# Polished Bliss: Madness? Dedication? Both?!



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Second detail of the week and the third Porsche in a row, this time a Cayman S, pictured below after the long trek north from Glasgow:





































The car was in for a 2 day correction and even though i'd only got around 4 and a bit hours sleep since finishing the Boxter i was surprisingly awake and ready to go!

So, *Day 1 - 8:30am*:

Pre foam with Hyper Wash @ 60 degrees first:










After a couple of minutes this was thoroughly rinsed off at high pressure, removing the majority of the grime from the car:



















I then started on the wheels, using Meguiars Wheel Brightener (10:1) and one of our wheel brushes...










...Then scrubbed the arches and tyres with a brush after spraying with Megs Super Degreaser:










Back to the paintwork:

I filled up my buckets, one with plain water and the other with Shampoo Plus:










I then foamed the car again to aid in lubricity whilst washing:










The shuts were also washed with the mitt as they weren't too dirty, then i gave the car a quick rinse.

The paint and wheels were covered in a lot of tar, so Autosmart Tardis was applied and left for 5 mins, here you can see the tar beginning to disolve and run:




























The wheels took forever and i spent close to 30 mins on each one to get them spotless, and over 3 litres of Tardis was used in total!!

The final step in the wash/clean stage was to clay all paintwork and glass. Megs Aggressive Detailing Clay was used to remove quite alot of bonded contaminants:










One final rinse with hot water followed, and then the car was dried off with a waffle weave and the leaf blower.

*Total time so far*: 5 hours.

*Polish*:

The car was taped up with 3M 3434 masking tape, and i also removed the badge from the bonnet...










...then took paint readings,everything was fine and healthy 










The high flake content in the paint makes the defects appear quite light:










This angle helps to show them in their true condition slightly better:










As some of you are aware, this week i have had nothing but trouble with sticky paint and this one was no different  The masking tape struggled to stick to the paintwork at times and you could actually feel an "elasticy" surface as you ran your hands over the paint. However once a panel had been machined it felt squeaky clean. This definitley leads us to think it has something to do with a certain product that has been applied to various cars, whether it be supaguard/diamondbrite etc and resists anything you can throw at it when it comes to paint cleansers/IPA/Tardis etc - definitely further investigation needed!

Anyways, as with the Boxter - i settled on Megs #83 and Megs Cutting Pad:










At times this worked perfectly...




























...at times it was a complete pig and it welded itself to the paint leaving these white patches which you've to pretty much scrub off and marr the $hit out the paint...










I'd started to get a bit tired from the previous night so after correcting the bonnet and roof i called it a night at around 6pm (i think it was about then anyways).

*Day 2*:

An early start again and a looooong day and night was ahead of me with pretty much a whole car to machine twice, so straight back into correcting the paint i went:










*Before*:










*After*:










*50/50 on the door*:










The bumpers were done with a compouding pad and Fast Cut Plus @ 1500rpm's, using the weight of the machine and no more in order to keep temperatures down but to achieve the desired level of correction:



















Finally the correction was done, but i then had to go over the whole car again to refine the finish and nip out any marring/trails left from the polish problems. I used Menzerna Po85rd on a 3M finishing pad @ 1500rpms but even though the paint now felt nice and clean, the polish still didnt work perfectly and i could feel the pad grabbing at the paitwork and not gliding effortlessly like it should. This resulted in full concentration in breaking down the polish without heating the paint up too much and then multiple passes (much more than i usually would) at low rpm's to refine. I closely inspected my work with my LED torch to be 100% sure the finish was perfect - roll on the delivery of the 3M Sun Gun next week!

The G220 would have been an easier choice but *A*) It gives me numb hands after a while and *B*) The Rotary gives a slightly sharper finish than the oribital machines. It may only be 1 or 2% but every little extra helps to achieve that dripping wet look! 

All machine polishing was completed by around 9:30/10pm.

I had a cup of coffee and a packet of crisps and then dusted the car down:










Then to ensure the paint was free from any polishing oils, i went over the car with Menzerna Top Inspection:










LSP was different to the norm. We've been sent a couple of the Raceglaze waxes to try out, so i went with 55. Initial thoughts are very VERY good...










