Megane R26
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This car has been booked in for a few months - it has recently had a full polished wheel refurb at leading local wheel refurb specialists A1 Wheels in Bilston then also a full front end respray from local specialist Spray Station - both examples of work were very impressive indeed and the car was beginning to look like new again - all that was left was a correction detail to get the car looking its absolute best.
The original booking was for a full correction, engine bay tidy up and Optimum Opti Coat 2.0 for protection but this was swapped out for ZFX'd Zaino Z2 and Z8 as the owner is an avid Zaino fan and he can use his existing products to maintain moving forward.
This detail took place over a few days, starting on a Friday Evening...
A few befores:
Insects on the freshly painted bumper:
DSC09974 by RussZS, on Flickr
Mild levels of brake dust on the fresh wheels:
DSC09976 by RussZS, on Flickr
Exhausts carbon build up:
DSC09979 by RussZS, on Flickr
As always, the wheel area was dealt with first. Before:
DSC09980 by RussZS, on Flickr
Initial high pressure rinse with my Nilfisk P150 Pressure Washer to remove any loose dirt and brake dust:
DSC09981 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next Smart Wheels cut 25:1 was applied to the wheels - I watered it down as the wheels weren't too bad dirt wise and the polished surface required caution:
DSC09983 by RussZS, on Flickr
The rears of the wheels were worked with a wheel wooly:
DSC09984 by RussZS, on Flickr
Faces with a brand new, clean Valet Pro Wheel brush:
DSC09986 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09987 by RussZS, on Flickr
Tyres were treated to 10:1 G101 being careful to keep it away from the wheels:
DSC09989 by RussZS, on Flickr
Same on the arches with the largest wheel wooly:
DSC09990 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the rear of the spokes and more intricate parts of the wheel were worked by hand with a Microfibre glove and 25:1 Smart Wheels:
DSC09991 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09993 by RussZS, on Flickr
Finally the wheel was rinsed:
DSC09994 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then treated to IronX to see if any brake dust had adhered to the wheels since their refurb:
DSC09995 by RussZS, on Flickr
Only this was found and removed safely:
DSC09996 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next attention was turned to more intricate areas around the car, which were treated with Auto Finesse Citrus Power and a different Valet Pro brush:
DSC09997 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09998 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09999 by RussZS, on Flickr
Old trim dressing:
DSC00001 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00002 by RussZS, on Flickr
Other areas:
DSC00003 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00005 by RussZS, on Flickr
The front bumper was also pre soaked to safely remove the dead insects present:
DSC00008 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the whole car was pressure rinsed to remove any loose dirt, then was hand washed with Concours Oro Shampoo and CarPro Mitt:
DSC00009 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00010 by RussZS, on Flickr
After rinsing, we turned attention to the mucky engine bay areas:
DSC00012 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00013 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00015 by RussZS, on Flickr
This area was addressed with Citrus Power and a VP brush:
DSC00018 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00019 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00020 by RussZS, on Flickr
The material area with G101 and a Megs Interior brush:
DSC00021 by RussZS, on Flickr
Much better!
DSC00023 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the car was treated to IronX to safely remove any fallout, followed by Oblitarate to remove any tar deposits:
DSC00027 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00031 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then rinsed again before moving inside!
DSC00028 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00032 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next we clayed with Concour Soft Clay and Auto Finesse Glide:
DSC00033 by RussZS, on Flickr
There wasn't much left to use after IronX and Oblitarate, just a small amount of tree sap:
DSC00035 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car was then fully dried with CG Wooly Mammoth Towels and a Blower to release any trapped water:
DSC00036 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00037 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next we moved to paintwork assessment. We knew that the front end had been resprayed so this would be treated differently to the rest of the car - fewer defects were present and it was evident that the paint was somewhat softer.
Various polishing combinations were used to safely bring this car up to standard, including:
- Megs Mf Cutting Discs with M101 and D300 via CleanYourCar DAS6 Pro
- Rupes BigFoot System with Zephir and Yellow Polishing Pad
- Festool RAP150 Rotary using Megs 205, Scholl S3, Wool pads and 3M Polishing Pads
Some pictures from the corrective phases:
DSC00042 by RussZS, on Flickr
Before:
DSC00045 by RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC00046 by RussZS, on Flickr
50/50:
DSC00057 by RussZS, on Flickr
Before:
DSC00060 by RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC00059 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car was pulled outside periodically to assess the finish in direct sunlight:
DSC00064 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00066 by RussZS, on Flickr
The corrective work continued over 10 hours or so:
DSC00089 by RussZS, on Flickr
The newly painted areas were finished VERY well but there were a few sanding marks in areas which were dealt with:
DSC00108 by RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC00114 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00115 by RussZS, on Flickr
A few pics of the polishing:
DSC00132 by RussZS, on Flickr
Refining via Rotary:
DSC00131 by RussZS, on Flickr
More checking in the Sun - I find the Brinkmann to be the best light source for spotting hologramming but you can't beat the Sun...
DSC00124 by RussZS, on Flickr
Starting to look extremely sharp...
DSC00129 by RussZS, on Flickr
After all polishing was completed, the M3 was given a very thorough rinse to remove any traces of polishing dust:
DSC00145 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then re-dried carefully using blowers:
DSC00148 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00149 by RussZS, on Flickr
The trim was protected with GTechniq C5:
DSC00151 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00150 by RussZS, on Flickr
Opti Coat 2.0 was used on the wheels:
DSC00154 by RussZS, on Flickr
The paintwork was treated to 3x ZFX'd Z2, Z6 between layers and Z8:
DSC00153 by RussZS, on Flickr
This car has been booked in for a few months - it has recently had a full polished wheel refurb at leading local wheel refurb specialists A1 Wheels in Bilston then also a full front end respray from local specialist Spray Station - both examples of work were very impressive indeed and the car was beginning to look like new again - all that was left was a correction detail to get the car looking its absolute best.
