Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

When I booked this car in a few weeks ago, and the owner said he wanted the wettest look possible whilst still allowing the flake to pop in the sun, I knew I had an ideal opportunity to test out the new Blackfire range, and in particular the newly formulated Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection sealant. The following detail was one of the most challenging I’ve done to date, and I have to thank the owner for giving me the freedom to try out some new techniques, such as wetsanding! Well, it was either that or a trip to the bodyshop anyway (to fix a couple of very deep scratches), so the owner figured there was no harm in me trying first. When the car turned up it looked dull and jaded, and the paint felt like fine sandpaper. A quick burst of 3W Luxeon lighting revealed heavy swirling, plus some marring from previous polishing/claying attempts. I had originally planned on the job taking 12 hours, but in the end I put in 20 hours to get it the way I wanted it. Worth it though, as the final finish blew me away – I’ve not come across another sealant that looks so wet, whilst still allowing the flake to pop so much in the sun. The glazing step also added significantly to the wetness to the finish, and added a richness to the paint that is often missing from sealant finishes. Here’s the process…

Wash

Whole car rinsed at moderate pressure using the Karcher
Alloys spot tested then treated with Meguiars Wheel Brightener cut 4:1, left 60 secs and rinsed with open ended hose
Whole car foamed with Poorboy’s Slick n Suds (4:1 mix in foam gun) and left to dwell for 5 mins
Whole car rinsed at moderate pressure using the Karcher
All trims and inside the arches treated with Meguiars Safe Degreaser cut 10:1
Whole car washed with Blackfire Gloss Shampoo using lambswool (bodywork) and microfibre (wheels and inside arches) mitts, and the two bucket method
Whole car rinsed with an open-ended hose
Whole car dried with waffle weave towels

Clay

Blackfire Clay (very aggressive – no point wasting time, but it did inflict further marring)
Blackfire Clay Lubricant
Excess lubricant mopped up with waffle weave towels

Scratch Repair

Scratches cleaned out with P21S Total Auto Wash, rinsed and dried
Scratches filled with 3 thin coats of pigment, followed by 3 coats of lacquer
Once dry, new paint flattened with Meguiars Unigrit 3000, previously left to soak overnight in a bucket of suds
Affected panels then rewashed and rinsed and dried as per wash section above
Wetsanding haze then polished out with PC using Menzerna Power Gloss and 4” Lake Country orange light cut pads

Polish

Whole car taped with 3434, then machine polished with PC, using Menzerna Intensive Polish and Lake Country orange light cut pads. The first go with the Intensive Polish removed some cobwebbing and heavy marring from the claying step, but hardly seemed to touch the deeper swirls and didn’t do much to numerous minor scratches. So much for the rumour that Subaru paint is soft! Two more goes with the Intensive Polish applying heavy pressure shifted 95 % of the defects in all panels, and of those that were left, most looked too severe (definite nail catchers) for full correction anyway, so I decided to leave them. I then followed up with Menzerna Final Polish II using Lake Country white polishing pads, as the finish left by the Intensive Polish was good but not perfect.

I also took time out to try polishing some panels by hand, as I’ve had a lot of enquiries lately asking if Intensive Polish can be used by hand. When I first tried it last year I noticed that the abrasives did not break down very well by hand, and I therefore wrote the site description recommending machine use only. However, now I’ve got more experience with it, I thought it wise to try again. Ten minutes of very hard work per panel using a Meguiars foam pad worked wonders – about 90 % swirl removal! I could see the abrasives starting to break down after 8-9 minutes of work, so the definitive answer is it can be used successfully by hand, but it is extremely hard work. On softer paint I dare say it will give superb results if worked slightly longer, but on harder paint it will always leave some defects, although the overall finish can be dramatically improved, as the pictures below show. On this occasion I did the panels again by machine, as I wanted the best possible finish for the Blackfire products.

The final polishing step was the application of Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish. This product has no cut, and is essentially a really rich, creamy glaze. I noticed a distinct wetting of the paint when it was applied using a Meguiars foam pad, and this helped to make the paint look much richer. All residues were buffed with Poorboy’s Super Thick n Plush towels.

