offyourmarks - RS4 another long on!

[Offyourmarks]

Hi All

Well; it’s been around four months since I last posted a detail with the Jaguar paramount being the last –

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/foru...ad.php?t=56439

The above detail combined a lot of work really and since then I would guess that around 50% of my details have involved similar work and a similar timeframe too. The other 50% have mostly been correctional but of a more standard and straightforward format negating the wet sanding stage. Mixed in are new car preparations based at dealerships and customers travelling over having collected the new car and been unhappy with the dealer prep. It’s amazing how many people are now becoming aware of the art of detailing and with raising expectations in presentation it will only get more popular. See – there are more of us out there!!

Ok, enough waffle – on with the detail. This particular car is now a lovely RS4 in Phantom black and is the fourth identical Audi in as many weeks. I thought I’d better write this one up then! I appraised the vehicle a few months ago. The owner was a top man who had just bought it and was in that phase that we all go through when we buy a new car – Spend a little on add on's to get it just right – Oh and make the appearance as perfect as possible and apply some protection.

Upon appraisal there was nothing too alarming in terms of quantity of defects, however I could tell that many of the said defects were infact quite deep. I also knew that after the appraisal the owner was having some minor paintwork done so I factored that in and booked for 3 days. He chose our correction detail finishing with Zymöl Royale. A full interior treatment detail was also specified.

So for the Washing

The car was dropped at our premises for 2 weeks while the owner was away on holiday. I asked daveb from here to crack on with the washing stage whilst I was finishing off with another job.

As the car was cold – the engine and wheels were first addressed. We have been using a few trade level products from AG at the moment and must admit to being mighty impressed with their acid free cleaner. Not really used it on really baked wheels but hoping to try when one turns up.



Engine was degreased with Megs SD agitated with a variety of brushes. Once dwelled then sensitive areas covered and rinsed at low pressure with filtered water to avoid staining on plastics. Then dried with blower.



With wheels clean and the car waiting it was then pre washed with heated water mixed with megs HW and left to dwell. All sills, jambs and shuts sprayed with apc and agitated.



The car was then washed with the usual ***** TBM, sea sponges and mitt. After washing the car was de tarred using AG tar and Adhesive remover (very good stuff I’m finding) following the wash before drying Megs pro clay (mild blue) removed any remaining bonded inclusions.

The car was then 95% dried using the blower – note how clingy the water is



Ok – the car was brought in and dried off and then it stood for a few days. Defects were pretty easy to spot under the regular sodium lighting so I got a fair idea of what was in store. So when the allocated time had arrived the car was driven onto the ramp for a thorough inspection of the paintwork

Here follows some shots under interrogation via the 3M sun gun

The first was the obvious buffer trails









And moderate swirling around the sides and lower sections







The tailgate was a right mess – but more of that sequence later!

So the car was taped up



And the now standard routine of removing any items that would compromise correction



The car was also dusted to remove any standing particles from over the weekend.

I hit the front wing first as this had a fair collection of most defect types. I suspected the bonnet and tail would need wet sanding so to avoid reworking I left until later.
After two sets of cutting I was happy with the results at this stage



So then proceeded to work my way around the upper half vertical sections of the car, ensuring all defects right into the trim line were removed. This actually takes quite a while to cut in and stand up to inspection of acute angles. First passing with an overlap then cutting in neatly with a small 3” pad





When I came to the rear wing things got considerably worse….





Enter a 50:50 opportunity, halogens dead on and splitting the defect line



And a close up. You will notice just above the bumper meet line on the very lower edge of the rear wing some rds – they are prep marks from a hasty sanding when the rear bumper was painted. Far too close to strike through territory to attempt complete removal.







Moving on to the lower sections





Addressing every area



Until I was happy



Once all vertical sections on the driver’s side were completed it was onto the more defective flats. The shots below are of the tailgate – the way the photo was taken just shows the rds as these were the real concern and needed sanding out.





