Aussehen-Erneuerung eines Porsche 911

[C. Charles Hahn]

When I first encountered this 1999 (996) Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet, it was in storage at a climate controlled facility where I was working on a 7-series BMW (E38) with a friend. This car's owner came by to pick it up and due to a dead battery he was unable to get it started. While we were helping him get the car running, he mentioned wanting to get some detail work done on the car. I was later contacted about setting up an appointment for what turned into about 30 hours of work over the course of 4 days.

This 12 year old Porsche hadn't been detailed in a few years and the neglect was really starting to show, despite the car only having traveled 22,400 miles in its lifetime. First up was the interior:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorBefore1.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorBefore2.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorBefore3.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorBefore4.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorBefore5.JPG

Not so bad at first glance, just general soiling consistent with a convertible that has been driven and not deep-cleaned in a while. A closer inspection reveals a bigger problem however:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetStain1.JPG

I decided to go ahead and pull the seat to see what else I'd find:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetStain2.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetStain3.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetStainClose.JPG

The stain was attacked with Turtle Wax's PowerOUT! Oxy spot cleaner and scrubbed with a Libman kitchen brush, followed by a treatment with the steamer and Shop Vac extraction. Before the stain had a chance to dry or set, a second round of this process was performed, this time substituting Folex for the TW. Here was the result:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetCleaned1.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetCleaned2.JPG

Not a bad result, but in person the stain still looked much more noticeable than the pictures let on. I determined that the only way to get a better result would be to dye the affected area. The surrounding trim was masked off prior to dye application:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetMasked.JPG

Dye was then applied to the area. In this pic the color looks a bit "off" from the rest of the carpet, but the carpet had yet to be re-steamed (to promote better penetration of the color and a more effective blend) and brushed to even out the texture of the fibers. Again, in person the result looked a bit different than the picture:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CarpetDyed.JPG

With the stain removal efforts complete, I turned my attention to the leather seats, which had quite a bit of ground in dirt:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/DirtyLeather.JPG

Cleaning was performed using Optimum Power Clean at 3:1. Here's a 50/50 shot:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/DirtyLeather5050.JPG

Next, I raised the convertible top about 90% of the way and released the retaining cables for the rear portion of it. This enabled me to access the area where the top is stored while in the downward position:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/TopStorage.JPG

While the area was not particularly bad (a vacuum and a lint roller took care of it nicely), I did grab a 50/50 shot here as well to show the type of debris that can make its way in with the top:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/TopStorage5050.JPG

Finally, the floor mats were cleaned with Folex and the steamer:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/CleanFloormats.JPG

After all was said and done, the interior was restored to its like-new glory:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorAfter1.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorAfter2.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/InteriorAfter3.JPG

[C. Charles Hahn]

Now that the interior was squared away, it was time to move on. First up was the engine bay. Being at the rear of the car the engine bay wasn't too dirty:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/EngineBefore.JPG

After being cleaned with OPC and dried, dressing came compliments of CD2 Engine Detailer:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/EngineAfter.JPG

OK, on to the elephant in the room. How does the paintwork look? Here goes:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintBefore1.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintBefore2.JPG

Drag slicks....

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintBefore3.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintBefore4.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintBefore5.JPG

The car was washed, IronX'd, and clayed. Here's what I was left with:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PoorDOI.JPG

Pretty scoured. I chose the passenger door to perform a test spot, and after going through a number of different combinations that didn't give me impressive results (Uno, M105, Optimum Hyper Compound all missed the mark, as did the DA MF system) I landed on Menzerna SIP on a Meguiar's W-8207 polishing pad with my Dynabrade DA.

To start with, I had lots of swirls:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/Swirls.JPG

After two rounds of SIP, here's where we got:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/SwirlsGone.JPG

The line above the fluorescent light isn't a scratch, it's a reflection of electrical conduit on my ceiling.

There were lots of RIDS all around the car as well. Here's one example from the convertible top lid, close to the edge of the panel:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/RIDS.JPG

For removal, I used 4000 grit MicroMesh on the recommendation of David Fermani, who I called to consult prior to performing the repairs. The sanding scratches were removed with SIP on a 4" polishing pad on the rotary, followed by a pass with PO85RD on DA:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/RIDSgone.JPG

I needed to get the car done on schedule, so I didn't have time to continue with thorough photo documentation. The numerous other RIDS and etching areas were mostly dealt with the same way (4000 or 6000 grit MicroMesh) but the hood was sanded down with 3000 grit Unigrit because of the massive number of RIDS and bird excrement etchings, some of which were still too deep to safely remove. You can see examples of these at the far left and right of this picture:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/UncorrectableEtching.JPG

In spite of these issues, the surface was left with restored clarity and no swirls to be found:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/NoSwirls.JPG

Sadly there was no sun to be found by the time I was finished, but here were the results after final prep and Opti-Coat:

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter3.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter2.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter4.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter5.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter6.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter7.JPG

http://hahn-on-the.net/pictures/911Carrera/PaintAfter1.JPG

The front and rear bumpers need to be repainted, at which point I will coat them as well.

