# Red corsa heavily oxidised. UDM'd and jetsealed



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

A friend was struggling selling her corsa as it was in a bit of state. The paint was VERY heavily oxidised and lifeless, and didn't look like it had seen any wax in its whole life. The Detail was done over the course of a week or so as it needed special attention to the interior, engine and bumpers as well as the paint.

Method was as follows:

- CG Super Degreaser sprayed on wheels, arches and lower body panels.
- Washed with a strong APC wash.
- Door shuts APC'd
- Clayed with sonus green and Megs Last Touch as lube.
- Re-washed with autoglym shampoo
- Dried with Last Touch as drying aid.
- Polished with Megs#83 & #80, applied via UDM on lake country pads
- Jetseal applied via foam applicator
- Topped off with collinite 915 marque 'elegance

So here's how she was looking upon first inspection:










The first job was the engine. I ran it for a few minutes to warm the block then covered electrical components with plastic bags and tin foil. I then applied autoglym engine and machine cleaner and left it to dwell for 5 minutes before working it in with a brush. Then rinsed with a hose set to a fine spray. Bonnet closed and engine run for a few minutes to dry, then plastics dressed with CG New Look Trim Gel.

Before:









After:









Then on to the bodywork. Very impressed with how the UDM completely removed the oxidation. I worked up to the yellow cutting pad and #83. The pads clogged up very quickly which meant stopping fairly often to give them a clean. Heres some 50:50's of the wing and bonnet.....



















Next up was refreshing the trim. I heated them up with a heat gun, then applied CG NLTG, then heated again, then buffed with a microfibre. Quite stunning results, the trim instantly went from a ****** grey to dark black.

Here's a 50:50............









And heres the final result after a coat of jetseal followed by Collinite. Windows cleaned inside and out, interior vacuumed, upholstery wet vax'd, plastics scrubbed with APC 10:1 and dressed with AG Rubber and Vinyl Protector. Plus a new set of wheel trims, aerial replaced, rusty wipers painted etc...










The corsa has since sold for much more than my friend expected so she was very happy. Any constructive feedback or comments welcomed. Cheers for reading!


----------



## Bulla2000 (Jun 5, 2007)

Great correction job. Well done matey.


----------



## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Thats a fantastic turn around. Paint really shines :thumb: Great 50:50s


----------



## 100%blade (Oct 8, 2007)

great work, new owner will be chuffed!


----------



## rockape (Feb 18, 2007)

great stuff mate:buffer: :thumb:


----------



## Clone (Apr 8, 2007)

Very nice, especially for your first shot - i hope i get as good results with mine.


----------



## joe_0_1 (Apr 7, 2007)

Crikey, it was poor! :lol:

Fantastic correction there bud, espcially liking the engine


----------



## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

great turn around


----------



## Avanti (Jan 17, 2006)

Nice work :thumb:


----------



## Katana (Mar 31, 2007)

Great job, pink to red is my favourite kind of detail


----------



## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

excellent work


----------



## Cliff (Mar 4, 2007)

Nice work :thumb:


----------



## megaboost (Feb 4, 2007)

Did you replace the wipers too?


----------



## bissee_99 (Nov 8, 2006)

good work  altho you have managed to polish a few new numbers/letters into the number plate


----------



## TrickyT (Oct 8, 2007)

Jodd job, but dont let the DLVA catch up with you.

You have the registartion in the first picture then a blanked out registration in the final picture, but it starts with a 'N'

Regards

trevor


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

megaboost said:


> Did you replace the wipers too?


just painted them


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

TrickyT said:


> Jodd job, but dont let the DLVA catch up with you.
> 
> You have the registartion in the first picture then a blanked out registration in the final picture, but it starts with a 'N'
> 
> ...





bissee_99 said:


> good work  altho you have managed to polish a few new numbers/letters into the number plate


It was in the process of transfering back from a private reg guys. well spotted though!


----------



## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

That was a great turnaround. You turned what appeared to be a neglected old banger into something that looked cherished and cared for. I am not surprised the sale was better than expected. A top job :thumb:


----------



## freon warrior (May 31, 2006)

Top stuff, What is it about Vauxhalls and red paint? My mates van was just the same, not anymore.


----------



## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Great results but I was just wondering how you cleaned your yellow pad once it had got clogged up?


