2011 Citroen Aircross, Full Detail, Correction and Coating with Pinnacle Black Label

[Tato]

Dear Friends,

This weekend I had the pleasure to work on a 2011 Citroën AIRCROSS.

The car was very swirled and beaten, but luckily I was able to dial-in a procedure in order to restore it to a good condition - took a lot of time and effort, but was done.

Let's take a look!

Car Arrived, not so bad from distance, right?


Getting closer, you may notice how scrubbed the paint was.




The Wheels were not only dirty but also scrubbed,

And washing alone was not going to be enough to make them look properly.
BEFORE:


AFTER (washed, decontaminated, polished (PF2500), and coated with Pinnacle Black Label Wheel Coating, 2 coats / 1 day apart.


Engine bay was also needing some attention


BEFORE:


AFTERs:




Interior
Although I don't have many pictures (interior was done by third-party very talented detailer who doesn't like to take pictures while working) - (read: My beloved wife!)




AFTERs:




To achieve a nice and clean interior, the steamer was used on all surfaces, then it was entirely retouched using dedicated cleaner (read carpet, upholstery, plastic, etc) for spotless look.


Some parts needed polishing as well, done by hand using a MF towel and PF2500 from Menzerna.

BEFORE:


AFTER: (not the best angle compared to above, but the only I have)


BEFORE:


AFTER:


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Exterior
After former and intensive wash, I was left with huge amount of contamination.


Notice dark spots over the whole surface... Notice paint condition under proper light:




Definitively not a candidate for wash and wax in my book...


Working the exterior alone is really difficult to get some pics... The bellow is an example of the action of Iron-X decontamination over the spots shown before:


Nanoskin medium grade Mitt was used later for complete decontamination. CarPro Spotless was used on Glass for water spot removal.

Some Detailing

BEFORE:
Rearview mirror casing was suffering from the elements,




AFTER:




License plate bolts and washers (those shows like a sore thumb on a just detailed car):
BEFORE:


AFTER: washers switched, bolts restored, and tied for varnish application.


Lower parts, BEFORE:


AFTER:


BEFORE:


AFTER:


BEFORE:


AFTER:

[Tato]

Paint Correction
After achieving a clean and decontaminated surface, it was time for the polishing step.



Swirls were heavy on this one:


Test Spot
To start dialing a system I like to start with a gentle approach, even (almost) knowing it will not be enough...

Flex 3401 + White Hybrid pad + Menzerna SF4000


Preliminary results of my test spot - still some room for improvement:


The results guided me towards a step up to an orange pad and FG400, using lower speeds (3-4). The Flex 3401 was used on the roof to start 'cutting corners'.


Please, do not criticize my Beige masking tape. It's 3M Automotive tape, which I prefer using in some occasions because it is a lot less adhesive than the green tape - which I see as an advantage where it fits.


Work Smarter, Not Harder

That roof was no only large but very thin and would bent easily.

Work a large, flat panel without needing to exert pressure and still getting a lot of correction (FAST) = Rupes 21. This is the main reason I've ordered it, and it works like a charm.

For those not familiarized with Rupes Pads, the Rupes Green Pad is ~somewhat ~equivalent to an orange cutting pad.


Results achieved:


The results shown are after the finishing step using Flex 3401 and white hybrid pad + SF4000. This 2 step approach was done on the entire car.


Lamps restored gives any car a clean, like new look. The opposite is also true.
BEFORE:


AFTER:


BEFORE:


AFTERs:




BEFORE:


AFTERs:










Headlamp, BEFORE:


AFTERs:

[Tato]

Front work
BEFORE:


AFTERs:




BEFORE:


AFTERs:






Rear Detailing
BEFOREs:




DURING:


AFTERs:




Side Work
In accordance to the rest of the car, swirled and beaten...


Work being performed and inspected under different lighting conditions


BEFORE:


AFTERs:






____

Coating

The car was coated for overnight curing, and Pinnacle Black Label Surface, Paint, Glass and Wheel coating were used on correspondent surfaces, applied twice to each surface to guarantee a thick and even coverage. Here is the car 12 hours after being coated, and ready for delivery.


Delivery
Customer arrived to get his car and was very satisfied with the outcome. We agreed on a monthly maintenance program, and I'm looking forward to keep this car looking it's best for the time to come.

Here it is, leaving the Garage:


And the outside, finished pics. Hope you enjoy!































Here you can notice a random scratch just bellow the sunlight, considered too deep to be safely removed.




Ready for leaving:


... leaving.


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That's it. I'd like to thank you in advance for watching.

If you have any critics, questions, comments, suggestions, you are always welcome to write down.

Kind Regards.

[EVOlved]

Beautiful as always!! That is one oddball ride we for sure don't see here in the states.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

What a write up Rafael! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through it as well as the pictures. You left no stone unturned on this job. Even on the extreme lower parts of the vehicle. Like Mike Phillips says "If it has paint, it gets polished".

On a side not, the French really know how to make some ugly vehicles.

Thanks for sharing and the wife and I wish you continued success here in your new found work.

[Aaryn NZ]

Stunning work Tato! Fantastic post to read & detailed photos. Very enjoyable! Sure is a strange car though huh? Hard to judge the size it but i'm guessing being a Citroen its about the same as a VW Touran?
Anyhow - Top job mate!

[Tato]

Beautiful as always!! That is one oddball ride we for sure don't see here in the states.

Thank you! Citroen is becoming really popular in Brazil, and the quality of their cars rivals the concurrence and get great reviews.

What a write up Rafael! I thoroughly enjoyed reading through it as well as the pictures. You left no stone unturned on this job. Even on the extreme lower parts of the vehicle. Like Mike Phillips says "If it has paint, it gets polished".

On a side not, the French really know how to make some ugly vehicles.

Thanks for sharing and the wife and I wish you continued success here in your new found work.

Dear Mike, thanks for comment! Come on, it's not so ugly... it's like me: I look better in person than at the pics... !

J/k apart, I really appreciate your comment and the early share of your technique which was used either to cut and finish this car entirely.

Stunning work Tato! Fantastic post to read & detailed photos. Very enjoyable! Sure is a strange car though huh? Hard to judge the size it but i'm guessing being a Citroen its about the same as a VW Touran?
Anyhow - Top job mate!

Thanks Aaryn, glad you enjoyed! For sure it's a different car... regarding the size, honestly, at first I saw it as a medium size car. After working, based on the amount of details and the time spent polishing, it challenged me as a 'grown up'. IMO it's slightly smaller than Touran...

Thank you all,

Kind Regards.

[Sicoupe]

Fantastic work my friend!

[laiss09]

Hi,Tato. your work flow is so detail,that is very helpfull for newers like me. Thanks.

[Klasse Act]

What a detailed write up, step by step and it was almost like we were there working on it with you

Its really hard to get white right and you nailed it, without a doubt, I'm sure the owner was very happy with the results, now the thing is to keep it from getting that bad again but I'm sure you've talked to them about that!

Now as far as the vehicle, we haven't had Citreon in the states in God knows how long but that is a wild vehicle, a gauge for pitch and roll, WOW! Is that a diesel by chance? I also like the fact that its got 3 pedals too and how about that wild piece of glass by the A-pillar, only the French could pull that off!