2016 Ford Focus RS Paint Correction and Coating

This was a built to order car and the owner took delivery straight off the truck.  The owner watched as transit films were removed.  No detailing was done at the dealership.  One would think that this car should be in pristine condition having never been touched.  Wrong.  It's easy to overlook the process that occur at the assembly plant.  Vehicles undergo several tests and inspections prior to leaving the assembly plant.  I had the pleasure of seeing some of these activities first hand at the old Ford Ranger Plant in Saint Paul.  I was responsible for preparing the site demolition plans and utility termination plans.  Along with having access to the dam, steam plant and old tunnels, I also walked the production floor.  Vehicles are inspected for paint defects and any defects found are hastily corrected.  Vehicles are also leak tested.  Not for mechanical fluids, but for rain.  This is accomplished by placing it in a flood bay where the vehicles are drenched in high pressure water.  In the care of the Ranger plant.  Using potable city water would be expensive, so Ford pumped the water directly form the Mississippi River, which is listed as an impaired water for mercury and...fecal coliform.   Just what I want sprayed onto my paint. 

The owner plans to keep this vehicle for a very long time so he was looking for the best protection he could get.  That came in the form of XPEL Ultimate self healing film (installed by Midwest Clearbra) and Nanohide Self Healing Coating.  I want the paint to be as close to perfect as possible for the new owner.  When a PPF is going to be installed on part of the car, I will perform the correction on those panels and approximately 1-foot beyond the extents of the film.  Then after the film has been installed, I will finish the work.  It means an extra trip for the owner.  However, if the coating goes on before the film, I'm guessing where the film will end, the the paint may not have complete coverage.  If I do the paint correction after the film, there is a risk of swirls being visible under the film.  In this way, the risk of either is mitigated. 

Process

• Wheels and tires cleaned with Meguiar's DUB wheel cleaner and Ardex Proper
• Prefoamed with CG citrus wash + Gloss and Bilt hamber Autofoam
• Hand wash with CG citrus wash daily
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was compounded with Meguiars D300 on a Boss 21 with Meguairs MF pads
• Paint was polished with HD Polish+ on a Boss 21 with rupes yellow pads
• Bumpers were corrected with a DAS pro plus 15mm and 4-inch pads
• Tight areas were corrected with Flex Kompact rotary and various pads
• Paint was protected with Nanohide NH-A7 seal healing coating
• Tires were dressed with carpro PERL
• Wheels were protected with Pearl Nano HD wheel coating
• Exhaust cleaned with pinnacle exhaust cleaner and brightener

2013 Audi Allroad Two Step and Interior

The owner of this car recently sold his black 2013 Allroad and after having seller remorse, got himself a newer Allroad with a much more unique color combo.  The owner is also an organizer for Camp Allroad, a gathering of Audi Avant enthusiast.  As an organizer, this car had to look it's best for the gathering.  The car wash purchased unseen from out of state.  Upon arrival there were certainly some aspects that needed a lot of attention to make the car show worthy.  The interior had been gone over hastily by the dealership and they mad missed some serious salt stains.  The exterior had been poorly prepped and there was evidence that a rotary polisher had been used.  This is a garage queen for the owner and so bringing it back to as high a standard as we reasonable could was the order.

Interior Process

• Carpets dry brushed and vacuumed
• Hard surfaces cleaned with an enzyme based cleaner via tornador
• Leather cleaned with Leather Masters Stong cleaner
• Leather was rejuvinated with Leather Masters Vital
• Leather protected with Leather Masters Protection Cream
• Hard Surfaces Protected with Blackfire Interior Protectant
• Carpets pretreated, agitated and hot water extracted with special attention to salt stains

Exterior Process

• Wheels and tires cleaned with Meguiar's DUB wheel cleaner and Megs D108 
• Prefoamed with CG citrus wash + Gloss and Bilt hamber Surfex HD
• Hand wash with CG citrus wash daily
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was compounded with Meguiars D300 on a Boss 21 with Meguairs MF pads
• Paint was polished with HD Polish+ on a Boss 21 with rupes yellow pads
• Tight areas were corrected with HD Polish+ on a flex 3401 with LC white hybrid pads
• Paint was protected with Carpro Reload
• Tires were dressed with carpro PERL
• Trim and wheels protected with carpro hydro2
• Exhaust cleaned with pinnacle exhaust cleaner and brightener

2013 Audi S4 Two Step Correction

The owner of this S4 had previous visited to have some etchings removed.  We scheduled a second visit just prior to Camp Allroad to prep the car for showing.  This particular car has undergone a substantial amount of body work and paint due to several accidents.  As a result paint thickness, condition and reaction varied significantly across the vehicle.  This is a situation where the process and results had to be evaluated panel by panel to ensure a consistent finish. 

