# Polished Bliss®: RS500 #486...



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Well after months and months of waiting my Dads new car finally arrived 

John and I went to inspect the car as soon as it arrived at the compound just outside of Aberdeen, you wait ages to see one and then two turn up at once 










Can't say I was overly impressed at the level of "care" taken with either of the cars at this point, how hard is it to get in and out of a car without kicking the sills to bits?



















The 500 behind my dad's had similar greasy/oily marks to the one above including a massive hand print right in the middle of the bonnet. It looks like the bonnet will be getting re-wrapped as nothing was shifting it last time we spoke with the owner!

Few more pics to give you an idea of the condition of the car at this point:





































And a quick note of the mileage in case anyone decided to take it further than the distance from the compound to the PDI centre:










Despite being filthy, both John and I were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the wrap. We've read so many horror stories about all the other 500's which maybe lead us to expect a lot worse but bar 2 tiny little imperfections the wrap was pretty damn good - definitely one of the lucky cars to pass through I think - I was just hoping this would still be the case once it was properly clean!

With everyone in sight instructed not to touch the car we'll fast forward a couple of days to where the car was left with us ready to be detailed just in time for our open day which was planned for the Saturday:










The "do not touch" instructions obviously fell on deaf ears as there were loads of new hand prints and finger marks all over the car 





































Anyways, hoping that all these new marks wouldn't prove too difficult to remove the car was put outside and the detail began.

As I was busy working away on the 993 turbo during this week Alan did the majority of the work on the RS (nothing like pressure eh, my Dads car and a matt finish to work on! ) all be it with me watching him like a hawk :lol:

Up first were the wheels, these were given a thorough pre rinse to get rid of the majority of the grime:










Then sprayed with Gloss-It Wheel Gel (4:1)...










...agitated with the various brushes...



















...then rinsed off:










Arches and tyres were cleaned with APC:





































...then thoroughly rinsed...










The engine bay was cleaned with APC also:




























All the shuts and exterior trim were then cleaned but this time using a hot water and Swisswax Opaque Shampoo Mix as you don't really want to be using APC's or regular shampoos and snow foams on the exterior if you can help it:





































Once they were done it was time to give the car a thorough rinse at a temperature of 50/60 degrees:










The car was then washed *twice* with a Lambs wool mitt, 2BM and Swisswax Opaque Shampoo. The vinyl seemed to hold onto a lot of the dirt first time round even after a good pre rinse so a second wash was necessary.

A few minor tar spots were taken care of with Autosmart Tardis before being rinsed off and put inside for a bit of claying on the painted parts:



















The car was then dried off with the Black Baron drier, very handy for a car like this:




























It was at this point I could get a really good look at the quality and condition of the wrap and luckily there was nothing too major to report - still a slight hint of a few oily marks but this was to be removed with the next stage which was the Swisswax Pre-Cleaner Opaque:










This was sprayed directly onto the vinyl and thoroughly worked with a Swisswax microfibre:



















This made quite a noticeable difference already and fully removed any minor marks.

The Vinyl now ready to be protected (I think it should have been protected as soon as the car was wrapped in all honesty, this would have prevented a lot of problems for other 500 owners IMO) with Swisswax Opaque:










This was applied to a couple of panels at a time and then buffed off:










You can see the noticeable yet subtle difference this made to the appearance of the vinyl - giving a slightly more uniform look once given a final buff:










The car was given 2 coats of wax over the space of 12 hours or so 

The wheels were first prepped with Swisswax Cleaner Fluid:










Then Swisswax Autobahn before being buffed off after 10/15 minutes:










Tyres dressed with Gloss-It Signature Tyre Gloss as I think really glossy tyres set the matt paintwork off more 



















I decided the silver wheel nuts didn't go with the rest of the car so I convinced Dad to let me paint them:










Much better :thumb:

The engine had earlier been dried with the Black Baron:










Then dressed with 303 Aerospace Protectant:










Once the 303 had been left for an hour or two it was given a final wipe down to remove any excess product:










