Polished Bliss vs Pimped Silver RRS on 22s - Saxperience

PolishedBliss · 19th July 2006, 21:39

I was due to detail an Impreza belonging to the secretary of the SIDC at the start of March, but the weather was truly awful and he doesn’t have a garage to work in, so instead I arranged to do this 10 month old Range Rover Sport. It belongs to the wife of another member of the SIDC, who just so happens to drive one of the fiercest Impreza’s I’ve come across ”“ a 400bhp Roger Clark tuned STI, which can be seen in some of the pictures below. He also has a huge garage to work in, ideal for rainy days. So, onto the detail. The car was in great shape overall ”“ no swirls at all (even under 3W Luxeon lighting), just a couple of parking dings on the rear bumper (due to be fixed at the bodyshop soon) and a couple of fairly deep scratches in the front passenger door. Although the alloys look fine in the pictures, there is already some corrosion setting in, and many of the fixings are coming loose ”“ these issues will be taken up with the manufacturer in due course. Here’s the process…

Wash (all done in heavy rain!)

Whole car rinsed at moderate pressure using the Karcher
Alloys treated with Meguiars Wheel Brightener cut 4:1, left 60 secs and rinsed with 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 Poorboy’s Slick n Suds using lambswool (bodywork) and microfibre (wheels and inside arches) mitts, and the two bucket method
Whole car rinsed with an open-ended hose
Car then moved inside the garage and dried with waffle weave towels

Clay

Meguiars Professional Clay (mild)
Clearkote Quikshine (as lubricant)
Excess Quikshine mopped up with waffle weave towels

Polish

Scratches machine polished with PC, using Poorboy’s SSR’s 2.5 + 1 and Lake Country white spot pads
All bodywork and alloys cleansed and polished using Klasse All In One, applied by hand using damp microfibre pads and buffed with Poorboy’s Super Thick n Plush towels

Protect

All bodywork protected with two coats of Optimum Car Wax, sprayed on and wiped off using Poorboy's’ Mega Plush towels
All exterior glass wiped down with damp Poorboy’s Work towels, treated with Quikshine and buffed with dry towels
All exterior trims treated with 303 Aerospace Protectant, applied using a microfibre pad and buffed after 5 mins with waffle weave towels
Tyres dressed with Blackfire Long Lasting Tyre Gel

Interior

Windows wiped down with damp Poorboy’s Work towels, treated with Meguiars NXT Glass Cleaner and buffed with dry towels
After asking the owner what scent she preferred, all vinyl, plastic and leather surfaces wiped down and cleaned/dressed with Poorboy’s Natural Look Dressing
Carpets hoovered
Sills (mix of trim and paint) cleaned with damp Poorboy’s Work towels, and then protected with Optimum Car Wax and 303 Aerospace Protectant

And here’s the storyboard…

Fairly heavy dose of tar spots and contamination for a 10 month old car ”“ used a whole clay bar in the process!

I didn’t take out the scratch completely ”“ the front half was deep, and I didn’t want to remove too much paint on such a new car. Although still visible under 3W Luxeon lighting, to the naked eye in daylight it’s almost impossible to see.

Got clarity and depth? Check!

Pretty good wetness for silver ”“ another few coats of Optimum over the coming weeks will enhance it even more.

Total work time was 10 hours ”“ all of which were enjoyable, as the working conditions were superb and the company was delightful. If only all jobs were like this!