# Impreza STI Limited (Pic heavy)



## ad172 (Oct 14, 2009)

OK so just picked up my new car, a Hawkeye Impreza STI. This is a limited edition of just 25 in this Country which basically has the STI looks with extremely discreet looks. For those that are familiar with Impreza this is not the Spec D but a slight variation.

It's a 2007 model year with 25k miles so it has had light use throughout it's life.

It's also had some tasteful mods including tuning by Powerstation and Jolly Green Monster. Power is now 385Bhp/410 lb/ft torque. Thankfully it has some handling mods to ensure it goes around corners as well!!

So as with any avid detailer I couldn't wait to give it a good clean and give the car a good protection.

The previous owner only used it as a second car so the overall condition was very good with few defects on the paintwork.

Condition:



















Whereas normally I'd start with cleaning the car, I decided to get the wheels off and do the four corners first:



AST Sportlines in need of a clean!!


Wheel sprayed with Bilberry 1:10. I didn't want to use anything too strong as the alloys have a cracking finish


Agitated with brush


Bilberry wheel cleaner remove the majority but the leading edge of each spoke had some caked on brake dust. I moved on to CG Extreme Orange Degreaser (1:5) and agitated with brush.











Still a few marks remaining so decided to try the Iron X. Sadly none of the remaining marks were of metal origin. On a side note I used this on my girlfriends car yesterday and it was awesome!!



As you can see areas of staining still remained


Decided to open the clay as this had been really effective on my Girlfriend's alloys. Using Supernatural Clay with Dodo Juice Born Slippy


This was really effective and removed the outstanding marks


Finally to finish off I treated the wheels to a coat of CG Wheel Guard. Not used this product before and I am really impressed with it's ease of application


Moving on to the wheel arches now they were first given a jet-wash on a gentle pressure. I know the underseal on Impreza is particularly fragile and will come away on a high pressure. Next the arches were sprayed with CG Extreme Orange Degreaser. Agitated with various brushes



To follow on I used Megs APC (1:5) and agitated with various brushes



Wheel liners were then treated to a coat of 303, coilovers a good dose of GT85 water repelant and the calipers treated to some CG Wheel Guard



Finally the wheel nuts were looking a little sorry for themselves so decided to treat them to some Autosol and a final coat of CG Wheel Guard
BEFORE


AFTER


These stages were repeated over the four corners of the car. On inspection it was evident that the spare wheel had been used. Thought I'd just give it a quick run over!


































Finally treated with a coat of AG Instant Tyre dressing









Thought I would move on to the exhaust and diffuser next. I wasn't overly optimistic for the exhaust, particularly as I could only rely on Autosol and #00 steel wool
BEFORE

































Weapons of choice









The diffuser was washed with Megs APC, agitated with brush and then treated to 303 Protectant










AFTER









Time to move on to the engine. If I'm honest I was very midful of doing more harm than good here so I just sprayed and agitated the plastics with Megs APC and then treated with a coat of 303. 
BEFORE









APC in action

















AFTER
Not great results but certainly an improvement. I did have a go at the in-let manifold with some GUNK but that didn't seem to shift it. More time needed I think! Does anyone have any tips for that?









OK So moving onto the main wash now. A quick inspection of shut lines, badges etc showed the car was in a reasonble state of cleanliness. A few areas near the boot with evidence of vegitation deposits.









































These areas (shut lines, tyres etc.) were then washed with Megs APC, agitated with various brushes and rinsed accordingly.

























Next stage was a snow foam and left to dwell

























Love this shot









Results after rinsing were really pleasing

















The previous owner believed the car had received a Life Shine treatment at some point although this had clearly run it's course









Wash stage next, Dodo juice Born to be Mild along with Wookies fist and two bucket method

























Reason if ever you wanted one why the two bucket method is good









Next on to a clay of the vehicle. Again Dodo Juice Supernatural clay along with Born Slippy









Results from Roof panel









Doors









A carpark ding on a rear door showing the paint of a blue car. Thankfully no dent, just paint that was removed by the claying process









Rear bumper showing significant tar and general deposits









Car was rinsed again and Dodo Juice Time to Dry used as a drying aid. I wasn't convinced by this stuff at first but now it's an essential component for me









Due to reduced light and ongoing drizzle I could no longer continue outside. Thankfully the in-laws are building a house about 100m away with a massive garage so it was time for a change of location








It could do with a few more lights and a few less kitchen cabinets but I guess it will suffice!!