The gloss black parts were done with Cleaner Fluid then waxed with Best of Show:




























Onto the interior now, the glass was cleaned with 3M Glass Cleaner:



















Checking for smears with the Sun Gun:










Then a thorough hoover:










Then APC wipe down of all plastics:










Exterior glass was treated to Nanolex Premium, first up was the cleaner:










This was given a mist of water to help with removal:



















Then the sealant was applied and buffed off:



















And that was it pretty much ready to be put on display for our open day 























































However, Dad wasn't allowed to take it home yet as we weren't quite finished with it. Whilst the wrap was nice I decided it would be better to remove it completely!.....................

Only joking 

I'd intended on getting the gloss parts machine polished as they had the usual buffer trails and scratches but we ran out of time during the week leading up to the open day so I got them done the following Saturday.

A few pics to show what I mean, every RS has this when new:
































































Before I could correct them the car had to be given a quick rinse off outside first as it had been rained on a couple of times during the open day and gathered a fine layer of dust etc.

A 50 degree rinse with the pressure washer revealed some pretty good beading :thumb:









































































The car was then dried off the Black Baron once again, now the vinyl and paint was properly protected this took no time at all 

My Dad and Brother had arrived by this point so while I did the correction on the painted parts (no after pics so you'll just have to trust me they were done!) Dad removed the wheels to protect the inner rims/callipers etc while my Brother messed about with his camera:




























However he didn't get off that easily so once he'd finished pretending he was Tim Wallace I got him to apply another coat of Autobahn to the faces of the wheels while I gave the car its 3rd and final coat of wax and wiped down the engine bay again to remove a few water spots:




























Then onto some afters, some taken by my Brother and some by me with Rich's Camera :thumb:








































































































































And finally a couple of arty ones from my Brother:



















Thanks for viewing :thumb:

Clark


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Fantastic car, Outstanding job too!!


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## sfstu (Aug 3, 2010)

stunning...absolutely stunning...:thumb:
saw a couple o these at ford fair this year but they were covered in hand prints/marks etc...v.tatty looking..

one question, once you've painted wheelnuts (sprayed?) how do you tighten/untighten them without scraping the paint...?

thanks for showing, rgds stu..

p.s. love that pic from your bruv-the from above shot...cooooollll..:thumb:


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## cc m3 (Jan 10, 2008)

Stunnng work dude


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## paranoid73 (Aug 5, 2009)

Superb work Clark and Alan :thumb: Has your Dad still got the white one?


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## 185sport (Aug 27, 2010)

Looks as good as it did in the flesh.

You haven't 'swirled' the plates sitting up on the shelf in the exterior glass shots.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Looks great, good call with the wheel nuts...can't believe Ford leave them silver.... :wall:

:thumb:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

185sport said:


> Looks as good as it did in the flesh.
> 
> You haven't 'swirled' the plates sitting up on the shelf in the exterior glass shots.


Cheers mate,the plates don't belong to any cars posted though


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## cdti_sri (Jul 17, 2006)

Now that looks a very nice finish on a matt surface. Good work.


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Nice car. If I had one of these I'd remove the wrap as I'm told the paint underneath is Panther Black. Looks far better than the matt black IMO.


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## ianking (Jun 6, 2007)

Great job.

Wheel nuts suit black much more than they did silver.

Has the RS500 replaced your Dads white RS?


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Quality as usual, and your not wrong about the gloss black exterior trim needing some attention, all the ones I have had in looked like they had been handled with wirewool gloves.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Fantastic work Clark!

Your dad must be very happy?

So is it a weekend car? Daily? Garage queen?

Meant to ask about the handles? Are they just wrapped Matt?

Thanks for posting, the small plates work so well with the car, they're a must.


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## moonstone mo (Mar 7, 2009)

looks awsome mate.


