MY A4 - CORSA SXI CDTI - HONDA S2000

Instead of doing an individual write-up on each of these cars, I thought a wee summary would be better.

Starting off with my own A4 (6 years old). It last had protection applied about 9 months ago (Zymol Glasur). It hasn’t been clayed in that time either and probably should have been on this occasion but I just don’t have the time. I try and wash the car regularly to keep it looking as good as possible.

Citrus pre-soak and pressure rinse
Foamed and hand washed with 2-bucket method as usual
Pat-dried with waffle weave towel
Last Touch quick detail to safely remove any fine particles hanging about
Ztmol Glasur application, left to cure then excess buffed clear
Final Last Touch wipe down to remove any wax smears (very hot day)

Here’s the afters:









WHITE 2008 CORSA SXI CDTI

Having done paint correction on the family’s Cayman and Boxster, then new car protection on their BMW 335 twin-turbo M-Sport diesel it was the son’s turn to have his new Corsa detoxed and protected. The dealership was instructed to remove the transport wax but not to do any work on the paint.

The car still came with lots of heavily-bonded fallout particles from the transportation/storage stage. Very reminiscent of brake dust particles. Even after 2 days in ownership, grime had become heavily attached to the car. The need for a pre-wash was paramount, before doing a full hand wash otherwise swirling would have been introduced on possibly a large scale! Quite an important stage this.



The car was then given a mitt wash with 2-bucket etc.



Windows also treated to Werkstat Prime Acrylic by machine:


Some final pics:







BLACK 2000 HONDA S2000

Full 2 day paint correction on this one.










Finals:



Thanks for looking, comments and questions welcome.:thumbsup:

Thanks Whitey.

I left loads of pics out by the way!

It's just my preference for applying it during a protection detail. I find it ensures a more even coverage and I find that it can still be removing some contamination even after claying. The same on the windows. I've just been really pleased with the cleansing action this way, before applying the protective sealant or wax.

If I've just carried machine polishing then I don't cleanse with the machine normally. I've used the machine enough by this point LOL! I'll use 'panel wipe' most of the time, to remove any polish residues (Menzerna) or fillers (3M).

Hope this helps:thumbsup:

White220 said:

I agree with the cleansing of the prime. I use the Prime strong on wheels, leave till dry then buff off, the Jeffs or the microfibre cloth lifts everything (even the stuff the tar remover won't touch!) I did wonder whether it might be ok to leave out claying when working on a car you know is clean because you clean it????

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Don't forget though that contaminants such as metal particles (brake dust, industrial fallout etc) still attach themselves and can start to corrode and bring about the start of paint/clearcoat decay. Washing and chemical cleansing won't remove them, but claying will. I will definetely clay my car soon!!!

quattrojames said:

The clarity of your pics is amazing Is it just me though or do the final pics of each car look like models?

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For some photos, I apply 'lens blur' in photoshop while I'm resizing and bordering. If you apply a bit too much of the blur, then the cars can look like models! The lens blur allows you to create pics that look as though they are from a more expensive camera. Mine is a £100, 12MP Kodak Easyshare Z1275 point and shoot. I do use a tripod though, and this helps a lot. I'm no photography expert but I like to think about the pic before I press the button on the camera, and when you are doing car pics regularly you quickly learn which shots will be crap and which ones show the work off well.

axelfols said:

Loving you're work. How did you get the pic's to look so good? Are they taken with an SLR?
Can you use the prime on headlights and rear lights?

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Thanks Axel. The camera Q answered above mate. The Prime can be used on most non-porous solid surfaces. I use it on the light lenses, wheels, interior and exterior glass, paint/clearcoat, interior dash trim. I've said so many times before that I genuinely think that this is the single most useful product in my kit. I cannot underestimate this at all. Generally, always apply thinly. A bottle goes a long long way.

Hope this answers your Qs. Thanks again for the kind comments. Keep up the good work yourselves guys.