The batteries in my camera were just about dead so no pics of the interior/wheels etc but i managed to get a couple of the tailpipes before i put them on charge:

*Before*  :










*After Mirka 2000 sanding discs, BF Heavy Cut Compound and Megs NXT*:










By the time everything was done it was now the back of *2am*(AAAGGHHH!!!!) so i left the final wipe down till the morning in order to give me 10 mins to get some pics taken in case the owner was early in collecting the car in the morning......





















































































































































































I then got outside to the car to find it had been snowing heavily for the last few hours, so it was after 3 before i was home and asleep :lol:

And that brings us up to this morning. I gave the car a wipe down and a final inspection to make sure i hadnt missed anything the night before 










The weather outside was crap but the sun was still shining through the clouds slightly and into the studio...










Fortunately by the time the owner had arrived to collect it, the weather had perked up a wee bit so i got a last few remaining pics...























































Technically today was meant to be a day off but i've decided to do another car over the weekend so i got it washed and dried this morning before taking the rest of the day off to re-charge and get the sound of the Makita out my head!

It's been a hard and challenging week but when i look at the final results i know it was all worth it, especially when the customer expressed his delight at the final outcome 

As always, thanks for taking the time to read 

Clark


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## Detail My Ride (Apr 19, 2006)

Madness! 2am! 

Your mental. Looks stunning, gorgous car :thumb:


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## Exclusive Car Care (Jan 14, 2007)

excellent work Clark.... and yes Sun Gun will be with you next week:thumb:


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

ive only done 1 porsche, and it was pretty plain sailing, i hope i never have to go through all that :lol: seems a right nightmare!!!

top job as always 

the rari the next one?


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

2am yikes long night, but worth the effort stunning work, i notice Greg's fezza has he bought a good un?


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## drive 'n' shine (Apr 22, 2006)

Definately madness :lol: worth it for the end result :thumb:

Re : sticky paint - have you tried using a fallout remover at all?


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## baseballlover1 (Sep 25, 2007)

WOW! You have amazing skills! i love that car too! I think im going to buy my father 1 in a few years.


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## jedi-knight83 (Aug 11, 2006)

and what was the wax you used?

stunning detail.

the gt3 i did yesterday had a sticky roof but the rest was fine... serves me right for saying i had never had a sticky car before!


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

Dalton'smyhero said:


> WOW! You have amazing skills! i love that car too! I think im going to buy my father 1 in a few years.


interesting screen name there mate


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

jedi-knight83 said:


> and what was the wax you used?
> 
> stunning detail.
> 
> the gt3 i did yesterday had a sticky roof but the rest was fine... serves me right for saying i had never had a sticky car before!


Lol sods law mate....

Original post has been edited now - LSP was Raceglaze 55. I didnt want to say what it was untill i knew if we were going to be stocking it. Just got a txt from Rich saying we are so all's good


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

drive 'n' shine said:


> Definately madness :lol: worth it for the end result :thumb:
> 
> Re : sticky paint - have you tried using a fallout remover at all?


Thats one thing we havent tried mate, thats a good suggestion actually!


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## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

Excellent detail....man i don't know how you do it!!! 

Love the reflection on the bonnet and wing outside, just awesome!!


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## Waller (Jan 2, 2008)

Great Detail and writeup Clark, Recently did a car with diamondbrite and didnt make any noticable difference to the machining, strange one about the sticky paint, hope you get to the bottom of it.


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## craig_CDTi (Nov 8, 2007)

wow what a improvment indeed, top marks Clark:thumb:


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## TeZ (Oct 28, 2007)

Mental man,

But as ALWAYS stunning.

TeZ


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## Car Key (Mar 20, 2007)

For me the Cayman is perhaps the most exquisitely proportioned porker ever. Another superb effort







Now you're not under-charging, maybe you can afford some Makita silencing ear-plugs? LOL


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## Rich @ PB (Oct 26, 2005)

Always know you've done really well when the finish on the paint looks the same as the finish on the glass!


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## Neil_S (Oct 26, 2005)

That looks bloody amazing


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Gavb said:


> 2am yikes long night, but worth the effort stunning work, i notice Greg's fezza has he bought a good un?


Aye its not bad, swirled and scratched to buggery - alot of it quite deep so i'll see what i can do with it!