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## Eddy (Apr 13, 2008)

Very very nice indeed, I think these cars have the meaning looking rear end ofalmost any car at the moment. Amazing


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

sfstu said:


> stunning...absolutely stunning...:thumb:
> saw a couple o these at ford fair this year but they were covered in hand prints/marks etc...v.tatty looking..
> 
> one question, once you've painted wheelnuts (sprayed?) how do you tighten/untighten them without scraping the paint...?
> ...


Just line up the bolt/nut with the socket carefully before you start to turn - easy peasy :thumb:



paranoid73 said:


> Superb work Clark and Alan :thumb: Has your Dad still got the white one?


He does indeed mate 



ianking said:


> Has the RS500 replaced your Dads white RS?


See above ^^ 



GSVHammer said:


> Nice car. If I had one of these I'd remove the wrap as I'm told the paint underneath is Panther Black. Looks far better than the matt black IMO.


I dare say there'll be a few that do but you could run the risk of harming the value of the car eventually in my opinion...



Gleammachine said:


> Quality as usual, and your not wrong about the gloss back exterior trim needing some attention, all the ones I have had in looked like they had been handled with wirewool gloves.


It's pretty bad really, some of them have needed 3 stage corrections to shift all the marks - not good on a new car!



gally said:


> Fantastic work Clark!
> 
> Your dad must be very happy?
> 
> ...


Both RS's will be weekend/ish cars when the weather's nice and I dont think he's decided yet if he's going to sell one of them, I think he had the idea of using the white one as a daily but I'm not 100% sure yet 

I've a funny feeling the handles may be painted matt now you ask, I know the plastic strip above the rear number plate is painted so the handles may well be the same....


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## fitz (Jul 25, 2009)

Fantastic car, brilliant write up and great job! :thumb:


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## slrestoration (Nov 11, 2009)

Great work as always guys, how did you find the SV opaque stuff? they seem to have cornered the market here!!!!!


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Great work guys, nice info on the opaque range too.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Thanks Clark, i'm not so sure about the handles and stuff. 

I think even that back plynth you're talking about will be wrapped.

I'll do a little diggeing.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

slrestoration said:


> Great work as always guys, how did you find the SV opaque stuff? they seem to have cornered the market here!!!!!


I dare say there'll be a few more manufacturers bringing stuff out, I've heard stories about Ford apparantly bringing out a range but I'd say it's a bit late now!

Really like the Opaque range, especially the cleaner - it impressed me with what it could remove when thoroughly worked and the wax left a really nice finish and seems to be pretty durable 



gally said:


> Thanks Clark, i'm not so sure about the handles and stuff.
> 
> I think even that back plynth you're talking about will be wrapped.
> 
> I'll do a little diggeing.


The part above the plate is definitely painted :thumb:


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## ViewWise (May 31, 2008)

looks amazing! could you wax a whole car with the opaque 'kit' from SV?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

ViewWise said:


> looks amazing! could you wax a whole car with the opaque 'kit' from SV?


With "normal" paintwork you mean? No reason why not as far as I can think mate


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## ViewWise (May 31, 2008)

Clark @ PB said:


> With "normal" paintwork you mean? No reason why not as far as I can think mate


sorry i meant how far the sample product sizes go!

....but that is interesting aswell. What kind of finish would their opaque range leave on a regular car ?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

ViewWise said:


> sorry i meant how far the sample product sizes go!
> 
> ....but that is interesting aswell. What kind of finish would their opaque range leave on a regular car ?


Ah sorry I never read the question properly, apologies! Yes you could easily do a car with it mate. The wax wouldn't leave much of a different finish to any other wax as far as I'd imagine, the opaque one is just like a regular wax but with the ingredients taken out (or along those lines) that would start to turn a finish glossy


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

great work as always :thumb:


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## horned yo (Feb 10, 2009)

Another amazing write up and detail


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## slrestoration (Nov 11, 2009)

Clark @ PB said:


> I dare say there'll be a few more manufacturers bringing stuff out, I've heard stories about Ford apparantly bringing out a range but I'd say it's a bit late now!
> 
> Really like the Opaque range, especially the cleaner - it impressed me with what it could remove when thoroughly worked and the wax left a really nice finish and seems to be pretty durable
> 
> The part above the plate is definitely painted :thumb:


