# Pink to red - Understatement Beau Technique Midlands.



## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Howdy all:wave:
This was a refreshing break from the norm to say the very least. Gone are all the M sport BMW's, Mercedes and Range Rovers I tend to deal with. This was by chance a request from a client basically having a "Risk it for a biscuit" kind of feel to things. His partners 2000 Vauxhall astra was somewhat tainted by the dreaded oxidation through years of untreated wear. A trip from Bristol to have some Beau Technique love thrown at the car for a day was asked for and how could anyone resist such a charming job to tackle?









































































Isnt she a beauty?

So on with some prep work undertaken using:

Valetpro concentrated car shampoo
Valetpro brute force
Autosmart smartwheels
Autosmart tardis
Bilthambre soft clay
Britemax spray & shine for clay lube
Various brushes






















































































































Decontamination was fun and took a little longer than anticipated so into the unit, dried using Uber towels and more fun checking over indoors...























































Mmm! Quite pink. Almost akin to an extremely Katie Price chalk board eh?

Lets get some of that dead skin exfolliated. Soft wool and Scholl concepts S17+...




























Obvious pad marring from the wool but richness already slowly seeping through. Scholl cocnepts orange foam with Menzerna PO85rd was used purely to work the oilyness of the polish deep into the paint with the odd tweek using S17+ where a slight extra cut level was essential...




























This really ensured a rich and more vibrant finish albeit the odd swirl and scratch still remaining however, this was solely an exercise to remove the dead uppermost paint and rekindle the vehicles flame red spirit once again. Of course, you have to do a 50/50 on faded paint for pure bravado's sake...



















Remember the bonnet before...










And now...



















Tangeable improvement for sure. It could of been that bit more better had there been more time allocated but what was asked for was delivered. Vehicle was finished off with a light wipe down with Menzerna final inspection, Meguairs #7 show glaze and Autobright _(NOT Autobrite. DW ADMIN Edit)_ car care fastwax purely to shave time and ensure the finish was not tainted by any nasty solvents. Trims / tyres / arches and glass were all tendered to. Client was informed that to preserve the finish, #7 should be used regularly along with a less solvent based protective layer at least for a month or 2 purely to ensure the paint has been well nourished and stands it in good stead for lasting a far greater time. Some finished piccie's...














































Hope you enjoyed and do feel free to take a look at the brief walk round video I had taken part way through the restoration.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Awesome mate. I may be doing an a4 that has oxidised. ( red ) not as bad as this one. i have the menzerna range to choose from, also srp, lime prime, and meguiars 9 swirl remover ( light cut ) allied to a das-6 pro and lake country pads. would what i have be sufficient? Thanks in advance, Ross.


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## matzagrin (Nov 1, 2009)

That's a great turn around!


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## baz8400 (Feb 17, 2011)

my brother has an identical astra to that. im keen to try and fix it but i only have a da and use the meguairs mf system. do you think that set up would be strong enough to remove oxidisation?


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

These are the 'real deal' details Scott and a great turnaround..........:thumb:

Nice to see this in the Studio and thanks for sharing.......:wave:


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## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

Nice finish Scott


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## P.A.D (Jun 26, 2008)

Cracking dude.

Done a Corsa in Flame 2 weeks ago that was the same as that.

Love working on these kind of details..........:thumb:




Russ


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## sicko (Jun 20, 2009)

Amazing! Well done sir


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2011)

doubled its value... great turnaround Scott


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## kemslea (Feb 25, 2011)

great transformation.


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Nice mate

A nice change to see a road goer getting some love. Just as good as a Veyron write up IMO


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## dwmc (Jun 6, 2010)

nice turnaround Scott , bet it was a pleasure to work on although as you said time was against you it`s still a great turnaraound , yet another owner smiling from ear to ear no doubt :thumb:


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

Awesome :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Good job Scott!


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

To use a quote that I once nicked from one of the Uk's best detailers.... :thumb:

...It isnt all fluffy clouds, flash cars and big cash all the time...

lol, sterling work Scott - looks brilliant now, hope the biscuits were nice. 

J


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## gtechrob (Sep 11, 2006)

those heavily oxidised red finishes are so satisfying to polish. transformations don't get any more dramatic than this :thumb:


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

Fantastico. I bet the owners were pleased.

