Enhancement detail on a friends keyed Astra

[butler2.8i]

This is a enhancement detail on a friends black Astra SRI which someone decided to key down the drivers side when it was parked up. They had inflicted a scratch from the filler along to he front edge of the driver’s door, it had gone so deep in places that it had gone through to the undercoat (basxxxds). Even though the mark wouldn’t come out fully I knew a massive improvement could be made to the car just given a bit of time and the right products.

New products for me in this detail were Iron X and Auto Finesse Rejevenate, more details on both further on in the write up

Products and equipment used
Auto Finesse Rejevenate
Chemical guys Blacklight
Chemical guys V7
Uber microfiber towels
Uber drying towel
Lake Country hydrotech polishing pad
Orange 50mm polishing pad
Menzerna power gloss
3m yellow pads 150mm 75 mm
Valet pro bilberry wheel cleaner
Iron X
Valet pro tyre gel
Valet pro citrus bling
Valet pro orange pre wash
Valet pro PH neutral snowfoam
Meguiars hyper wash
Meguiars Hyper dressing
Werkstat Prime Acrylic
Autosmart Tardis
Chemical guys UFO applicator
Bilt Hamber clay bar
Various wheel brushes
Makita rotary polisher
Karcher pressure washer
Sheepskin wash mitt
Noodle wash mitt
Uber Microfiber drying towel
Poorboys microfibre clothes
Snow foam gun
3m masking tape
Jetseal 109

The car before I start

The car was dropped off a mine on the Friday teatime so I decided to start on the wheels, so first I cleaned the wheels using the bilberry wheel cleaner and various wheel brushes and a noodle wash mitt. The bilberry got the worst of the muck off but left some staining and brake dust build up left behind which I thought I would see how the Iron X would tackle this, and got to say I was impressed as it just cleaned them right up just leaving some small tar spots to be removed by the Tardis and a microfibre cloth.

Iron X applied

Tardis at work

Microfibre after

 

[butler2.8i]

I started by giving the lower parts of the car a coat of the valet pro orange pre wash, which was left to dwell before being pressure washed off. The car was then given its first coat of snow foam made up of the valet pro PH neutral snowfoam and a shot of Meg’s hyper wash

The snowfoam was then blasted off with the pressure washer, and then the car was given another coat of the same mix snowfoam and washed using Meg’s hyper wash and the 2 bucket method and a wash mitt before being power rinsed off and dried. The lower parts of the car and inner arch lips where sprayed with Tardis which was left to do its stuff before being wiped down with a microfibre cloth. The car was then rinsed off using a open ended hose( plus rain) and left wet before claying using citrus bling and water mix( 4 to 1) Bilt Hamber clay bar which didn’t really pull much from the paint work it was then rewashed using the same method and dried using a Uber microfiber drying towel.

I Decided to start on the Keyed area first so using a 50mm polishing pad and some Menzerna power gloss
Before

Afters taken a week later as I forgot at the end of the day, doh

Car was then taped up using 3m masking tape ready to be polished using the Auto Finesse Rejevenate and the Lake Country hydrotech polishing pad, but not sure why but I couldn`t get away with this pad so went back to a yellow 3m pad.
A couple of quick 50/50 using the Rejevenate and 3m yellow polishing pads before getting on with the rest car.

Then started to work my way round the rest of the car

 

[butler2.8i]

So after polishing my way round the car with the rotary, I applied the first coat chemical guys Blacklight sealant using a Chemical guys UFO applicator pad and left to cure before buffing using Poorboys microfibre clothes. Whilst waiting between coats all the exterior chrome trim was polished using Werkstat Prime Acrylic.
Sealent curing

Chrome Grill

The car was then given a second coat of the blaccklight after approx 30min and buffed again after 20min. The car was then given 2 coats of Chemical guys V7 leaving approx 30 between each.
The glass was cleaned using neat citrus bling. The wheels were given 2 coats of Jetseal and the tyres giving a coat of Valet pro tyre dressing, arches dressed using 2 coats of Meguiars Hyper dressing

Exhaust cleaned up using 00 grade wire wool , autosol and a microfiber towel

Before

After

Leaving me with this

 

[JD]

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Are these not swirls in the photos?

Wheels look good.

 

[butler2.8i]

Will be matey as this is only a single stage correction not a full correction so RDS will be left behind after a single pass when polishing, Mick only wanted me to improve the deep scratch left by the keying but i couldn`t leave the car with a partly polished side.
It would have drove me mental