# off your marks - little car, big job



## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

this is a first for me - posting up 2 jobs in as many weeks! crikey! must do it more often lol

So this is a cut and paste from another forum as the owner asked me to write up, so sorry of a different style and slightly patronising to you guys in theknow. it was a complete job and a good one too as the owner was blown away. more ecstatic than any other customer i've had. it was the best part of this job for me. nothing special just a little old lotus.

matt

Background

I was contacted by Alan a few months ago. He owns a lovely S1 elise and wanted back to its best. Alan Lives in Bristol and it's a heck of a drive for him. However when the day arrived and Alan turned up I could tell right away I was going to enjoy the detail a lot. Reason - Alan was absolutely passionate about his car and for me that serves as huge motivation.

Alan wanted me to go beyond a Regular 2 day Correction Detail. After we talked at length Alan wanted the interior sorted properly. The Engine sparkly and the headlight inners made good - s1 owners know how they leak in and water stain badly.

The Detail

Alan had brought the car to me Saturday and I had it for 2 weeks before his return. This was great beause I was mega busy and not entirely sure how long everything would take. I could work around other jobs and get it just right for him.

So Monday arrived and the car was washed. I'm not going to bang on about the wash - it was the two bucket method, pre washed with a citrus degreaser. Tardis was used to dissolve tar on the body and under the arches, and under the rear diffuser too.

So after the wash ( 2 hours) I rinsed the car and clayed it with Zymöl Lehm clay III and then washed again.

It was then brought into the detailing centre and blow dried. This was done to provide as least touch as possible and also to get all the water from the seal and trap etc.

Once the car was ready I drove it onto the ramp and got prepared.










I then set about removing everything that I could that may compromise the corrective polishing

Number plates










Indicators









To remove the headlamp covers I gently warmed them with a heat gun at a distance










Then I used a small plastic card to separate them away










After the removal stage I then inspected the paint for the defects. As the car was around 7 years old, I had what I expected to see - swirling serving to rob the paint of depth, clarity and its true colour. And also Random deep scratches (RDS for later)

RDS are usually tricky to fully remove and can add a lot of time to the detail. It's the old paereto analysis - 80 of the corrective polishing time is spend on the 20% of the remaining defects. I can't stand RDS as once the paint is rid of swirls they can be easier to see. Plus I'm a bit anal like that

Heres a few pics of the paint pre-correction. Note the circular swirling causing a blurred reflection nd the other sharper straight lines - RDS










same here too










So with the car on the ramp - it's a heck of a lot easier for me to correct the hard to access parts. Saves my back too!










here is a typical before and after shot. Note the after shot is after the first stage of correction, and will be polished again to refine an further clarify the paint surface




























The front clam was particularly bad, and required a more direct approach to removing the RDS. I must doff my hat in the direction of Epoch and L200 steve the DW wet sand pioneers - they helped me take this on board into my work. thanks again guys.

First up is to re-asses the paint by measuring its thickness










The gauge used is able to measure multiple layers of paint on composites and can tell me exactly how thick it is, and highlight any problematic areas.

Next up it to soak it with water










I used the following to wet-sand the clearcoat and remove the deeper defects safely. This gives a very uniform correction and can be used to wet sand whole cars to remove orange peel. this shot shows the finish after on set with 2000 grade. it was followed up with 4000 to refine




























after the wet sanding the lustre was restored using the rotary once again, with amazing clarity.

so after the paint was all good, it was dusted down with the Zymöl wool duster ( no laughing, it does work well!) to remove any parked polish dust.



















And then wiped down the paint with IPA. Ensuring the paint was spotless. Now its worth saying that HD cleanse is normally use to prep the paint prior to wax application, but here I am very happy with the IPA performance.










So its time for its first coat of Zymöl Royale. It is first picked out on finger










then rubbed into hand










then applied by hand to the paint. You can apply via applicator pad too, but I prefer hand on a tricksy curvy car like the elise.










With the car looking good after the application of the Glaze










I moved onto the smaller details.

Seal fed with Zymöl seal. Plastic trim with meguires trim detailer and tyres with Zymöl tyre.










I cleaned the ss exhaust too










and also the petrol cap










alloys sealed on front, inside and rear rim with bilt hamber autobalm ( very durable stuff) and the arches with meguires hyper dressing cut 2:1

Next up - The interior. As you will know, they are right awkward to clean properly. So I decided to clean it Properly

Here's a shot with the pax seat removed










then both



















little chips in dash were touched in with satin black



















and the Alu cleaned with various citrus cleaners and degreasers. The final prep saw the Alu coated with bilt hamber again for durability










so with the interior cleaned. I wet extracted the mats and added fabric guard ( 2 coats) to the roof.










Another coat of royale was applied for added protection. All plates and bit put back on and that was that - apart from a second buff, using field glaze as a mist.

The engine was degreased and cleaned at the wash stage at the beginning, so now it was enhanced and sealed. I used an old fave of mine - sonus trim and motor cote.