I prefer these sort of makeovers to the flash ones that most of us would never own anyway. It's nice to see what can be done with normal cars that we see every day


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

The_Bouncer said:


> To use a quote that I once nicked from one of the Uk's best detailers.... :thumb:
> 
> ...It isnt all fluffy clouds, flash cars and big cash all the time...
> 
> ...


I never said that


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Awesome work Scott!


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## tmitch45 (Jul 29, 2006)

Really good turn-around mate. Why do those red vauxhalls oxidise so badly?


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## Reflectology (Jul 29, 2009)

Nice work there Bond....


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## McClane (Dec 9, 2010)

I have an overwhelming urge to say "Back of the net!"






Press 5.

:thumb:


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## FiestaGirlie (Jul 15, 2009)

Fantastic turnaround. Amazing job; well done!


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2011)

I have a astra mk4 also in flame red and mine looked alot like that one when i brought it  great turn round buddie


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Fantastic turnaround..what was his face when he look at the car?


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Stunning work there mate.


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

President Swirl said:


> Awesome mate. I may be doing an a4 that has oxidised. ( red ) not as bad as this one. i have the menzerna range to choose from, also srp, lime prime, and meguiars 9 swirl remover ( light cut ) allied to a das-6 pro and lake country pads. would what i have be sufficient? Thanks in advance, Ross.


If its AS oxidised as this one then maybe with plenty of time, yes. I would hazzard a guess of 2-3 days using a DAS 6 pro maybe Mixing something along the lines of menzerna powerfinish with lime prime will push some much needed nourishment into the paint. Main key is to skim the top layer then feed the finish.



matzagrin said:


> That's a great turn around!


:thumb:



baz8400 said:


> my brother has an identical astra to that. im keen to try and fix it but i only have a da and use the meguairs mf system. do you think that set up would be strong enough to remove oxidisation?


Potentially, yes. I would assume that the MF pads clog easily so you would need a good few pads on teh go and constantly cleaning them out regular would be essential to remove all teh dead paint that would end up on / in the pad.



Baker21 said:


> These are the 'real deal' details Scott and a great turnaround..........:thumb:
> 
> Nice to see this in the Studio and thanks for sharing.......:wave:


My pleasure Simon. Not so much real deal but definitely something that goes overlooked so much.



Mad Ad said:


> Nice finish Scott


:thumb:



Premtek Auto Detail said:


> Cracking dude.
> 
> Done a Corsa in Flame 2 weeks ago that was the same as that.
> 
> ...


Me to Russ. Sense of really achieving something and the whopping transition from chalky and lifeless to vibrant and shiny is very enjoyable. Get the cosa posted mate:thumb:



sicko said:


> Amazing! Well done sir


Cheers.



*Hampshire Detailer* said:


> *doubled its value*... great turnaround Scott


And thats something car owners should take into account. Money well spent imo. Cheers.



kemslea said:


> great transformation.


:thumb:



Concours CC said:


> Nice mate
> 
> A nice change to see a road goer getting some love. Just as good as a Veyron write up IMO


Ta Lee. But it isnt as good as an oxidised veyron. Now thats food for thought and a job that will never occur:lol:



dwmc said:


> nice turnaround Scott , bet it was a pleasure to work on although as you said time was against you it`s still a great turnaraound , yet another owner smiling from ear to ear no doubt :thumb:


Cheers. Always a pleasure to work on anyones vehicle but I do have a soft spot for oxidised paint. Certainly was an eye opening end for the client.



ITHAQVA said:


> Awesome :thumb:


Cheers.



JBirchy said:


> Good job Scott!


Cheers buddy.



The_Bouncer said:


> To use a quote that I once nicked from one of the Uk's best detailers.... :thumb:
> 
> ...It isnt all fluffy clouds, flash cars and big cash all the time...
> 
> ...


 I wouldnt go that far J.
Cars a car. Paints paint. Its what you do with it and the end result that counts.
No biscuits mate:lol:



gtechrob said:


> those heavily oxidised red finishes are so satisfying to polish. transformations don't get any more dramatic than this :thumb:


Thanks Rob. Always good fun restoring these types of finishes.



