The first one done this week by Clark...

---

Just a protection detail for this write up, but i had my work cut out on it due to it arriving in a pretty manky state:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26d.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26.jpg

Wheels hadnt been cleaned for a good while!.....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26c.jpg

So, i got going as the owner was picking the car up at half 4-ish and i knew the wheels would take a while to get spot on. I started them first, giving the arches a good blast out too with the Karcher while i got the loose dirt off the wheels to begin with. I sprayed the arches and tyres with Meguiars Super Degreaser and agitated with a brush, then cleaned the wheels with Meguiars Wheel Brightener (4:1). This got all the dirt off eventually but there was alot of tar spots so Autosmarts Tardis was used after the WB. I spent around an hour and a half on the wheels alone!

The car was then foamed with a strong solution of Meguiars APC and left for 5mins:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26e.jpg

It was then foamed again, then rinsed at high pressure before being washed with the 2BM and Meguiars Shampoo Plus. Autosmarts Tardis followed up for the lower halfs. Meguiars Super Degreaser was used on the front end as there were ALOT of dead bugs still stuck to the paint after the wash, this car obviously gets driven as its meant to with little washing in between! :)

I then clayed all paint and glass with Meguiars Mild Detailing Clay and neat Last Touch so as to avoid marring the paint (no polishing on this detail remember), there was alot of dirt pulled off the paint although it still wouldnt budge all the bug stains from the front, so i decided to use a chemical cleaner once the car was inside.

I dried off the car with a Waffle Weave towel, then gave it a final blast with the leaf blower to get all the panel gaps and recesses free of water, it would have taken an age to dry with the leaf blower as usual as the water was sticking to the car due to no protection left on the paint at all.

Once inside, i set about removing the bug stains from the front end, using Jeffs Werkstatt Prime Strong:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26g.jpg

This was worked with firm pressure with the polishing side of a german applicator pad:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26j.jpg

This resulted in a 95% improvement, however there were some etching into the paint that would need a fairly aggressive polish or even wet sanding to fully remove, this was explained to the owner when he collected the car and he was happy as he said some of the etching had been there since he got it :)

A nice change of LSP for this detail too, as the owner wanted the Blackfire treatment, first up was the Wet Diamond Sealant:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26a.jpg

This was applied with the red side of a German applicator and left to cure:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26v.jpg

While it was curing i sealed the wheels with Poorboys Wheel Sealant:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26s.jpg

Next up was Blackfire's new wax - Midnight Sun:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26k.jpg

Early impressions of this wax are very good, the finish isnt a million miles away from the likes of Vintage although it lacks the vibrancy that Vintage gives in direct sunlight, durability should be pretty good too :thumb:

The wax was applied to the whole car and left for a bit while i did the last few jobs.

Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel was used for the tyres:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26b.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26u.jpg

And Meguiars All Season Dressing was applied to the arch liners (no need for jacking the car up this time as the arches are huge!):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26h.jpg

Exhausts were polished with Meguiars NXT Metal Polish:

Before:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26m.jpg

After:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26n.jpg

Glass was done with Meguiars Class Cleaner Concentrate.

The interior was also done but no pics as i couldnt be bothered due to lack of time and to be honest it wasnt even that bad :)

Afters, i now have a tri-pod for the camera so pics are slightly sharper now. :thumb: :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26f.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26i.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26l.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26o.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26p.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26q.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v317/Clark_VTR/Cr26t.jpg

7 1/2 hours work in total for this one :)

We're now fast approaching an 8 month waiting list so there's plenty more write up's to come, as always - thanks for looking. :thumb:

Great job! I hope the owner appreciates the work that went into it.

8 months is a bit extreme, do you have any troubles with people canceling and "wrecking" a weeks work?

If you have an 8 month waiting list, then I'd say it's time to employ another person to help bring down the waiting time, and increase the cashflow :D

8 months is a bit extreme, do you have any troubles with people canceling and "wrecking" a weeks work?

Nope, we had a cancellation last week and the slot was filled after one phone call at short notice - we have a reserve list of folk wanting to be brought forward if slots become available. Happy days!

If you have an 8 month waiting list, then I'd say it's time to employ another person to help bring down the waiting time, and increase the cashflow :D

Aye, it is time to do this for sure, but we only have one detailing bay, and this is a problem! Time for bigger premises already. :eek:

Wow, look at the shine on that.

Good work!!

need to franchise into the midlands and south :D

That Black really does shine and reflect:thumb: .
Is using a Wax better than using a Polish?

need to franchise into the midlands and south :D

Fancy a partnership Dave? :D

hmmmm --- now thats sounds like an idea :D

Good job.

G

That Black really does shine and reflect:thumb: .
Is using a Wax better than using a Polish?

They do totally different things, so not really a valid question. Polishes are designed to remove sub-surface defects like swirls and scratches, while waxes and sealants are designed to protect surfaces. For a fuller guide to the differences and recommended steps to an awesome finish (wash, clay, polish, protect), have a read through these guides - all will become clear!

Car Care and Detailing Advice (http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/guides.html)

:)

I'm still sampling various products to find the best finish for MY07 STi which is in WR Blue. The Blackfire range seems to work better on darker colours I have found, might just be me though.

Have you tried any decent products that excel on such a colour?

Cheers

G

8 months! Always gob smacked at how good these grubby cars scrub up. Why, oh why are you guys so far away from me!!

TX.

We're now fast approaching an 8 month waiting list so there's plenty more write up's to come, as always - thanks for looking. :thumb:

great job looks better than new wish my car was that clean whats something like that going to cost me

The above job was charged at £195 inc VAT, which is normal for a full day protection detail done well. :)

I'm still sampling various products to find the best finish for MY07 STi which is in WR Blue. The Blackfire range seems to work better on darker colours I have found, might just be me though.

Have you tried any decent products that excel on such a colour?

Cheers

G

For sensible money on WR Blue, I would go with either the Blackfire system to get massively wet and glossy results like this (I presume you have achieved this already?)...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/blackfire/impreza.jpg

...or the Jeffs Werkstatt Acrylic System to get a sharper, more reflective look with more flake pop when the sun is out...

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f293/polishedbliss/polishedbliss/werkstatt/werkstatt4.jpg

The Blackfire range won all of the main SIDC show n shine events this year, and is a firm favourite that is only set to become more loved now that the wax formula has been tweaked a bit for even more wetness and gloss. That said, the Jeffs System still looks great in my book on WR Blue, and certainly gives a sharper look to the Impreza shape. Take your pick - there's plenty of previous threads to look back through as well, try this one for starters for a side by side comparison...

http://bbs.scoobynet.com/car-care-380/515718-side-side-werkstatt-vs-blackfire-comparison-pair-stis.html

:thumb:

:)

Much appreciated!

G