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

Clark said:


> Aye its not bad, swirled and scratched to buggery - alot of it quite deep so i'll see what i can do with it!


aye im sure you will do a grand job:thumb:

you will need those heaters to keep you warm looks like a cold cold weekend


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Another stunning work Clark :thumb:


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## whizz (Nov 11, 2006)

Another fine job and an inspiration for us newbies :thumb: 

Also good to see you using some of the kit I just bought too!

wHIZz


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## Mark J (May 10, 2007)

/_shakes head and smiles to himself appreciatively/ :thumb:_


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## Mr OCD (Apr 18, 2006)

Lovely job mate 

Let me know if you find out anymore on the sticky paint issue... this is something thats been troubling me quite a bit on some cars - an absolute pain in the backside and really spoils the enjoyment.

Glad you like the Raceglaze 55... I'm really impressed with it too ...


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## Multipla Mick (Feb 5, 2006)

Stunning stuff once again, that is looking superb.... :thumb:


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## neal666 (Jan 9, 2008)

lovely job on that. cant wait to see the 355 write up my fav car ever!

how you rating the raceglase 55 to BF midnight sun?


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## Mossman (Jan 10, 2008)

Great stuff Clark!  Would you let me know where you got your duster from? Thanks!


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## Alex L (Oct 25, 2005)

Fantastic work there Clark 

One thing I've noticed since getting my Sun Gun is defect work seems to take a little longer now as they show up even the tiniest of anything.

One thing I would recommend is getting an extra battery or two as they dont last anywhere near as long as the Brinkmanns.:thumb:


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## Jim W (Feb 3, 2007)

Stunning Clark. Hats off to you sir. :thumb:


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Superb work and another stunning finish 

Rich ought to get you a bed, to save you having to go home, you would probably get more sleep that way


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## jamiesim (Feb 7, 2008)

damn thats fine!!!

love the Cayman too and your effort does the car a great justice...


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

respectful nod in the direction of Clark

awesome!


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## Davey S2 (Sep 5, 2007)

And I thought spending 2.5 hours on my Cayman today was good!


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## little john (Jun 10, 2007)

I had a problem with polish difficult to work and it not wanting to remove after on my dads astra. It was nightmare, I was working it by hand too as it was just a few spots where he had tried to remove some bird poop but managed to turn it in to 160 grit sand paper and he proceded to clean the rest of the bonnet.

Anyway I knew he hadnt paid for the superguard treatment, so I phoned the garrage he bought it from 6 days earlier, I found out that they had actually used whatever they normally use in the superguard process but not provided him with the kit. so maybe that is part of the problem? superguard.


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## visor (Sep 8, 2007)

another awesome work Clark :thumb:


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Looks bang on as always, 2am tho, wooooooow i would be having a day or 2 off after that one, 

Got to second what Bry said a fall out remover is a good thought  AS do one cant remember the name tho


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## Ashtra (Oct 17, 2007)

your mad.fair play though mate,another superb job


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

james b said:


> Looks bang on as always, 2am tho, wooooooow i would be having a day or 2 off after that one,
> 
> Got to second what Bry said a fall out remover is a good thought  AS do one cant remember the name tho


The As Fallout remover is on the list of things to get as we have a 997 coming up in a month or two that has metal filings stuck to it :thumb:


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## Guest (Mar 21, 2008)

Clark - can I ask what polishing machine you're uisng? Is it a Metabo?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

KeepingItClean said:


> Clark - can I ask what polishing machine you're uisng? Is it a Metabo?


Makita


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## Envy Car Care (Aug 17, 2006)

Looks great Clark, and good news on you guys and the "55", bet Marks pleased too


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Nice work again mate. You really put the hours in. Your a credit to the company. Im looking forward to see if the fallout remover thing works, because ive done a couple and it reall gets on my **** and makes it really hard work.


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Stunning as per usual. I'm fast running out of superlatives to describe your workmanship.:thumb: 

Just a quick question on the paintwork being sticky. Do you reckon it is a Supaguard protector coating that is causing the stickiness? It's just that the Mazda MX5 I had last weekend was sticky as hell and the owner did inform me beforehand that it had been Supaguarded literally 4 weeks before I carried out the detail (Mazda included it as a freebie even though the owner did not want it).

Okay - so you say you've detailed loads of supaguarded cars in the past and so have I without sticky problems. However, could there be a variant of supaguards on the market? For example, different levels of consistency and depth to the supaguard applied.

I'm really interested to find out why that Mazda's paint last weekend was so sticky.


