# Fabien - Porsche 964 C4 - Neglected - Paint and Leather Restoration



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Porsche 964 Carrera 4
Centre Swissvax Lyon

HD Video on Youtube :




Few weeks ago, I detail this car for an initially 3-4 days Detail. 
I saw this car in September 2009, but it was on better conditions than the beginning of the treatment, some surprises wait me !!
The treatment takes 5 days, of hard work, paint defects correction, and leather/interior restoration.
The initial state of this car is pretty bad, very deep and severe scratches, lot of swirls, paint retouches, if I can say that...




























The headlight broken










The Hood and the roof are the badest conditions parts.














































Exhaust was in bad position, twisted...



















Polishing "residues" !!



















Beginning of wash stage, first water pre-wash, follow by APC agitated with Swissvax Wheel Brush.



















The wheels are covered of dirt, old brake dust, tar, the only solution is a very hard products (Megs Wheel Brightener)
agitated with my Ez detail brush, and Swissvax Wheel Brush. Needs three repetition to have a good result.










Arches were brushed with vikan Brush and APC, like the tires










*Results*



















Time to prewash, as the wheel this dirty car need hard shampoo, so Gilmour Foam Gun, with a mix of Citrus wash and gloss shampoo was used.



















Then manual washing with Swissvax Car Bath, and the two buckets method.










Time for claying the car. Very important here, I had done two claying stage on this Porsche :
- First with the Paint Rubber Yellow (to erase the bigger contamination)
- Second with Paint Rubber Blue (for the finest contamination).





































Many tar spot are removed by claying, but the low parts was retreat with tar remover a apply with a microfiber.

Time to go in, and inspect the paint defects with halogene and Led Lenser Light.



















The two bumpers was respray Two month ago !!
































































Paint measures were taken with my PTG, and a statement of thickness was done.





































Between 160-230 on many panels, and 300-500 on the hood !!
So different paint quality, all the car is respray, but the same paint on all panels except hood.

*Beginning of Polishing stage* :

I took my Makita 9227cb and work differents polishs at 1500-1800tr/min :

- Compounding with #85 (the only I have) and Gloss-it wool pad (I love it)
- Polishing with Swissvax Cleaner Fluid Strong and Megs cutting pad
- Finishing with Swissvax Cleaner Fluid Medium and 3M Polishing Pad

Some panels needs finition with the Orbital G220 and CF Medium to remove The last lights Hologrammes.

After every correction, an IPA wipedown was done to insure me of the real result.

The Roof *Before* :










*After*










*Before*










*After*










ZOoom on the roof, the metallic paint looks good, I think I remove between 95-97 % of defects.










The 1/2 right roof done, the difference is incredible even under natural light !!










Example of severe scratches correction on the roof, *Before*










*After*










Continue on the hood, after more than 2 hours on the the roof !!

a 50/50 under halogene light










And under natural light, fabulous, the oxidization remove, let a good glossy black finish










The 1/2 hood right done, :










After lots of efforts, wet-sanding, compounding (remove on parts until 40 microns) and 3 hours work, the hood was done.
This was the only solution to remove all the severe scratches, I approach the limits of detailing here !!

Then I continue on the rear parts, compounding with smaller pads (Gloss-it and LC) :



















*Before*










*After*


















*Before*










*After*



















Compounding stage on Rear wings :










50/50 on right door :










Finishing stage on door :










Result on low parts of front wing :










*Before*, as you can see a very old and deep acid'mark was on the front wing










*After* many compound passes (4-5) the acid'mark is ever here, I shall not go farther










*Before*










*After*










The left door *Before*










and *After*










Work on front wing :










result :










The mirro before and after :


















Rear light correct with CF Strong and LC 4" pad light cutting then CF Medium and 4" LC pad finishing
Before and after :


















Result on bumper with the same process than rear light (the recent paint did'nt need more)










On the other hand bottom parts need a compounding stage more to have a good result :










The amounts door were polish to, to restore the initial black










Time for the wheels treatment, process :
- Clayed with Paint Rubber (blue) and quick finish
- Prepared with Cleaner Fluid Regular
- Protect with Swissvax Autobahn
- Tires dressed with Pneu
- Arches with Nano Express