Here's some finished shots - perfect apart from the stone chips on the front, which Alan accepts as part and parcel of elise ownership.
































































Thanks to Alan for making the trip up to see me. It was great to do - look forward to seeing you for a top up in the summer!

Cheers

Matt


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## Glossmax (May 9, 2007)

Looks like a lot of hard work gone on there and a brilliant result.


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## A20 LEE (Feb 20, 2007)

Looks spectacular, you can really see the what the LSP is adding too in those pics. Very impressive detail, how many hours have gone into that?


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## GlynRS2 (Jan 21, 2006)

Great attention to detail and a really superb finish 
Nice to see the Mirka sander being used to :thumb:


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

cheers fellas

time spent - 24 hours in total. Any correction job takes me into 2 days.

Just arrived here at the unit ready for the today and tomorrows job - omg forgot how bad this one was  

anyway - best crack on!

thanks again

matt

ps - for the observant the rear alloys were cc damaged on inner spokes due to track work and strong cleaners in the past. I read on another forum that someone recons acidic wheel cleaner dosen't harm alloys! hmmmm


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## leeshez (Dec 26, 2005)

Wow great job


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## CleanYourCar (Jan 23, 2006)

Fantastic work. The finish looks awesome and well done on the interior! That's attention to detail, removing the seats


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## L200 Steve (Oct 25, 2005)

What a fantastic detail Matt, awesome. I doff my cap in your direction 

I look forward to having a second read of this brilliant write up with a cup of tea and digestive.

Nice work and nice write up mate:thumb:


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## CK888 (Apr 23, 2006)

Cracking write up, stunning results there Matt:thumb:


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## tminal (Sep 6, 2007)

Outstanding work Matt:thumb:


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## andycole (Jun 8, 2006)

Fantastic job matey!!!
Cheers
AC:thumb:


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## *MAGIC* (Feb 22, 2007)

Great detail mate


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## Mark M (Nov 29, 2006)

Great attention to detail there, removing the seats and light covers :thumb: 

The car looks stunning, well done.


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

excellent read and stunning detail, amazing results acheived


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## astra-bertone (Mar 16, 2007)

this is the first time i remember seeing ur work, but its simply stunning and ill be keeping an eye out for it on the future :thumb:


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

You should definately post more work up, really enjoy reading your write ups.

Top work chap :thumb:


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## HMANS3 (Aug 9, 2007)

Well done looks Great!"!!


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## Janitor (Feb 14, 2006)

Ahh, an Elise!









Lovely work Matt, fair play to all involved :thumb:


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## Frothey (Apr 30, 2007)

stunning mate!


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## Maxym (Apr 27, 2007)

Nicest looking Elise I've seen. And it's an oldie...


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Now that is what i call Detail :doublesho stunning work:thumb:


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## Mark J (May 10, 2007)

Fantastic job there fella ! :thumb:


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## V3polo6n2 (Jan 14, 2007)

An example of detailing. :thumb: 

Very good job!


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## The Apprentice (Nov 22, 2007)

*wow*


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## haxbyscoobs (Dec 1, 2006)

outstanding work and your unit looks the dogs danglies


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## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Lovely detail. Thanks for the post.


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## Wheelie_Clean (Jun 16, 2007)

Fantastic post, I really enjoyed it. What a huge difference, it's no wonder the owner was blown away, I know just how he feels:thumb: 

Your whole set up is thoroughly professional. I remember reading the Lotus Seven? thread you posted and being amazed. Lots of metal polishing iirc.

Please post more!!!


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## Jameshs (Sep 11, 2006)

such a wet looking blue, nice work


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

absolutely top drawer


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## ToLearn (Jan 6, 2007)

That really is stunning :thumb:


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## philyoung531 (Jul 16, 2007)

:thumb: Once again you have raised the bar for others to try and follow.
Fantastic detail Matt.

Phil


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## s1mmo440 (Feb 19, 2007)

Excellent work, With excellent Prep work as you guys have done I think you can see the benefits of Royale, looks so so wet and glossy! :thumb:


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

S**t the bed, that looks good. Another example of why i think your one of the best in the game. Well done.


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## nighty (Jan 28, 2007)

Great work attention to detail is amazing mate. Great write up too.


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Its work like that that makes me think you are probably THE best detailer in the UK Matt, i cant think of a detail that you've posted that hasnt highly impressed me, just awesome each and every time :thumb:


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## Rich @ PB (Oct 26, 2005)

Lol, before I even got to the bottom of the thread my thoughts were as above! If there is one person whose work consistently raises the bar and provides impetus for us all to improve our skills then it must be you Matt. In twelve months, look at where you have come from, to where you are now, and to what is possible in the future. Success story of the year methinks, well done mate, I'm chuffed for you. :thumb:


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## robna (May 31, 2007)

Great attention to detail :thumb:


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## PD1981 (Nov 19, 2005)

Amazing work Matt. 

