.



After application of wax combo.



Special service - the wheels were coated with a layer of wheel wax for protection.





















enjoy!

[MaaaadMan]

Where did you get your foam cannon from?

[gn02156668]

I bought mine long time ago from the State. When I visited Ken @ Autowerke 2 months ago, I think I saw couple foam cannon sitting on the shelf for sale. May be you can PM him and inquire about that =)