All rubber was treated with Swissvax Seal Feed, and then dry with a clean MF, to leave a matt finish.
Good products with a good protection against water










*Before*










*After*










- Then I clean windows with Crystal and apply Rain-X, 
- Exterior plastics was clean with Plastic Wash, dressed with Protecton and Protect with Nano Express.
- The Paint prepared with Cleaner FLuid Regular apply by hand.
- One coat of Swissvax Concorso was applied

Interior​
The Interior was like the exterior, and maybe in badest conditions !!
- Carpets were very Dirty, greasy
- Leather was strong, too brilliant, discolored, and dry (never treat)
- Plastics were dirty and unprotect









































































I decided to remove front seats, but the driver seat was impossible, because of a rusty bolt.
But I find the cigar ?? (I don't know the word) under the passenger seat. I'm sure that the Owner will be satisfied !!




























Interior process

- Carpets were vacuum and clean with a spray extractor machine (don't know the word too, excuse !!)
- All Interior surface were vacuum and brush to dislodge Dust
- Leather were Clean with Colourlock Strong cleaner, recolored with Colourlock Leather Fresh, protect against Friction with Colourlock Scellement
and fed with Colourlock Leather Protector.
- Plastics were cleaned with Plastic Wash, dressed with Protecton.










*After*










The Leather is too brilliant because of the dirt in the fiber but also in cause of the diminution of the lenght of leather fiber (which was used by frictions).










Examples of Leather restorations :

*Before*










*After*










*Before*










*After*










*Before*










*After*










Protection against Frictions was applied on the risk leather surfaces. 
Colourlock Scellement









Plastics treatment



















The final pictures of Interior :




























Exterior Final pictures​



























Need more sun but...




































































































Thank you to read, hope you enjoy this Detail, and Thousands Excuses for my English (a little bit French)


----------



## Nanolex (Jun 8, 2008)

Outstanding job with a lot of attention to the details, very well done! :thumb:


----------



## Deanvtec (Mar 3, 2008)

Very nice work, superb turn around. :thumb:


----------



## Mr Whippy (May 6, 2006)

Very nice work!

There is detailing a new car that isn't really so bad, but to restore a car that old with so many defects and bring it back to such a nice condition is amazing!


----------



## m4rkie23 (May 19, 2009)

nice finished shots there! 6th from last is great!! fantastic turn around


----------



## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

stunning work :argie:


----------



## DSK (Jan 6, 2010)

I like this one!


----------



## UBRWGN (Nov 25, 2007)

Great correction. :thumb:
That is a lovely little beast. :argie:


----------



## Sebony (Feb 4, 2010)

Nice one, working on a 911 is always a great pleasure!

Quick question, what did you used to recolor with the Colourlock Leather Fresh? Did you used a customized color or the standart black one?
Thanks!


----------



## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

Great final shots and very nice 50/50 on the bonnet - stunning work :thumb:


----------



## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Absolutely and utterly awesome 

Work and write-up superb thankyou for sharing


----------



## impster (May 2, 2007)

Very nice work.


----------



## Tiggs (Feb 28, 2007)

Absolutely fantastic job.....

and your english is better than my french, understood everything you wrote.


:thumb::thumb:







.


----------



## scottgm (Dec 27, 2009)

Amazing work there. Great Turn-around :thumb:

Why would you let such a car get in a state like that to start with :O


----------



## magpieV6 (Jul 29, 2008)

wow! stunning work!


----------



## andyt13 (May 21, 2009)

one word mate, "Stunning"


----------



## Jim_964 (Jan 25, 2009)

Looking good! :thumb: Looks very familiar, even down to some of the swirl marks

Went to the paintshop this morning and booked mine in for a full respray and ordered the first load of new seals and trim fixings this afternoon but I'll make this little project the subject of it's own thread.


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

Simply stunning results on what is my dream car!


----------



## Norman (Sep 5, 2006)

Stunning


----------



## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

very nice


----------



## remonrace (Jan 13, 2009)

That's a huge improvement.