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## lomax (Feb 5, 2007)

How are you finding the raceglaze compared to the big Z? i had a coat of the 55 on at ud's


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

hotwaxxx said:


> Stunning as per usual. I'm fast running out of superlatives to describe your workmanship.:thumb:
> 
> Just a quick question on the paintwork being sticky. Do you reckon it is a Supaguard protector coating that is causing the stickiness? It's just that the Mazda MX5 I had last weekend was sticky as hell and the owner did inform me beforehand that it had been Supaguarded literally 4 weeks before I carried out the detail (Mazda included it as a freebie even though the owner did not want it).
> 
> ...


It could even be as simple as how long the SG is left to cure upon application or anything. It's almost as if the clay/polishing stage removes just about everything from the paint but there's still something that wont budge. Rich phoned SG yesterday and they informed him that you can get a product for removing the sealant. Cant remember what it was called but something like "cleansing cream" or along those lines. Cant see how that would be any different to using a strong Chemical Cleaner like AIO or Jeffs Prime Strong though...

It could of course have nothing to do with Supaguard and thats what does my head in the most, not knowing the reason for it happening!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

lomax said:


> How are you finding the raceglaze compared to the big Z? i had a coat of the 55 on at ud's


Only used it the once mate, give me a chance lol!

Vintage goes on and comes off a bit easier although i may have left it on too long last night just for the sake of making sure it had cured properly as the temps dropped a bit 

Looks wise though, i was mightily impressed and look forward to trying it out on other cars


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

I'd probably agree with it not being supaguard related and perhaps the paint a certain car manufacturer utilises - especially as you have only experienced it with Porsche. However, the Mazda MX5 I did last week was also extremely tacky and that is a different manufacturer paint altogether - soft unlike the hard German paints.

I am definitely going to go with my initial hunch that it has something to do with supaguard and the way it has been applied on certain cars.


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## CJA Valeting (Dec 7, 2006)

Stunning, but well worth it.

This picture looks so nice


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

hotwaxxx said:


> I'd probably agree with it not being supaguard related and perhaps the paint a certain car manufacturer utilises - especially as you have only experienced it with Porsche. However, the Mazda MX5 I did last week was also extremely tacky and that is a different manufacturer paint altogether - soft unlike the hard German paints.
> 
> I am definitely going to go with my initial hunch that it has something to do with supaguard and the way it has been applied on certain cars.


Not just porsche mate.

We've had experiences with it on an Evo, a couple of Impreza's, an XKR, Honda S2000, Range Rover and a merc, to name but a few! After speaking to Matt @ OYM about it he too has had similair problems on a couple of the same cars....


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

Stunning stuff once again clark


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## Guest (Mar 22, 2008)

Excellent work as usual Clark, Love the reflection shots truely stunning


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## GBS (Mar 21, 2008)

Looks great! I love the way menzerna P085rd finishes off.


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## pcc (Oct 11, 2006)

Lovely work as always Clark.
Having experienced similar problems i did some research a while back and stumbled across this page. Seems to shed some light onto the possibility of why many of us are having these specific problems. It would appear silicones are a little harder to remove than we originally thought!

Bottom of the page from 'the removal of smear from polished surfaces' onwards. Certainly worth considering.

http://www.aitlinks.com/products/in...ory=3&show_desc=Yes&show_fp=Yes&show_list=Yes


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## Arousa (Jun 13, 2006)

Superb work. :thumb:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

pcc said:


> Lovely work as always Clark.
> Having experienced similar problems i did some research a while back and stumbled across this page. Seems to shed some light onto the possibility of why many of us are having these specific problems. It would appear silicones are a little harder to remove than we originally thought!
> 
> Bottom of the page from 'the removal of smear from polished surfaces' onwards. Certainly worth considering.
> ...


will have a proper read when i get the chance mate, nice one :thumb:

Currently working on a Ferrari 355 and began with the same problems, however i think i may have worked out what's been causing it, will do a bit more testing and playing about before i confirm though!


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

I really hope you have found a cure for this, or some way to lessen the effect.


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## CHAOS (Feb 24, 2008)

absolutely stunning work mate.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

pcc said:


> Lovely work as always Clark.
> Having experienced similar problems i did some research a while back and stumbled across this page. Seems to shed some light onto the possibility of why many of us are having these specific problems. It would appear silicones are a little harder to remove than we originally thought!
> 
> Bottom of the page from 'the removal of smear from polished surfaces' onwards. Certainly worth considering.
> ...