SarahAnn said:


> Fantastico. I bet the owners were pleased.
> 
> I prefer these sort of makeovers to the flash ones that most of us would never own anyway. It's nice to see what can be done with normal cars that we see every day


Thanks SarahAnn.
Ive alreayd said it but cars a car. Paints paint. Its what you do with it and the end result that counts.:thumb:



Concours CC said:


> I never said that


I did



RussZS said:


> Awesome work Scott!


:thumb:



tmitch45 said:


> Really good turn-around mate. Why do those red vauxhalls oxidise so badly?


It took GM until 2004 to finally realise the issue and thereafter they applied a clearcoat which has sorted the issue. Flame red was always a single stage paint and never clearcoated. Same as glacier white and kings blue for that matter.



Reflectology said:


> Nice work there Bond....


:thumb:



McClane said:


> I have an overwhelming urge to say "Back of the net!"
> 
> 
> 
> ...


:lol:



FiestaGirlie said:


> Fantastic turnaround. Amazing job; well done!


Thanks FiestaGirlie.



DJ1989 said:


> I have a astra mk4 also in flame red and mine looked alot like that one when i brought it  great turn round buddie


Enjoyable to restore arent they? Thanks!:thumb:



tonyy said:


> Fantastic turnaround..what was his face when he look at the car?


Quietly content that the right choice had been made. Big grins and very happy.



DMH-01 said:


> Stunning work there mate.


Cheers.


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

top work there :argie:


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## JakeWhite (Oct 14, 2011)

Looks like a completely different car!


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Stunning work as always mate, but how great it is to see a regular motor being shown some real love and........WOW what a shine :doublesho love details like this :thumb:

Excellent


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Superb work with a great finish!:thumb:

Always enjoy these pink to red details.


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## simon burns (Nov 1, 2011)

Wow,that's a turnaround top work! :thumb:


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## 888-Dave (Jul 30, 2010)

That there, looks the puppys plums mate.

Superb!


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## alfajim (May 4, 2011)

love these real world details.
:thumb:


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## mxb74 (Sep 25, 2009)

Great work, I was asked to sell my brothers 2000 (W) astra 1.6 estate - it was like that!

He said he wanted £350 for it, low miles 2 owner full history.... I spent a week sorting a few bits out that were picked up on the service and changing it from white to red.....

The insides were black I had to pressure wash the seats and carpet!

I then sold it for £1000 

Brother was made up


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## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

Brilliant Detail!!! 

Red is my favourite colour to detail!!! 

well done on this!!


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## id_doug (Apr 6, 2011)

Absolutely stunning turn around! Could not help having a little chuckle at using the 2BM on that car! Surely the 1BM would not of made any difference! Ha ha :thumb:


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## Mr.Ry (Nov 14, 2011)

Awesome!!


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

kempe said:


> top work there :argie:


Ta mate.



JakeWhite said:


> Looks like a completely different car!


Look closer..... Its still an astra mate. Im a detailer not a panel beater:lol:
Seriously though, thanks.:thumb:



badman1972 said:


> Stunning work as always mate, but how great it is to see a regular motor being shown some real love and........WOW what a shine :doublesho love details like this :thumb:
> 
> Excellent


:thumb:



scooby73 said:


> Superb work with a great finish!:thumb:
> 
> Always enjoy these pink to red details.


Think its the most prominent view of a correction to paintwork when its like this imo. Cheers.



simon burns said:


> Wow,that's a turnaround top work! :thumb:


:thumb:



888-Dave said:


> That there, looks the puppys plums mate.
> 
> Superb!


Cheers Dave. I assume you mean poodles plums



alfajim said:


> love these real world details.
> :thumb:


Cant get more realistic than this eh? Cheers.



mxb74 said:


> Great work, I was asked to sell my brothers 2000 (W) astra 1.6 estate - it was like that!
> 
> He said he wanted £350 for it, low miles 2 owner full history.... I spent a week sorting a few bits out that were picked up on the service and changing it from white to red.....
> 
> ...


And thats such a true thing that car owners dont understand. There is always true potential lying deep within the finish and sometimes it can take nothing more than a couple of days with the correct procedures and tools and the actual value can be boosetd substantially.



