Porsche & BMW Makeover

[OctaneGuy]

I got these two wonderful subjects coming up next week, 2001 Porsche 911 and 2002 BMW X5.















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The Porsches rear window should be a fun challenge. It's completely fogged and apparently replaced once already.

[imacarnut]

richard... where are you getting these clients, lol? please post pics when you are done, i'm sure you will do a great job as always!!

[OctaneGuy]

The best way! Referrals!

Another nice thing is that I'm starting to service some clients regularly, so I can count on some consistent revenue. I know this customer was interested in that as well. You can definitely count on lots of pix after next weekend!

Richard

Originally posted by imacarnut
richard... where are you getting these clients, lol? please post pics when you are done, i'm sure you will do a great job as always!!

[OctaneGuy]

(originally posted on ShowCarGarage.com)

I got to work on these two cars last week. Owned by the same family, the Porsche Carrera 4 and the BMW X5, while in relatively good condition, really needed a paint overhaul.

These were the AFTER pictures



I really enjoy using my MINI as my mobile detailing rig. With the rear seats folded down, I can fit quite a bit of tools.

Not to mention it gets great gas mileage and is an absolute blast to drive!



A quick look in the sunlight revealed just how swirled the paint was.















Check out the results of doing a test spot on the Porsche


This was using M80 and the PC.

If you look closely, I did 2 test spots on the X5. On the right side of the hood, I used M66 and the rotary and on the left side used M83 and the rotary.

2 passes of m83 and rotary.


2 passes of M66


While both had good results, the M66 side was even free of buffer swirls, which of course was due to the wax filling in the swirl marks. But because I was more interested in producing a truely flawless finish, I decided to go with M83 and M80 with the rotary followed my M21 and the PC.

When I detail my cars, I work hard, always rushing against the clock because I know going into it, that I won't have enough daylight. Because of this, I take very few breaks, and normally start off with a good breakfast, and don't eat lunch. I prefer to drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated. On this detail I took along the CamelBak that I normally use for my mountain biking and wow, what a difference. By sipping fluid all day long, by days end, I felt only mildly tired. Previous details I felt completely wiped out, my voice was hoarse, and I could easily consume 3 to 5 cans of soda in one gulp which felt great at the moment but did nothing for my overall well being.


Other benefits include having a cold drink supply even after 12 hours in the sun, it won't get contaminated by flying debris, nothing to get knocked over or spill! Find it at your local bicycle store.

I like to rinse and soap up my cars with a 1400 psi pressure washer. By adjusting the nozzle I can control how strong the spray is. Put it on high power for wheel wheels and on medium to soft for paint. The design of the Karcher only permits soap application at the lowest setting, but I found that I like to use a medium pressure, so I set it to low to get soap into the washer, then I turn it to medium pressure and the soap already in the system foams up and hits the paint for a few seconds. As I see the soap being too dilute, I'll put it back to low to gather more soap, and then turn it back to medium. Once the car is rinsed and soaped, I'll go over with a wash mitt dipped in a 5 gallon bucket of water to thorougly clean off any dirt.

[OctaneGuy]

I like to do the wheels and wheel wells first since that's usually the dirtiest part.



On the X5, check this out. The wheels before washing were caked with brake dust.

Here I blasted it with just water and the pressure washer

Here I sprayed on Wheel Brightener, let it soak for about 10 seconds then rinsed with pressure washer.

Pretty dramatic difference!

The Absorber is my favorite drying tool.


Check out how effective it is on the canvas top. Just lay it down, smooth it down, wait about 3 seconds, and then lift, it's completely dry.

The area closest to you on the picture above isn't lighter due to the light, but because it's already been dried with the Absorber.


The Absorber works great on any part of the car. I like to dry my paint with it, then I use a leaf blower to blow any excess water in the cracks, and do a final wipe down with microfiber towels.

After a thorough washing, I do an inspection, and this is what I hope to see!



EZUP's are great shade tools, but a 10x10 like this isn't really all that large, and sometimes, it's more effective to put the EZUP alongside the subject than over it in order to get more effective shade.



Although I'm working in the sun, notice the paint is in the shade and it's cool to the touch.


By working under sunlight, I could use my EZUP to work in shade, then pull it back to check my work in the sunlight. But as the sun goes down, while it's more comfortable in the shade, it becomes really hard to see where scratches, and even dried wax is being left behind.


Another view of my lamp. This is an essential tool if you want to be doing the highest quality work.



Take a look at the rear plastic window on the convertible top. It's all fogged up. I used my PC and PlastX on the outside to buff it clear. I then used #7 Show Car Glaze to top it. From the inside, I used NXT glass cleaner.

So after a days of hard work this is what I ended up with this. M21 Shine with M83 and M80 with rotary and M80 with PC for paint cleaning. Quik Clay System for removing bonded above surface contaminants.

[imacarnut]

once again, great job richard! where have you been lately? haven't seen you post as of late.... busy eh?

[OctaneGuy]

Been trying to wrap up the detailing video for my other site at SCG, and send it off for replication. But also I've been writing code for my MINI club website--launched a new HTML newsletter and management system for that...and then I realized I have some outstanding micro camera orders that some customers were getting kinda mad cause I haven't shipped them yet....

Hahah you asked where I've been---that's the long explanation for "busy and trying to catch up. I'll be back soon.

This weekend I'm finally meeting the customer with that Tacoma truck, so I'll have more detailing pix after this weekend.

http://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10176

Originally posted by imacarnut
once again, great job richard! where have you been lately? haven't seen you post as of late.... busy eh?

[RZ Autodetailing]

sweet job Rich ....that little mini really holds alot of stuff...how long does it take to put up that tent....iam think of a enclosed trailer with a rv awning mounted to the trailer ...pretty penny but will be worth it..

[OctaneGuy]

Takes just a few minutes. Easiest with two people but doable with one. Only problem is when it gets really windy like it did on this day. I think I'm going to grab some coat hangers, and hang some sand bags from them--wasn't crazy aboutt the $60 option the EZUP people sell for this.

Enclosed trailer with rv awning would be cool!

Yeah the MINI holds alot--biggest drawback is having to load and unload everything when I need to use my car for other purposes. =) Maybe I need a dedicated MINI for detailing! LOL jk.

Richard

Originally posted by RZ Autodetailing
sweet job Rich ....that little mini really holds alot of stuff...how long does it take to put up that tent....iam think of a enclosed trailer with a rv awning mounted to the trailer ...pretty penny but will be worth it..

[sneek]

wow amazing job!!!!!!!

lol did you get to take the porche for a spin ?

[OctaneGuy]

Well I did get to move it from outside into their garage--cause the day I detailed the Porsche, they had to leave early, so they left me the keys and the car! But yes, I'm a professional and I resisted the temptation. But it was fun moving it that 20 feet or so!

Originally posted by sneek
wow amazing job!!!!!!!

lol did you get to take the porche for a spin ?