Indigo Blue VW Chico - Detailed by Lawrence

[lawrenceSA]

When the customer arrived at my place on Friday evening we inspected the paintwork of his beloved Chico and discussed various options in terms of restoring his paintwork. What was immediately evident was that the paintwork was not in great shape :cry: - besides the 'usual' swirl marks and RIDS, there were many rust bubbles, etching marks, stains as well as patches where the early stages of clear coat failure were evident.

The vehicle spends its life outdoors and with no previous effective maintenance routine in place, the paintwork suffered accordingly - without a protective layer of wax nor frequent replenishment of polishing oils, the paint had not only become dry and brittle but had been exposed directly to the sun, speeding up the degradation of the clear coat as the UV protectants in the factory finish clear coat took a beating.

This compromised clear coat did not lend itself to any form of aggressive polishing and therefore we could not safely target absolute correction on this detail.

The objective then was to try and restore as much depth, gloss and clarity to the paint as possible by removing as little clear coat as possible (this should always be any detailer's main objective anyway) by focusing on removing as much of the bonded and embedded contaminants as possible, following this with a gentle polish and to then provide ample layers of protection to try and mitigate any further damage to the clear coat.

On Friday evening the interior was vacuumed, and all plastic panels and the dashboard were cleaned and treated.

Sat morning I got started at 06:00 with snapping a few before pics
The car
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1761_zps6e4d2971.jpg

Actual damage to the paint (which only a re-spray would fix)
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1763_zps63c31628.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1777_zps613dd978.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1779_zpse38d4eae.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1805_zps0e4cbb92.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1815_zps11c13bff.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1839_zps674ee4ad.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1842_zps00e36919.jpghttp://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1845_zpse28367e8.jpg

Surface dirt
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1766_zpsdfe19ef2.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1772_zpsf8e5feeb.jpg

Water spots
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1790_zps51e86a57.jpg

Stains and etching
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1794_zps1d5ac663.jpghttp://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1796_zps09ff965d.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1836_zps32735909.jpg

Faded plastic trim
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1788_zps2a57ea25.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1785_zpsf34c04b8.jpg

Early signs of clear coat failure
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1800_zpsd3049b92.jpg

Rust bubbles (definitely an area to be avoided when polishing :fear: )
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1810_zpse21d7e8c.jpg

Looks like someone used rough green side of one of those kitchen sponges to clean up something here :bang:
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1780_zps7de7b687.jpg

Some more RIDS
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1812_zps5af5f0b5.jpg




So I then got cracking.....

The tires were then cleaned with Cyclo CM30 along with the rims using Turtle Wax Intensive wheel cleaner
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1764_zpsb0215a57.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1860_zpse0e98ad6.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1866_zpsae951fd5.jpg

I then attacked the door jambs, boot jamb, petrol cap area, around the door handles, mirrors, rubber seals etc with various brushes and Cyclo CM 30 to remove any built up dirt usually missed by the average car wash.
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1869_zpsb7a6332a.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1873_zps03a010ab.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1880_zpsfa04ff95.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1886_zpsb7dc0884.jpg

With all the really dirty stuff cleaned up it was time to start cleaning paint.... after a thorough rinsing the car was snow foamed with a mix of Maxi suds and Cyclo CM30 before being washed using the 2BM with Cyclo Polymer Hand wash and then rinsed and dried.
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1889_zpsead6d870.jpg

It was now time to start decontaminating the paint.

First I removed all the tar spots from the vehicle using AF ObliTARate - my preferred method is to spray the tar remover onto the vehicle 1 panel at a time in order to ensure even coverage - you will be surprised at how many spots of tar run (the product dissolved the tar) that you would never have seen with the naked eye - as opposed to 'dabbing' only where you 'see' tar. I also removed the tar first because particles of tar will generally be larger than a particle of iron (imagine how small the particles of hot brake dust are that sinter on your paint when expelled from a car in close proximity to yours)

[lawrenceSA]

This was then followed up with a full iron decontamination using Iron-X to remove all the iron particles - not only those that had bonded onto the paint, but also those that had embedded into the paint. This was followed up with a through rinsing.

the IronX being sprayed on
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1893_zps9b9102db.jpg
And then dissolving the iron
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1894_zps49c44844.jpg