Thanks for the reply Clarke, am pretty sure they'll be following thick & fast!!!! Have found the range great to work with ourselves, nice to see with a few exceptions you opted for a full SV protection :thumb:
Apparently with this finish on Smart's the shampoo of recommendation is 'Fairy'


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

slrestoration said:


> nice to see with a few exceptions you opted for a full SV protection :thumb:


There may or may not be a reason behind that... :thumb:


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## EthanCrawford (Jan 7, 2010)

Fantasic job clark and alan looked awsome at the open day aswell :thumb:


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## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

Looking nice Clark. Nice to see there's a few that aren't too badly wrapped!!


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## *Das* (Aug 9, 2010)

Superb, thanks for sharing. Sorry to ask but would it be possible to have a full size copy of the last snap to use as a screen saver?


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

_Very_ nice work there, like that a lot.

This pic:










Is the car so stiff that lifting at the front jacking point lifts both wheels on one side or have you got a stand somewhere at the back out of sight?


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## Eric_Witt (Jun 9, 2010)

I want one of these things! to bad they are not coming to America!


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## Zircon (Feb 15, 2010)

Great attention to detail, and top work overall, but I could never own one of those.

100 yards down the road it would be showing dust, dirt and wear, and having had so much time spent on it I would be gutted.


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## mike_shrops (Oct 27, 2007)

Fantastic work as usual, those RS500's don't half look mean when they're not covered in smudges!



Clark @ PB said:


> There may or may not be a reason behind that... :thumb:


You lot at PB are such bloody teases !


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Great work and your obviously impressed with the range as i am.
Handles are matt sprayed as is rear as pointed out.
Ive done 11 of these now and have to be honest if the wrap on your dads is perfect then he,s one lucky man as ive yet to see one even close. In sunlight i think the true quality of the wrap will come out and every blemish is seen including wrap damage , scratches and lines on the surface , the most severe damage which has been on 10 of the 11 ive done is along the drivers side rear which says to me when they are transported the driver is squeezing out of the transporters and with dust on the car marking the length and 5 of my customers are having this section rewrapped and 1 a full rewrap , in my opinion the whole 500 model has been a disaster from Ford regarding the wrap , its such a shame to see people saying "Good Luck" on forums when people are going to pick them up , there should be no good luck just a perfect car. I even did one today at Essex Ford and this even needs rewrapping in certain sections and this was before the PDI stage , very sad for such a great looking car.
The photos show the quality of the product and its hard to imagine how waxing with the Opaque range can work but it does and your work shows that in the photos , big thumbs up from me.
A dickie bird informs me in Madrid in spain that 3m with Ford in the loop are trialing some products at the moment. They only got allocated 20 x RS500,s and over a dozen have gone abroad so the wraps are limited over there.
They're testing 2 products , one which would eliminate any minor scratches on the wrap, and the other which is actually a sealant specifically designed for matt which would last up to 2 years (similar to crystal lacquer but not quite the same chemicals). Will be interesting to see how they get on for the 500 owners for the future although i think rewrap,s within 3 to 5 years will be a neccesity anyway.
Great work Clark :thumb:


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

simply fantastic work seen one off these, on the road last week and it was in a **** state


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

I don't think any wrapped car will be perfect Marc,however after seeing a couple now I'm more than happy with how dads turned out,plenty people saw it at the open day and commented on the quality (in a good way). 

I do think they should have been painted Matt though which would have avoided alot of problems for many people!


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Clark @ PB said:


> I don't think any wrapped car will be perfect Marc,however after seeing a couple now I'm more than happy with how dads turned out,plenty people saw it at the open day and commented on the quality (in a good way).
> 
> I do think they should have been painted Matt though which would have avoided alot of problems for many people!


Thats very true and i agree they should have been.


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

great read indeed!

