We detailed my white Lotus Exige...
Discussion
(shamefully copied across from the Lotus forum
)
Morning all
Yes, it had to happen. The post where I show the world just how OTT I've gone on "cleaning" the car. Well, it wouldn't be right without it, would it?!
This time though, I had the services of Mr JayKayBi (Executive Detail) to help me - his role, to get out the swirl marks and paint imperfections that were all over the car. Not only were there plenty of swirl marks, but also some very weird residue type thing - almost sticky, but very difficult to get off. It was splashed all over the car, especially in shut and lines which made it very difficult to get out/off. We got there in the end though.
So, while Jay saw to the paintwork it gave me the opportunity to do all the fiddly bits that I enjoy so much but, that I believe make the difference between a clean car and a really clean car. Door shuts, wheels, engine, arches, calipers, all that sort of stuff
On with the pictures then. Due to rain (heavy, annoying, pain in the bum rain) and Jay's absolute attention to detail this has taken us 2 weekends and a Friday evening - so you'll notice many of the shots go between light/dark.
Some before shots; the car was a little dirty anyway (had done a good few hoons)... (oh and notice the chipped number plate; how annoying, brand new plate, put on with velcro so it will just come off rather than crack and BOFF....how on earth did that happen?) Anyway...
So, where to start!? Well, first we had to wash the car;
and once that was done it was a process of slowly checking the paintwork all around the car; looking to see where the imperfections and swirls were, where would take the most time, and the general condition of the paintwork which, if we're honest, was far from perfect. That's good, Jay like's a challenge
Jay checking the paintwork...
Once he'd gone round the car to check the condition, it was on to claying; this removes all of the bonded contaminents on the car that, over the years, build up. Everything from bird poo residue through to tree sap, tar etc. etc. This ensures that the surface to work on is as clean and perfect as can be.
Claying over and it's time to find those swirl marks! (I have to tell you, taking these shots was so difficult! Trying to photograph a white car directly in sunlight but while still capturing the swirls. I still have holes in my eyes 3 weeks on
). Anyhow, those swirls and imperfections;
and also, as you can see in this shot, some of the "stuff" that was all over the car; exceptionally difficult to get off. At first we thought it was armourfend glue where the previous owner had taken it off but it was in places that wouldn't have it - so we were, frankly, baffled.
Paint Correction Time
(Kind of like MC Hammer time, but a lot whiter).
First up, masking all the areas that aren't paint. It's essentially a polishing process and so all of the black plastic trims and edgings would get very quickly scarred and damaged if the polisher went over them so a good covering of the surfaces is essential;
Once that's done, he checks each panel intricatly using a halogen lamp (which shows the swirls and imperfections in all their [horrid] glory).
Polishing Time; Using a PC orbital polisher and different polish/pad combinations it's a process of finer and finer polishes to remove a tiny layer of clear coat lacquer to reveal beneath it a totally flat - non marked - layer. Simply put, it will look new again
More on the results of the polishing later.
While Jay was doing that, I was on the rest of car. Lift car. Wheels off. Clean arches. Clean calipers. Clean wheels front. Clean wheels back. Wax wheels front. Wax wheels back. Wheels on. Lower car. Easy, eh?
The wax really helps to protect against brake dust and makes washing them in the future so much easier.
(unfortunately this shot shows the arches still wet and doesn't quite show how good they looked when dry. Note to self; take shots AFTER drying arches. Not before.)
Once that's done, rear lights! Doesn't seem like it would make a difference, but dirt collects in and amongst the lights and, as they're so easy to take out (two bolts each light) it's a job really worth doing;
(you can see in this picture all the dirt in the holes...and that's the car in it's "clean" state!)
Some resin polish and some dodojuice wax later, we have some very shiny lights
Perfect...
On to the interior for me. Roof off, carpets out and a big hoover/clean;
(just realised I don't have a clean picture of the interior, doh!)