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Baker21 said:


> Great results but I was just wondering how you cleaned your yellow pad once it had got clogged up?


I washed the pad in a bucket with APC, then rinsed it, then squeezed it out, stuck it back on the UDM and span it it extract the last bits of water. Took quite a while to dry it though so I think I'm going to have to invest in more pads. I've read that if you run a toothbrush or megs triple duty brush over the pad it can extract old polish.

Thanks for all the compliments guys, much appreciated!


----------



## GAZA62 (Jan 23, 2007)

Superb job :thumb:


----------



## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

Cracking job Matt!:thumb:

Agree that the engine bay looks really good too, often neglected. What did you apply to the suspension turrets and paintwork in the engine bay afterwards?

Final pics look great, I've got a 'pink' VW polo to do at the weekend.:buffer:


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

James_R said:


> Cracking job Matt!:thumb:
> 
> Agree that the engine bay looks really good too, often neglected. What did you apply to the suspension turrets and paintwork in the engine bay afterwards?
> 
> Final pics look great, I've got a 'pink' VW polo to do at the weekend.:buffer:


Cheers James
I put a coat of megs nxt wax on the painted surfaces. Find it a really easy to use one step product and seals paint nicely. Although I've ordered some Carlack 68 nanotech as I've heard its a good all-in-one product.


----------



## robna (May 31, 2007)

Great turnaround. A friend of mine has just bought a Mk3 Golf in red/pink, I'm looking forward to trying to turn it around, but I am yet to buy a PC or UDM mainly because I dont understand the difference or how to use them :wall: Any advice would be great  

Thanks from a :newbie:


----------



## cosmos (Jan 19, 2006)

mattjonescardiff said:


> I washed the pad in a bucket with APC, then rinsed it, then squeezed it out, stuck it back on the UDM and span it it extract the last bits of water. Took quite a while to dry it though so I think I'm going to have to invest in more pads. I've read that if you run a toothbrush or megs triple duty brush over the pad it can extract old polish.
> 
> Thanks for all the compliments guys, much appreciated!


A good spin on a rotary at a high as speed as you dare is good for drying out pads :thumb:


----------



## vittel (Sep 12, 2007)

wow, great work


----------



## RenesisEvo (Nov 25, 2006)

Excellent stuff - competitizone methinks


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

robna said:


> Great turnaround. A friend of mine has just bought a Mk3 Golf in red/pink, I'm looking forward to trying to turn it around, but I am yet to buy a PC or UDM mainly because I dont understand the difference or how to use them :wall: Any advice would be great
> 
> Thanks from a :newbie:


whereabouts in the country are you Rob? If you're close I can lend a hand.

Before I had a UDM I used a cheap aldi/halfords buffer. It's frowned upon by serious detailers, and its nowhere near as good as a UDM/PC obviously, but for removing serious oxidation on old red cars its a step up from working by hand. There's little difference between the UDM and PC. Have a read of Dave KG's explanation of polishing by machine, it'll explain everything to you.

Good luck with the detailing, its seriously addictive!


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

RenesisEvo said:


> Excellent stuff - competitizone methinks


If people think this is worthy of entering the competition I'll write it up in more detail with more pics.


----------



## robna (May 31, 2007)

mattjonescardiff said:


> whereabouts in the country are you Rob? If you're close I can lend a hand.
> 
> Before I had a UDM I used a cheap aldi/halfords buffer. It's frowned upon by serious detailers, and its nowhere near as good as a UDM/PC obviously, but for removing serious oxidation on old red cars its a step up from working by hand. There's little difference between the UDM and PC. Have a read of Dave KG's explanation of polishing by machine, it'll explain everything to you.
> 
> Good luck with the detailing, its seriously addictive!


Thats very kind of you to offer, I'm in Hertfordshire most of the time, where are you? :thumb:


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

robna said:


> Thats very kind of you to offer, I'm in Hertfordshire most of the time, where are you? :thumb:


Cardiff Rob!


----------



## jonnygearbox (Sep 18, 2007)

no offence but they are two completly different cars 

look at the number plates


----------



## Andy M (Apr 7, 2006)

jonnygearbox said:


> no offence but they are two completly different cars
> 
> look at the number plates


well spotted, merit badges and dent in door too


----------



## richie.guy (Apr 10, 2006)

lol

:lol:


----------



## Snowwolf (Oct 19, 2007)

Along with windscreen wipers and dent in the bonnet


----------



## richie.guy (Apr 10, 2006)

And the wheels/trims


----------



## Andy M (Apr 7, 2006)

and dangling air freshner


----------



## nighty (Jan 28, 2007)

wow great turn around never thought something that oxidised could be repaired great work.


