Firstly please let me apologise in advance for the poorly edited number plate removal - flickr has changed its editing software and it's not as sophisticated as it was - time to invest is some dedicated software.
This RCZ has been very well maintained and in fact has been detailed before by another detailer when it was first purchased, but over the course of Winter it's picked up a few defects in the paint - bit of swirling, few RDS and also rather a lot of contamination. The aim of the day was to restore the paint to its former glory, and lay down some solid protection. The owner uses Celeste but didn't bring it with him so we opted for Crystal Rock instead...
Also please excuse the lack of pics from the cleaning process as it was very windy, wet and cold...
The car was generally dirty:
DSC04862 by
RussZS, on Flickr
The wheels were dealt with first:
DSC04861 by
RussZS, on Flickr
I've been testing Autobrite's Very Cherry Wheel Cleaner out recently with pleasing results:
DSC04863 by
RussZS, on Flickr
The wheels, tyres and arches were pre rinsed first using the K7, to remove any loose/built up brake dust/dirt:
DSC04864 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Surfex/Wheel Woolie were used on the arches:
DSC04865 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Very Cherry and various brushes on the wheels themselves:
DSC04866 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Followed by IronX:
DSC04868 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04870 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Next the car was foamed with BriteMax Grime Out to begin to break down the dirt present on the paintwork:
DSC04873 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04872 by
RussZS, on Flickr
The foam isn't very thick but it cleans very well used as a pre wash product.
This was then rinsed and the car was hand washed using Concours's Oro Shampoo:
DSC04874 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04875 by
RussZS, on Flickr
The Oro shampoo was as good as many of the other shampoos we have tried recently, providing slick cleaning surface, great foam and a lovely scent.
Next the car was cleansed using IronX and Tardis:
DSC04882 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Then refoamed to remove all traces of Tardis and IronX:
DSC04885 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Next the car was moved inside ready for claying.
The entire car was littered in tiny specs of what we believed to be paint, which claying was struggling to remove:
DSC04886 by
RussZS, on Flickr
After trialling a few products, we found that Megs 205 and a new MF towel with light agitation was removing these specks, so this was worked around the car, then followed up with clay:
DSC04887 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04888 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Then the car was dried using a mixture of compressor and drying towels, then we began to assess the paint.
Readings averaged around the 200 mark, with peaks on the top half of the car at around 240:
DSC04898 by
RussZS, on Flickr
After trialling a few combinations, I was getting best results from D300 and MF Cutting Disc, which was removing all defects and finishing down perfectly with the right technique.
Before:
DSC04893 by
RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC04899 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04900 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Before:
DSC04909 by
RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC04911 by
RussZS, on Flickr
This combo was used around the entire car and all swirls and scratches were removed, as the customer watched on - he had a great eye for spotting the tiniest of defects!
The flake from the paint was incredible!!
DSC04914 by
RussZS, on Flickr
The exhausts were polished with Mercury with 00 Wire Wool then refined with Britemax Final Shine and MF Cloth:
DSC04905 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Auto Finesse Mint Rims was used on the wheels, and CarPro PERL on the tyres:
DSC04932 by
RussZS, on Flickr
The glass was cleaned with Crystal, Spritz and Z9 on the interior and the paint finished with Swissvax Crystal Rock...
DSC04933 by
RussZS, on Flickr
and finally, some finished shots:
DSC04941 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04944 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04945 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04946 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04948 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04953 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04956 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04959 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04961 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04962 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04963 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04964 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04969 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04971 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04972 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04973 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04974 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04978 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04986 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04989 by
RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04990 by
RussZS, on Flickr
This car was a pleasure to work on and the CR seemed to work really well on the Pearl White paint.
Thanks for reading:
DSC04991 by
RussZS, on Flickr
Russ.