----------



## gb270 (Aug 22, 2008)

Great work very nice


----------



## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Truly stunning finish and great attention to the little things which has made all the difference to the end result, well done to you.


----------



## GTI Baz (Mar 8, 2010)

Now that is amazing....Fantastic work.


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Sebony said:


> Nice one, working on a 911 is always a great pleasure!
> 
> Quick question, what did you used to recolor with the Colourlock Leather Fresh? Did you used a customized color or the standart black one?
> Thanks!


The color I use In France call F034 the standard black, I hope it will help you 
Thank you for your nice comment.

And thank you for every body for all your impressive comments :wave::thumb:


----------



## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

What a truly stunning transformation - a pleasure to read through :thumb:


----------



## Sebony (Feb 4, 2010)

Txs a lot Fabien, I'm french as well, and just ordered the same reference from Swissvax.
Did you used a small sponge to apply it?
Merci, et well done encore une fois 


Fabien said:


> The color I use In France call F034 the standard black, I hope it will help you
> Thank you for your nice comment.
> 
> And thank you for every body for all your impressive comments :wave::thumb:


----------



## pringle_addict (Jan 2, 2008)

Absolutley stunniong work on a fantastic car. The difference in the befores and afters is quite remarkable. Excellent work all round 

I bet the owner was really pleased.

Oh, and the word you were looking for is 'lighter'.

Your english is still a million times better than my french


----------



## cfherd (Jan 14, 2010)

Love it love it love it. Such a fan of the 964 especially in black with Cup alloys. Great work on what looked like a tired car.


----------



## evenflow (Apr 2, 2008)

Wow! Fantastique!


----------



## iestynd (Mar 6, 2010)

Brilliant work 

How much would something like that cost? To have done i mean, its 4 days hard graft after all?

Excellent result added value to the car:detailer:


----------



## matt_83 (Apr 28, 2009)

Really excellent work!


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Sebony said:


> Txs a lot Fabien, I'm french as well, and just ordered the same reference from Swissvax.
> Did you used a small sponge to apply it?
> Merci, et well done encore une fois


Yes I used a black sponge to apply the "color".

Thank you once more.


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

cfherd said:


> Love it love it love it. Such a fan of the 964 especially in black with Cup alloys. Great work on what looked like a tired car.


I love it too, at the end of each Detail, the difficulty is to let the car leave with the owner.
The 964 is a super car, with beautiful lines, and this froggy eyes without complex !!

Thank you for all your comment


----------



## wrxmania (Apr 15, 2007)

Excellent work.

Brian


----------



## simon 2 (Nov 4, 2009)

Absolutely brilliant. Thoroughly enjoyed your write up and the after pictures are stunning.

Congratulations and I hope the owner was a VERY happy man and tipped you sufficently:thumb:

Simon


----------



## tony2 (Jan 31, 2010)

Brilliant work mate.........Stunning bet the owner was pleased


----------



## pembroke (Feb 7, 2010)

Wow!! Stunning!!


----------



## Guest (Mar 19, 2010)

amazing work mate, that is such a stark contrast.


----------



## NL-J (Jun 14, 2008)

Excellent work, car looks stunning now:thumb:


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Many Thanks everybody, the Owner was very surprised, he did'nt expect such a result.

You know in France, Detailing is at the beginning, French mentality are very different than UK or USA. People don't understand that Detailing or Valenting are now indispensable !!

So when we have the luck to work and show what is Detailing to our clients, and how we consider it, the reactions are surprising !!

Fabien.


----------



## novacabrio (Feb 14, 2008)

amazing work


----------



## dsms (Feb 1, 2008)

Stunning work, truly amazing!


----------



## detailersdomain (Sep 13, 2006)

amazing great write up, great restoration!


----------



## Maxym (Apr 27, 2007)

Fantastic job! I never thought a basic 964 C4 could look so good. :thumb:

Great English too! (Far better than my French...)


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Hi Dsms, thank you so much for your comments, with your experience, it's ever nice to have this comment.

And Thank you so much to Detailersdomain to :thumb:


----------



## glyn waxmaster (Dec 20, 2006)

Hi Fabien, i bet that was hard work. I have done so many of these 964 cars now and due to there age the task seems endless sometimes but very rewarding. A lovely turnaround, hope the Swissvax detailing takes off for you over there.

Glyn


----------



## Guest (Mar 20, 2010)

Awesome work!

Can I ask how the hand brake was restored please?


----------



## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

this looks great.. a really good write up.

Good work


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

glyn waxmaster said:


> Hi Fabien, i bet that was hard work. I have done so many of these 964 cars now and due to there age the task seems endless sometimes but very rewarding. A lovely turnaround, hope the Swissvax detailing takes off for you over there.
> 
> Glyn


Hi Glyn,

Thank you for your message and your attention for my company, this old 964 suffer of many damages, to correct each little defects, we needs so many time.
I polish the paint about 25 hours, removes about 95-97% of defects, but this is not sufficient to remove all I want, and in this case this is ever frustrating to let little defects !!
But when we finish the car, we enjoy our work, and that is so good.

Dakine,

Thank your for your comments.

The hand break was restor as all leather parts :
- Clean the leather
- Degrease it
- Sand it
- Redegrease it
- Apply a thin layer of "color"
- Dry with a heat gun
- An other and other layer of color (if this is necessary...)
- Wait little times
- Protect the leather from friction
- Protect the leather from UV and feed it

Hope that help you.


----------



## Mini One Cabrio (Mar 9, 2007)

Wow one of the best restorations I have seen, fantastic result!!

Paul


----------



## Guest (Mar 21, 2010)

Fabien said:


> Hi Glyn,
> 
> Thank you for your message and your attention for my company, this old 964 suffer of many damages, to correct each little defects, we needs so many time.
> I polish the paint about 25 hours, removes about 95-97% of defects, but this is not sufficient to remove all I want, and in this case this is ever frustrating to let little defects !!
> ...


Fabien, you're a gentleman, thank you.


----------



## JasonPD (Jan 8, 2010)

Great write up and a fantastic result, the leather looks amazing now :thumb:


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Denada Dakine, hope that help !!

JasonPD, thank you for your comment. The leather look much better now, more Matt and more soft and less defects !!


----------



## jonmac73 (Aug 1, 2008)

fantastic work on a classic car.


----------



## Shashan (Apr 17, 2009)

Super great job Fabien :thumb:

Bonne continuation!


----------



## riP (Aug 17, 2009)

awesome work!!!

can you explane how you restore the scratches in the leather???

thanks


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Thank you everybody, 

Rip If you want the process for the leather restoration you just need to read some lines above. 
I answer to Dakine on this process.


----------



## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Superb work - a fantastic turnaround :thumb:


----------



## james. (Mar 1, 2010)

good work. the metallic flake under the halogens looks beautiful!


----------



## moliver (Aug 4, 2008)

excellent work there:thumb:


----------



## riP (Aug 17, 2009)

ohhhhhhhhhhh shame on me 

thx


----------



## Nuggs (Dec 14, 2009)

That's great work.

You probably added £1,000s back onto the value of the car.


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Thank you guys for your very nice comments.

Nuggs, I think the the car's value up more than 1,000£ with this Detail, I think the Treatment does'nt cost anything to the owner. 

James effectively, the metallic was stunning under the halogene ligth, but my pictures had not enough light to really give back this effect.


----------



## butterbean (Mar 10, 2010)

brilliant finish, excellent


----------



## alxg (May 3, 2009)

Well done, spectacular result there.
I especially like the first of the "afters" where the car is in the unit and the shot is from the back/passenger side. :thumb::thumb:


----------



## rasA4 (Aug 17, 2009)

amazing job! amazing car


----------



## Fabien (Dec 16, 2009)

Thanks alxg, my favorite pics is the view from the left front side Wheels !!

Little information for Scrolling lazy people !!

I had done a HD video to resume this Detail :






Hope you enjoy...

Fabien.


----------



## james. (Mar 1, 2010)

nice vid. great song


----------



## rgDetail (Jul 16, 2009)

That looks fantastic, what a difference! 

:thumb:


----------



## Andrew888 (Jul 14, 2009)

Brilliant turnaround! Shame it was in such a state to begin with though.


----------

