# Lady in .:Red



## Carn (Apr 13, 2007)

Last weekend saw the return of J's stunning red .:R32. Sporting some small, neat enhancements, the car is looking better and better every time I see it :devil:

Righty then, onto the detailing. This was to be a 2 day affair with day 1 seeing to all the small details such as wheels, arches, engine bay, tailpipes, etc, along with as much paint correction as possible. Day 2 would be for completing the paint correction and all the finishing details.

I'll start off with some photies of the car as it arrived...



















Some filthy tailpieces









Numberplate tape remains









Some road splatter


















Wheels didn't look too bad









Calipers were a mess though









Some gunk up in the arches









With the initial inspection complete, it was out with the trolley jack in order to pull off the wheels.

Dirty arches, nothing unusual here









The brake calipers were looking sorry for themselves









And wheels not so clean after all









With the wheels off and with full access to the arches and brakes, I applied Sonax Extreme rim cleaner to the calipers and a liberal dousing of APC to the arches.










Whilst the brakes and arches were soaking, I set about cleaning up the wheels. The process was a thorough clean with Sonax Extreme rim cleaner again, followed by APC, a rinse off and then claying with Meg's fine clay. After drying, all the tar was cleaned off with Sonax Tar remover, followed by a final rinse and dry. Polishing and sealing duty was handled by my all time favourite rim cleaner/sealant, Smartwax Rimwax.

Rimwax'n


















Remember these?









Thats better









Rimwax always brings out the best in the alloys paintwork


















Balancing weights looking spiffy and better than new 


















With the wheels out of the way, it was time to turn my attention to sorting out the arches and clean out all the accumulated dirt and grime.

Unfortunately I think J's track day excersions had cooked the paint on some areas of the brake caliper, and despite trying a variety of polishes and combinations, I couldn't restore the original shade of blue...










Arches after cleaning were dressed with 303









Wheels back on looking better than ever



























The rear wheels and arches got the same treatment, transforming this


















To this


















With the wheels & arches taken care of, it was time to sort out the engine bay. Once again nothing out of the ordinary, dust, dirt and some calcium deposits, etc.





































Before stopping for some refreshments I soaked the engine bay in some APC and re-filled my buckets with some clean shampoo and water.

APC doing it's thing









After scrubbing all the odds and ends, everything was rinsed off with pressure washer set to a light spray. With the engine running to aid in the drying process, everything was dried off and wiped down. Next up all the paintwork was given a quick once over with Werkstat Prime, a great AIO (all in one) that cleans and protects in one easy step. Plastic trim was treated to 303 Aerospace and the gorgeous carbon Gruppe M air intake got the Werkstat treatment topped with Pete's 53' :drool:

Finished engine bay









All the odds and ends clean and dressed









Underside of the hood clean and shiny









Gruppe M carbon glory :drool:









Having completed the engine bay and wheels I decided to get started on prepping the paintwork for the polishing process. 1st up, a thorough rinse to remove as much dirt as possible before foaming with APC to remove any previous waxes, QD's and sealants that may have still remained on the surface.










With the APC left to dwell on the paintwork, I got stuck in cleaning all the nooks and crannies with my trusty detail brushes

Emblems


















Filler cap area









Panel gaps and trim joints


















The shuts also got a good once over with 5:1 APC and various brushes. For some or other reason the white patches on the rubber conduits wouldn't come clean and dressings didn't help to hide them either :thinking:



















After rinsing off the APC, the car was washed using the 2BM with Sonax Hi-Gloss shampoo. Following another rinse to remove all the shampoo and surface dirt, Meg's fine detail clay was put to use removing all bonded contaminants. Having completed the clay process and after a final rinse, the car was dried off and the paintwork was ready for correction.

Prior to starting on the paint correction I needed to remove the numberplate tape residue and to sort out the exhausts. After peeling away as much of the tape as I could I was left with this










With the bottom adhesive layer of the tape still firmly in place, it was out with the Sonax Tar remover again to soak the film in. After leaving the tar remover to break down the glue, I managed to remove all of the sticky gunk and remaining residue. Having tidied up the number plate recess I got stuck into cleaning an polishing the exhausts. Sonax Alu & Metal polish was used to great effect to restore the shine to the chrome plated tailpieces. Unfortunately it was nearly dark at this stage so only 1 quick pic.










With the prep work completed I plugged in the halogens outside the garage to inspect the paintwork. At this point it was still quite warm and considering I decided to only polish out the front end, I decided to work outside in the cool for a change.










I had noticed during the day that the car had some swirling with a few RIDS thrown in for good measure, but under the lights more of the defects became apparent. I must apologize up front for the shoddy pics, for some reason my camera didn't particularly like taking pics of the red paint under the yellow light from the halogens. You will also notice not all the pics are from this specific time as I took various ones along the way during day 2.