20vKarlos said:


> Brilliant Detail!!!
> 
> Red is my favourite colour to detail!!!
> 
> well done on this!!


Thanks:thumb:



id_doug said:


> Absolutely stunning turn around! Could not help having a little chuckle at using the 2BM on that car! Surely the 1BM would not of made any difference! Ha ha :thumb:


Still got to do a little pamperage regardless of the condition. Paint was quite contaminated so better with the 2BM to ensure my sponges didnt get buggered up



Mr.Ry said:


> Awesome!!


:thumb:


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Love these details, so rewarding, great work Scott!


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## Smurf. (Nov 22, 2011)

Another pink to red thread, great work :thumb:


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## CliveP (Feb 1, 2009)

Great stuff.....thanks for posting....

I so love doing these Vauxhalls, I keep an eye out for them but never left a 'can I sort this for free for you' card on a car yet! But I did an oxidised White one once which was great....

They are so rewarding, and to an extent, so easy too!!!!

Regards,
Clive.


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## Mirror Finish Details (Aug 21, 2008)

Awsome Scott, I'm doing a Vectra similar on Saturday.


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## Tiptronic (May 9, 2006)

What a transformation Scott! Bet the owner was happy to make the journey after that turnaround.

I get what you say about a car's a car, but it is good to see a 'normal' car given some TLC to restore it's sparkle.

Thanks for taking the time to share it.

Chris


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

ryand said:


> Love these details, so rewarding, great work Scott!


Cheers buddy.



Smurf. said:


> Another pink to red thread, great work :thumb:


There will always be a p2r thread mate as long as theres cars on the road. Cheers.



CliveP said:


> Great stuff.....thanks for posting....
> 
> I so love doing these Vauxhalls, I keep an eye out for them but never left a 'can I sort this for free for you' card on a car yet! But I did an oxidised White one once which was great....
> 
> ...


Whites a touch worse as lighter colours are always a slightly trickier to make sure the whole area has been worked thoroughly so can vouch for that. Did a clients berlingo work horse some time back and was quite impressive turnround tbh.



Mirror Finish Details said:


> Awsome Scott, I'm doing a Vectra similar on Saturday.


Cheers. I dont envy you if in 1 day mate. This one was quite a toughie and im usually quite timely with my details. Look forward to seeing it though mate as I do like seeing oxidised paints all sorted and shiny.



Tiptronic said:


> What a transformation Scott! Bet the owner was happy to make the journey after that turnaround.
> 
> I get what you say about a car's a car, but it is good to see a 'normal' car given some TLC to restore it's sparkle.
> 
> ...


My pleasure Chris.:thumb:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Always love the turnaround on these, such a stark contrast.

Great stuff...:thumb:


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## AutoshineSV (Feb 21, 2008)

Great work buddy! Brings back some memories doing those everyday....


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

james_death said:


> Always love the turnaround on these, such a stark contrast.
> 
> Great stuff...:thumb:





AutoshineSV said:


> Great work buddy! Brings back some memories doing those everyday....


Thanks both:thumb:


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## Huw (Feb 16, 2007)

Nice transformation. First car I ever machine polished was a pink/red Cavalier, thought I cracked this machine polishing lark at the first attempt. I was wrong.


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

What a transformation Scott:thumb:

On red colors always amazing result 

Thanks for sharing


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## Trip tdi (Sep 3, 2008)

Thats a massive transformation there Scott, must be very rewarding working on a car that is pink in colour, then suddenly changed to deep gloss red, the car looks so much healthier and full of lustre now...

Good on you, telling the customer how to preserve that finish, the last thing the customer wants is for/ him/ her to go back to square one.....

Vauxhalls are very well known to turn to red to pink, if not protected or nourished i have found .

Great work there, first class.


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Huw said:


> Nice transformation. First car I ever machine polished was a pink/red Cavalier, thought I cracked this machine polishing lark at the first attempt. I was wrong.


Cheers. Yep, anyone can chisel away at faded paint and make it look better but its still harder than once thought thats for sure.



