# Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch - Tuition Detail (Defined Details)



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

A recent tuition detail from Gordon and myself was on a rather tidy and well cared for Metro Blue Vauxhall Astra sport hatch... cars like this appeal to me greatly, working with something every day and making it stand out from a crowd is very rewarding ... Tuition detail this time so the owner himself was involved in the detail too, and certainly got stuck in and was a pleasure to work with on the day :thumb:

The car on arrival was already very clean, underwent our standard wash procedure and was then rolled into the unit ready for claying... as part of the tuition detail, the owner of the car works alongside us all day straight from the off, so getting stuck into the claying here with Gordon...










Following claying, the car looked to be in very good condition with a good gloss to the finish already as seen on the bonnet:



















Under the Sun Gun though, we could start to see some swirling and marks in the finish that we set out to remove on this detail...














































As always when machine polishing, it is prudent to start with the lightest combination first and work up until you achieve the desired level of correction that is safest for the finish of the car - no point just going in with Fast Cut and whipping off tens of microns of paint for the hell of it! Working through the combinations, we found that Menzerna PO106FA Super Finish on a 3M Yellow Polishing pad was suitable for correction on a lot of the areas of the car, used with a white Hexlogic pad the extra bite was required in some places where the marks were a little more severe. On some panels, the bonnet being one, deeper marks warranted stepping up to Menzerna PO85RD3.02 Intensive Polish on a 3M yellow polishing pad and then refining with Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish on a 3M blue finishing pad. Super Finish did not need any refining as it is designed to finish down crystal sharp on its own.

All polishes were applied using a "Zenith Point" method - essentially starting out slowly to spread the polish, beginning to work at a moderate speed (circa 1200rpm) to generate a little warmth in the panel and get the wax based lubricants evenly spread so the machine simply glides effortlessly, and then working until the residue goes clear at 1500 - 1800rpm depending on application, before refining and burnishing at 1200rpm and 900rpm to refine the finish and jewel to a crystal sharp gloss.

The bonnet after Intensive Polish and Final Finish...
































































Under the unit lights, an enhancement to the apparent "depth" of the finish can be seen, coming from enhancing the sharpness and clarity of the finish...



















The sides of the car were generally containing less severe marks... Driver's side...


















































































until you look below the styling line...




























It is quite normal for these regions to have deeper marks - the dirtiest parts of the car are the hardest to wash without marring.

Lighter areas treated with just Menzerna Super Finish, while more severely marked regions were given Intensive Polish for correction and Final Finish for refinement... we ended with the following...































































































































As well as removing the general swirls, the machine polishing also enhances the sharpness and clarity of the finish...



















The passenger side was much the same before... light marks above the styling line and heavier marks below it:













































































































and after correction and refining...




































































































Following the correction stages, this car was then protected using Collinite 476S wax - one of our staple waxes, it has a well deserved reputation for durability and when the prep is right, durable protection is the key of the LSP. Applied by hand, nice thin layer and then buffed off with a microfibre.

Glass was cleaned using Autosmart Glass Cleaner (lovely smelling product - effective too, flashes nicely and cleans streak free effortlessly).

Tyres dressed with Espuma RD-50 - this is a product we highly rate for tyres... not a blingy black, more a deep and dark black, subtle which is what we like and the tyres also bead water nicely too with it.

Wheels protected using Finish Kare 1000P - our staple wheel sealant, yes designed for paint in the main, but we have found it durable on wheels and as such it is our dedicated wheel sealant.

Plastics with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel, or All Seasons Dressings for the large area plastics in the wheel arches.

The end results of this detail:




































































































and a little bit of fun with lighting just to round off...



















Hope you enjoyed the read :thumb:


----------



## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

another superb result Dave and Gordon :thumb: 
do you only use hex logic pads now Dave?


----------



## spitfire (Feb 10, 2007)

The paint looks almost glass like :thumb:


----------



## scottgm (Dec 27, 2009)

Fantastic work, really like that colour


----------



## Theval (Feb 24, 2010)

Nice work :thumb::thumb:the pictures says it all:thumb::thumb:


----------



## GazzaC (Mar 21, 2008)

cracking work!


----------



## losi_8_boy (Aug 29, 2009)

lovely detail... havent seen this colour before i thought it was the technical grey to start with..


----------



## twoscoops (Mar 26, 2010)

Great read Dave and a superb finish!

Tim


----------



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

-Kev- said:


> another superb result Dave and Gordon :thumb:
> do you only use hex logic pads now Dave?


I was using 3M pads on this detail as well Kev  ... I use both 3M and Hexlogic almost exclusively these days as I like the pads, so stick with them - have tried as huge number of pads but keep coming back to these ranges as they last well and are a joy to use.


----------



## Chubsley (Feb 11, 2010)

Thanks again guys. Got the wheels back from rim stock yesterday from gettig refurbed, no outside marks but the front two had pittig in them so treated all four. They were all sealed and the tyres dressed, got some AS highstyle which looks great but will see how it lasts. 

Thanks for giving me better pictures and I would recommend the tuition day to anyone, may have been a 17 hour shot but doesn't matter when your car ends up like this.


----------



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Finish looks very good .


----------



## kenny-c (Oct 5, 2009)

Looks superb - cant wait to get mine booked in when I eventually get my car :wall: 

17 hour detailing = dream day


----------



## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Great finish as ever guys. Really liking that colour :thumb:


----------



## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

finish is just perfect. great work


----------



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

kenny-c said:


> 17 hour detailing = dream day


It is indeed :thumb:


----------



## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

nice work as always lads


----------



## FrazzleTC (Jul 4, 2009)

That is excellent work, amazing standard of finish!


----------



## Rick74 (May 31, 2009)

Top work again lads.


----------



## ross-1888 (Feb 22, 2009)

nice nice nice nice nice.


----------



## JJ_ (Oct 26, 2005)

Well done Dave another great effort.


----------



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Cheers guys


----------



## raj1vad (May 26, 2010)

as mentioned above the finish is almost glass like, very nice result


----------



## Yun_says (Apr 8, 2010)

excellent work guys, looks stunning :thumb:


----------



## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

Stunning work indeed Dave. Loved the writeup. :thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:


----------



## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

nice work, cars looking great


----------



## dread (Apr 30, 2010)

Just come across this detail and that car looks sweet!


----------



## seantomtom (Mar 17, 2010)

nice result


----------



## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Great colour and a great finish , agree about pads aswell...


----------



## saxoboy07 (Oct 20, 2007)

Awesome work yet again great correction and depth in paintwork

Edit where did you get Menzerna Super Finish PO106FA from Dave?


----------



## PIT (Apr 22, 2010)

fantastic


----------



## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Nice one guys, beautiful work :thumb: 

Thanks for posting


----------

