Alfa 147 - Bella comes back!
Discussion
So, last week brought the opportunity to bring the wife’s Alfa 147 back to something like presentable. It’s most certainly not been abused as such, just never been shown the true love which us OCD types can impart... yes, I’m still talking about the car!
We’ve had this car since December 2004 and it’s been a loyal servant - just the usual ‘characterful’ things have been needed along the way and it’s the first car the wife has ever owned and not grown bored of
However, we have a MiTo 155 arriving shortly as a dual purpose vehicle - aside from being a beautiful little car too, the MiTo will be ideal for the wife’s commute, yet entertaining enough for me when the mood and opportunity strikes
, so seeing as the 147 will be sold on, it was time to get to work...
It went into a local bodyshop a couple weeks previously to have the bonnet resprayed due to some peeling lacquer, as well as having the lower edge of the front spoiler tidied up too. The bodywork was covered in swirls, hedge scrapes and light scratches, whilst the interior had light staining on the seats which were there when we got the car but have never spent any time sorting! Beyond that, in the main it’s in good order
When collecting the car from having the paint done, it looked great, but when the sun caught the bonnet, it revealed a whole mess of holograms / buffer trails! Just what the hell are some people looking at when they think they’re doing a good job..?
I obviously knew the bonnet would need some attention, but first up, the wash. After pressure washer rinse, I used Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and a splash of Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner both in the Gilmour Foam Gun and again in the mix during two bucket method wash. A quick towel dry and to be fair (as long as you didn’t catch the bonnet in the wrong light!) at first glance the car was looking pretty good:
The wheels came off to get them cleaned up and to sort the arches. Method here was a simple pressure wash blast, followed by a spray of Bilt Hamber Surfex All Purpose Cleaner (4:1 mix), some agitation with a brush and then a wash with an old mitt and some suds before dressing the arches with Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Treatment and adding a layer of Chemical Guys Wheel Guard to the alloys:
Arches before:
Arches after:
Wheels showed some stubborn marks all round before:
After:
Turning to the paintwork, I dusted off the Meguiars G220 polishing machine, grabbed the Menzerna polishes and a few pads to start work. First of all, I tried a Sonus SFX 2 pad with Menzerna PO85RD 3.02 polish - this combo did ok. It certainly removed the light cobwebbing, but not much more. Still this was a start and pretty much all I could do at the time. A couple Menzerna pads arrived and the feel of these pads instantly let me know that better headway would be made. Not having a Paint Thickness Gauge, I decided discretion would be the better part of valour and stepped down the polish to some Menzerna PO106FA - I didn’t want to strip the thing bare and of course going in easy has to be the better approach for any enthusiastic amateur!
Here’s some before and after comparisons:
This photo was taken after the initial wash - further down the car, all looks super shiny, but notice the swirling and scratching on the front wing? The whole of the car is like that when caught in the right / wrong light!:
After - (the after shots here were actually taken following the machine polish, a layer of Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze and two layers of Chemical Guys 50/50 wax paste):
Rear arch before showing major hedge marks:
After shows a considerable improvement but a few deeper marks remain - but again, without the full pro measurement gear, that’s as far as I’m prepared to go:
Oh and that bonnet..? Before:
After:
Moving on to the interior, it took well over an hour with the Dyson to get everything hoovered out and then everything dirty was attacked by a brush and cloth dipped in a bucket of warm water with a splash of Bilt Hamber Surfex All Purpose Cleaner. When I say everything, I mean under the rear seats, inside the spare wheel well - everything! My favourite interior interior dressing of Aerospace 303 Protectant was sprayed onto a microfibre cloth and put on all plastics and rubber
Passenger side before:
Passenger side after:
Driver’s side before:
Driver’s side after:
Footwell before:
Footwell after:
The seats were all treated to some Autoglym Interior Foam - now I wasn’t overly hopeful with this, but picked some up just to see if it would help - bearing in mind the marks on the seats had been there for years:
A spray of the foam and a stiff brush later brought:
The boot after a tidy up:
The engine bay saw a spray and a brush with 4:1 All Purpose Cleaner followed by a dressing of Aerospace 303 Protectant:
The glass was cleaned inside and out with Carlack Glass Cleaner - this was hard going as it’s never probably been done! All the exterior plastic trim and tyres were dressed with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel before the whole of the outside had a final topping of Zaino Z8 Grand Finale spray
The neighbours have all had double takes when passing and have made so many comments - it’s looking like a new pin and we’re so chuffed! To say that I have questioned time and again why we’d even want to sell it is an understatement... but she is going - times move on
I have to say that considering she’s eight years old and has done 100,000 miles, Bella’s looking absolutely tip-top:
We’ve had this car since December 2004 and it’s been a loyal servant - just the usual ‘characterful’ things have been needed along the way and it’s the first car the wife has ever owned and not grown bored of
However, we have a MiTo 155 arriving shortly as a dual purpose vehicle - aside from being a beautiful little car too, the MiTo will be ideal for the wife’s commute, yet entertaining enough for me when the mood and opportunity strikes
, so seeing as the 147 will be sold on, it was time to get to work...It went into a local bodyshop a couple weeks previously to have the bonnet resprayed due to some peeling lacquer, as well as having the lower edge of the front spoiler tidied up too. The bodywork was covered in swirls, hedge scrapes and light scratches, whilst the interior had light staining on the seats which were there when we got the car but have never spent any time sorting! Beyond that, in the main it’s in good order
When collecting the car from having the paint done, it looked great, but when the sun caught the bonnet, it revealed a whole mess of holograms / buffer trails! Just what the hell are some people looking at when they think they’re doing a good job..?