RIDS and swirls

















































































Taillights were nicely swirled up as well









Having checked out the paintwork it was time to find a polish and pad combo to correct the defects. Having polished this particular car before I knew the paint was quite hard but decided to try my luck anyways with 106FA on a 3M polishing pad. As expected this did little apart from removing some of the milder swirling so I turned to SIP on the yellow and eventually, green 3M pads. I think the Scholl S17 would have been the perfect one-stepper, but alas, I gave my last samples away and didn't have enough to complete the car with :bawling:

Having found a suitable combo, I set about correcting the entire front end before packing it in for the night.

A quick reflection shot outside after correcting the bonnet









Day 2 started by dusting with a lambswool duster to remove any dust that had settled on the paintwork overnight. I also decided to pull the car out into the sun to check the front end work I had completed the evening before.

Paintwork looking rich and glossy


















Not a swirl in sight



























Happy that the SIP and 3M green pad were getting the job done properly, I moved into the shade inside the garage to carry on with the rest of the car.

Some before and afters


















Another


















One more


















Last one I promise




































The .:R's red paintwork coming back to life



























Taillights after 106FA and the yellow pad


















While I was in the garage and with my gym mat available to lie on, I clayed and polished the undersides of the door sills.



















Hammered plastic B-pillars


















Good as new after a 2 stage, SIP and FA combo


















While I had the spot pads out the A-Pillars were given the same treatment.









And finally a random reflection shot during polishing









With the polishing complete it was time to remove all the dust and oils in preparation for the final stages

Paintwork was looking stunning prior to the final wash down



























With the final wash completed and the car dry it was time for the LSP. On a solid red like this there is only one choice, Jetseal topped with Pete's 53 :argie:

The trim got 303 Aersopace, tires saw Meg's Endurance Gel and all glass was given a once over with Sonax Glass cleaner.

Some finished pics































































Tape residue and tailpipes all cleaned and shined









Chassis cat set about checking the arches one final time :lol:









With the storm clouds rolling, J asked to leave the car overnight rather than risk driving it home in the rain. Back inside the garage I took some more pics 



















Wheels looking hot









Lovely deep reflections



























Final shot of the gorgeous intake









With the .:R parked away for the night it was time for a bath and bed....Monday morning here we come :wall:

Monday evening J and Aldo arrived to collect the car...Before saying good bye I couldn't help but snap a few more shots!




























Final one









As always, thanks for looking :thumb:


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## sunilbass (Apr 23, 2009)

looking sweet, loving the wheels!!


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

lovely - need to get that sort of finish on my astra


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## Elliott19864 (May 11, 2008)

Stunning car. Nice work.


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## MJT (Feb 24, 2009)

looks awesome,19" helios alloys look stunning


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## needhampr (Feb 13, 2006)

Excellent finish :thumb: R32's - a rare sight in red!

Enjoyed reading / looking


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## Scotch (Jul 23, 2009)

Great results!!

Thanks for the write up.:thumb:

Cheers


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## ArcticVXR (Apr 10, 2007)

Stunning love it :thumb:


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## adam87 (Dec 11, 2008)

That looks reeeaal nice!! 

Stunning!


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## Kev_mk3 (Sep 10, 2007)

thats bloody stunning


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## losi_8_boy (Aug 29, 2009)

that is some fantastic results.. such hard work in that. wd


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Superb work there, well done, great attention to detail and a great finish.

Probably about the best looking R32 I have seen, still not 100% sold on the shiny grille surround but just my opinion.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Very nice looking work there, machine correction looks good in the halogen shos and the finish looks great quality in the direct sun shots... Car looks a cracker too, very nice


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## -JP- (Jan 27, 2009)

Now that's a great looking car! Good results with hard VAG paint:thumb:


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## Dan_cup (Aug 10, 2007)

stunning. i bet the car howls!!!!


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## M4D YN (Nov 24, 2007)

mmmmmmm soooooooooooo nice :thumb::argie: great job sir


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Great results, as always 

How do you use Sonax Glass Cleaner? I always seem to get a light white film when I'm finished cleaning the glass...


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2009)

Very good job there, looks stunning :thumb:


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Very nice indeed - a beautiful nice finish and a lovely car too


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

awesome work.Car looks dripping wet and a good write up


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

Great work!

Stunning R32!


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## RaceGlazer (Jan 10, 2007)

Top job David, we're getting into Clarke length write-ups here !


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## ChrisJD (Apr 15, 2009)

Great write-up. Excellent job too, the engine bay and wheel arches look really good.

Chris.


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## VWDriver (Mar 5, 2009)

love the .:R and those wheels... Great work and write up ..!


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## 738ALR (Sep 8, 2009)

I've been looking for some polish and pad combos for tornado red. Looks like my wallet is going to emptied, again.!