Sadly I cannot machine polish as yet, it's on my to do list for this year. Although there is some correction needed to the paintwork, it is generally in very good condition and knowing Japanese paint is particularly soft I wouldn't want to try this without training/practice. I guess the purpose of the next stage for me was as a pre wax cleanse. Obviously Dodo Juice Lime Prime was my weapon of choice, applied with Sonus SFZ applicator (fine finish side)









Results were pretty satisfying


















Next stage was applying Supernatural wax by hand. I've only got a panel pot but it's lasted ages!!



















While this was curing I applied another coat of CG Wheel Guard to the alloys and gave the new Dodo Juice Glass Sealant kit a go








The observant amongst you will notice a different spray head on the Menthol cleaner. I managed to drop mine so had to call up on a spare!!

Supernatural buffed off









Finish as always was superb


















Despite some very tired arms I applied a coat of Red Mist Tropical as LSP





































By this time I was pretty done for (12 hours so far!!) The interior would have to wait until tomorrow!










DAY 2

So today was set aside for the interior. In fairness it was in a very good state so hopefully it wouldn't be another 12 hours!!

It was great to wake up to some awesome beading shots

























Interior Before

















Mats were removed and carpet was first treated with Megs APC and various brushes to reach difficult areas









Once dried the carpets were then protected with 303 Fabric Guard

On to the seats and these were cleaned and conditioned with the Gliptone suite of products









Interior Plastics then treated with 303 Protectant









Mats were then washed with Megs APC and agitated with brush









Given that freshly cut lawn look









Interior Finished









A few of the outside

























And finally another delivery from the post man!!









Thanks for reading. As I'm fairly new to this detailing malarky any comments tips appreciated.

Also thanks to all the contributors to the website which is such an awesome resource to us novices!!

Cheers

Adam


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## Jordan (Dec 22, 2008)

very nice, very discreet car mate!


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

Nice car, cracking job, and a quality write-up 

I see a few of the products you used seem to have been decanted into metal bottles, where'd you get them?


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## ad172 (Oct 14, 2009)

Cheers for the comments.

Here's a link to the thread about the bottles:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=152165


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## Black Magic Detail (Aug 17, 2010)

well done looks great:thumb:


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## John-Cupra_TDI (Apr 13, 2009)

Great work! Very tidy motor :thumb:


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## Danny B (Apr 14, 2010)

Great work Adam :thumb:


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

Love the car buddy great work and detailed pictures :thumb:


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## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

Very nice mate good job!!


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Very nice write-up and good results :thumb:


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

cracking job :thumb:


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## Deep blue (Sep 21, 2009)

Top job:thumb: There was pretty much contamination on the paintwork:doublesho


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## athol (Oct 3, 2009)

Very nice car, looks great, bet it goes well too with it's mod's?


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## O`Neil (Aug 13, 2007)

Real good work there Adam. 

I love the shot of the Impreza looking out of the garage into the rainy darkness :thumb:


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## WR1 Shane (Mar 22, 2010)

I love the colour and discreet looks of this car and top work too :thumb:


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## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

Beauty! Exactly what an Impreza should be - subtle and detailed to prefection. 

Nice one.

Dan


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## James88 (Nov 19, 2010)

Car looking great  

I gotta admit looks strange with out a big spoiler on the bootlid


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## andyb (Jun 4, 2006)

Nice job on a nice looking car.......but thats not a garage...its a warehouse!


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## ayrshireteggy (Dec 13, 2006)

Cracking work. Lovely job. :thumb:


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## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

Looks like a very good turnaround mate! :thumb: Lovely car by the way. 

By the way, how did you apply the APC to the carpet? You didn't clean the carpet area did you? That would mean your carpet would be soaked? Also, i've an Impreza as well, and the carpet is quite thin and cheaply made, i would imagine using a brush would just pull the fur out from the carpet? :doublesho


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## ad172 (Oct 14, 2009)

Cheers for all the comments. Makes my aching arms worth it!!



