# DetailMyCar - Ford Focus RS (Performance Blue)



## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

DetailMyCar Presents - 2010 Ford Focus RS (Performance Blue)

My customer traded in a 2007 Lotus Elise against this rather tasty Focus RS, in what is (in my opinion) the best colour available - Certainly the one I'd choose to live with if I had one anyway.

He bought the car in November, and on day of purchase pointed out a few swirls to the Dealer and managed to get a bit of a deal on it for doing so with the intention of getting myself to give it a thorough going over early this year.

He bought the car over to me as agreed and I set about inspecting it, here's a few pics of how it arrived:


















































































First thing I always do is to snow foam it (Meguiars Hyper Wash), and while that's left to do its thing I use the time to fill up my two buckets (AB Buckets with Grit guards). Shampoo choice again was my own and currently I'm using Adam's wash Pads instead of a lambswool mitt. I don't mind the mitts but these wash pads really do absorb so much water, and more importantly they wash really well in the washing machine and come up like new each time but the last few Lambswool mitts started to break up in the wash.

I attended to badges and vents with some Meguiars APC and a detailing brush before rinsing the car off of all the foam, and set about cleaning the wheels first using Autosmart Smart Wheels (5:1) - Probably the most effective wheel cleaner I've used in the last few years, the more recent formula is even better too. It doesn't smell great but dilutes down really well to suit and always seems to break down even the toughest brake dust and dirt but occasionally you can also use a stronger dilution (up to 2:1 for me) if they're really bad. Brushes used were EZ Detail large and small, plus a swissvax style round brush to do the faces. Tyres and arches were sprayed with G101 and scrubbed with a mild brush. Wheels, arches and Tyres were all then rinsed off and it was on to washing.










Hand washed the car from top down and rinsed off again before getting Tarids out to remove any tar spots - typical found on the wheels, arches, lower halves and tailgate (especially on Hatchbacks). I usually work with Tardis one panel at a time, spray on and leave for a couple of mins before wiping away with a clean MF cloth (Usually the Costco ones to save on costs) but i usually bin them after use as they will stink out the washing machine otherwise. I then rinse the panel to make sure nothing is left on the surface before moving on to the next one.

Next stage was to Clay the car, currently using a lot of Zaino clay but usually switch between Zaino and 3M. The Zaino clay is a tad softer, easier to shape and seems to work pretty well - Generally i try to make sure the car is as clean as possible before claying anyway as it saves inflicting too much damage while claying - Often I see people dragging a clay bar over a fairly dirty surface, it might do a job but you are no doubt leaving more damage and that just makes it even harder for you to correct (and sometimes do damage that's not possible to correct)!

Finally the car was rinsed off after claying, then sprayed all over with Adam's Detail spray (I switch between this and Meguiars Last Touch, both are pretty similar products from my finidngs) but this was just to help the water bead off and leave a nice slick surface. I then towel dried the car with the large blue & red towels to get it ready for polishing.

I taped up the whole car and went around to get some pics of the general condition:





































The car was in good general condition but it obviously hadn't been particularly well washed in it's first year or so, but nothing unexpected to be honest - Probably just the usual sunday morning bucket and sponge with some zip wax / Fairy in it followed by a Chamois.

Polishing wise I used my 3M Rotary, with a combination of Hex Logic (Orange, Green and White) pads, and on this car I used Menz polishes from PO85RD 3.02 for the bad areas, but mainly Power Finish (PO203S) & finishing with with PO106FA all over.

Wing before polishing:


















Wing after polishing:


















I was really pleased with the level of correction, especially when you could see it in the Sun after an IPA wipedown the car was looking like New and exactly how it should. See the pics below of the Rear 1/4 panel before and after polishing - There were swirls, and a few scratches but also a bit of staining from bird lime near the fuel cap which looked like it had been rubbed at to remove as there were some hazing / scratches in the lacquer all in the same direction. Luckily the trusty Menz polishes and Hex Logic pads made fairly easy work of these and removed all traces to leave a gorgeous swirl & hologram free finish - These after shots alone show why I love this colour so much.

Scratches & swirls above fuel cap:









Swirls before polishing on the rear 1/4




































Rear 1/4 after polishing:






















































Bonnet before polishing:


















Bonnet after polishing:













































After polishing and refining the whole car, i removed all tape and gave it an IPA wipedown ready to lay down the protection which for today was FK1000P Sealant, I simply love this product for its durability, ease of use and most importantly the sharp wet looking almost electric finish it leaves. I managed to get 2 layers on, and after buffing off gave it a coating of Gtechniq C3 spray wax just to add even more protection and give some nice beading when the rain comes.

Final stages were:- Tyres dressed with Meg's Endurance gel, and for the Exhausts i used Surf City's Absolutely Aluminium Polish followed by their Diamond Edge Wheel / Metal dressing which is like an all in one polish and sealant for metals, I really like these two products for Exhausts and they're really simple to use! I used #00 Wirewool and a couple of MF cloths to get them back to new looking.

Exhaust before:









After:









Glass was all cleaned using AS 20/20 Crystal, with a short pile glass MF cloth it's an aerosol spray but foams up slightly and doesn't ever streak, nice and easy to use anyway!

