Megane R26
This detail has been booked in for a while and it's been one I've been very much looking forward to - a Phantom Black Audi A3 2.0T with tasteful modifications such as Porsche Brakes, BBS wheels and coilovers.
The car itself was very well kept but suffering from significant swirling, so the aim of the day was to cleanse the paintwork thoroughly and restore the lustre and gloss back into the paintwork, then add some solid protection.
I've been using the new Auto Finesse DA Sealant a bit this week, so decided to use it on this too to see how if performed on metallic black... I wasn't disappointed!
Some befores:
DSC04650 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04652 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04653 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04655 by RussZS, on Flickr
Wheels were dealt with first.
I started off by pressure rinsing with the Kranzle K7 to remove any loose dirt/dust:
DSC04656 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next Autobrite Very Cherry Wheel cleaner was applied using a Foam Spray Head:
DSC04657 by RussZS, on Flickr
This was agitated with Valet Pro brushes:
DSC04658 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04662 by RussZS, on Flickr
and an EZ Detail Brush:
DSC04659 by RussZS, on Flickr
Tyres were treated with AutoSmart G101 and an Envy Brush:
DSC04663 by RussZS, on Flickr
Arches with G101 and the largest Wheel Woolie:
DSC04664 by RussZS, on Flickr
and rinsed again:
DSC04665 by RussZS, on Flickr
At this stage the wheels were looking a lot better but a lot of brake dust pitting was evident:
DSC04666 by RussZS, on Flickr
So latest formula IronX was used to remove this:
DSC04667 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04668 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04669 by RussZS, on Flickr
This was then rinsed off.
Next, the car was foamed with Autobrite Magifoam which has become my favourite foam as it actually cleans, unlike most!!
DSC04670 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04671 by RussZS, on Flickr
Whilst the foam was dwelling I worked around the car with G101 and VP brushes:
DSC04672 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04673 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04674 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04675 by RussZS, on Flickr
After 15 mins it was still clinging really well!
DSC04676 by RussZS, on Flickr
The Magifoam was then rinsed and I began to hand wash with Lather, CarPro Mitt and Zaino bucket:
DSC04677 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04678 by RussZS, on Flickr
This was then rinsed and I turned my attention to the tar on the wheels, which was treated to Tardis:
DSC04679 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04680 by RussZS, on Flickr
They were also hit again with IronX to remove as much of the pitting as possible:
DSC04683 by RussZS, on Flickr
then the bodywork was cleansed of tar with Tardis - no pics of it reacting on the paint due to the colour, but this is the cloth afterwards:
DSC04684 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the car was foamed again with a deliberately watery foam to ensure all of the IronX and Tardis had been run off the car:
DSC04685 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04687 by RussZS, on Flickr
then finally rinsed:
DSC04688 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car was moved inside to begin claying:
DSC04689 by RussZS, on Flickr
Weapons of choice for the day were Citrus Bling as lube and Bilt Hamber Medium, which I found to be a bit harder than I'd like so not ideal for a cooler day!
DSC04690 by RussZS, on Flickr
Contamination removed from bonnet!
DSC04691 by RussZS, on Flickr
I recently bought a cheap compressor to aid dust removal from polishing and drying process so I used this to help dry the car:
DSC04692 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04693 by RussZS, on Flickr
Water build up:
DSC04694 by RussZS, on Flickr
Quick blast:
DSC04695 by RussZS, on Flickr
It's a very useful tool to have indeed:
DSC04696 by RussZS, on Flickr
After drying was completed I began to test combinations on the paint. I finally settled on Scholl S17, with S3 in places on various pads, and refining where required with Megs 205:
DSC04698 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04701 by RussZS, on Flickr
The bonnet was particularly bad and in fact the customer told me he wanted to get it resprayed, but I felt it didn't look too bad - perhaps beyond a position where I could rectify it completely within day, but certainly would be able to clean it up significantly!
DSC04708 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04709 by RussZS, on Flickr
Flake pop on the front wing:
DSC04710 by RussZS, on Flickr
50/50 from passenger door:
DSC04712 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04715 by RussZS, on Flickr
OS rear quarter under Halide:
DSC04724 by RussZS, on Flickr
This shows how bad the bonnet was, under only natural light:
DSC04728 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04729 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04733 by RussZS, on Flickr
It wasn't perfect, but could be with enough time, and was much improved!!
I finished with:
DSC04737 by RussZS, on Flickr
The interior was given a quick clean too:
DSC04738 by RussZS, on Flickr
and finally, some afters!
DSC04739 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04741 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04744 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04749 by RussZS, on Flickr
Great flake pop from the sealant!!
DSC04750 by RussZS, on Flickr
Great reflective properties too!