Just had a good read. Really informative mate and whilst it doesnt really tell us anything majorly new it has helped to confirm a few things in my head, thanks!


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

Simply stunning!


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## ZrS (May 27, 2007)

A so young cayman with these swirls !!

Clark propose at the owner a full year contract, because he has a bad professional washer


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## Boyd (Aug 4, 2007)

Great turnaround, can't wait for the F355 write up .


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## mouthyman (May 1, 2006)

stunning work, great job


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

beautiful and amazing work again....

final finish looks incredible and interesting to hear more good stuff about '55'


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## pcc (Oct 11, 2006)

Clark said:


> Just had a good read. Really informative mate and whilst it doesnt really tell us anything majorly new it has helped to confirm a few things in my head, thanks!


No worries mate.
Thought it made some sense as the sealants probably contain high levels of silicones which helps make them so durable. If they are binding with the paint thats being removed it may make the paint feel grippy or sticky and would produce those clumps of polish weve all been seeing.

Good luck with the 355 anyway


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Thats a really really nice wite up clarke and a stunning finish.....I loved the photo of the roller shutters on the side of the car and to get a shot with the whole car with this effect on woul definetly be worth framing in your studio...

I have had a couple of cars that have had the what you call sticky problem and leaving clumps of polish on the bonnet and both those cars had Diamond Brite treatments on probably because they are based where i live...

A stunning detail and write up.


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## Ali (Apr 5, 2006)

You must be one of the best in the country mate!!!


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

not madness - just pure dedication mate! stunning, just stunning


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## saxoboy07 (Oct 20, 2007)

Fantastic work on the porsche:doublesho paint looks so wet and perfect:thumb:


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Madness, Dedication...both??

Noooo....Just Pure Magic :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:


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## Slick 77 (Jun 19, 2007)

wow, amazing Clark :thumb:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Cheers guys, Ferrari write up coming soon. Once i catch up on sleep after a 1am finish this morning :wall:


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## karburn (Feb 1, 2008)

Well done, as usual. I particulary liked the one photo that had quite a bit of the metal studio door reflected onto the car. Good composition.  The 2AM stint shows that you don't just do your best...you do what it TAKES.  That's what separates the Pro's from the Joe's, so to speak. Or, as my late father would have said about the results you achieved for the owner: "It's better than they deserve!" :thumb: Makes me want to ship the old 560 over to your place. :car:


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## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

Clark the write up does not do the car justice, looked much better in the flesh!!
Cant wait to see Gregs 355 write up.

Bring it on!!

:thumb:


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Awesome work, total perfection you have achieved there!!!! Just looks stunning.


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## DieselMDX (Apr 18, 2007)

wow great job!


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

stunning as usual!! Quick tip get some mechanics gloves and this will help reduce the numb fingers from the G220!!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Ronnie said:


> stunning as usual!! Quick tip get some mechanics gloves and this will help reduce the numb fingers from the G220!!


Tried it, doesnt help mate


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## Ronnie (Nov 15, 2006)

jeepers they must really shake!!! not soo good!!! You must be ready for a holiday by now?!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Ronnie said:


> jeepers they must really shake!!! not soo good!!! You must be ready for a holiday by now?!


Maybe next year


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## Frank (May 21, 2007)

Clark said:


> Maybe next year


:lol:

You never seem to stop working mate!! Everytime I'm on here you've got about 3 new write ups (Its great, I love reading them!) :thumb:


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## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

stunning work Clark, top dollar matey


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## Maxym (Apr 27, 2007)

Superb (as usual).


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## Nica (Jul 4, 2007)

Another lovely detail and write up :thumb: :thumb:


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## Tiptronic (May 9, 2006)

Amazing turnaround on the Cayman:doublesho 

As others have said, I think it's a sign of your dedication to getting the best results possible.:thumb: 

Thanks for a cracking write-up


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Nice Job
Alan


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

stunning mate stunning!!


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## Mr.Mexi (Feb 23, 2007)

sex on wheels!


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## dsolds (Feb 13, 2008)

All hail to Clark, the God of detailing.
About the best I've seen, ever!!


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## REFLECTS (Apr 7, 2008)

*class, pure class results !*


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## Guest (Apr 13, 2008)

Excellent work as usual Clark, Truely stunning finish
Paul


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