TLC Auto Detail - Nissan GT-R Full Correction (finished with a rotary ZOMGBBQ!)

[Flannigan]

Hi there everyone. I got to work on another GT-R, and I must admit this is one of my favorite cars to correct. So many body lines and sweet cures to gloss up!

Anyway, I started the job after dark so there aren't any before pictures of the dirty car or the wash/decon steps. It was washed with Meguiars Hyperwash, IronxX was applied, and then it was clayed with Riccardo yellow.

Now this vehicle is a 2009 model year, and it certainly has seen it's fair share of abuse. The swirls weren't too insane, but the top of the hood and trunk bot had a lot of pitting on them that could not be removed.

Here is what the paint looked like before:





Notice here that even without the intense spot light you can see the defects and lack of gloss in the paint.



I then spent some time doing test spots. The final process was a first step of Menzerna FG500 on a Yellow Buff and Shine pad via my Dewalt 849x and a second step of Menzerna 106fa on a Green Buff and Shine pad also via my Dewaly 849x rotary (GASP!!!!!). Yes I did this based on the rotary/hologram thread that was started yesterday simply to prove a point.

Here is a 50/50 on the hood. Notice how even though the paint is corrected, there is a ton of pitting in the paint. This combo got all but the deepest RIDs out, that just weren't worth chasing. Overall the correction was 90-95% IMO.



Here are some afters in the garage.







The carbon fiber pieces recieved the same treatment as the paint. After I completed the buffing, I wiped down all the painted surfaces with Carpro Eraser to make sure there were no left over polishing oils. This will make sure the paint is in the best shape possible in preparation for the LSP. In this case the LSP was Auto Finesse Spirit.

Here are some sun shots after being wiped down with Eraser, and then applying Auto Finesse Spirit.









There are no holograms hiding here, as you can see from the direct full sunlight.

The glass was cleaned with Meguiars Glass Cleaner, the tires dressed with Meguiars Hyperdressing, and the exhaust polished with Collinite Metal Wax. Here are some final shots of the vehicle.









That about does it for this one. I had about 20 hours in this car, and I feel it came out very well. It also shows that with proper technique, quality products, and a little patience, it is entirely possible to finish out a car 100% hologram free. Thanks for taking the time to read my thread, and I look forward to your feedback!

[Mazda.Mark]

Nasty ride! Great job, love your work.

[Joshs2013MSAltimaSL]

Great work Dave, that's one wet looking GTR. I didn't know it was possible to finish out hologram free with a rotary...I thought that was only feasible if you were using a DA...at least based on what I've read here.

Can you show me how to do this?

[kemefk]

Excellent work! You are truly a master with a rotary.

[Flannigan]

Nasty ride! Great job, love your work.

Thank you very much for the kind words!

Great work Dave, that's one wet looking GTR. I didn't know it was possible to finish out hologram free with a rotary...I thought that was only feasible if you were using a DA...at least based on what I've read here.

Can you show me how to do this?

LMFAO, thank you very much. You can come to Dave's Rotary Bootcamp anytime...lol

Excellent work! You are truly a master with a rotary.

Thank you very much, a master I am not, but I like to think I have a slight idea of what I'm doing.

[dad07]

Once again Dave you have out done yourself ! The car looks awsome!

And do all of it with a rotary the point is well taken!

[jackychai]

Hi there everyone. I got to work on another GT-R, and I must admit this is one of my favorite cars to correct. So many body lines and sweet cures to gloss up!

Anyway, I started the job after dark so there aren't any before pictures of the dirty car or the wash/decon steps. It was washed with Meguiars Hyperwash, IronxX was applied, and then it was clayed with Riccardo yellow.

Now this vehicle is a 2009 model year, and it certainly has seen it's fair share of abuse. The swirls weren't too insane, but the top of the hood and trunk bot had a lot of pitting on them that could not be removed.

Here is what the paint looked like before:





Notice here that even without the intense spot light you can see the defects and lack of gloss in the paint.



I then spent some time doing test spots. The final process was a first step of Menzerna FG500 on a Yellow Buff and Shine pad via my Dewalt 849x and a second step of Menzerna 106fa on a Green Buff and Shine pad also via my Dewaly 849x rotary (GASP!!!!!). Yes I did this based on the rotary/hologram thread that was started yesterday simply to prove a point.

Here is a 50/50 on the hood. Notice how even though the paint is corrected, there is a ton of pitting in the paint. This combo got all but the deepest RIDs out, that just weren't worth chasing. Overall the correction was 90-95% IMO.



Here are some afters in the garage.







The carbon fiber pieces recieved the same treatment as the paint. After I completed the buffing, I wiped down all the painted surfaces with Carpro Eraser to make sure there were no left over polishing oils. This will make sure the paint is in the best shape possible in preparation for the LSP. In this case the LSP was Auto Finesse Spirit.

Here are some sun shots after being wiped down with Eraser, and then applying Auto Finesse Spirit.









There are no holograms hiding here, as you can see from the direct full sunlight.

The glass was cleaned with Meguiars Glass Cleaner, the tires dressed with Meguiars Hyperdressing, and the exhaust polished with Collinite Metal Wax. Here are some final shots of the vehicle.









That about does it for this one. I had about 20 hours in this car, and I feel it came out very well. It also shows that with proper technique, quality products, and a little patience, it is entirely possible to finish out a car 100% hologram free. Thanks for taking the time to read my thread, and I look forward to your feedback!

hi Dave. may i ask what is the brand of pad u using. it is a little hard to find it here. and what speed u were using during the 2 step?

i am confused that everyone does use different speed to get the job done. but what is urs?

it the clear is really hard. how does your combo look like?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using AG Online

[Chris's FX4]

You sure do get a lot of GT-R's, looks great.

[Flash Gordon]

Nice job Dave!

[Flannigan]

Once again Dave you have out done yourself ! The car looks awsome!

And do all of it with a rotary the point is well taken!

Thank you! I'm glad my point was made!

hi Dave. may i ask what is the brand of pad u using. it is a little hard to find it here. and what speed u were using during the 2 step?

i am confused that everyone does use different speed to get the job done. but what is urs?

it the clear is really hard. how does your combo look like?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using AG Online

The pads were both Buff and Shine (also sold under the Uber name on Detailers Domain). The speeds certainly depend on the pad, polish, and paint you are working on. On this car the paint was on the softer side, but not so soft it was difficult. For the first step I spread the polish at about 1000 RPMs, worked it up to 1800-2000 RPMs for several passes, and then refined it a bit at 1000RPMs for a couple more passes. This refining was done since the FG500 polish has diminishing abrasives so you can really get a nice finish ever from a heavy cutting compound like FG500 if you spend a little extra time with it. This will also cut down the amount of polishing you have to do on the next step since the paint will be in better shape.

For the second step I again spread the polish at about 1000 RPMs then ran several passes at 1500-1600 to break hte polish down, and then did even more slower passes at 600RPMs to really refine the finish. Again, if the paint was harder you wouldn't have to spend as much time refining, but you would want to spend more time on the front end with the higher RPMs.

At the end of the day it takes some experience to figure out what speeds work with what polishes on what paint. Do some practicing and you will develop you own techniques that work well for you!

You sure do get a lot of GT-R's, looks great.

Thanks Chris! I am very lucky to have a great customer base with some great vehicles!

Nice job Dave!

Thank you flash!