BluKoo
Member
Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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My bro just finished the write up for his last 10 days worth of work, so as per usual, i thought i'd post it up for you guys to have a look...
I just copied and pasted the following from DW.
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It's been a good few weeks since my last write up and seeing as we had 4 Astons pretty much 1 after the other I decided I'd just put them into 1 huge write up - so I'd recommend you go and get a cup of coffee to stay awake and I'll try to keep it as simple as possible as we all prefer to look at pictures I'm sure 
First up was this V8 Vantage, in for a 2 day minor correction over Monday and Tuesday:
Pre-foam first, using APC:
Left for 5 mins to dwell then rinsed off:
After the wheels/arches/exterior trim etc were cleaned...
...I moved onto the engine bay:
R222 sprayed and then agitated:
Then rinsed off at medium pressure:
The car was then de-tarred with Tardis then put inside for claying:
Now dried off, I took paint readings - with everything showing nice healthy levels:
A few shots of the defects, and being an Aston - there was a nice variety of them...
Some bad swirling:
Some sanding micro-marring:
And finally, some buffer trails:
Having seen plenty of Astons before, this was no surprise as the paint prep on them from the factory is incredibly poor.
Being a minor 1-stage machine polish detail, I needed something with decent cut that would finish down perfectly in one go, so Menzerna P0203S was used in conjunction with a Menzerna Polishing Pad:
Results:
A good 95%+ correction was achieved, with just the deeper traces of micro marring remaining.
The clients LSP of choice for this car was Werkstat Acrylic, of which I managed to apply 5 coats :thumb:
After pics 
Work time for this one was just over 20 hours (I think!)
Then the next Aston arrived for its detail over Wednesday and Thursday...
Yep - an identical Vantage (except this one had just come back from Prodrive), so a bit of Deja Vu for the next 2 days!
Well, nearly identical - this one had slightly dirtier tyres I guess...
This one was also in for a minor correction so I'll go straight to the defect shots for this one as the wash process was exactly the same as the first.
Buffer trails:
Micro-marring:
General marring and swirling:
Again, Menzerna P0203S was used:
50/50 on the door:
Couple of finished shots:
Part of the interior process was a really thorough clean of all the plastics and vinyl as someone had done a pretty poor job of applying some horrible shiny dressing previously:
LSP of choice for this one was Vintage, which helped to give the following results...
Again, around 20 hours work time was needed for this one too
Friday saw me working mobile for a change...
A Client who has several cars with us on monthly contracts had just added a brand spanking new DB9 to his fleet, but due to the unit already being in use for another contract customer - Rich took care of that one while I worked on the DB9 at the Clients house.
We always insist on doing all correction work at the Studio but we made an exception this time as I knew the surroundings well (as I do all the clients cars there every month) and was more than happy to work away knowing the same quality levels could be maintained - not something always possible in cramped, cold garages etc
So, onto the car!
Brand new, with only 40 odd miles on the clock, however it was booked in for a 3 day correction as the owner had spotted quite alot of defects in the paint (more of that in a minute):
Pre-foam first, with APC @ 60 degrees (Client has the same pressure washer as ours):
Then rinsed off:
Wheels cleaned with Blackfire Wheel and Tyre Gel:
All the usual wash process was done, including the hood being cleaned with 303 fabric cleaner.
Now inside, I dried and then protected the hood with 303 fabric protectant and left to dry:
Before taking paint readings I inspected all the panel edges and swage lines on the car - something we always do on hand painted cars and especially Aston Martins. Reason being this...
Yep, that's strike though! Different to a paint burn so this would suggest this has happened during the sanding stage of the paint prep on the production line. If you're ever working on an Aston, look hard enough and you'll be pretty much guaranteed to find something like this at some point on the car - and if you do then make sure you document it!
I'd also recommend taping all the panel edges as you machine, they're just too thin to risk not doing it in my opinion.
Again, the usual defects were present:
More mirco-marring:
And the usual buffer trails:
There were also several areas on the top panels where there were some fairly deep scratches, this one's a bit out of focus but you get the idea:
Under the Sun Gun:
Paint readings were taken which showed everything was healthy, which was good as the paint was going to need cutting back quite hard in some areas where some of the micro-marring was really deep - pretty disgraceful on any brand new car, let alone an Aston...
Eventually I had to step up to 3M Fast Cut Plus with a mix of Ultrafina on a Menzerna Polishing Pad to achieve the desired result, although some areas needed 3 hits to get everything out!
Result:
The finish was then refined with Menzerna 85RE and a Menzerna Finishing Pad - an awesome combination in my opinion, providing more than enough cut to remove any traces of trails from the compounding stage but still finishing down with crystal clear sharpness :thumb:
The Clients very own Vintage was used as LSP and after 30 hours of work this was the end result:
Aston number 4 now - Another DB9, recently fettled with by Prodrive also :thumb:
This one was probably the worst of the lot in terms of sanding marks and deep random scratches, not to mention the usual trails etc. I really don’t know how they get away with it...