The original booking was for a full correction, engine bay tidy up and Optimum Opti Coat 2.0 for protection but this was swapped out for ZFX'd Zaino Z2 and Z8 as the owner is an avid Zaino fan and he can use his existing products to maintain moving forward.
This detail took place over a few days, starting on a Friday Evening...
A few befores:
Insects on the freshly painted bumper:
DSC09974 by RussZS, on Flickr
Mild levels of brake dust on the fresh wheels:
DSC09976 by RussZS, on Flickr
Exhausts carbon build up:
DSC09979 by RussZS, on Flickr
As always, the wheel area was dealt with first. Before:
DSC09980 by RussZS, on Flickr
Initial high pressure rinse with my Nilfisk P150 Pressure Washer to remove any loose dirt and brake dust:
DSC09981 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next Smart Wheels cut 25:1 was applied to the wheels - I watered it down as the wheels weren't too bad dirt wise and the polished surface required caution:
DSC09983 by RussZS, on Flickr
The rears of the wheels were worked with a wheel wooly:
DSC09984 by RussZS, on Flickr
Faces with a brand new, clean Valet Pro Wheel brush:
DSC09986 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09987 by RussZS, on Flickr
Tyres were treated to 10:1 G101 being careful to keep it away from the wheels:
DSC09989 by RussZS, on Flickr
Same on the arches with the largest wheel wooly:
DSC09990 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the rear of the spokes and more intricate parts of the wheel were worked by hand with a Microfibre glove and 25:1 Smart Wheels:
DSC09991 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09993 by RussZS, on Flickr
Finally the wheel was rinsed:
DSC09994 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then treated to IronX to see if any brake dust had adhered to the wheels since their refurb:
DSC09995 by RussZS, on Flickr
Only this was found and removed safely:
DSC09996 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next attention was turned to more intricate areas around the car, which were treated with Auto Finesse Citrus Power and a different Valet Pro brush:
DSC09997 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09998 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC09999 by RussZS, on Flickr
Old trim dressing:
DSC00001 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00002 by RussZS, on Flickr
Other areas:
DSC00003 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00005 by RussZS, on Flickr
The front bumper was also pre soaked to safely remove the dead insects present:
DSC00008 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the whole car was pressure rinsed to remove any loose dirt, then was hand washed with Concours Oro Shampoo and CarPro Mitt:
DSC00009 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00010 by RussZS, on Flickr
After rinsing, we turned attention to the mucky engine bay areas:
DSC00012 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00013 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00015 by RussZS, on Flickr
This area was addressed with Citrus Power and a VP brush:
DSC00018 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00019 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00020 by RussZS, on Flickr
The material area with G101 and a Megs Interior brush:
DSC00021 by RussZS, on Flickr
Much better!
DSC00023 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next the car was treated to IronX to safely remove any fallout, followed by Oblitarate to remove any tar deposits:
DSC00027 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00031 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then rinsed again before moving inside!
DSC00028 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00032 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next we clayed with Concour Soft Clay and Auto Finesse Glide:
DSC00033 by RussZS, on Flickr
There wasn't much left to use after IronX and Oblitarate, just a small amount of tree sap:
DSC00035 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car was then fully dried with CG Wooly Mammoth Towels and a Blower to release any trapped water:
DSC00036 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00037 by RussZS, on Flickr
Next we moved to paintwork assessment. We knew that the front end had been resprayed so this would be treated differently to the rest of the car - fewer defects were present and it was evident that the paint was somewhat softer.
Various polishing combinations were used to safely bring this car up to standard, including:
- Megs Mf Cutting Discs with M101 and D300 via CleanYourCar DAS6 Pro
- Rupes BigFoot System with Zephir and Yellow Polishing Pad
- Festool RAP150 Rotary using Megs 205, Scholl S3, Wool pads and 3M Polishing Pads
Some pictures from the corrective phases:
DSC00042 by RussZS, on Flickr
Before:
DSC00045 by RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC00046 by RussZS, on Flickr
50/50:
DSC00057 by RussZS, on Flickr
Before:
DSC00060 by RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC00059 by RussZS, on Flickr
The car was pulled outside periodically to assess the finish in direct sunlight:
DSC00064 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00066 by RussZS, on Flickr
The corrective work continued over 10 hours or so:
DSC00089 by RussZS, on Flickr
The newly painted areas were finished VERY well but there were a few sanding marks in areas which were dealt with:
DSC00108 by RussZS, on Flickr
After:
DSC00114 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00115 by RussZS, on Flickr
A few pics of the polishing:
DSC00132 by RussZS, on Flickr
Refining via Rotary:
DSC00131 by RussZS, on Flickr
More checking in the Sun - I find the Brinkmann to be the best light source for spotting hologramming but you can't beat the Sun...
DSC00124 by RussZS, on Flickr
Starting to look extremely sharp...
DSC00129 by RussZS, on Flickr
After all polishing was completed, the M3 was given a very thorough rinse to remove any traces of polishing dust:
DSC00145 by RussZS, on Flickr
Then re-dried carefully using blowers:
DSC00148 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00149 by RussZS, on Flickr
The trim was protected with GTechniq C5:
DSC00151 by RussZS, on Flickr
DSC00150 by RussZS, on Flickr
Opti Coat 2.0 was used on the wheels:
DSC00154 by RussZS, on Flickr
The paintwork was treated to 3x ZFX'd Z2, Z6 between layers and Z8:
DSC00153 by RussZS, on Flickr