Exterior Process

• Wheels and tires cleaned with Meguiar's DUB wheel cleaner and Megs D108 
• Prefoamed with CG citrus wash + Gloss and Bilt hamber Surfex HD
• Hand wash with CG citrus wash daily
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was compounded with Meguiars D300 on a Boss 21 with Meguairs MF pads
• Paint was polished with Meguiars M205 on a Boss 21 with rupes yellow pads
• Tight areas were corrected with HD Polish+ on a flex 3401 with LC white hybrid pads
• Paint was protected with Carpro Reload
• Tires were dressed with carpro PERL
• Trim and wheels protected with carpro hydro2
• Exhaust cleaned with pinnacle exhaust cleaner and brightener

2014 BMW M5 Interior

It's always unfortunate to find poor quality detailers that give the profession a bad name.  Going to a job to clean up after someone else's mess is not an easy task.  I've had plenty of previous posts showing polish residue left by that last guy to work on a car.  In this case, it was the interior that was left in less than satisfactory condition.  The biggest foul being incomplete application of the interior dressing.  This particular dressing was also solvent based.  This left a very shine finish and due to the incompleteness of the work, there was a sharp contrast in araes that were not covered.  The solvent dressing are also very difficult to remove with gentle cleaners and using strong solvents on a interior is our of the question. I personally choose to use a water based protectants that can be removed with relatively mild cleaners, but are durable enough to stand up to daily use.  The trick in this case was to remove as much of the solvent dressing as possible using steam and then use a protectant that matched the remaining gloss of the solvent dressing already applied.

Process

• Carpets dry brushed and vacuumed
• Hard surfaces cleaned with an enzyme based cleaner via tornador
• Leather cleaned with L:eather Masters Stong cleaner
• Leather protected with Leather Masters Protection Cream
• Hard Surfaces Protected with Pinnacle Vinyl and Rubber Protectant
• Carpets Steam Cleaned

1967 Shelby GT500 Concours Detail

I've written a little bit about concours detailing in the past.  Concours is all about points.  Those points are given or taken away (depending on the judging structure) based on a set of specific criteria.  Those criteria can be very vague or very specific and even so, they are up to the interpretation of the judges.  For instance, how much overspray should there be on the undercarriage?  Scoring is often split into two categories, authenticity and workmanship. What I deal with is primarily workmanship; cleanliness and finishes, though there are situations where authenticity takes precedent.  For instance, on this GT500, I would normally thoroughly clean bolts, but the judging criteria requires that they be oiled, so if I clean them, I must also put oil back on them.  The upper air ducts have a sealant around them where they attach to the body, that sealant needs to look a little sloppy or the car will lose points, so I can only clean it up so much. This is the world of concours.  My primary goal is to make the car perfect, but there are areas that I cannot correct without sacrificing points, and points are the ultimate goal here.

This particular vehicle had been restored over the last few years.  It was originally intended as a driver's car, but in the middle of the process, the owner decided he wanted to show it at the concours level.  This takes a normally difficult task of immaculate cleaning and turns it into a case of immaculate reconditioning.   While I may spend 8 hours doing 2 steps of paint correction to a daily driver, I spent 20 hours doing 1 step and some surgical buffing.  I spent another 10 working on the engine, door jambs and undercarriage, on a chassis with probably 100 miles on it since being restored.  While there is room to make it better, I took it to a condition that will earn the most points. 

I am please to say that this car took home a gold award in division 2, and the owner was asked to return for a premier award in division 1.  The car will also be featured in an upcoming historical text written by the SAAC historian. 