Anyhow, back to the paint correction. Rain was really hampering our progress and so we used a gazebo type thing to stop as much rain as we could.
Jay was REALLY chuffed with the results he was getting. You can see a before/after line smack bang in the middle of the orange light reflection on this shot;
showing it slightly better;
and again. This really is where "paint correction" comes into it's own. On the right the car looked "clean" and to 99% of people's eyes was a nice clean car that looked good but it's not until you see a before and after shot like this that you truly realise the difference it can make;
So, it was paint correction across the whole car which must have taken Jay, perhaps, 10 hours in total?! Maybe more, although I must admit we were taking quite an informal approach to this one with cups of tea and cake breaks aplenty. Rain hampered us, but Jay's attention to detail ensured it was going to be PERFECT. Hurrah!
Once the paint was at it's best, it was on to some Zymol HD cleanse over the whole car. This stuff has the consistency of oil, looks (and smells) like chocolate (it's important) and provides and clean and prepared surface for the forthcoming wax to adhere to. It will get rid of all that quick detailing spray, left over polish etc. etc. that we've been using on the car up until this point;
Now the good bit Zymol Concours wax.
It's weird (and worryingly expensive) stuff. It's applied by hand, kept very warm (by rubbing it in hands very quickly or by holding under a boiling hot halogen lamp) and a surprisingly small amount is needed. This amount in Jay's hand will probably do almost half the car (yes, HALF the car!). As I said, it's applied by hand; put on away from you, pull towards you (in a quick motion) ensuring the car is totally covered.
Once it's buffed off it looks superb;
That shot is a perfectly finished front end with one coat of zymol concourse wax. We must have stood looking at it for a good 20 mins.
Water just didn't even want to go near the front end
A couple more coats of zymol and a couple more weeks later, finishing off some of the final bits which we hadn't yet done (in the first picture, the engine cover for example)...
...it was finished!!! This is about midnight on 25th April, the girlfriend really was not happy (midnight on a Friday....some may say that's lead to our demise, but that's a P&P thread that one) but the car looked awesome! (not in this shot I have to say. Oh and my lights really aren't that blue, I just had to tweak the white balance as the car was under a yellow street light). So, the car finally finished...
But, we don't want shots like that, do we? Oh no. I want to see it in daylight, in all it's glory. It's just a shame we had to wait 2 weeks for the rain to stop (or me to stop travelling!);
I think you can tell, the car actually looks more white...!
So, that's it The car looks amazing - I am SO SO chuffed with it. Now the process of keeping it looking that good isn't too bad at all - which is nice! Out for a drive at the weekend in the glorious sun just sealed it all off nicely Here's a teaser picture of some shots I did at the weekend; more work on the shots during the week and I should have some slightly more artistic shots rather than snap shots; but at least they show the process and the car far more accurately.
Oh,and we also took a video of how much the front end beads with the Zymol Concourse wax on it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGJazPVbkgc
I hope this has been of interest - it's certainly fun doing it and I think one big mega-clean like this really sets up the car for the summer to look it's best.
Tony
(and Jay)
)Morning all
Yes, it had to happen. The post where I show the world just how OTT I've gone on "cleaning" the car. Well, it wouldn't be right without it, would it?!
This time though, I had the services of Mr JayKayBi (Executive Detail) to help me - his role, to get out the swirl marks and paint imperfections that were all over the car. Not only were there plenty of swirl marks, but also some very weird residue type thing - almost sticky, but very difficult to get off. It was splashed all over the car, especially in shut and lines which made it very difficult to get out/off. We got there in the end though.
So, while Jay saw to the paintwork it gave me the opportunity to do all the fiddly bits that I enjoy so much but, that I believe make the difference between a clean car and a really clean car. Door shuts, wheels, engine, arches, calipers, all that sort of stuff
On with the pictures then. Due to rain (heavy, annoying, pain in the bum rain) and Jay's absolute attention to detail this has taken us 2 weekends and a Friday evening - so you'll notice many of the shots go between light/dark.
