My first Attempt at a Proper detail
 

I always thought my car was clean and shiny as I washed it and polished it regularly using mainly Autoglym products but after seeing/reading some of the car details on here I quickly realised it wasn't :( and almost all my car cleaning kit was running out.
So I asked a few questions and got some helpful answers from some guys here and from PB so placed my order with them.
I got carried away with ordering a little I needed almost everything so my pocket was a little lighter.
This took me just over a week to complete working for a couple of hours on the evenings plus 2 full days the car is off the road until I sort the French registration out anyway :rolleyes:
So here is what the car looked like up close before I started

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/1.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/IMG_0033.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/3.jpg

So first off I removed the wheels as they where badly caked up inside I used a little detergent with a brush then power washed off.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/4.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/5.jpg

I used the Werkstat Acrylic kit on the wheels to seal them (Dedicated wheel protector on the list for next time ;) ) and used Blackfire tyre gel on the side walls.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/6.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/7.jpg

The wheel nuts looked a bit grotty so cleaned them up with some Meguiars NXT polish.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/8.jpg

While the wheels where off I cleaned under the arches with a little detergent rubbed in with a brush then power washed off.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/9.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/10.jpg

I also tackled the exhaust it was covered in tar and light scratches so I washed it off clayed it then used some NXT polish to finish it off

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/11.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/12.jpg

I then did the very long job of trying to clean under the bonnet.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/13.jpg

As you can see its a bit grotty and there are quite a lot of rusty nut/bolt heads which I replaced with new stainless steel ones. I spent hours cleaning under there glad I did it over a few nights as I don’t think I would have to patience to do it all at once and lost count of the times I cut my fingers :( . I degreased it using a brush then power washed it off and tackled the painted areas with some Menzerna 85RD which worked a treat, the underside of the bonnet was almost brown but came up like new. I removed the washer bottle, air box, battery, inter cooler and strut brace to get better access. The alloy and metal parts where then polished with the NXT and all the plastics dressed with 303 Aerospace.
I still have a long way to go to get it spotless and I need to repaint the inlet manifold at some point but its a good start.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/14.jpg

Now on to the body work. I washed it off two bucket method using Werkstat Auto Body Wash, Meguiars Lambs wool Wash Mitt and a microfiber sponge on the wheels, side skirts and door shuts then dried off with a microfiber towel.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/15.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/15a.jpg

I then clayed the car and glass off with Meguiars Quik Clay its the first time I have used clay and was amazed at how many contaminants there where on the paint it was very time consuming due to how bad the surface was.
On to the polishing.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/16.jpg

I used a rotary machine borrowed from my dad ;) with a new Menzerna Polishing pad and Menzerna 85RD polish. After taking the pictures at the start of the thread I thought I may need some more aggressive polish but the results are amazing after 2 or 3 passes on most of the panels almost 100% correction :) just the odd stone chip spoiling it. This stage was also very time consuming. I also did all the glass with the machine.
Some 50/50 shots

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/IMG_0048.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/18.jpg

I used a light cut hand pad on the bottom of the doors mirrors, front bumper and other small parts I didn't use the machine on.
Once I was happy with the polishing I washed and dried the car off again and applied the Werkstat Acrylic kit. I was amazed how easy this was to use I didn't get any streaks or sticking between applications and the final result was worth the work.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/19.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/20.jpg

The glass was polished off inside and out with Autoglym Glass Polish and the interior dressed with Poorboys Natural Dressing including all the door seals then hovered out.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/21.jpg

I tried the 303 Aerospace on the side trims but I think some of the silicone residue was left on from other cleaners so I redid them with the Poorboys dressing.
The end results are better than I thought possible with a 12 year old car. Yes the engine could be better but am very happy with it for now :D

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c4.../IMG_00582.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/23.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/24.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/25.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/26.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/rbaz/27.jpg

Thanks for taking the time to read it I hope it inspires others to give it a go too :thumb:

Great work. For the age your car looks mint mate. :thumb: Why the move to France?

Good work mate, looks well :thumb:

Thanks :thumb:
Why move :lol1: theft is very rare, almost empty roads within a 30 mile radius all twisty :norty: very few speed cameras and police and they don’t have traffic cars and helicopters the best they have are Clio Diesels :lol1:

My parents live over here and we had the chance to renovate an old building. The cost to do this and the much more relaxed way of life was too hard to resist plus a much better life for our kids (when we have some)

Nice work

Wise move mate. Good luck and all the best for the future. :thumb:

Nicely done, lookin good.

Thats a nice little detail. Good work. My next purchase is a G220 and kit to go with it.

Really good job there:thumb:

cracking work mate. just one thing, don't leave the mitt on the floor :eek: enough to give me heart failure :lol1:

:lol1: Take another look its sat on plastic just for the pic am not that daft ;)

Thanks for the comments guys :thumb:

lol. looking on my blackberry at the moment so couldn't see it.

great work mate car looks mega...... bet your going to get so much Attention I remember how much interest my car got on the way to le mans and it was filthy

Looks well,nice looking car in the best colour.

Cough, cough, hint, hint....

Show n Shine - Win Free Detailing Products!

Just e-mail me the link to this thread, no need to e-mail the piccies.

:thumb:

Oops, my bad, hadn't realised you had already entered! Manic week or two just gone, obviously losing my marbles (and track of what's going on!). The judging will be done in the next 7 days, good luck! :thumb:

Nice job mate!!!