Return of the "SHINE"

[ykh1]

Read this thread from "MycarForum". Veri impressive with the result.

A well maintained Alpha always looks wet and shiny. Last weekend, we detailed a 3-year-old Alfa 156 Selespeed.

The paint wasn’t very well maintained and the car was covered with swirls, scratches and plenty of water etched marks on the flat panels. The new owner wanted it to be restored to its showroom shine. Not satisfied with the results she got from the grooming co, she approached us for help.

We used the full Meguiar system for this detail. The car was washed with GC Shampoo to get it sparkling clean and clayed on horizontal panels.

We rotary buffed with #84 and a cutting pad. After 3 passes, 90% of the defects were removed. What remained were water etched marks that formed over the years which we felt were too deep to be removed.

Next, the paint was polished with #80 and polishing pad to restore its gloss and reflection. Finally, we protected the new finishing with 1 coats of NXT polymer wax and layered with #26 as our LSP.

Presenting the “new” Alpha 156 …

These are some of the swirls found on the car.

This is how the car looked before and after the detailing session.

Before

After

Boot

Before (swirl and scratches)

After

Bonnet

Before

After

Some close-up shots

Some reflection shots

Finally, one of my favourite shots

http://www.mycarforum.com/forum/Aftermarket_C5/Detailing_F14/Return_of_the_Alfa_SHINE_P1054915

 

[ImNew]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

magnificient! wheres the place dude?

 

[Puny]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Excellent job!

Damn.. hands itchy.. Reckon must have taken 5-6 hours at least!

 

[ykh1]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Excellent job!

Damn.. hands itchy.. Reckon must have taken 5-6 hours at least!

Hehee...bro they only took 4hrs for the job.

 

[anson7835]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hello ykh1,

What is the color of the 156? My 525 is Slate Green and will they be able to do the same?

BTW, where can I find them. Have been searching for good detailing company to bring my ride to previous glory.

Thanks,

 

[ykh1]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

I'm been contacting the guy, they quote me ard S$200. I will get the address and phone number for all of u bro's.

I wanted to go as well......if any of u interested....maybe we can go in grp and neg for a better prices.

 

[ykh1]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Ok guys....if any of u is interested...can contact Li Teck @96883669.

Presently they are operating more on an appointment basis and they do our detailing at their private place. Of course you will be welcome to stay around when they detail your car.

 

[Orh LuLu]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

in order to confirm that all the swirl marks and fine scratches are indeed removed, use touch light or sportlight to shine on the paintwork at close range say 6" away.. that will sure confirm the result..

Pictures shown above with the kim kim goot goot and reflective effect on the car paint, any polisher with "no brand" product can do it too.. so nothing new.

 

[yauc]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hi Hymics,

My 2 cents worth on my virgin post.

I totally agreed with you pointing out that you need a strong light source to be able to see defects in the paint, especially swirl marks.

In fact, we normally take pictures of our work in the sun. But we also thank god that the rain stop right after the Alfa detailing was completed and that we manage a few shots in the overcast sky, which makes it difficult to take photo with a strong light.

The products that we used does not have fillers to hide these swirls, in fact these swirls are removed in our detailing process.

This is a shot of one of our cars taken on a sunny day.

Finally, we appreciate your views on this, which will benefits all the fellow Beemers to have a better understanding of a true detailing is....

in order to confirm that all the swirl marks and fine scratches are indeed removed, use touch light or sportlight to shine on the paintwork at close range say 6" away.. that will sure confirm the result..

Pictures shown above with the kim kim goot goot and reflective effect on the car paint, any polisher with "no brand" product can do it too.. so nothing new.

 

[Orh LuLu]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hi Hymics,

My 2 cents worth on my virgin post.

I totally agreed with you pointing out that you need a strong light source to be able to see defects in the paint, especially swirl marks.

In fact, we normally take pictures of our work in the sun. But we also thank god that the rain stop right after the Alfa detailing was completed and that we manage a few shots in the overcast sky, which makes it difficult to take photo with a strong light.

The products that we used does not have fillers to hide these swirls, in fact these swirls are removed in our detailing process.


Finally, we appreciate your views on this, which will benefits all the fellow Beemers to have a better understanding of a true detailing is....