Process

• Wheels cleaned with meguiars D114
• Tires cleaned with steam
• Body recieved a hybrid rinseless wash with ultima waterless wash and optimum no rinse
• Polish residue & splatter was removed with steam and meguiars D114
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was polished with HD Polish+ on a Flex 3401 with a LC white hybrid pads
• Tight areas were corrected with HD Cut+ and Polish+ on a Flex kompakt with various pads
• Paint was protected with Son1c wax Breast in Show
• Chrome trim was polished with Werkstat Prime Strong
• Exhaust cleaned with Werkstat Prime Strong
• Engine was cleaned with Meguairs D114 and various brushes
• Jambs were cleaned with Meguiars D114, steam and polished same as the paint
• Undercarriage was cleaned with Meguiars D114 and steam

2010 Audi S4 Midnight Blue Polish

The owner of this S4 takes pretty good care of it, and has the advantage of a heated garage with softened water.  Despite being able to hand wash this car in the winter, it had still accumulated a fair amount of defects from daily use.  It also had a substantial amount of polish or wax residue on the clearbra edge.  Because this is a daily driver, the owner opted for an intensive polish of the exterior to remove the majority of the defects and increase the clarity and gloss of the paint.  This was followed by a silica based spray sealant that will last 4-6 months. 

Process

• Wheels and tires cleaned with Meguiar's DUB wheel cleaner and Megs D108 
• Prefoamed with CG citrus wash + Gloss and Bilt hamber Surfex HD
• Hand wash with CG citrus wash daily
• Polish residue was removed PPF edges with APC, IPA, soft brushes and towels
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was polished with HD Polish+ on a 21mm DA with rupes yellow pads
• Tight areas were corrected with HD Polish+ on a flex 3401 with LC white hybrid pads
• Paint was protected with Carpro Reload
• Tires were dressed with carpro PERL
• Trim and wheels protected with carpro hydro2
• Exhaust cleaned with pinnacle exhaust cleaner and brightener

Interior Cleaning of some Toyotas

We firmly believe that regardless of what you drive or how much you want to spend on a detail, high quality work should be accessible; as such, we offer an introductory level of service that provides a high quality result and remains competitive with production quality shops.  The average consumer will be very happy with the results of an introductory detail and in a well maintained vehicle the introductory service may be all that's needed to make the car look spectacular, and with a small add-on like stain treatment, the results can be like new.  

The owners of these two vehicles just love their cars and want them clean.  They don't need every scratch and swirl removed.  They spend their time inside of the car and they want it to look and feel nice.  

Both vehicles arrived with light to moderate soiling, some isolated fabric stains and a minor build up of debris.  The Corolla also had an incident in the trunk with a pumpkin that sat too long. 

Corolla Process:

• Fabrics were dry brushed and vacuumed
• Floor mats were pre-treated, agitate and extracted
• Trunk was treated with an enzyme cleaner for the pumpkin incident and then treated with an encapsulating deodorizer
• Fabrc stains were treated with steam
• Hard surfaces were wiped down with a mild surfactant cleaner & protectant
• Grime collecting hard surfaces were cleaned with steam
• Glass was cleaned with distilled water and isopropyl alcohol
• Jambs were cleaned with an all purpose cleaner, agitated and steamed

4Runner Process:

• Fabrics were dry brushed and vacuumed
• Rubber Floor mats were pre-treated with all purpose cleaner, agitate and rinsed
• Fabrc stains were treated with steam
• Hard surfaces were wiped down with a mild surfactant cleaner & protectant
• Grime collecting hard surfaces were cleaned with steam
• Glass was cleaned with distilled water and isopropyl alcohol
• Jambs were cleaned with an all purpose cleaner, agitated and steamed

Volvo S60 Intensive Polish

I kind of have a reoccurring theme of S4 and intensive polish.  So let's shake thing up a bit with a Volvo, but we can't shake them up too much, so it's still an intensive polish.  Most of the cars I work on are daily drivers and while I will certainly make paint nearly perfect, doing so removes a lot of paint.  Getting 95%+ defects off a factory finish is pretty much a one time thing.  After that, an owner needs to maintain the vehicle such that only polishing is required as any future compounding risks thinning the clearcoat to unsafe levels.  Since the majority of defects reside in the upper 5 or so microns of paint, an intensive polish is able to make a huge improvement in the finish while allowing for many future corrections.  This volvo is a perfect example of this concept.

This car was purchased out of state without being seen in person.  There were several areas that had been hit with a rotary polisher and not finished down properly, leaving holograms.  There were also a ton of washed induced swirls, likely from a brush car wash.  