Thanks for looking! :)

[Porsche Pilot]

Das ist fantastich!! What an amazing turnaround. I really miss my 996 after an elk became my hood ornament. Great job on the carpet dying and going the extra mile.

[jamores23]

nice charlie sun shots or no sun shots i know you killed all the swirls and rids, looks great man!

[BobbyG]

Charlie,

What an incredible restoration! :dblthumb2:

I'm so amazed / impressed by much of the work I see posted here and it really separates the Joe's from the Pro's!! That Porsche 911 is absolutely gorgeous!!!

PS. I've saved several of these photos for reference to look at later!! :props:

[Jons6.7]

Looks awsome and I bet the owner was amazed!

[oldmodman]

Very impressive interior work, especially on the re-dye. It looks like a flawless color match.

What did you use on the canvas top?

And your use of Menzerna compounds was perfect. That Porsche looked like new.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Das ist fantastich!! What an amazing turnaround. I really miss my 996 after an elk became my hood ornament. Great job on the carpet dying and going the extra mile.

Thanks Ed! An elk?! That had to hurt :cry:


nice charlie sun shots or no sun shots i know you killed all the swirls and rids, looks great man!

Thanks jamores, I got out what I could; I was disappointed that there was a lot of stuff too deep to safely remove on the horizontal panels, but it is what it is.


Charlie,

What an incredible restoration! :dblthumb2:

I'm so amazed / impressed by much of the work I see posted here and it really separates the Joe's from the Pro's!! That Porsche 911 is absolutely gorgeous!!!

PS. I've saved several of these photos for reference to look at later!! :props:

Thanks for the compliments Bobby! Not sure what you're going to reference from the pics, but you're welcome to save them :props:


Looks awsome and I bet the owner was amazed!

The owner's comment to me was that he thought he'd bought a different car. That's what makes it all worth it! Im the MAN


Very impressive interior work, especially on the re-dye. It looks like a flawless color match.

What did you use on the canvas top?

And your use of Menzerna compounds was perfect. That Porsche looked like new.

Thanks! I'm glad I had the Menzerna compounds on hand, it was a real surprise to me that nothing else I had was reacting well on this paint. M105 even flash dried in a single pass just spreading it onto the section I was trying to work with; I had to use IPA to get it back off!

As for the convertible top I used 303 Convertible Top Cleaner, followed by 303 Fabric Guard once the material was dry. I don't get to work on very many convertibles so I don't keep any Ragg Topp in stock like I know I probably should.

[FUNX650]

Fantastic job Charlie!! As has been said, you performed the extra steps (such as the dyeing, convertible top repositioning for cleaning). And the paint correction: even though, much to your chagrin, no doubt, you found that all defects could not safely be removed and, then, knew when to stop. IMO....That's also a sign of a true Professional! Kudoes, my good sir. :)

Bob

[Marc08EX]

Amazing job Charlie! Your documentation and attention to detail is second to none! Very impressive work and write-up! You made that porsche look like new.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Fantastic job Charlie!! As has been said, you performed the extra steps (such as the dyeing, convertible top repositioning for cleaning). And the paint correction: even though, much to your chagrin, no doubt, you found that all defects could not safely be removed and, then, knew when to stop. IMO....That's also a sign of a true Professional! Kudoes, my good sir. :)

Bob

Thanks Bob... the reality I've come to discover is that in many cases chasing after absolute perfection is like trying to break through a glass ceiling -- unless you're in a position where any and every possible repair procedure (including refinishing) is an option at your disposal, 99% or less may be what has to be lived with. And by the same token, sometimes it's actually better that way.


Amazing job Charlie! Your documentation and attention to detail is second to none! Very impressive work and write-up! You made that porsche look like new.

Thanks Marc :)

[Ted S.]

Wow Charlie, your write-ups are quikly becoming some of my favorites. Keep up the exceptional work.:dblthumb2:

[tuscarora dave]

Very,very nice work Charlie. You are a true master of the craft. I have learned a tremendous amount from your willingness to offer your experience and not just your opinion. It is nice to see you posting more of your work here. Thanks for all that you do.

[C. Charles Hahn]

Wow Charlie, your write-ups are quikly becoming some of my favorites. Keep up the exceptional work.:dblthumb2:

Thanks Ted!


Very,very nice work Charlie. You are a true master of the craft. I have learned a tremendous amount from your willingness to offer your experience and not just your opinion. It is nice to see you posting more of your work here. Thanks for all that you do.

Dave, thank you for the kind comments. I always enjoy seeing your work as well! :props:

[rwright]

Pretty sweet job Charlie! I wouldn't mind helping out on something like this sometime :poke: :).