That looks awesome - amazing under the sills!


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## Carn (Apr 13, 2007)

Thanks gents :thumb:

I couldn't help myself with all the photies hence the lengthly post


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## louimichel (Jul 5, 2009)

Great car :argie:


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## M7 ATW (May 21, 2008)

Now that is some cracking work on a lovely car. Well done


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## Shorty (Jan 27, 2008)

one word

STUNNING


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## Pandy (Jan 19, 2008)

The best wheels on the best car :thumb:

Thats absolutely stunning! :doublesho:argie:


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## Janitor (Feb 14, 2006)

Stunning! :argie:


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## Chris424 (Dec 5, 2007)

That looks stunning 

Lol this reminds me of my cats. "ooo he is polishing again, what can we do to help"










I posted some pics of one of my cats "in action" 
http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=113880


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## JayLC (Oct 9, 2008)

Stunning Car. Superb Work


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## ChrisST (Jul 19, 2009)

Fantastic work, love those rims.:thumb:


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## Tiptronic (May 9, 2006)

Beautiful car, and I think that's the first time I've seen it in red.

Cracking work there, no stone left unturned, claying the undersills

Thanks for sharing that with us

Chris


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## whiplazh (Mar 21, 2008)

Wow! Great work and writeup!


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## Lemongrab (Jul 27, 2009)

WOW, that's some kickass 'wet look'. 

I need to buy a better wax for my wife's red Fiesta MK6... It's red as well, but I have never managed to give it such a glossy wet look.


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## M3-QTR (Feb 28, 2009)

Looks really great ! I like that car


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## supercharged (Feb 1, 2008)

beautiful work, David! Simply work of art!!!


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

r32 looks very good in red - I like the wheels


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## StuaR32t (Jun 6, 2009)

stunner!! nice results,

super wheel choice too!!


Stu


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## remonrace (Jan 13, 2009)

Whow, I really like that car! Great style, great finish.


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## scotty26 (Jan 20, 2007)

just awesome work and attention to detail there - thanks for sharing that


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## lord melch (Aug 15, 2007)

Very nice work Sir.

I agree re Jetseal and Pete's 53' on Red..

You obviously rate Rimwax. Ever tried it "against" PB Wheel Sealant ?

Out of interest what colour are those rims, Silver ? Grey ?


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## ae82mad (May 7, 2009)

Gruppe M or MS Intake as of now.Cracking bit of kit.Got one on my Honda Civic Type R Ep3 :devil:


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

LOVING THE RED!! Nice garage space you have there!!!:thumb:


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Stunning work, those alloys are mint :thumb:


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## Planet Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Superb:thumb:


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Very nice work indeed :thumb:


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## shabba (Sep 28, 2008)

Great Work mate!!!!!! amazing results!


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## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

That looks fantastic!!!


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## Carn (Apr 13, 2007)

Thanks again guys, appreciate the feedback :thumb:

@ Lord Melch, they are actually closer to the bottom 'charcoal' colour than the top. For some or other reason they look different in some of the pics!


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## Guest (Nov 9, 2009)

brilliant stuff


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## golf548 (Feb 27, 2008)

Awesome.....car looks superb on the Helios rims.....

:argie::argie::argie::argie::argie::argie:


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## _Jimmer_ (Feb 12, 2006)

looks stunning

red cars look good when clean and shiny, but horrible when faded


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## chillly (Jun 25, 2009)

Mate what do i say to that. speachless, stunning, awsome, thanks for posting your work enjoyed it very much :thumb:


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## s3 rav (Apr 30, 2008)

beautiful car there.


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## Wardy (Jan 16, 2006)

Nice write-up - I enjoyed that 

Great results and a superb looking car. Not seen one in red before :thumb:

Steve


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## Mark M (Nov 29, 2006)

Looks superb, excellent finish.

Loving the Helios wheels, look great in anthracite!


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## Amagoza (May 22, 2009)

Stunning, top work there. Love these cars and that one looks fantastic in red with the dark alloys!
Impressive job!
:thumb:


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## beany_bot (Oct 6, 2008)

Defo most attention to detail ive ever seen! polishing the wheels balancing weights! looks awesome thou


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## newsabloke (Sep 3, 2009)

Great Work Carn, Cant help but notice the White golf (Citi) in the background, reminds me of the first car I bought, a white CTI, loved it. I am amazed that they are not sold anywhere in Europe..... Great Work again...


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## surgemaster (Jul 5, 2006)

good job fella :thumb:
but not sure if there were enough photo's! :devil: :wave:


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## huseyin (Nov 11, 2009)

Red cars are incredible. Hope mine looks like this one day


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## MarkJ (May 13, 2009)

Very nice


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Quality!


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