Yauc, thanks for your explanation..

Im no guru in this area... so far im very much basing on my different experince with many car polishers that is handling my JET BLACK ride.. as u are aware, Jet black colour is the most difficult to maintain... and coupled with my high expectation on my car paint staying kim kim goot goot.

What im trying to point out is... what u see under the bright sun light and what u see under close range touchlight is diferent. I have experience it many times.. Whenever my ride comes out from the polisher and out on the sun, my paint work is 100% kim kim goot goot with no visible swirl marks and fine scratches like some of the photos ykh1 has posted under the sun.... Immediately i drive into the covered area and shine a touch at close range, swirl marks and fine scratches are reviewed but improved.

This is what i want to point out to the rest of the forum bros, doesnt mean that under the sun u see nothing doesnt mean ur problem is solved.... than again it depends on individual expectation.

Will try your "Kang Hu" soon.. god luck.

 

[Puny]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Finally, we appreciate your views on this, which will benefits all the fellow Beemers to have a better understanding of a true detailing is....

Hi Yauc (r u Gen2 by any chance?),

Welcome to the forum,
If I'm not wrong, the photo shows the before (left) and after effect after the polishing?

It's already quite hardcore I feel considering that most car enthusiasts do not attempt to completely rid of swirl marks - which in most cases are accomplished by machine buffers as pure hand polishing requires the stamina of a marathon runner!

Not all waxing houses actually include polishing/cutting with their packages because of the time & effort required. A lot of products actually contain fillers that minimise the appearance of swirls, but not eliminate them so the effects of waxing are not as lasting..

Cheers,
Alvin.

 

[Puny]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

What im trying to point out is... what u see under the bright sun light and what u see under close range touchlight is diferent. I have experience it many times.. Whenever my ride comes out from the polisher and out on the sun, my paint work is 100% kim kim goot goot with no visible swirl marks and fine scratches like some of the photos ykh1 has posted under the sun.... Immediately i drive into the covered area and shine a touch at close range, swirl marks and fine scratches are reviewed but improved.

This is what i want to point out to the rest of the forum bros, doesnt mean that under the sun u see nothing doesnt mean ur problem is solved.... than again it depends on individual expectation.

Will try your "Kang Hu" soon.. god luck.

Hi Daniel,

Jet black is indeed very jialat to maintain, but also has the best shine!
It could be that the grooming house only wax, but not really level the paint.

1) Wax only = swirls still clearly present
2) Wax + fillers = swirls reduced, but once the fillers are gone (weeks), the swirls are back
3) All-in-one wax+polish = Not as effective as polishing seperately, but could reduce swirls slightly. If done by hand, usually not as effective.
4) Polish + wax seperately = Swirls/fine scratches are eliminated, waxing will also look better

Polishing can be seen at those paint workshops , whereby they apply quite alot of polish to the car body, then they'll use the machine buffers to go up and down the surface *repeatedly* (a dozen times). Then they'll check that the surface is level and free of pits/paint defects/scratches/drips. Quite a messy and tedious process. After polishing, the car already looks very good. Adding wax on top of the surface serves to improve the gloss further and protect the surface.

They usually do this after a new paint job, or to restore the surfaces of very badly maintained cars. Some places do polishing-only, about $120, but the car needs to be waxed seperately elsewhere.

Because of this, polishing is not actually done at every waxing session also - it thins the paint/clearcoat.. I guess what we can do in between is to reduce the things that can cause swirls.

Jialat. I haven't even washed my car recently. hehee..

Cheers,
Alvin.

 

[yauc]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hi Yauc (r u Gen2 by any chance?),

Welcome to the forum,
If I'm not wrong, the photo shows the before (left) and after effect after the polishing?

It's already quite hardcore I feel considering that most car enthusiasts do not attempt to completely rid of swirl marks - which in most cases are accomplished by machine buffers as pure hand polishing requires the stamina of a marathon runner!

Not all waxing houses actually include polishing/cutting with their packages because of the time & effort required. A lot of products actually contain fillers that minimise the appearance of swirls, but not eliminate them so the effects of waxing are not as lasting..

