17yrs and 298,895 Miles Wiped Clean

[TTQ B4U]

So a second time visitor to my garage with the second Volvo he has brought me presented me with a challenge. Could I do anything with his 17yr old wagon that would make it look presentable so he could keep it for another 3 or 4 years. I'm not one to turn down a challenge so here's what it was.

He's an avid Volvo fan and has already had a wagon go close to 400k miles (one prior to this one) and swears by changing the oil every 3,000 is the key. Considering this one runs like a champ and is just shy of 300k, he just might be right.

The key to this restoration was reviving the trim, but not just in color, but removing some of the random scratches that plastics get. You'll see some key photos showing the restoration work, even colored trim that is now back to what it was from the factory. This type of detail was also about cleaning up some really badly etched wheels so they aren't yellowed and reviving a metallic silver that currently doesn't have any gloss and what oxidation is present is certainly covering up the metallic flake.

Another request he had was that I order some touch up paint and fix up some scratches and chips, some of which were pretty large and blend them as best I could. NOT my favorite thing to do but I'm getting better at it and anything done will look better than black plastic or primer showing.

Here's what I had to start with. Badly faded and sun-dried trim, globs of glue, dull paint and chips and scratches.



https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533614/original.jpg


https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533613/original.jpg



Proof you don't need a ceramic coating to look good and glow. Key is in the prep, to get the paint FULLY decontaminated and ready for the polisher so that regardless of the product, the pad and product are indeed the only thing touching the paint and doing work.

This car was done with a basic one-step All in One (AIO) product. As part of my Basic Polish & Protect package, the goals here are removing oxidation Road grime build-up and scuffs from heavily weather-worn finishes. It is not a paint correction package, but the use of a machine polisher combined with its super-micro abrasive technology polishing agents will smooth out fine blemishes greatly reducing the appearance of swirls & imperfections while brightening the paint’s color to enhance the gloss of the protective sealant.


https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533623/original.jpg


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https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533844/original.jpg


https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533619/original.jpg


https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533626/original.jpg


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https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533625/original.jpg


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https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533624/original.jpg


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https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533616/original.jpg


https://pbase.com/timothylauro/image/171533615/original.jpg



Shout out to Mother Nature for some great sunshine and blue sky for pics too!


Process here:




Wash
Iron X

Nano Mitt Medium

Mineral Spirits used to wipe down tar, etc
3M Adhesive remover
Flex 3401 and XCE Polishers with Lake Country Orange Hybrid Force and Flat Pads combined with HD Speed as the AIO.

Solution Finish

Griot's Wheel Cleaner

Meg's Hyperdressing

GYEON's new Quick View Glass Treatment

[Klasse Act]

Sizzle Chest North[emoji106][emoji106]

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[Wknd Dtlr]

Excellent work! ( as usual ). I love projects like these... the dramatic change is so rewarding.

[LEDetailing]

Cool wagon, great transformation!

I don’t know why I like wagons so much. Guess when you own two minivans the wagon becomes your sports car alternative:)

I drove an Outback the other day with a H6 engine and I was truly smiling while driving it. Really torquey and smooth, adequate acceleration, and just enjoyable to drive.

[firecorgi]

WOAH! That silver is Popping! Great job...:dblthumb2:

[Sizzle Chest]

Excellent transformation! You would never believe it's that old and with that many miles! VERY well done!

And...man, those tail lights are huge! LOL

[dgage]

Nice looking car now. And I’ll be looking to hear your thoughts on Gyeon Quick View when you have more experience with it.

[fly07sti]

Great makeover. What was your process for the trim?

[MIsnowman]

Results are amazing. I’ve always liked the looks of the Volvo wagons.

The owner is a car salesman’s worst nightmare like me. Keeps their cars forever. I don’t drive anywhere close to that kind of mileage though.

[TTQ B4U]

Nice looking car now. And I’ll be looking to hear your thoughts on Gyeon Quick View when you have more experience with it.

I'll know more after I try it on one of my vehicles. I'm only hesitant as once my windshields are smoooooth and there's no wiper chatter, etc. I tend not to mess with them. I'll take less hydrophobic results if they run smooth and clear.


Great makeover. What was your process for the trim?

After the wash, decon and dry, I go over them with my panel wipe which is a mix of acetone and windex. Make sure all bugs, tar, etc is cleaned off. Then here I used Solution Finish as they were pretty faded and gray. Otherwise, I jump right to Dlux. With SF I always tell people to stop back in a month or so and I'll put a layer of Dlux over it to lock in the color.

[davet]

Nice work:xyxthumbs:

[Wknd Dtlr]

my panel wipe which is a mix of acetone and windex.
would you mind sharing your ratio for this? thx.

[TTQ B4U]

would you mind sharing your ratio for this? thx.

I use 1 qt acetone to 3 qts blue windex

Yvan Lacroix does 1/3rd acetone to 2/3 windex but I've found I can cut it a bit more and it works great.