I did this car at the start of April, but never had time to post the results… then forgot about posting them altogether! The car belongs to a member of the Seat Car Club, and although it looks completely standard, it’s packing enough upgrades to make it a real dark horse (i.e. 300 bhp+). When it was dropped off, a quick inspection revealed the usual suspects – an army of tar spots and plenty of fine swirls, plus the odd scratch. Here’s a run through of the process…

Wash

Whole car rinsed at moderate pressure using the Karcher
Alloys 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

Lower panels wiped down with Panel Wipe to remove a heavy build up of tar spots
All paintwork and windows clayed using Meguiars Detailing Clay and Meguiars Quik Detailer
Excess lubricant mopped up with waffle weave towels

Polish

Whole car taped with 3434, then machine polished with PC, using Menzerna Intensive Polish and Lake Country orange light cut pads. One attempt comprising three passes (1st at speed 2 no pressure, 2nd at speed 4 moderate pressure, 3rd at speed 6 maximum pressure) was enough to get everything out, bar some of the scratches, which I returned to with orange spot pads and the same method. 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. 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 and glossier. 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
Wheels protected with AIO topped with Poorboy's Wheel Sealant, both applied with foam pads and buffed with work towels
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 (sorry no before’s on this one, as I was pushed for time)… possibly the wettest finish I’ve ever achieved?

 

does look very wet indeed,

 

Looks spot on Rich

 

very nice Rich, lovin' that wetness!

 

That looks absolutely awesome. How long did it take you to do?

 

8 hours in total, split over two days. Also did the interior too, that alone took 1.5 hours. Was all fairly straightforward though, Seat paint is fairly soft in the bigger scheme of things, so doesn't take long to correct.

 

Nice!