Some before shots; the car was a little dirty anyway (had done a good few hoons)... (oh and notice the chipped number plate; how annoying, brand new plate, put on with velcro so it will just come off rather than crack and BOFF....how on earth did that happen?) Anyway...
So, where to start!? Well, first we had to wash the car;
and once that was done it was a process of slowly checking the paintwork all around the car; looking to see where the imperfections and swirls were, where would take the most time, and the general condition of the paintwork which, if we're honest, was far from perfect. That's good, Jay like's a challenge
Jay checking the paintwork...
Once he'd gone round the car to check the condition, it was on to claying; this removes all of the bonded contaminents on the car that, over the years, build up. Everything from bird poo residue through to tree sap, tar etc. etc. This ensures that the surface to work on is as clean and perfect as can be.
Claying over and it's time to find those swirl marks! (I have to tell you, taking these shots was so difficult! Trying to photograph a white car directly in sunlight but while still capturing the swirls. I still have holes in my eyes 3 weeks on
). Anyhow, those swirls and imperfections;and also, as you can see in this shot, some of the "stuff" that was all over the car; exceptionally difficult to get off. At first we thought it was armourfend glue where the previous owner had taken it off but it was in places that wouldn't have it - so we were, frankly, baffled.
Paint Correction Time
(Kind of like MC Hammer time, but a lot whiter).First up, masking all the areas that aren't paint. It's essentially a polishing process and so all of the black plastic trims and edgings would get very quickly scarred and damaged if the polisher went over them so a good covering of the surfaces is essential;
Once that's done, he checks each panel intricatly using a halogen lamp (which shows the swirls and imperfections in all their [horrid] glory).
Polishing Time; Using a PC orbital polisher and different polish/pad combinations it's a process of finer and finer polishes to remove a tiny layer of clear coat lacquer to reveal beneath it a totally flat - non marked - layer. Simply put, it will look new again
More on the results of the polishing later.
While Jay was doing that, I was on the rest of car. Lift car. Wheels off. Clean arches. Clean calipers. Clean wheels front. Clean wheels back. Wax wheels front. Wax wheels back. Wheels on. Lower car. Easy, eh?
The wax really helps to protect against brake dust and makes washing them in the future so much easier.
(unfortunately this shot shows the arches still wet and doesn't quite show how good they looked when dry. Note to self; take shots AFTER drying arches. Not before.)
Once that's done, rear lights! Doesn't seem like it would make a difference, but dirt collects in and amongst the lights and, as they're so easy to take out (two bolts each light) it's a job really worth doing;
(you can see in this picture all the dirt in the holes...and that's the car in it's "clean" state!)
Some resin polish and some dodojuice wax later, we have some very shiny lights
Perfect...
On to the interior for me. Roof off, carpets out and a big hoover/clean;
(just realised I don't have a clean picture of the interior, doh!)
Anyhow, back to the paint correction. Rain was really hampering our progress and so we used a gazebo type thing to stop as much rain as we could.
Jay was REALLY chuffed with the results he was getting. You can see a before/after line smack bang in the middle of the orange light reflection on this shot;
showing it slightly better;
and again. This really is where "paint correction" comes into it's own. On the right the car looked "clean" and to 99% of people's eyes was a nice clean car that looked good but it's not until you see a before and after shot like this that you truly realise the difference it can make;
So, it was paint correction across the whole car which must have taken Jay, perhaps, 10 hours in total?! Maybe more, although I must admit we were taking quite an informal approach to this one with cups of tea and cake breaks aplenty. Rain hampered us, but Jay's attention to detail ensured it was going to be PERFECT. Hurrah!