Protect

All bodywork protected with Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection, applied using foam pads and buffed using Poorboy's’ Mega Plush towels. I found it goes on and off much like Menzerna FMJ, and leaves an even slicker finish
All exterior trims treated with 303 Aerospace Protectant, applied using a microfibre pad and buffed after 5 mins with waffle weave towels
Exhaust tip polished with Autosol and protected with Meguiars NXT All Metal Polysh, both applied using Poorboy’s Work Towels
Tyres dressed with Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel

And here’s the pics…



Tired, dull and jaded…





A couple of deep gouges (above) and a deep scratch (below)…





Swirl city…





During the wetsanding process (above) and after Power Gloss (below)…





The results of using Intensive Polish by hand – before (above) and after (below)…





A couple of arty shots…





Finished, just waiting for the sun to properly come out…





Deep scratch now filled and hard to spot (above), same story for the gouges (below)…





I love these wheels – perfect on this car…





Finally, the sun comes out. Sunglasses on…



What I learnt during this detail – (i) Subaru paint is harder than Seat and Skoda paint, and about the same as Audi paint in my experience (ii) filling and wetsanding is fairly straightforward, although getting the balance right between the amount of pigment and lacquer to add will take a lot more practice (iii) Power Gloss takes out 3000 grit haze no problem (iv) Intensive Polish is great to use by hand, as long as you work it long and hard (v) Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection is a bit special!

corradoboy

PB, could you PM me a guide price for a full detail such as this. I am based in Leeds, W.Yorks but would travel up to you in Scotland for such good work. Hell, I may make a long break out of it to enjoy those lovely highland roads

killa

iTrader: (7)

The P1 looks stunning mate what else can i say...

Rasher

that's a cracking job Rich

Rasher

how long did the job from start to finish take??

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

You didn't read the text! 20 hours start to finish, a short sleep midway through the night. The wetsanding added to the time, as did the hardness of the paint - much harder than expected.

Greeny01

You missed a spot...

Just kidding, excellent job Rich, I might have to get you round to have a go at my motor some time. Glad to see (and hear) the buisiness is going so well.

Iain

aka Iaing (SCC)

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Cheers mate, long time no see, look forward to a catch up at some point.

Rasher

oooooooooooooooooops

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

Very impressive.... shame you live all the way up there in Scotland, I'm tempted to look into getting a machine polish done on mine and then have a smooth car to work with. Any good contacts down here you can point me to ? I'm not letting just anyone loose on it.

Davey P

iTrader: (1)

That looks fantastic.
Shame your not down south, as I would love my P1 looking like that.

Gazz300

Si I saw this and thought of you.

How good does this look?

Can you tell us how much this cost? Can't be any more than the £5K on 5th Gear!

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

I charged £180 (for 12 hours) for this one - 8 hours were free, as it was the first time I've wetsanded, so good practice for me.

PM replied to in a minute!

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

That word scare's me and I don't mind admitting it

Was the owner watching at the time ?

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

No!

Rasher

might you be stocking these products in the near future as they are not advertised on your website Rich??

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Entered into the store today, hit CRTL + F5 when on the home page, then you should see the new products in the various sections of the store. Some of the descriptions are done, others will be finished later today, pics added soon too (in the studio this afternoon).

Rasher

nice one

Jools

Top work again Rich and another happy customer I’m sure.

And the polish lasts too folks; the RRS still looks much better after just a quick wash than it did when it was picked up from the dealer….and we have done over 1500 miles with it during the easter hols in crappy weather since you were here several weeks ago!

Can’t wait till Sunday and we get another Scooby looking this good. John Stuart will be here also.

Cheers,
Jools

big daz2

i think we should have a group buy and get you down to south wales,you could spend the week down here,we will put you up in the finest hotel (celtic maner).i would love a smooth car after the harsh winter.

Hepy

That looks stunning. I wish my P1 was as clean as that. I've got so many stonechips though I'd probably need to get them sorted beforehand.

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Great, see you at 10am.

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Will be offering this type of service for car clubs in the future, as soon as the business has grown big enough for me to leave my day job.

big daz2

good man let us know we would be intrested.

Silver Scooby Sport

iTrader: (15)

Good thinking Daz... only one thing the Rogiet Hotel is £20 a night opposed to the Celtic Manor being £200 a night

big daz2

we can all chip in

TAINTON

We could all share the same room aswell to cut costs

We need you down south for some much needed work........better class of folk down here ya know

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

SShhhh, or you'll have a raiding party heading south!

Neanderthal

iTrader: (6)

Can the Blackfire range be applied in direct sunlight?
Not having the luxury of a garage means it's something I have to think about when deciding what to buy.

Rich @ PB

iTrader: (3)

Not tried it to be honest, but if you have to work in full sun, do small sections at a time, and buff immediately (polish) or shortly after (sealant) application (don't allow products to haze for too long). Also, try to work when the sun is least intense, ie early morning or late afternoon.

PS - if you're really concerned, the Poorboy's range can be applied in full, hot, baking sun no problem. A wet, glossy look is given by EX-P topped with Natty's Blue paste wax.