A massive amount of hard work, attention to detail and thought has gone in to that :thumb:

Well done mate :thumb:


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## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

great work Matt


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

What pads and polishes did you use? What was that white pad you were using?


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

wooooow - I'm absolutely blown away by all the really nice comments - i feel really humbled that you are all so positive and encouraging.

some of the comments are staggering. I gain tremendous inspiration from many many great detailers from this forum, clark, rich, l200 steve, brazo, mr Paul Dalton ( goes without saying ) and countless more really top shelf detailers if i wrote a list it would be long thats for sure! It seems every week someone has taken the ball and ran with it further up the scale. Its just a great great business to be involved in. Hard work that's for sure - i'm you just never ever switch off. Even when you are not physically working, you are thinking, reading, buying etc etc - I LOVE it! 

so thank again guys - very very honoured to be amongst you all!

compound was IP 
polish was FF

pads - sonus and 3 m

cheers

matt


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Just keep the write ups coming.


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## Exclusive Car Care (Jan 14, 2007)

nice work Matt, I bet the owner was blown away....the hours and hard work work put in truly show. Awesome work:thumb:


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## MrSimba (Mar 18, 2007)

simply superb!

I'm off to search to have a look and awe at some of your other details now!

Amazing work :thumb:


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## Justin182 (Jul 18, 2006)

awesome mate, i've sent you a PM asking a quick question


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## SURFERROSA (Feb 7, 2007)

You really should post up more often Matt. I really enjoy showing other people what detailing is all about by showing some of the pros' details - the usual suspects like Clark, Rich and some of the excellent enthusiast ones on this forums. But I think I got biggest "whooooaaaaaaa" when I showed an audience one of your previous details. 

This one is up there with the others I've seen and I can never cease to be amazed at the set up you've got there. It's a dream and you're living it as you've admitted! Ramps, shop, van, courtesy car and a couple of tubs of waxes. Well repsected by your fellow pros and top-dog comments from them. Nothing beter than that really. I like what you do too. 

I've got to wait four days now to do my first Porsche correction and I'm itching and can't wait. I'd love to get up each morning and live a fraction of the corrections you are doing.

Awesome work and thank you very much for sharing. Just do bloody more of it okay.

JOHN:thumb:


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## Epoch (Jul 30, 2006)

Fantastic write up Matt car really showing your efforts well even in pictures!

Thanks and I'm glad the Mirka kit is performing well for you too.

Steve and I are currently discussing another great idea, let you know when it's up and running!!!!!


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## daveb (Aug 9, 2006)

Fantastic work Matt on a Fantastic car, Just post more of what you do for the benefit of DW!
Dave


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

Epoch said:


> Fantastic write up Matt car really showing your efforts well even in pictures!
> 
> Thanks and I'm glad the Mirka kit is performing well for you too.
> 
> Steve and I are currently discussing another great idea, let you know when it's up and running!!!!!


thsnks john\2 look forward to that call :thumb: ive got a good idea what it is though  just not too soon you guys, ive just spaffed 500 on your latest new trick 

cheers matey


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

SURFERROSA said:


> You really should post up more often Matt. I really enjoy showing other people what detailing is all about by showing some of the pros' details - the usual suspects like Clark, Rich and some of the excellent enthusiast ones on this forums. But I think I got biggest "whooooaaaaaaa" when I showed an audience one of your previous details.
> 
> This one is up there with the others I've seen and I can never cease to be amazed at the set up you've got there. It's a dream and you're living it as you've admitted! Ramps, shop, van, courtesy car and a couple of tubs of waxes. Well repsected by your fellow pros and top-dog comments from them. Nothing beter than that really. I like what you do too.
> 
> ...


hi john

thanks for such a lovely post mate. There is not a day goes by that i don't look back and think about how stressed i was in my other 'employed' role. I have dropped lucky and met some great great people.

I've had help from my wife - she has grafted her little cotton socks off until the business could pay my way. I have had some amazing support from a few well respected fellow detailers ( you know who you are guys) and some lucky breaks.

It aint plain sailing and you are always looking to the future at the months ahead and whats coming, what aint coming and what you need to do.

good luck with the 4 days mate. now porshe are lovely to do (except the scutle panel on the 964 arrrgh) sure you will enjoy it. would like to see some pics too :thumb:

many thanks

matt


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Fantastic attention for detail there :thumb:


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## al_lotus (Nov 10, 2007)

just stunning! i love Elises (obviously) and the turn-a-round is just fantastic! P


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## Glider (Jan 10, 2006)

Superb, looks dripping wet and such attention to detail, well done.


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## Huw (Feb 16, 2007)

Fantastic work, thats what detailing is all about, IMO. I like your detailing centre as well.


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

Perfection!!!:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:


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## Kev_mk3 (Sep 10, 2007)

top top work


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## phil440 (Aug 19, 2007)

i wish i could have 2 days to detail cars it would make it so much easier. great correction and a superb finish


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

many thanks guys, much appreciated!


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