Process

• Wheels and tires cleaned with Meguiar's DUB wheel cleaner and Megs D108 
• Prefoamed with CG citrus wash + Gloss and Bilt hamber Surfex HD
• Hand wash with CG citrus wash daily
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was polished with Meguiars M205 on a 21mm DA with rupes yellow pads
• Tight areas were corrected with M205 on a flex 3401 with LC orange hybrid pads
• Paint was protected with Carpro Reload
• Tires were dressed with Carpro PERL
• Trim and wheels protected with Carpro hydro2
• Exhaust cleaned with pinnacle exhaust cleaner and brightener

2011 Audi S4 Meteor Gray Intensive Polish

The owner of this car actually has a cleaning business of his own, so he understands the effort that goes into properly cleaning and enhancing the exterior of a car.  I did some quick math, and this particular car has around 180 square feet of paint to work on, that about the same square footage as a medium size bedroom.  I spend 8 hours working on the exterior of this car.  That may seem like a lot, but let's look closer and compare to that bedroom.  I washed and decontaminated the paint and thoroughly cleaned the wheels, that's pretty similar to dusting, vacuuming and taking care of a few spots on the furniture.  I also cleaned the windows and dressed the trim, that's pretty similar to cleaning the bedroom windows and any wood trim.  Finally, I polished and sealed the paint, the best thing we can compare this to in a bedroom is sanding and refinishing wood floors.  Now forget about the product and tool cost and just think about the labor involved to do that to a bedroom, now consider the cost of that amount of work.  The owner has no issue paying for this to be done right, because he understands the amount of effort required to get the results he wants.  

Process

• Wheels and tires cleaned with Meguiar's DUB wheel cleaner and Megs D108 
• Prefoamed with CG citrus wash + Gloss and Bilt hamber Surfex HD
• Hand wash with CG citrus wash daily
• Polish residue was removed PPF edges with APC, IPA, soft brushes and towels
• Mechanically decontaminated with traditional clay bar
• Paint was polished with HD Polish+ on a 21mm DA with rupes yellow pads
• Tight areas were corrected with HD Polish+ on a flex 3401 with LC white hybrid pads
• Paint was protected with Carpro Reload
• Tires were dressed with carpro PERL
• Trim and wheels protected with carpro hydro2
• Exhaust cleaned with pinnacle exhaust cleaner and brightener
• Interior vacuumed
• Floor mats cleaned and extracted
• Salt stains on carpets removed via hot water extraction
• 3-step leather treatment process
• Interior hard surfaces cleaned and protected
• Engine bay cleaned and dressed

Tips for Decontamination

Decontamination is often overlooked by the average person.  Those that are familiar with detailing clay probably spend an hour claying their car when necessary.  There are newer clay alternative products on the market that make this task much faster and easier.  

Consider a clay towel (speedy prep towel) or a pad for a DA polisher.  There are also blocks that can be purchased.  These products last for 5-25 cars and if dropped, can be washed off and reused. They can also reduce your claying time to 15 minutes.  The disadvantage to these products is that they are much more aggresive and if used incorrectly, will result in marring the paint.  It's important to recognize this situation and make adjustments as necessary.  

• Place a sandwich bag over your hand and run your fingertips over the paint to feel for contamination and determine if claying is necessary.
• After a wash, don't dry your car if you plan to clay, this is a wasted step.  Just over concentrate your clay lubricant a little to compensate for the extra water on the panel.
• Only use a small portion of your clay at a time.  50-80 grams is plenty.  A 200 gram bar should yield at least 2-3 portions of clay.
• If you drop your clay, throw it out.  Debris in the clay can scratch your paint.
• Use relatively slow motions and light pressure.  Moving very fast and using a lot of force is going to change the effort from gently shearing to aggressively grinding.
• Check the clay bar often and reshape as necessary.  Depending on the condition of the vehicle, that may be once every panel or once every square foot.
• Use plenty of clay lubricant as this reduces the risk of marring.
• Use a dedicated clay lubricant.  These are designed to remain slippery even as they start to dry.  Soaps have a very sharp cut-off from being slippery to sticky as they dry.
• Work relatively small areas and dry them immediately to ensure suspended contaminants don't have the opportunity to resettle on the paint.