I obviously knew the bonnet would need some attention, but first up, the wash. After pressure washer rinse, I used Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and a splash of Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner both in the Gilmour Foam Gun and again in the mix during two bucket method wash. A quick towel dry and to be fair (as long as you didn’t catch the bonnet in the wrong light!) at first glance the car was looking pretty good:
The wheels came off to get them cleaned up and to sort the arches. Method here was a simple pressure wash blast, followed by a spray of Bilt Hamber Surfex All Purpose Cleaner (4:1 mix), some agitation with a brush and then a wash with an old mitt and some suds before dressing the arches with Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Treatment and adding a layer of Chemical Guys Wheel Guard to the alloys:
Arches before:
Arches after:
Wheels showed some stubborn marks all round before:
After:
Turning to the paintwork, I dusted off the Meguiars G220 polishing machine, grabbed the Menzerna polishes and a few pads to start work. First of all, I tried a Sonus SFX 2 pad with Menzerna PO85RD 3.02 polish - this combo did ok. It certainly removed the light cobwebbing, but not much more. Still this was a start and pretty much all I could do at the time. A couple Menzerna pads arrived and the feel of these pads instantly let me know that better headway would be made. Not having a Paint Thickness Gauge, I decided discretion would be the better part of valour and stepped down the polish to some Menzerna PO106FA - I didn’t want to strip the thing bare and of course going in easy has to be the better approach for any enthusiastic amateur!
Here’s some before and after comparisons:
This photo was taken after the initial wash - further down the car, all looks super shiny, but notice the swirling and scratching on the front wing? The whole of the car is like that when caught in the right / wrong light!:
After - (the after shots here were actually taken following the machine polish, a layer of Chemical Guys EZ Creme Glaze and two layers of Chemical Guys 50/50 wax paste):
Rear arch before showing major hedge marks:
After shows a considerable improvement but a few deeper marks remain - but again, without the full pro measurement gear, that’s as far as I’m prepared to go:
Oh and that bonnet..? Before:
After:
Moving on to the interior, it took well over an hour with the Dyson to get everything hoovered out and then everything dirty was attacked by a brush and cloth dipped in a bucket of warm water with a splash of Bilt Hamber Surfex All Purpose Cleaner. When I say everything, I mean under the rear seats, inside the spare wheel well - everything! My favourite interior interior dressing of Aerospace 303 Protectant was sprayed onto a microfibre cloth and put on all plastics and rubber
Passenger side before:
Passenger side after:
Driver’s side before:
Driver’s side after:
Footwell before:
Footwell after:
The seats were all treated to some Autoglym Interior Foam - now I wasn’t overly hopeful with this, but picked some up just to see if it would help - bearing in mind the marks on the seats had been there for years:
A spray of the foam and a stiff brush later brought:
The boot after a tidy up:
The engine bay saw a spray and a brush with 4:1 All Purpose Cleaner followed by a dressing of Aerospace 303 Protectant:
The glass was cleaned inside and out with Carlack Glass Cleaner - this was hard going as it’s never probably been done! All the exterior plastic trim and tyres were dressed with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel before the whole of the outside had a final topping of Zaino Z8 Grand Finale spray
The neighbours have all had double takes when passing and have made so many comments - it’s looking like a new pin and we’re so chuffed! To say that I have questioned time and again why we’d even want to sell it is an understatement... but she is going - times move on
I have to say that considering she’s eight years old and has done 100,000 miles, Bella’s looking absolutely tip-top:
Edited by Janitor on Wednesday 26th August 22:16
Thanks guys, appreciate your kind words 
It's actually in the Classifieds here as we speak - have had good interest (one needs to sell their car first and another is checking insurance) but we keep asking ourselves why we want to sell it as it's looking and driving so well now! A sure sign that an Alfa is 'more than just a car' eh..? That'll be why we're getting another too
chrisga - I'm getting lots of offers like that!