Yet again it was 3M Fast Cut Plus with a Menzerna Polishing Pad that was needed to correct the paintwork:
A smaller pad was used for the tighter areas and bumpers etc:
Rear quarter before:
After:
50/50:
Before:
During:
After:
Bad sanding haze on the bottom of the N/S door:
After 3 hits:
Sanding haze on rear bumper before:
After:
Before:
After:
Front bumper - Sanding marks before:
After:
Other side, 50/50:
Sanding haze all gone:
As with the previous DB9, the refining stage was done with Menz 85RE and a Menz Finishing Pad - this stage alone took a further 8.5 hours to do (some pics taken after a Top Inspection wipe down, some not):
LSP for this one was Vintage and this was the final result after 35+ hours of work, including a 3am finish on the last night:
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Adam_B
Member
Registered: 13th Dec 00
Location: Lancashire
User status: Offline
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I need a V8 Vantage in my life.
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FlaFFy_91
Premium Member
Registered: 30th Sep 08
Location: Formby, Merseyside
User status: Offline
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how much does he charge for all this??
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Graham88
Member
Registered: 16th Apr 07
Location: South East Kent Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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He obviously has a passion for cleaning cars, I'd get bored after 5 cars.
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BluKoo
Member
Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by FlaFFy_91
how much does he charge for all this??
Here is a price guide...
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/detailing-services-service-options.html
Basically, depending on the level of work required and the size of the vehicle, it can be between £295 and £1995.
quote:
Originally posted by Graham88
He obviously has a passion for cleaning cars, I'd get bored after 5 cars.
He's been doing this for a few years now. Sometimes working 6 day weeks (and even +14 hr days). They've been fully booked since they started, so I dread to think how many cars he's done now.
[Edited on 20-04-2009 by BluKoo]
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Graham88
Member
Registered: 16th Apr 07
Location: South East Kent Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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Fair play to him, must not have much of a social life though 
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BluKoo
Member
Registered: 8th Apr 02
Location: Stonehaven (Scotland)
User status: Offline
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I wouldn't say that. He's out with his bird a lot, and he manages a few holidays a year.
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sand-eel
Member
Registered: 15th Mar 07
Location: carluke/braidwood--IRNBRULAND
User status: Offline
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Thats shocking paint for such an expensive car/s
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Wrighty
Member
Registered: 28th Feb 04
Location: Howden
User status: Offline
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Bet he makes a bomb
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Rich H
Member
Registered: 26th Oct 05
Location: West Sussex Drives: E46 M3
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by sand-eel
Thats shocking paint for such an expensive car/s
And pretty much brand new as well, so therefore just like that straight out the factory. So much for hand painted etc hey?!
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GSi Ghost
Member
Registered: 15th Dec 05
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
User status: Offline
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im sorry but what does LSP stand for?
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Jay
Member
Registered: 26th Sep 04
Location: Liverpool
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Graham88
He obviously has a passion for cleaning cars, I'd get bored after 5 cars.
I got bored halfway through one car
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DaveyLC
Member
Registered: 8th Oct 08
Location: Berkshire
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by Rich H
quote:
Originally posted by sand-eel
Thats shocking paint for such an expensive car/s
And pretty much brand new as well, so therefore just like that straight out the factory. So much for hand painted etc hey?!
I would imagine thats why the paint IS so random because it IS hand-painted.. The automated paint robots can give an almost perfect paint distribution.. But to be honest who really cares? Just drive the bloody thing!
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by GSi Ghost
im sorry but what does LSP stand for?
last stage protection
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Edd
Member
Registered: 8th Nov 04
Location: Glasgow
User status: Offline
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i love cleaning my car and at one stage was pretty close to having and ocd about it
then i got a black car and have pretty much just admitted defeat yes it still looks excellent and better than most but i have conceded that it will never be perfect and i actually wouldnt want it to be
my car is parked outside my house and all it takes is for one ball to hit it or someone to hit it with their door and i would burst into tears after working on it for so long
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bubble
Member
Registered: 24th Jan 04
Location: Darwin, NT Australia.
User status: Offline
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my friend works for AM, and the paint finish on the cars is the least of the cars problems!!
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am4nf
Member
Registered: 27th Jul 08
Location: South Ayrshire Drives: Corsa Sport
User status: Offline
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my girlfriends got a new black focus, and on the passenger door someone has hit a ball off it leaving big scratches and then last week someone with a white car nicely opened there door onto it leaving big deep white scratches and a small dent, im gutted.
Anyone recommend the best thing to get rid of these scratches?
Blukoo, looks like hes good at what he does 
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Daveskater
Premium Member
Registered: 29th Apr 08
Location: Oxford, UK Drives: Jap wagon
User status: Offline
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 Really amazing work there, literally better than new on all of them, seeing as one of them was actually new as well.
Numberwang!
Originally posted by AlunJ
I like you Dave, you are a man of men
Originally Whatapp'd by Neo
Dave's maybe capable of a drive-by cuddle
Look at my pictures
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Jonny P
Member
Registered: 11th Dec 04
Location: Merseyside Drives: Civic Type R EP3
User status: Offline
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quote:
Originally posted by am4nf
my girlfriends got a new black focus, and on the passenger door someone has hit a ball off it leaving big scratches and then last week someone with a white car nicely opened there door onto it leaving big deep white scratches and a small dent, im gutted.
Anyone recommend the best thing to get rid of these scratches?
Blukoo, looks like hes good at what he does
help zone 
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