DSC04751 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04752 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04754 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04757 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04761 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04762 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car itself was very well kept but suffering from significant swirling, so the aim of the day was to cleanse the paintwork thoroughly and restore the lustre and gloss back into the paintwork, then add some solid protection.
I've been using the new Auto Finesse DA Sealant a bit this week, so decided to use it on this too to see how if performed on metallic black... I wasn't disappointed!
Some befores:
DSC04650 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04652 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04653 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04655 by RussZS, on Flickr
Wheels were dealt with first.
I started off by pressure rinsing with the Kranzle K7 to remove any loose dirt/dust:
DSC04656 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next Autobrite Very Cherry Wheel cleaner was applied using a Foam Spray Head:
DSC04657 by RussZS, on Flickr
This was agitated with Valet Pro brushes:
DSC04658 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04662 by RussZS, on Flickr
and an EZ Detail Brush:
DSC04659 by RussZS, on Flickr
Tyres were treated with AutoSmart G101 and an Envy Brush:
DSC04663 by RussZS, on Flickr
Arches with G101 and the largest Wheel Woolie:
DSC04664 by RussZS, on Flickr
and rinsed again:
DSC04665 by RussZS, on Flickr
At this stage the wheels were looking a lot better but a lot of brake dust pitting was evident:
DSC04666 by RussZS, on Flickr
So latest formula IronX was used to remove this:
DSC04667 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04668 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04669 by RussZS, on Flickr
This was then rinsed off.
Next, the car was foamed with Autobrite Magifoam which has become my favourite foam as it actually cleans, unlike most!!
DSC04670 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04671 by RussZS, on Flickr
Whilst the foam was dwelling I worked around the car with G101 and VP brushes:
DSC04672 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04673 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04674 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04675 by RussZS, on Flickr
After 15 mins it was still clinging really well!
DSC04676 by RussZS, on Flickr
The Magifoam was then rinsed and I began to hand wash with Lather, CarPro Mitt and Zaino bucket:
DSC04677 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04678 by RussZS, on Flickr
This was then rinsed and I turned my attention to the tar on the wheels, which was treated to Tardis:
DSC04679 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04680 by RussZS, on Flickr
They were also hit again with IronX to remove as much of the pitting as possible:
DSC04683 by RussZS, on Flickr
then the bodywork was cleansed of tar with Tardis - no pics of it reacting on the paint due to the colour, but this is the cloth afterwards:
DSC04684 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the car was foamed again with a deliberately watery foam to ensure all of the IronX and Tardis had been run off the car:
DSC04685 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04687 by RussZS, on Flickr
then finally rinsed:
DSC04688 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car was moved inside to begin claying:
DSC04689 by RussZS, on Flickr
Weapons of choice for the day were Citrus Bling as lube and Bilt Hamber Medium, which I found to be a bit harder than I'd like so not ideal for a cooler day!
DSC04690 by RussZS, on Flickr
Contamination removed from bonnet!
DSC04691 by RussZS, on Flickr
I recently bought a cheap compressor to aid dust removal from polishing and drying process so I used this to help dry the car:
DSC04692 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04693 by RussZS, on Flickr
Water build up:
DSC04694 by RussZS, on Flickr
Quick blast:
DSC04695 by RussZS, on Flickr
It's a very useful tool to have indeed:
DSC04696 by RussZS, on Flickr
After drying was completed I began to test combinations on the paint. I finally settled on Scholl S17, with S3 in places on various pads, and refining where required with Megs 205:
DSC04698 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04701 by RussZS, on Flickr
The bonnet was particularly bad and in fact the customer told me he wanted to get it resprayed, but I felt it didn't look too bad - perhaps beyond a position where I could rectify it completely within day, but certainly would be able to clean it up significantly!
DSC04708 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04709 by RussZS, on Flickr
Flake pop on the front wing:
DSC04710 by RussZS, on Flickr
50/50 from passenger door:
DSC04712 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04715 by RussZS, on Flickr
OS rear quarter under Halide:
DSC04724 by RussZS, on Flickr
This shows how bad the bonnet was, under only natural light:
DSC04728 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04729 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04733 by RussZS, on Flickr
It wasn't perfect, but could be with enough time, and was much improved!!
I finished with:
DSC04737 by RussZS, on Flickr
The interior was given a quick clean too:
DSC04738 by RussZS, on Flickr
and finally, some afters!
DSC04739 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04741 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04744 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04749 by RussZS, on Flickr
Great flake pop from the sealant!!
DSC04750 by RussZS, on Flickr
Great reflective properties too!
DSC04751 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04752 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04754 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04757 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04761 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC04762 by RussZS, on Flickr