It's actually in the Classifieds here as we speak - have had good interest (one needs to sell their car first and another is checking insurance) but we keep asking ourselves why we want to sell it as it's looking and driving so well now! A sure sign that an Alfa is 'more than just a car' eh..? That'll be why we're getting another too
chrisga - I'm getting lots of offers like that!
Indeed Tim
You're right to be a little cautious - some products like Wonder Wheels tend to be too acidic and you can soon get into a whole mess of dull finish or rusty stuff
I got some Bilt Hamber Surfex HD All Purpose Cleaner and diluted it one part product to four parts water into a spray bottle. Spray on, agitate with a brush, leave to dwell and wash off with a mircofibre cloth dipped in a bucket of your usual car shampoo (not fairy liquid!)
To remove some of the more stubborn tar spotting you'll need something specific like AutoGlym Tar Remover or Austomart Tardis - and some elbow grease behind a microfibre cloth
Once cleaned up, get a few layers of a good wheel wax on there as that makes subsequent cleaning so much easier - Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Chemical Guys Wheel Guard are both good
For future cleaning - dilute a further bottle of All Purpose Cleaner 10:1 for a quick spray onto the wheels whilst you're washing the rest of the car and the job is always a good 'un - especially with a good Wheel Brush
Ta for your kind comment by the way
You're right to be a little cautious - some products like Wonder Wheels tend to be too acidic and you can soon get into a whole mess of dull finish or rusty stuff
I got some Bilt Hamber Surfex HD All Purpose Cleaner and diluted it one part product to four parts water into a spray bottle. Spray on, agitate with a brush, leave to dwell and wash off with a mircofibre cloth dipped in a bucket of your usual car shampoo (not fairy liquid!)
To remove some of the more stubborn tar spotting you'll need something specific like AutoGlym Tar Remover or Austomart Tardis - and some elbow grease behind a microfibre cloth
Once cleaned up, get a few layers of a good wheel wax on there as that makes subsequent cleaning so much easier - Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Chemical Guys Wheel Guard are both good
For future cleaning - dilute a further bottle of All Purpose Cleaner 10:1 for a quick spray onto the wheels whilst you're washing the rest of the car and the job is always a good 'un - especially with a good Wheel Brush
Ta for your kind comment by the way
Janitor said:
chrisga - I'm getting lots of offers like that!
Nero601 said:
fancy doing my 155
Killer2005 said:
And my 147
See, I told ya! Would love to guys! Let's talk
Glad you like - it is absolutely gorgeous! I spent lots of time doing every stage - and each time I walk past, even I'm constantly stunned by how good she's looking!
Janitor said:
Indeed Tim
You're right to be a little cautious - some products like Wonder Wheels tend to be too acidic and you can soon get into a whole mess of dull finish or rusty stuff
I got some Bilt Hamber Surfex HD All Purpose Cleaner and diluted it one part product to four parts water into a spray bottle. Spray on, agitate with a brush, leave to dwell and wash off with a mircofibre cloth dipped in a bucket of your usual car shampoo (not fairy liquid!)
To remove some of the more stubborn tar spotting you'll need something specific like AutoGlym Tar Remover or Austomart Tardis - and some elbow grease behind a microfibre cloth
Once cleaned up, get a few layers of a good wheel wax on there as that makes subsequent cleaning so much easier - Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Chemical Guys Wheel Guard are both good
For future cleaning - dilute a further bottle of All Purpose Cleaner 10:1 for a quick spray onto the wheels whilst you're washing the rest of the car and the job is always a good 'un - especially with a good Wheel Brush
Ta for your kind comment by the way
Thanks for that.You're right to be a little cautious - some products like Wonder Wheels tend to be too acidic and you can soon get into a whole mess of dull finish or rusty stuff
I got some Bilt Hamber Surfex HD All Purpose Cleaner and diluted it one part product to four parts water into a spray bottle. Spray on, agitate with a brush, leave to dwell and wash off with a mircofibre cloth dipped in a bucket of your usual car shampoo (not fairy liquid!)
To remove some of the more stubborn tar spotting you'll need something specific like AutoGlym Tar Remover or Austomart Tardis - and some elbow grease behind a microfibre cloth
Once cleaned up, get a few layers of a good wheel wax on there as that makes subsequent cleaning so much easier - Poorboys Wheel Sealant or Chemical Guys Wheel Guard are both good
For future cleaning - dilute a further bottle of All Purpose Cleaner 10:1 for a quick spray onto the wheels whilst you're washing the rest of the car and the job is always a good 'un - especially with a good Wheel Brush
Ta for your kind comment by the way
Looks like I'll be needing some more cleaning products
Janitor said:
Janitor said:
chrisga - I'm getting lots of offers like that!
Nero601 said:
fancy doing my 155
Killer2005 said:
And my 147
See, I told ya! Would love to guys! Let's talk
Glad you like - it is absolutely gorgeous! I spent lots of time doing every stage - and each time I walk past, even I'm constantly stunned by how good she's looking!
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