----------



## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

Blimey !

And its made it newer too !

The Detail has made it change from a 'J' Reg to a 'N' Reg !

Now thats detailing ! :doublesho


----------



## DieselMDX (Apr 18, 2007)

wow amazing turn around!


----------



## edl blade (Nov 7, 2007)

looks realy good m8 well done


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

alanjo99 said:


> Blimey !
> 
> And its made it newer too !
> 
> ...


I'm not sure if you are joking or not but its the same car guys!!!! (There was no 'J' reg corsas). It was in the middle of being changed back from a cherished plate.

I repainted the wipers, removed the air freshener and merit badges etc. The dent is still there afterwards, just not picked up on the photo. Oh, and hubcaps are easily fitted to any common or garden car fellas!

:lol:


----------



## geert dr (Jul 13, 2007)

Love those "pink to red" jobs,would like to do one myself! Great jod:thumb:


----------



## leeshez (Dec 26, 2005)

Wow amazing. Was it the same car?


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

leeshez said:


> Wow amazing. Was it the same car?


Cheers. Yes its definitely the same car!


----------



## NN1 (Nov 11, 2006)

lol i noticed that too. good work mate!


----------



## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

just goes to show what a bit of hard work does.

great turnaround

:thumb:


----------



## broomfield (Jan 1, 2008)

Car does look good but i will bet you £10 it will go pink again with in 3 months. And no i am not putting your work down but when this happen to a car you will never keep it red again


----------



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Great stuff, revived the finish nicely. :thumb:


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

broomfield said:


> Car does look good but i will bet you £10 it will go pink again with in 3 months. And no i am not putting your work down but when this happen to a car you will never keep it red again


Maybe so with your bog standard T-cut wipe over, but after a full machine polish to remove all the 'dead' paint and a quality sealant like Jetseal re-oxidation should be held off for a good while longer than that as long as LSP is kept topped up.


----------



## [email protected] (Aug 25, 2007)

broomfield said:


> Car does look good but i will bet you £10 it will go pink again with in 3 months. And no i am not putting your work down but when this happen to a car you will never keep it red again


Not if you look after it it won't. Thats the idea behind washing,polishing and waxing.


----------



## chris197sport (Aug 12, 2007)

WOW!... Great Results...


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

I guess a LSP with a UV inhibitor is helpful here, rather than just a nuba wax.....


----------



## broomfield (Jan 1, 2008)

YEVAD said:


> Not if you look after it it won't. Thats the idea behind washing,polishing and waxing.


Well if he looked after it in the first place it would not look like it did so i can't see it lasting that long. my piont was that it will allways go pink again, i have done cars like this my self for customers but i allways tell them it wont last for ever


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

broomfield said:


> Well if he looked after it in the first place it would not look like it did so i can't see it lasting that long. my piont was that it will allways go pink again, i have done cars like this my self for customers but i allways tell them it wont last for ever


Nothing lasts forever, and he/she might have bought the car that way. Looked after it will last much longer than a couple of months though.

Nice work BTW :thumb:


----------



## Guest (Mar 3, 2008)

Just followed link.

Nice work.


----------



## Bigears (Feb 5, 2008)

[email protected] said:


> Not if you look after it it won't. Thats the idea behind washing,polishing and waxing.


I totally agree. My Saab was really badly oxidized. Corrected it 6 months ago and there no sign of it returning at all.


----------



## raider56 (May 3, 2007)

Thats fantastic! nice one


----------



## Ryan Hill (Nov 2, 2008)

Why did the number plates change from the before and after shots. and their is no badge on the side fender in the final shot. Im not convinced that its the same car??


----------



## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Missed this one 1st time - nice one :thumb:


----------



## Ryan Hill (Nov 2, 2008)

Ryan Hill said:


> Why did the number plates change from the before and after shots. and their is no badge on the side fender in the final shot. Im not convinced that its the same car??


My Apologies for the previous post, i should have read the other posts before
i wrote this. Just goes to show how unbelievable the results are. :buffer:


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Ryan Hill said:


> Why did the number plates change from the before and after shots. and their is no badge on the side fender in the final shot. Im not convinced that its the same car??