Enter the Mirka



For me with any sort of risky correction it is essential to determine the amount being removed. Modern clears have to be approached with caution and care not to remove more than 20% of the surface. UV filters are contained within this zone and gradual Clear failure will ensue, not necessarily right away, but even 12 months later the clear can fail long after the detailer has gone. As you will know that the range of peak to trough on a sample of readings can vary considerably within a small area. I set a datum point using the laser to ensure readings were taken in the exact same place to give an accurate idea of how each sanding pass was removing.





Two Microns on an almost dry pass.

So, on with the detail







Once the sanding was done then it was all polished out leaving a virtually flawless finish. 2 rds remained on the tail however they were very difficult to spot – I couldn’t capture on the camera








So after the tail it was onto the vertical sections again on the pax side



Again ensuring all areas are corrected





Whilst at this level I made my way round to the rear and corrected the bumper

Before



After



And the lights too





And then round to the upper parts of the front bumper

Before



And after





Then rising to get the tricky lower parts. It must be said that these were awkward. A spot pad would have been easiest, however due to the height then a limited access was permitted and therefore pointless. I used a thin 3M waffle on a super soft backing pad to provide a little forgiveness. I went on slowly and carefully



This shot is an interesting one – it shows firstly the correction, but also the difference in the light sources – the outer left and right areas are lit by halogen and the inner flutes with the 3M gun.



Then onto the other half of the front bumper

Before



And after close up



So with the whole car almost LSP ready I then went on to the finishing to remove any light marring from the heavy correction and to refine the finish. The trusty megs pads, slightly used but still working fine! I am finding Megs pads being relied upon almost all the time for finishing. I much prefer non-reticulated pads for finishing.



Of course with 3M ultrafina as the polish



After the polishing the next step was to remove any dust using the following



Using a brand new M/F and IPA I then wiped over the car entirely



And then I applied the LSP at this stage in the detail to allow for seating and 2nd buffing a number of hours later. The car was booked to have Zymöl Royale.



Applied via m/f pad – my hands are rough as heck these days!



I also applied Titanium to inner sections and plastic sill covers



And to the B pillar covers





And then to the rubbers




Detail wax was applied to the wing mirrors and lights





Inner seals protected with Zymöl Seal



After some recent testing on my own cars I have found the following to bond well to the Royale and offer a really terrific level of depth when applied very very sparingly





For the leather then I firstly heated the seats really lightly to open the pores and apply gliptone cleaner and also conditioner





So with more finishing such as arches and glass it was taking shape.

The wheels were done by Dave earlier in the detail – here is the format

HD cleanse



And then wax



So after a 3rd buff the car was inspected and photographed – here are the afters. I must admit that the car looked mighty fine after all the work. Hope you enjoyed the detail


















Thanks for reading; it’s a bit of a long one!

Best Regards

Matt

	Autoglym Autoglym - A UK based Manufacturer of car care products.

[Gaz W]

That is absolutely f*cking awesome. Fantastic Correction, a great in-depth write up. That was in one sorry state!

I want your unit too

[ryanuk]

wow that looks stunning mate! and i meen stunning!!!!

[PDK]

Wow, Wow, Wow - fantastic work, attention to detail, and ultimately the finish.

[matt1263]

Stunning!

The difference between the light source was a very good pic.

What different backing plates do you use?

(noticed the 3M but what was the super soft one?)

[Detail Ecosse]

that has to be one of thee very best write ups on DW the level of work you produce is awesome time and time again really enjoyable read and pics.

[Trist]

WOW! mighty impressed with that, looks superb mate, great job

[Gleammachine]

Stunning work and write up Matt.

[Mark J]

Superb, Matt. Amazing attention to detail and a brilliant write up again.

Shame about the OP on that door

[Paul-T]

Simply breathtaking. This is what professional detailing is all about - and it makes me laugh the likes of Mr Dalton still get talked about as though he is ahead of the game. Maybe once, but certainly not anymore.

Really enjoyed that Matt, thanks.