Cheers,
Alvin.

Hi Alvin,

Thanks for the welcome :wavey:

Gen2 is my detailing buddy and you are right about that pic showing the before and after polishing.

I used to fight my own paint defects with elbow grease until I found the courage to pick up the rotary and DA. That was when I realize what is achievable with the right tools and procedure.

To us, we believe in proper preparation of the paint and defect removal before protecting the shine.

 

[yauc]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Yauc, thanks for your explanation..

Im no guru in this area... so far im very much basing on my different experince with many car polishers that is handling my JET BLACK ride.. as u are aware, Jet black colour is the most difficult to maintain... and coupled with my high expectation on my car paint staying kim kim goot goot.

What im trying to point out is... what u see under the bright sun light and what u see under close range touchlight is diferent. I have experience it many times.. Whenever my ride comes out from the polisher and out on the sun, my paint work is 100% kim kim goot goot with no visible swirl marks and fine scratches like some of the photos ykh1 has posted under the sun.... Immediately i drive into the covered area and shine a touch at close range, swirl marks and fine scratches are reviewed but improved.

This is what i want to point out to the rest of the forum bros, doesnt mean that under the sun u see nothing doesnt mean ur problem is solved.... than again it depends on individual expectation.

Will try your "Kang Hu" soon.. god luck.

Looking forward to meeting up with you too

 

[louis]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

yeah, meguiar's range of products is pricey but really effective in my opinion.

i'm currently on Meg Gold, it gives a deep gloss but sadly the post-waxing smoothness doesn't really stand up to my obsessive cleaning (once every day or two, sometimes more than once a day, depending on the weather... haha) so it lasts maybe 3 to 4 weeks? For those who saw my car on sunday... that's how a sapphire black with meg gold looks after 3 weeks plus.

the product i'm really excited about is Meg's new #21 sealant. hopefully, we'll still have enough of that stuff at the end of the month to treat my car before the next meet-up. i'll show those who are interested then.

Puny, you managed to get your itchy hands on #21 yet?

 

[Puny]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

i'm currently on Meg Gold, it gives a deep gloss but sadly the post-waxing smoothness doesn't really stand up to my obsessive cleaning (once every day or two, sometimes more than once a day, depending on the weather... haha) so it lasts maybe 3 to 4 weeks? For those who saw my car on sunday... that's how a sapphire black with meg gold looks after 3 weeks plus.

the product i'm really excited about is Meg's new #21 sealant. hopefully, we'll still have enough of that stuff at the end of the month to treat my car before the next meet-up. i'll show those who are interested then.

Puny, you managed to get your itchy hands on #21 yet?

Hehehe, Louis, not yet.. Can I buy some off you??

BTW, your car looked very very good on Sunday.. Given our weather and fairly congested & dusty roads, it's indeed hard to keep it looking good without frequent washes.

 

[louis]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hehehe, Louis, not yet.. Can I buy some off you??

BTW, your car looked very very good on Sunday.. Given our weather and fairly congested & dusty roads, it's indeed hard to keep it looking good without frequent washes.

thanks bro. but truth is, my car looks good from far only lah, haha. during a super close-up, can see some water marks. boh pian though, i drive it everyday, rain or shine and park it outdoors most of the time. even at home, it gets wet when it rains because my garage isn't fully enclosed.

as for selling you meg #21, cannot leh, i helped you ask liao, but my partner's not keen on dishing it out for DIYers.... sorry. looks like i'll be the ONLY ONE with meg #21 then muahaha

 

[yauc]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hi Louis,

I guess good things dun come cheap...
Actually, i thought i was obsessive about washing my car..at least thats what my neighbours told me. But you are doing it daily.
I normally carry a microfibre and a bottle of QD in my car, so when it gets dirty, i will spray and wipe that area. I guess i'm too lazy to wash daily.

 

[yauc]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hi Puny,

Why don't you try buying from the local Meguiare distributor, hypercoat.

 

[NightHawk]

Re: Return of the "SHINE"

Hypercoat sells the professional line of stuff like Meguire's #21 in gallon containers (not the regular 36oz bottles). Unless you run a shop or DIY weekly, that stuff is going to last you a damn long time.