:lol: Good to see this old thread coming back up - My first ever proper 'Detail'.

The plates change as a private plate was removed before selling the car. The badge was taken off.

I can assure you it's the same car. How would I have done the 50:50's? and where would I get another 5 door red corsa in exactly the same spec etc at such short notice? I'll take the disbelief as a compliment :thumb:


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Ryan Hill said:


> My Apologies for the previous post, i should have read the other posts before
> i wrote this. Just goes to show how unbelievable the results are. :buffer:


No worries Ryan, it made me smile to see another post on this thread


----------



## Needs a clean (May 24, 2008)

Ryan Hill said:


> Why did the number plates change from the before and after shots. and their is no badge on the side fender in the final shot. Im not convinced that its the same car??


Why did you not read the entire thread before posting up????? Im not convinced you read anything.


----------



## GeeJay (Jun 10, 2007)

Didn't see this first time round, but excellent work there!! I do like an oxidized red now and then!


----------



## ade33 (Jun 4, 2008)

mattjonescardiff said:


> The corsa has since sold for much more than my friend expected so she was very happy.


Job done then :thumb: looks like a different car now. Can't believe how grubby it was under the bonnet - nasty.


----------



## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

This thread slipped under my radar first time round.

Excellent work, great 50/50, giving a superb finish!:thumb:


----------



## Monaco Detailer (Dec 3, 2007)

Well done with that one mate, brings back memories when i worked at a Vauxhall dealer, we used to mint the trade cars for auction so they would get more money & your right it does work


----------



## Ryan Hill (Nov 2, 2008)

Needs a clean said:


> Why did you not read the entire thread before posting up????? Im not convinced you read anything.


Ok, relax! I made a mistake. Im sure you have jumped to conclusions before?
Dont think ive ever seen such a great final result, given the state the vehicle was in before the paintwork correction took place. 
once again, stunning job Matt!


----------



## VixMix (May 8, 2008)

Wow, this thread is almost a year old!

I love seeing ordinary cars made good again. I can relate to these better than the supercars.

I noticed the change of reg plate. J reg  Yes, corsas were Novas then. Remember Novas? I hated the saloon version, they were so UGLEEE



Nice Work Matt :thumb: Bet it was good to remember this blast from the past.


----------



## Mat430uk (Sep 17, 2007)

great job !


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

VixMix said:


> Wow, this thread is almost a year old!
> 
> I love seeing ordinary cars made good again. I can relate to these better than the supercars.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the kind words. The J was the private plate as I think you've worked out.

I know what you mean about older cars, there's something really satisfying about a Detail like this.

You hardly see any Novas on the roads these days. They seem to have all disappeared suddenly in the last 3-5 years. You used to see them all the time.


----------



## boyasaka (Jun 13, 2009)

daft question but how come the before car is a J reg in the before picture and a N reg in the after picture..? same car or different?????lol


----------



## duncyboy (May 31, 2009)

boyasaka said:


> daft question but how come the before car is a J reg in the before picture and a N reg in the after picture..? same car or different?????lol


The car was in the process of being transferred back from a private plate prior to sale, I believe 

While I'm posting on here I may as well add my tuppence worth- outstanding turnaround, especially the engine bay and the exterior plastics.


----------



## ledzepp (May 20, 2009)

hi matt
looking good,,,,, i did one today, exactly the same but mine 2 door, i gunna post some pics when i find out how.....its a real satisfaction when you first start maching a small area and you cant wait to buff the area to see what it looks like .... ha!...... 

alan


----------



## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

Top work!

Adds hundreds to the value for sure!


----------



## point blank (Dec 4, 2006)

To put the doubters minds at rest check out the rear drivers side window, where you can see the same square sticker in the before and afters.
This was an amazing turn around and one that shows just what can be achieved where most would give up before even starting:thumb:


----------



## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

point blank said:


> To put the doubters minds at rest check out the rear drivers side window, where you can see the same square sticker in the before and afters.
> This was an amazing turn around and one that shows just what can be achieved where most would give up before even starting:thumb:


Thanks for helping me out there! Have to laugh at the 'conspiracy theory'! This was my first DW write-up and the Detail that prompted me to start doing this more seriously.

Thanks for everyones posts and input, much appreciated. 
Matt


----------

