Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Well, we all want that first time to be special don’t we, so no better car for me to lose my rotary cherry on than a Clio Trophy – nothing like pressure to focus the mind! The story with this one goes as follows… the owner has had the car for about a year, and ever since he picked it up it’s been covered with swirls. He has complained to Renault several times about the state of the car, and they did finally agree to take it back in to machine polish it, but all they managed to do was add a few holograms here and there. When we booked the job in we decided to tag team it, as Renault paint can be on the hard side. I had no initial intention of using my new Metabo on it (wanted to practice on scrap panels first), but as you’ll read below, it sort of became necessary. Here’s the process and pics…

Wash

Foamed with PW Slick & Suds via the Gilmour
Arches blasted with the Karcher, whole car power washed
Whole car washed by hand using two buckets/Megs Lambswool Mitts
Alloys treated with Megs Wheel Brightener cut 4:1 and rinsed
Lower panels treated with Autobrite Tar & Glue Remover and rinsed
Foamed with PW Slick & Suds via the Gilmour and rinsed
Whole car dried with PW Waffle Weave Towels





These next two were taken after the car was fully dried. A good example if ever there was one of how cars can look good even when they are loaded with defects – the only proof of pristine paint remains decent sun shots and halogen shots in our opinion.





Clean

The fingertip test revealed no bonded surface contaminants, so no claying was done (the tar and glue remover did a good job!)

Polish/Protect

I’m a numpty! For the first time ever, I forgot to chuck my halogens in the boot along with the rest of my gear, so not a lot of decent before and afters this time I’m afraid, as the lamp and LED torch I ended up working with didn’t highlight the defects enough to capture them on my camera very well. However, Clark pinched the camera a fair bit and managed to get the shots below, which are representative of the condition of the car as a whole.





With plenty of paint to play with (130 microns on average over the whole car) we set to work with our usual routine - Clark on the Makita using Blackfire SRC Finishing Polish and Megs polishing pads, and me on the PC, this time trying out Menzerna PO85RD 3.02 using Lake Country 7.5” orange light cut pads. Multiple attempts by both of us later, we realised this little Clio was going to be a tough bugger to correct, so we switched to Clark using the 3.02 on the Makita with Megs polishing pads, and me following up with the finishing polish on the PC using Lake Country 7.5” green polishing pads. While Clark did the first few panels with the 3.02, I tackled the front and rear bumpers with the PC, using PowerGloss to shift the defects – the downside to good correction though was lots of micromarring, which the finishing polish then failed to shift! A quick swap back to the 3.02 sorted the micromarring out and left a good finish, but I wanted better, and realised that all this mucking about with the PC was taking it’s toll timewise. So, without any further ado, I got out my brand new Metabo and a Megs finishing pad, and followed Clark around the whole car with Menzerna PO85RD, using the zenith method. Wow! After just a couple of panels I was into a goove with it, managing to finish perfectly with not a trace of micromarring or hologramming in sight. The quality of the finish was also better than I ever remember before - extra sharp with great clarity. Overall, 95%+ correction was achieved, with a few deeper random scratches remaining, even after five attempts at some panels with 3.02 at 2500rpm on the Makita!

Here’s a good 50:50 shot taken by Clark after 3.02 by the Makita…



And a good pair of final shots which can be compared with the defect shots of the drivers door shown above…





We finished up the polish stage with a coat of Jeffs Werkstatt Prime Carnuaba by PC using a 7.5” Lake Country Black Glazing Pad – this removed any remaining traces of the slightly greasy residue left by the Menzerna PO85RD, sealed the finish and most importantly deepened the colour further. Due to the lateness of the hour we did not have time to add any further protection, but the customer will do this after the next wash (more than likely Natty’s Blue). That said, Jeffs Prime Carnauba is good for 2-3 months, even on it’s own. The Prime residue was loosened with Jeffs Carnauba Glos in the normal fashion, and final wipe down was done with Jeffs Acrylic Glos to ensure a perfect streak free finish.

Finishing Touches

All panel gaps dusted down/wiped out with Megs Slide Lock Brush/PW Super Thick n Plush Towels
Alloys were protected with a coat of PW Wheel Sealant, tyres were dressed with Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel
Windows inside and out were cleaned with Megs NXT Glass Cleaner
Exhaust tips were polished with Blackfire Fine Cut Metal Polish

Here’s the afters…





















So, a great day’s work, perhaps one of the most enjoyable ever, and yes, the customer was well chuffed too! On a personal note, I’d like to say a big thank you to Clark for setting me a great example on rotary usage over the last six months or so, to Brazo, Dave KG and L200 for all of their guides and pictures that helped me to pick up and run with the Metabo straight away, and to John at Clean & Shiny for supplying a 110V version of the Metabo, plus a nice big bottle of the good stuff (3.02) – cheers guys!

Gav

Absolutely stunning as usual mr Bliss!

Could almost be a mirror reflecting the focus RS

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

looks great, are those flood/outside lights yours where did you get them from and are they any good……. so dark by the time I get home from work a moveable light would be great this time of year ..

Thanks

D16GER

Here you go bud, £16 at the mo...

Double Tripod Site Light 240V Save 20% - Screwfix Direct, Everything for the Trade, Next Day!

F1 CJE UK

iTrader: (8)

thanks D16GER

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Aye, they'll do, got mine from B&Q, Clark got his off E-Bay and saved a few quid!

Tidgy

just out of interest how much do you charge for a wash/polish like this?

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

This one was quoted at 10 hours, thus £200, although in the end it took 12 hours, but we still charged for just 10 - perfection takes the time it takes! In the new year our prices are going up, exact figure to be confirmed, but in the region of £25 - £30 an hour, including VAT and materials. Most full correction details take 10-14 hours, whilst protection only details take around 6 hours. Each car is different though, and owners want different things, so we do as little or as much as asked, with the best estimate possible given in advance.

Tidgy

no point in doing mine, to many stone chips lol, was just intersted for futre referance