Once the paint was at it's best, it was on to some Zymol HD cleanse over the whole car. This stuff has the consistency of oil, looks (and smells) like chocolate (it's important
) and provides and clean and prepared surface for the forthcoming wax to adhere to. It will get rid of all that quick detailing spray, left over polish etc. etc. that we've been using on the car up until this point;Now the good bit
Zymol Concours wax.It's weird (and worryingly expensive) stuff. It's applied by hand, kept very warm (by rubbing it in hands very quickly or by holding under a boiling hot halogen lamp
) and a surprisingly small amount is needed. This amount in Jay's hand will probably do almost half the car (yes, HALF the car!). As I said, it's applied by hand; put on away from you, pull towards you (in a quick motion) ensuring the car is totally covered.Once it's buffed off it looks superb;
That shot is a perfectly finished front end with one coat of zymol concourse wax. We must have stood looking at it for a good 20 mins.
Water just didn't even want to go near the front end
A couple more coats of zymol and a couple more weeks later, finishing off some of the final bits which we hadn't yet done (in the first picture, the engine cover for example)...
...it was finished!!! This is about midnight on 25th April, the girlfriend really was not happy (midnight on a Friday....some may say that's lead to our demise, but that's a P&P thread that one
) but the car looked awesome! (not in this shot I have to say. Oh and my lights really aren't that blue, I just had to tweak the white balance as the car was under a yellow street light). So, the car finally finished...But, we don't want shots like that, do we? Oh no. I want to see it in daylight, in all it's glory. It's just a shame we had to wait 2 weeks for the rain to stop (or me to stop travelling!);
I think you can tell, the car actually looks more white...!
So, that's it
The car looks amazing - I am SO SO chuffed with it. Now the process of keeping it looking that good isn't too bad at all - which is nice! Out for a drive at the weekend in the glorious sun just sealed it all off nicely Here's a teaser picture of some shots I did at the weekend; more work on the shots during the week and I should have some slightly more artistic shots rather than snap shots; but at least they show the process and the car far more accurately.Oh,and we also took a video of how much the front end beads with the Zymol Concourse wax on it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGJazPVbkgc
I hope this has been of interest - it's certainly fun doing it and I think one big mega-clean like this really sets up the car for the summer to look it's best.
Tony
(and Jay
)Thanks guys I'm very proud I must admit!
I don't think those swirl marks are particularly OTT for a 2yr old car - just general washing will introduce that amount of swirl marks. I must stress that to show those marks you really have to get the sun in the right position; the car still looked good in it's before state but, certainly to my mind, there's a difference between "good" and "perfect". And especially in those comparison shots (half/half) you can really see the difference!
Tony
I'm very proud I must admit!I don't think those swirl marks are particularly OTT for a 2yr old car - just general washing will introduce that amount of swirl marks. I must stress that to show those marks you really have to get the sun in the right position; the car still looked good in it's before state but, certainly to my mind, there's a difference between "good" and "perfect". And especially in those comparison shots (half/half) you can really see the difference!
Tony
TonyHetherington said:
Thanks guys I'm very proud I must admit!
I don't think those swirl marks are particularly OTT for a 2yr old car - just general washing will introduce that amount of swirl marks. I must stress that to show those marks you really have to get the sun in the right position; the car still looked good in it's before state but, certainly to my mind, there's a difference between "good" and "perfect". And especially in those comparison shots (half/half) you can really see the difference!
Tony
Tony - are you still active on here? I really need my car looking at - it has the same swirls yours did all those years ago. I'm very proud I must admit!I don't think those swirl marks are particularly OTT for a 2yr old car - just general washing will introduce that amount of swirl marks. I must stress that to show those marks you really have to get the sun in the right position; the car still looked good in it's before state but, certainly to my mind, there's a difference between "good" and "perfect". And especially in those comparison shots (half/half) you can really see the difference!
Tony
wilsonf1 said:
Tony - are you still active on here? I really need my car looking at - it has the same swirls yours did all those years ago.
According to his profile he's not posted anything in the last 90 days & with a post count that high, if he still frequented PH I would have expected him to.Gassing Station | Bodywork & Detailing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff