# RCZ - New Car Detail



## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

Yesterday saw the very first detail of my brand new RCZ in Moroccan Red that I picked up on Saturday. It's my second. The first I owned from new, bought in 2010. 2.5 years later I've now got the facelifted model. Very pleased with it.

So my very good friend Ron and I tackled the job together. Sorry but I forgot to take some before photos but the car was not presented very well by the dealer. Polish residue on a lot of the car, not buffed or in all the panel gaps, parking sensors, etc. Dried water marks on various parts of the car and marks on the dash, roof arches and of course the obligatory swirl marks. Not too bad but there nonetheless.

Process was cleaned the wheels and tyres first of all using various brushes ad Meguiars APC later wiped down with Carpro Eraser before Gtechniq C5 wheel armour was applied to give long durability.

Then we popped the bonnet and give that a quick PW down before 303 Aerospace Protectant was sprayed on and left for about 5 hours before being buffed up and Carpro Perl was also applied to some areas.





Next the car was snowfoamed using CG No Touch. Whilst this was dwelling I worked around the car with a small detailing brush cleaning the grill, wing mirrors, badges, petrol cap housing, window seals, etc. After 10 minutes or so, we PW'd the car down.









Next we washed the car using CG Citrus Wash and Gloss at a strong dilution to help strip whatever the dealer had put on the car and Carpro Wash Mitts. The car was then PW'd down and then decontaminated with Tardis and Iron X. Not a lot of contamination to be seen and the paintwork did feel very smooth so chose not to clay on this occasion. Car was then rinsed with deionised water using an open hose and then dried off quickly including the alloys.



Drying


After washing only and decontamination




Ready for polishing


Alloys were sealed by Ron using Gtechniq C5 wheel armour and tyres dressed with Gtechniq T1 and then break for lunch.



Car was moved into the shade and time to break out the DA. On a red car I personally think Dodo Lime Prime is very hard to beat as it gives a lovely wet look to the paintwork. It's the first time I've used LP by DA so I had done a little research and Steampunk gave me some very useful advice, which I followed. Due to the swirls I decided on a white Hexlogic pad. I was astonished by the finish that LP gives by machine. It's great by hand but by machine it's something else. Very easy to get on with and worked the polish until it started to haze and then worked back down the speeds to leave great results. LP was also applied to the roof and the wax of choice put on top.

In the hard to reach areas, around the grill, wing mirrors, etc Ron applied LP by hand and also applied Gtechniq C4 trim protectant to all the black trim including lower rear valance, scuttle panel, and lower black trim at the front.

















Flake pop


The products that my husband would choose to use on the car


Next step was to apply the LSP. I had been waiting weeks to try this out and kept sniffing the jar just to keep me going. After reading some excellent reviews I was looking forward to seeing the results for myself. The LSP of choice was Bouncers Capture the Rapture. I was hoping to get the full wet look hence my decision. God, this wax is amazing. It's so lovely and oily. A little really does spread a very long way so don't overload your pad. I chose to apply the wax with a Dodo Supernatural finger mitt, Ron used a Meguiars foam pad. Each made it easy to apply. Left for a minute or two and then buffed off, again really easily. Wow, the finish looked amazing. It looked like liquid gold. Awesome. I will be using this wax ALOT !





Buffing the wax off






Ron then cleaned the exhausts with the Britemax twins. Polished up very nicely too. Then buffed up the engine bay after about 5 hours after applying 303 Protectant.





Glass was polished then Carpro Eraser before Gtechniq G1 was applied to all the windows. 3 layers to windscreen and one to the side windows and rear. The rear window will get 2 further layers next weekend.

Interior, I applied Gtechniq C6 Matt Dash to the plastics on the door cards, the lower fascia, glove box and plastic door sill. Gtechniq C1.5v2 was applied to to the chrome on the interior and the black central fascia surround. No pictures of the interior at the moment as I'm waiting for the seats to be retrimmed with Nappa leather.

Gtechniq I1 and was applied to the carpet in the rear wheel arches and mats. Gtechniq C1.5v2 applied to roof arches.

A really enjoyable day spent detailing a gorgeous car with a very good friend.

I hope you enjoy the finished pictures































Thanks for looking :thumb:


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## CoOkIeMoNsTeR (Mar 6, 2011)

Looks well :argie:
Lovely colour and great flake pop on the paint. I need to treat myself to a new car at least once :buffer:

You are very lucky :car:


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## MarkTD (Feb 5, 2010)

Looks amazing! Wish I had an RCZ


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## nemo01 (Mar 13, 2013)

Fantastic job.

Thanks for posting.


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

Looking very very nice a job well done


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Yep very nice.good work girl


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## pxr5 (Feb 13, 2012)

Looks brill. My wife has recently started going on about getting an RCZ, so thanks for the post


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## lesley2337 (Nov 15, 2009)

thats gorgeous!


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## Wout_RS (Jun 13, 2012)

very nice car! lovely color and nice flake pop


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## Davemm (Mar 9, 2009)

Looking very nice, remember when a swarm of these took over Shrewsbury at bespoke car care.


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## MEH4N (Mar 15, 2012)

Great job on the new motor. CTR looks awesome.

Dont see too many RCZ's around.


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## svended (Oct 7, 2011)

Beautiful car and great work. Can't help but feel the earlier grille was the better looking one. Love them both all the same.


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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

Very nice work! Your new RC-Z looks fabulous, and I really enjoyed the photos. I'm glad that the Lime Prime worked out well for you, and agree that it's the bomb on red. :thumb:

Just wait until you get a couple more coats of Capture the Rapture on it... The depth and wetness build with every layer . 

Steampunk


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## luke w (Dec 11, 2012)

Looks lovely! Do the Gtecniq products really last as well as advertised? I see you are quite a fan of them!


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

DJ.X-Ray said:


> Yep very nice.good work girl


Didn't do it with my bare hands this time but soon 



pxr5 said:


> Looks brill. My wife has recently started going on about getting an RCZ, so thanks for the post


I love the RCZs. As I said, I'm on my second. Good recommendation as I've never felt the urge to have the same car in succession.:thumb:



Davemm said:


> Looking very nice, remember when a swarm of these took over Shrewsbury at bespoke car care.


I do remember. Almost a year ago to the day. Really enjoyed that :thumb:



svended said:


> Beautiful car and great work. Can't help but feel the earlier grille was the better looking one. Love them both all the same.


Thanks. I much prefer the new grill personally but it's all good :wave:



Steampunk said:


> Very nice work! Your new RC-Z looks fabulous, and I really enjoyed the photos. I'm glad that the Lime Prime worked out well for you, and agree that it's the bomb on red. :thumb:
> 
> Just wait until you get a couple more coats of Capture the Rapture on it... The depth and wetness build with every layer .
> 
> Steampunk


Thanks Steampunk, you information really helped me and the results speak for themselves. I will be applying more coats when I wash it over the next couple of months. :thumb:



luke w said:


> Looks lovely! Do the Gtecniq products really last as well as advertised? I see you are quite a fan of them!


Thanks Luke :thumb: I've only ever experienced great things with Gtechniq products. I've yet to be disappointed with any I've used (apart from G4). I'll continue to se them for a long time to come.:argie:


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## ronwash (Mar 26, 2011)

The facelifted RCZ is even better looking then the old model!.
great job!.


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## Will-S (Jun 5, 2007)

Good work, awesome finish


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

Nice work, but that garage looks like it could do with tidying up so you can get pugly in there.


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

ronwash said:


> The facelifted RCZ is even better looking then the old model!.
> great job!.


I totally agree with you. I love the new front


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

SteveTDCi said:


> Nice work, but that garage looks like it could do with tidying up so you can get pugly in there.


What do you mean. That's tidy ... 
The RCZ gets in, no problem. It's made to measure


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

Looks great. Love the colour. Only ever seen black or white so red was a surprise. Smashing :wave: :buffer:


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## TopSport+ (Jul 22, 2012)

nice photos


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

SarahAnn said:


> Looks great. Love the colour. Only ever seen black or white so red was a surprise. Smashing :wave: :buffer:


It's a new colour, out this year. There are lots of white ones but they do look good in white


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

Absolutely stunning,I don't think Ive ever seen red pop like that ,A credit to you both.I Was actually behind one yesterday they're quite a substantial car far bigger than i thought,That may have been down to the wheel tyre combination _(That's about all i saw they don't hang about do they)_ Your husband must make up for his lack of interest in car detailing in other ways.If not p/x him for a newer model.The wife's threatened me with that loads of times
Daz


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## Buckweed (Aug 27, 2012)

Very nice ..great pic and write up...off to find me some rapture


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

I was wondering where this was.... :lol:

great job, car looks great after all the work... LP does have a surprising amount of cut via a machine.... 

Good luck with the new model..... 

Just out of interest... since your old car was obviously well kept, did you trade it in, and if so, do you feel the garage noticed, or gave you a better price???

:thumb:


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## slobodank (Nov 17, 2010)

very nice job


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

The Cueball said:


> I was wondering where this was.... :lol:
> 
> great job, car looks great after all the work... LP does have a surprising amount of cut via a machine....
> 
> ...


Thanks Cuey.

Yeah first time of using LP by machine and the combination seemed to be a perfect union 

I did trade my other RCZ in and yes I do believe that they recognised it was a well kept car and I did get a very good price for it. Even when I was picking up my new motor on Saturday the salesman and Manager were gushing over how good the older one looked.
Although it makes me laugh because when part exing they ask if you had their Paint Protection put on it because "it adds value" wtf. Have you seen mine I replied!


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

J


zippo said:


> Absolutely stunning,I don't think Ive ever seen red pop like that ,A credit to you both.I Was actually behind one yesterday they're quite a substantial car far bigger than i thought,That may have been down to the wheel tyre combination _(That's about all i saw they don't hang about do they)_ Your husband must make up for his lack of interest in car detailing in other ways.If not p/x him for a newer model.The wife's threatened me with that loads of times
> Daz


They certainly are a substantial car. Very wide! It's a lovely deep red metallic so you get all the benefits of red plus the metallic 

The other half is brilliant because he was the one who bought me Capture the Rapture as an Easter present. Far better than a chocolate egg, don't you think? lol


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Fantastic job:thumb: the finish is amazing..


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Fantastic job Blueberry as always. Stunning colour, the flake pop is amazing from the wax! I've tried it myself and enjoyed it, but i've read varying reports on the durability. I know it's a show wax but i'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

Did you go for anything different with the spec after your first one other than the lovely colour?!


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## Yoghurtman (Dec 9, 2008)

Really enjoyable read.

Great car (both of them!)

Comes through in the thread that you look like you really enjoyed it :wave:


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

Great work  The colour is lovely :argie:


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## daniellll.bee (Nov 20, 2011)

Kerry where was my call to help? Haha 
Great job!


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

daniellll.bee said:


> Kerry where was my call to help? Haha
> Great job!


Thanks Daniel. Maybe next time when we do Ron's car ...


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## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

very impressive. great colour!


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

JBirchy said:


> Fantastic job Blueberry as always. Stunning colour, the flake pop is amazing from the wax! I've tried it myself and enjoyed it, but i've read varying reports on the durability. I know it's a show wax but i'd be interested to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Did you go for anything different with the spec after your first one other than the lovely colour?!


Thanks mate much appreciate your comments 

I will keep an eye on durability. Said to last up to 2 months but I really wouldn't mind applying every month. It's such a lovely wax to work with. After using nothing but sealants over the last 2.5 years you do get a bit spoilt because they are just so quick and easy to apply. However this wax was a treat to use and it was lovely to be using a wax again 

With regards to the spec on the new one apart from the colour I also optioned the black roof arches (these are new on the facelifted model), an interior sports pack which includes smaller steering wheel, short shift gear stick and an internal exhaust note enhancement and Sat Nav/media system. There are also little additional things as standard which were not on the first one like auto lights and wipers and welcome lights.


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## snoopin (Jul 26, 2009)

Amazing finish, I always like reading your write ups


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## B17BLG (Jun 26, 2012)

very nice indeed!


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## meintje (Feb 20, 2010)

Great write up, really a good read. Also kudos for the photography, and of course on your fantastic new car. Lovely colour!


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## enc (Jan 25, 2006)

Err, clean :doublesho


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

Blueberry said:


> J
> 
> They certainly are a substantial car. Very wide! It's a lovely deep red metallic so you get all the benefits of red plus the metallic
> 
> The other half is brilliant because he was the one who bought me Capture the Rapture as an Easter present. Far better than a chocolate egg, don't you think? lol


To be honest i had to look up Capture the rapture._ Sorry_ Bouncer. Its definitely better than a chocolate egg for waxing cars . I Thought it was something totally different . If the wife doesn't stop laughing at me I'm going to gag her. Dam..... the shame of it
Daz


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## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

That is a very nice colour. Certainly one which must be nice to work with giving your results.

Nice to see the calipers have been painted as well. Does make a difference.

Cracking work though and nice choice of wax.


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

Thought I would update this thread with pictures of my interior, which I had retrimmed yeaterday. My car came with cloth seats but like my first RCZ, I had planned to get leather fitted. The job was done by Seat Surgeons at York, who has always, did a fantastic job. They have done 3 of our cars now so that tells you something about the quality of the work they do and how happy we are with the seats.

Enough of the talking, here are some photos, before and after.

Before


















After




































I hope you like 😃


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

looks good...

why don't you just take the factory leather???? not nice/too dear/poor quality/something else?!??!? :lol:

also, dies your insurance go up now that the car is "modified"???

much nicer than the cloth though... 

:thumb:


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

The Cueball said:


> looks good...
> 
> why don't you just take the factory leather???? not nice/too dear/poor quality/something else?!??!? :lol:
> 
> ...


My RCZ is the Sport model, the GT comes with leather as standard but for £2500 price difference, I don't think it's worth paying the difference in price. It's far cheaper to pay Seat Surgeons to retrim AND get a far better quality leather to boot. It's Nappa leather from Bridge of Weir 
http://www.bowleather.co.uk/bow/Home_2010.aspx

It costs me about £2 extra on my insurance for the modified interior, which is nothing. I'm in a win win situation because I also have a unique RCZ.


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## Mrizzle (Aug 11, 2012)

So...did I see it here first?! Looks awesome K!!! Pretty much exactly what I had envisaged if a little bolder in the shade of red than I'd anticipate. Are you chuffed with it?!


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

Mrizzle said:


> So...did I see it here first?! Looks awesome K!!! Pretty much exactly what I had envisaged if a little bolder in the shade of red than I'd anticipate. Are you chuffed with it?!


Thanks Mr Rizz. I do apologise for posting it here first. Waiting for the upload to the blog post.

The red in the pictures is probably not as red in real life. The trouble with photographing a red interior is that the light makes it look pink, so I darkened the pics a little but you get the idea.

Yes I'm very pleased with it


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

Looks nice, very kinky


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

DJ X-Ray said:


> Looks nice, very kinky


Nothing wrong with that eh !? 💋


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## DJ X-Ray (Sep 2, 2012)

No not at all bluegirl. That's just how i like it


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Blueberry said:


> My RCZ is the Sport model, the GT comes with leather as standard but for £2500 price difference, I don't think it's worth paying the difference in price. It's far cheaper to pay Seat Surgeons to retrim AND get a far better quality leather to boot. It's Nappa leather from Bridge of Weir
> http://www.bowleather.co.uk/bow/Home_2010.aspx
> 
> It costs me about £2 extra on my insurance for the modified interior, which is nothing. I'm in a win win situation because I also have a unique RCZ.


Yeah, I agree.... not worth the inflated cost and having one the same as everyone else...

:thumb:


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## Guest (Jun 7, 2013)

looks amazing ..... and from east yorkshire im proud ;o)))))

fancy doing my focus ST when it arrives?????? in fact why dont i watch while you and ron do it !!!as you can do a way better job then i could ever manage

great car also........


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## Bristle Hound (May 31, 2009)

:doublesho That bespoke interior is absolutely fantastic BB ! Very, very, very nice ! :thumb:


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## NiallG (May 2, 2013)

I'm loving the rusty tin of Turtle Wax. I think one was included with every garage ever built in the UK. Rover SD1 on the front dates it nicely!


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

craggle79 said:


> looks amazing ..... and from east yorkshire im proud ;o)))))
> 
> fancy doing my focus ST when it arrives?????? in fact why dont i watch while you and ron do it !!!as you can do a way better job then i could ever manage
> 
> great car also........


Thanks 👍 are you from East Yorkshire?

Any time you want the ST doing - give me a shout


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

Bristle Hound said:


> :doublesho That bespoke interior is absolutely fantastic BB ! Very, very, very nice ! :thumb:


Thank you kind sir 👍


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## Natalie (Jan 19, 2011)

That's really nice Kerry, bet your pleased to have it in at last!


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

looking very nice and loving the flake pop


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

Natalie said:


> That's really nice Kerry, bet your pleased to have it in at last!


Thanks Natalie and yes I'm very pleased. It was worth the wait 👍


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## pug207 (Jun 22, 2012)

lovely!!!


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## enc (Jan 25, 2006)

amazing job on the interior ! like you say unique.


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## luke-m-j (Aug 29, 2008)

I really want to like these but my god is that front end tragic!

Great write up though and one hell of a product list you have, good effort


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## Blueberry (Aug 10, 2007)

luke-m-j said:


> I really want to like these but my god is that front end tragic!
> 
> Great write up though and one hell of a product list you have, good effort


Horses for courses but I love the new front end. In fact I love it from every angle 😃


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

Fabulous :thumb:


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## OCDcherry (Jan 22, 2014)

looks lovely, loving the red


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## stuartr (Mar 11, 2014)

Great job.. love to see people loving their cars.


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