Shine On
31-07-2007, 01:09 PM
After a very long day with a TVR, followed by another long day fighting with an Audi, what do you need? Correct, a lie in.
Instead, I had to be up early again to make my way out to a village near Hungerford to meet the proud owner of this beautiful Lotus Elise. This was actually the second attempt at doing this detail. The Friday before, when the bad weather came, it had to be abandoned. First of all my lovely new awning leaked like a sieve and at the point of deciding I couldn't continue the owner arrived home to suggest I make tracks before the village got cut off - something I only narrowly managed to do, ending up driving through flood water that at one point just about made it over my bonnet! These old Beemers really are hard as nails :car:
The car is reasonable new to this owner, he wants it looking its best and so has signed up for a quartly maintainence programme too, this being the first installment.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05700Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05701Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05702Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05703Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05704Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05705Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05706Small.jpg
The paint was very flat, and the whole thing was covered in what looked like red tree sap spots, not something I have seen before. Its parked near a cherry blossom tree so that is prime suspect. Washed and clayed with Sonus Grey (green wouldn't touch it) I tried to tape up. Thanks to the leaks from my awning, this was near impossible:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05712Small-1.jpg
So I started at the rear clam, polishing with the Metabo in the usual way. I hadn't got far before we called it a day. What a waste of effort. I was absolutely soaked to the bone when I had finished getting my stuff in the car and I then had to spend nearly three hours like that trying to get home along the M4. A whole 30 miles.
Fast foward to Saturday just gone. The owner arranged for cover just in case, but this time it wasn't really needed. We only really had 2/3 of a day but I was confident I could get it done having already done the claying. A quick wash and dry, then taped up.
50/50 shot of correction:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05857Small.jpg
One before and after:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05718Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05722Small.jpg
The rest are on the customer's camera.
Finished with EZ Creme Glaze, followed by CG 50/50, then the usual glass cleaned, trim dressed and metal polished, and wheels covered in Jetseal 109.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05860Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05861Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05862Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05864Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05866Small.jpg
Then out into the rarely seen sunshine. The car looked absolutely dripping wet, just what the customer wanted.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05867Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05868Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05869Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05870Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05871Small.jpg
Thanks for reading.
Instead, I had to be up early again to make my way out to a village near Hungerford to meet the proud owner of this beautiful Lotus Elise. This was actually the second attempt at doing this detail. The Friday before, when the bad weather came, it had to be abandoned. First of all my lovely new awning leaked like a sieve and at the point of deciding I couldn't continue the owner arrived home to suggest I make tracks before the village got cut off - something I only narrowly managed to do, ending up driving through flood water that at one point just about made it over my bonnet! These old Beemers really are hard as nails :car:
The car is reasonable new to this owner, he wants it looking its best and so has signed up for a quartly maintainence programme too, this being the first installment.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05700Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05701Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05702Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05703Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05704Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05705Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05706Small.jpg
The paint was very flat, and the whole thing was covered in what looked like red tree sap spots, not something I have seen before. Its parked near a cherry blossom tree so that is prime suspect. Washed and clayed with Sonus Grey (green wouldn't touch it) I tried to tape up. Thanks to the leaks from my awning, this was near impossible:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05712Small-1.jpg
So I started at the rear clam, polishing with the Metabo in the usual way. I hadn't got far before we called it a day. What a waste of effort. I was absolutely soaked to the bone when I had finished getting my stuff in the car and I then had to spend nearly three hours like that trying to get home along the M4. A whole 30 miles.
Fast foward to Saturday just gone. The owner arranged for cover just in case, but this time it wasn't really needed. We only really had 2/3 of a day but I was confident I could get it done having already done the claying. A quick wash and dry, then taped up.
50/50 shot of correction:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05857Small.jpg
One before and after:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05718Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05722Small.jpg
The rest are on the customer's camera.
Finished with EZ Creme Glaze, followed by CG 50/50, then the usual glass cleaned, trim dressed and metal polished, and wheels covered in Jetseal 109.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05860Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05861Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05862Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05864Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05866Small.jpg
Then out into the rarely seen sunshine. The car looked absolutely dripping wet, just what the customer wanted.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05867Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05868Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05869Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05870Small.jpg
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z142/shineondetail/DSC05871Small.jpg
Thanks for reading.