Does you dad prefer it to the white RS he had?


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## gb270 (Aug 22, 2008)

Great work there super car too


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## johnnyguitar (Mar 24, 2010)

Sorry to ask again, but....



johnnyguitar said:


> _Very_ nice work there, like that a lot.
> 
> This pic:
> 
> ...


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Excellent work there Clark and Alan :thumb:
Love the write up and the pics too :argie:

Mario


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Fantastic work. The car looks stunning. 

I wonder how hard it will be to maintain the perfect finish on the matt wrap? The problem being you can't correct it like a gloss finish - but then again i guess you can then just re-wrap that panel.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

DasArab said:


> Superb, thanks for sharing. Sorry to ask but would it be possible to have a full size copy of the last snap to use as a screen saver?


e-mail me at [email protected] and i'll send you over a copy mate 



johnnyguitar said:


> _Very_ nice work there, like that a lot.
> 
> This pic:
> 
> ...


It's a combination of the car having small suspension travel and a bloody good jack, it will do that for most cars 



Offyourmarks said:


> great read indeed!
> 
> Does you dad prefer it to the white RS he had?


He still has the white one mate, the 500 hasn't moved since it was driven home from here so it's early days yet - I dare say it'll be out once we get a dry day though :thumb:



GlynRS2 said:


> Fantastic work. The car looks stunning.
> 
> I wonder how hard it will be to maintain the perfect finish on the matt wrap? The problem being you can't correct it like a gloss finish - but then again i guess you can then just re-wrap that panel.


As long as you're carefull with the 2BM etc then there really shouldn't be a huge problem. If the vinyl picks up light marring it's not really going to show unless it's under unforgiving light and even then another coat of wax will probably hide it.

Obviously if you get a finger nail catcher of a scratch then you'll be looking at a re-wrap but it's not the end of the world really


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

so when will SV products be added to the store? :thumb:


Great attention to detail team PB.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

amiller said:


> so when will SV products be added to the store? :thumb:
> 
> Great attention to detail team PB.


Soon


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## jonjay (Feb 28, 2008)

Great detail, car looks great.

Do you find matt cars rewarding to detail? I just don't find they inspire/satisfy me?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

jonjay said:


> Great detail, car looks great.
> 
> Do you find matt cars rewarding to detail? I just don't find they inspire/satisfy me?


As it was something different it's quite nice to do actually, and the wax probably buffed off the vinyl even easier than it would on normal paintwork so it was an enjoyable one for both Alan and I


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## Nanolex (Jun 8, 2008)

Absolutely outstanding job! Love the details you did like painting the wheel nuts!


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

what was the final price for it? 

ive seen a few on ebay for 40k+ so im guessing thats well over the RRP?


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## woodymbr (Mar 8, 2009)

Despite my dislike for these cars, I have to say it's the best one I have ever seen. Very thorough job. I'd love a normal RS, but the 500 isn't for me.


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## Jorge (Oct 12, 2009)

Like always....FANTASTIC!!!!!! 

Best regards,

Jorge


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

ianFRST said:


> what was the final price for it?
> 
> ive seen a few on ebay for 40k+ so im guessing thats well over the RRP?


£35k was the rrp so just some people trying to make a buck on it, happens everytime ltd ed cars come out.

It'll sell eventually. 101 in the UK and someone will want it.


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## rsdan1984 (Jul 31, 2009)

awesome car and a great job done, it looks awesome in the final pics, even the wrap looks nice and deep. im still not sold on the wrap as a whole though.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

ianFRST said:


> what was the final price for it?
> 
> ive seen a few on ebay for 40k+ so im guessing thats well over the RRP?


I honestly couldn't tell you, I haven't even asked him how much it was


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

awesome work!


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## Guest (Oct 9, 2010)

Looking well!!! I would of been quite dissapointed to recive it in the condition it was in in the first few pics and I don't understand the silver wheel nuts ford put on :s


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Dreamy


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## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

Another outstanding detail from the PB team

Well done gents


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