Finally I went around the car with some Zaino Z8 just to remove any last bits of dust, finger prints but also leave that unmistakable Zaino shine! Really pleased with how this came out, and the owner was chuffed to bits even sending me a couple of pics of the car on his drive the following day

Unfortunately light was just fading as I'd finished so couldn't get any nice shots out in the Sun

















































































































































Sent by the owner the next day:


----------



## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2011)

Nice work mate


----------



## Alzak (Aug 31, 2010)

Great job :thumb: love this color but green on is also nice


----------



## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

Alzak said:


> Great job :thumb: love this color but green on is also nice


Completely agree, I love the green but I personally would choose Blue as it's easier to live with, the Green is a bit too "loud" for me if you know what I mean, as nice as it looks I would worry that I would get sick of it.


----------



## OCDDetailer (May 17, 2011)

Great job and stunning car!


----------



## cbred (May 9, 2011)

I would love to upgrade from the ST to the RS but I really could not decide on which colour to go for . Blue is nice when cleaned up .


----------



## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Stunning work there mate :thumb: well done.


----------



## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

Fantastic! Best colour by far!!


----------



## Neil_G (Nov 22, 2010)

I am the very happy owner of this Focus. Thanks for a great job Nick!


----------



## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Cracking work Nick


----------



## kallum_m (Nov 30, 2011)

Neil_G said:


> I am the very happy owner of this Focus. Thanks for a great job Nick!


As said on owners club looks great :thumb:


----------



## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Looks superb Nick, agree with your comments on the colour. No need for IronX / Deironiser on this one i guess?


----------



## Kotsos (May 7, 2011)

What a finish.


----------



## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

cracking finish there DMC!!

as said last night on the RR Sport detail! I'll be watching your progress as id love to become pro and your setting the bench mark high!

cheers + Well Done


----------



## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job there mate.


----------



## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

Lovely work on a stunning motor mate! :thumb:

Could have let me come round and oogle at it when you did it :lol:


----------



## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

Lovely turn around there buddy :thumb:


----------



## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Looks fantastic thats all i have to say and wish it was mine


----------



## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Great interesting write up of a great job. Suberb shine.


----------



## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

I really like the shape of these, great work on a great car.


----------



## losi_8_boy (Aug 29, 2009)

Quality work mate, great write up too. Wish I had waited another 6 months when I got my r26 and would have a Ultimate green one myself


----------



## Bkjames (Sep 13, 2006)

Looks very nice mate


Brian


----------



## gally (May 25, 2008)

Great finish mate, crying out for a wetsand but that wheel and colour combo is the best package on any Focus RS. 

I do think a wipe down with Z8 would have been enough though instead of C3 first though and just a few small things, resize the pics, makes them a little easier to see and appreciate

The last thing, the pictures don't need post processed as much, just makes them look messed around with, not sure if they were or not.


----------



## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

gally said:


> Great finish mate, crying out for a wetsand but that wheel and colour combo is the best package on any Focus RS.
> 
> I do think a wipe down with Z8 would have been enough though instead of C3 first though and just a few small things, resize the pics, makes them a little easier to see and appreciate
> 
> The last thing, the pictures don't need post processed as much, just makes them look messed around with, not sure if they were or not.


Thanks Gally, I had a new camera so took a few of the final shots with that but they needed sharpening up a tad - I only edited 5 of them (easy to tell which) just to have a bit of a play around really as due to the lack of sunlight it was hard to get the pics to come out well without a flash.

Thanks for the suggestion on resizing, I'm used to looking at them on a large screen so didn't really think about it and just resized them to the standard size for a 17" screen but will have a look at that for next time....

I know C3 wasn't necessary, but I really just wanted to get as much in the way of protection as possible.


----------



## gally (May 25, 2008)

That's cool mate. I recommend Photoscape for editing/resizing as it does batch editing. Amazing free programme especially for lots of pictures.


----------



## Guest (Jan 31, 2012)

looks lovely mate, top job


----------



## paranoid73 (Aug 5, 2009)

Excuse me for asking but how can you wash and polish 2 sets and protect a car in 1 day? that's a large amount of work in a short time.


----------



## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

paranoid73 said:


> Excuse me for asking but how can you wash and polish 2 sets and protect a car in 1 day? that's a large amount of work in a short time.


No problem with you asking but I'm not sure how you want me to answer it to be honest? It's work ethic I suppose  Start early, don't stop for a break and get into a routine, be prepared with all your kit and know what you're doing next without wasting time between stages. I have my car parked up with the boot open so everything is laid out where I need it so everything is to hand.


----------



## Michael_McL (Aug 25, 2011)

As much as I love black cars, each time I see that dark blue makes me want a blue car.

Excellent work mate


----------



## Ian2k (Apr 13, 2009)

Nice work


----------



## Pookini (Jan 19, 2011)

The final picture posted (That the owner took) really does your work justice.
You've done a great job on this, well done.


----------



## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

Thanks for all the comments!

Unfortunately by the time it was finished the Sun was long gone but I agree with you, the last picture or 2 really show the colour properly and I was really pleased with it. Nice the owner decided to take some pictures too - Working on the rear 1/4 in bright sunlight was very rewarding, seeing exactly how it was going to look once finished I knew I would be pleased with the result.

This one:


----------



## tesscott6312 (Apr 24, 2006)

Looks stunning!!! ..... but then i am a little biased


----------



## R9SH G (Mar 14, 2011)

looks fab mate


----------