Jakub555 said:


> What a transformation Scott:thumb:
> 
> On red colors always amazing result
> 
> Thanks for sharing


:thumb:



Trip tdi said:


> Thats a massive transformation there Scott, must be very rewarding working on a car that is pink in colour, then suddenly changed to deep gloss red, the car looks so much healthier and full of lustre now...
> 
> Good on you, telling the customer how to preserve that finish, the last thing the customer wants is for/ him/ her to go back to square one.....
> 
> ...


Cheers buddy.


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Great work, bet they were over the moon when they saw it


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

Brilliant job very good indeed!!


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## Refined Detail (Nov 27, 2006)

Had a feeling this would come out looking good once you'd got your mitts on it :lol:

Looking good mate :thumb:


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## R0B (Aug 27, 2010)

Nicely nicely Scott,good save


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

Fantastic transformation , what did you use on the exterior trim , door handles to clean and dress?


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## CleanDetail (Mar 7, 2009)

Always nice to see and do something different that actually needs some good loving.

Looks awesome! Job job dude.

NIck


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## Superspec (Feb 25, 2011)

I love this. I was chatting to my mate about getting a black car that was a bit of a nail to wet sand but having seen this I want a pink one.

Shows what is possible to prospective clients albeit in quite an extreme form!

Nice.


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## Clb Ltd (Apr 24, 2007)

Great turnaround :thumb:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

wish wash said:


> Great work, bet they were over the moon when they saw it


Cheers. Yep indeedy:thumb:



Ronnie said:


> Brilliant job very good indeed!!


Cheers Ronnie.



Refined Detail said:


> Had a feeling this would come out looking good once you'd got your mitts on it :lol:
> 
> Looking good mate :thumb:


Cheers Ric. I do likes me pinky cars:lol:



R0B said:


> Nicely nicely Scott,good save


Thanks Rob mate.



bigslippy said:


> Fantastic transformation , what did you use on the exterior trim , door handles to clean and dress?


Cheers. Autosmart trim wizard x 2 coats on trim. Cleaned with apc.



Nick_CD said:


> Always nice to see and do something different that actually needs some good loving.
> 
> Looks awesome! Job job dude.
> 
> NIck


Cheers Nick. All motors deserve a little pampering. Some can be brought back from the ashes. Should of called the thread the Pheonix:lol:



Superspec said:


> I love this. I was chatting to my mate about getting a black car that was a bit of a nail to wet sand but having seen this I want a pink one.
> 
> Shows what is possible to prospective clients albeit in quite an extreme form!
> 
> Nice.


Any single stage will be a fun challenge but red is always a great one to work with.



Clb Ltd said:


> Great turnaround :thumb:


Cheers:thumb:


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## AlexTsinos (Oct 10, 2010)

Excellent job, well done, very nice finish. :thumb:


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

baz8400 said:


> my brother has an identical astra to that. im keen to try and fix it but i only have a da and use the meguairs mf system. do you think that set up would be strong enough to remove oxidisation?


I did work on a similar red ( pink ) astra last year with my Megs DA, polishing pad with ultimate compound and it was sufficient to remove the oxidation :thumb:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

AlexTsinos said:


> Excellent job, well done, very nice finish. :thumb:


Cheers.:thumb:



bigslippy said:


> I did work on a similar red ( pink ) astra last year with my Megs DA, polishing pad with ultimate compound and it was sufficient to remove the oxidation :thumb:


How many days was that over? The oxidation was the worst ive dealt with to date and would of been a good few days work via da tbh.


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## _Kenny_ (Jan 19, 2006)

Absolutely cracking job there!


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## GJM (Jul 19, 2009)

Got a 21 yr old Merc 190 which is about 7 shades of Red, not sure have time to attack it, but if do any tips to get some quickish results?

Got quite a bit of stuff but no Scholl


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

_Kenny_ said:


> Absolutely cracking job there!





GJM said:


> Got a 21 yr old Merc 190 which is about 7 shades of Red, not sure have time to attack it, but if do any tips to get some quickish results?
> 
> Got quite a bit of stuff but no Scholl


Cheers both.

GJM - feel free to swing a pm over and I will try and help out:thumb:

Thanks for all the great comments, taking time to read and view this. Really didnt think many would be interested in a run of the mill astra


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