It was now time for a much needed lunch break as up next was the fun :mad: part - claying.... anyone who has sat claying a car for 3 or 4 hours knows how it feels :fear: :lol: and as said earlier, a lot of focus was to be given to restoring the depth, gloss and clarity (read shine) by removing stuff off the paint, as opposed to focusing on removing the paint. So with the tar and iron now gone, much of Saturday afternoon was spent listening to some tunes and claying the customer's car using Clay Magic Blue clay and ONR as lube

I then got her under the lights to see what I was facing and taped up all the areas that I did not want to be polished and got to work correcting the paint (LC Orange with Menz SF2500) calling it at night at around 21:00 Saturday night :yawn:

Swirls and RIDS
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1912_zps7558cbb1.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1917_zps277d3bcb.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1961_zpsaf95a7a9.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1947_zps9621e737.jpg

Etching
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1946_zps15db08a8.jpg

Some before and afters during the polishing process
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1919_zps9281b92f.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1925_zpsa403b621.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1932_zps2978cb59.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1938_zps2ea38ded.jpg

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1973_zps55355033.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1974_zpscf3cbd80.jpg

Some may see sipping on a cup of coffee in the garage at 06:00 on a Sunday morning giving exhaust tips and rims a quick polish (with Megs NXT all Metal Polish) somewhat crazy, but such is the life of the OCD.... obsessive compulsive detailer... :lol: Anyway I then dressed the tires (Smartwax Smartdressing), gave the rims a wax (Smartwax Rim wax) and treated all the plastic trim (which had faded terribly due to prolonged exposure to the elements without any treatment/protection) and window rubbers with Bare Bones allowing the products time to properly penetrate whilst I started on the protection side of the detail.

I laid down a coat of Blacklight followed by 2 coats of V7 and 2 coats of Collinite which should provide ample protection for the next few months.

A couple of after shots taken moments before the rain hit.... :bang: which was whilst Pinch was on his way to collect it :cry: Given that the car will still not be garaged for the foreseeable future, I have also set the customer up with some goodies to help him keep it protected...and hopefully this will delay any actual clear coat failure (requiring a costly re-spray) sufficiently that the vehicle will only need a re-spray due to the removal of the rust, not the clear coat.

http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1984_zps29513281.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1983_zpsd728caa3.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1986_zps61918869.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1995_zpsdfa06647.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1989_zps9c22b883.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1997_zps6814d97f.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_2005_zps3b4cbad8.jpg
http://i1217.photobucket.com/albums/dd393/polo_playa/IMG_1995_zpsdfa06647.jpg

Thanks for reading

[Mike@Top End]

Great going Lawrence!:xyxthumbs:

[Skimmer0220]

Beautiful!! I love this generation and its great to see this paint come back to life


Sent from space through a satellite

[MiataBernie]

Great job and turn around on the VW.

I love to see these normal car jobs that turn out amazing. For us armchair detailers, the kind of issues this car has, we all have to deal with on the vehicles we detail. It's nice to see how others handle them...

[Father87]

Outstanding work. Just like all threads that have detailed by Lawrence in the title.

[bikeride4fun]

Wow...major turnaround......just goes to show that any paint can be made to look better.....:dblthumb2:

[Johny B]

Great job.

[Wors]

Very nice save. It turned out amazing.

[rmagnus]

Too bad the owner doesn't address the rust issues. It's only going to get worse. IronX is a great start but there are treatments that will stop the rust. Minor body work will be needed but it's the only solution if it;s a beloved car.

You made the car look great. Awesome turn around.

[CrayBrown]

stellar results. I imagine your customer was very happy with the outcome.

[lawrenceSA]

Thank you all so much for your kind words. The recognition from fellow enthusiasts such as yourselves means a lot.

And yes, the customer was extremely happy!:dblthumb2: which in itself makes all the blood sweat and tears well worth it!

[Waxon]

Hey Lawrence

Great work on this one! Car came out very nicely.

Have you ever tried the cyclo hand wash in the foam cannon?

[vet]

Great job!

[lawrenceSA]

Hey Lawrence

Great work on this one! Car came out very nicely.

Have you ever tried the cyclo hand wash in the foam cannon?

Thanks, and no, have not tried that yet.... have you? What were the results like?