Suberman said:


> By the way, how did you apply the APC to the carpet? You didn't clean the carpet area did you? That would mean your carpet would be soaked? Also, i've an Impreza as well, and the carpet is quite thin and cheaply made, i would imagine using a brush would just pull the fur out from the carpet? :doublesho


Suberman, the APC was applied via a mist spray in limited amounts. I ensured the carpet was dry prior to applying 303 fabric guard and then waited for this to dry before putting the mats back in.

Is that a Spec C you have? Very nice!


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Great detail there, with that soft jap paint a DA will correct your already tidy paint perfectly, given your existing abilities using a DA correctly will be easy.

Thanks for posting, impressive car.


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## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

ad172 said:


> Suberman, the APC was applied via a mist spray in limited amounts. I ensured the carpet was dry prior to applying 303 fabric guard and then waited for this to dry before putting the mats back in.
> 
> Is that a Spec C you have? Very nice!


Yes it is. :thumb: Thanks for the compliment!

From the pictures it looks like you agitated the carpet with a brush? Did that not fray the carpet a fair bit?

Does the fabric feel any different after applying the fabric guard?


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

Very nice car mate


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## ad172 (Oct 14, 2009)

Suberman said:


> Yes it is. :thumb: Thanks for the compliment!
> 
> From the pictures it looks like you agitated the carpet with a brush? Did that not fray the carpet a fair bit?
> 
> Does the fabric feel any different after applying the fabric guard?


It was a light agitation with a soft bristled brush so no damage to the carpet pile.

First impressions of 303 Fabric guard show no change to appearance or feel of the carpet fabric. Will be interesting to see it's properties.


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## kristvs (Nov 2, 2009)

If any body wants th link to the metal bottles the op is using here it is

http://www.naturallythinking.com/

and if anybody wants the 1 litre bottles and some smaller ones i have some if anybody wants them they can have them just pm me

oh and sorry to high jack your thread mate


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## toomanycitroens (Jan 14, 2011)

Great job, great car, great report.
Well done mate.


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## MK1Campaign (Mar 27, 2007)

They look miles better without the usual ridiculous rear spoiler. Nice car pal.


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## Padtwo (Apr 11, 2007)

Very nice mate. What is it that makes it a limited? I have a spec c limited which I think means it comes with the added luxury of aircon and electric windows (lol!!!) but I'm assuming they are already on yours.
For the inlet maifold I have used apc diluted 8-10:1, agitated with a brush then rinsed off with the spray head on the hose, just a light rinse. I normally take the car for a little drive first to warm the engine a bit, not enough that it will burn your hands or instantly dry product, but enough to help with drying out again afterwards.


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## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

Very nice work! Love the car... bet it shifts :thumb:


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## Davidntfc (Oct 20, 2010)

Cracking bit of kit and results from your detail!


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## gingerjust (Nov 18, 2010)

:thumb:

Nice! still love scoobys ! Just could not warrant the tax on a new one.


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## Maggi200 (Aug 21, 2009)

I love that! looks great without the spoiler too


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

very nice car indeed
all the better for all your hard work
looks stunning
very nice indeed
now go and swop those cups of tea for a beer or seven you deserve it


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## nogrille (Oct 27, 2005)

nice one, great right up.

Great photo of the car looking out of the garage


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## magpieV6 (Jul 29, 2008)

thats one lovely colour. Great work mate, great write up too


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## jas_307 (Dec 26, 2007)

nice car, Great work


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## shah (Nov 9, 2008)

Great work mate, and stunning color too :thumb:


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## cleancar (Sep 21, 2006)

nice , whats it go like ?


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

cracking job


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## Ti22 (Mar 24, 2009)

Nice work Adam! Looking forward too seeing the beast in the Metal! (those cups of tea looked good, I need someone to bring me some after a wheels off detail!)

I've got some things we can try to sort that inlet manifold with.. 

James.


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## BAXRY (Aug 11, 2009)

Good to see the life time shine living up to its name, seriously how can dealers sell this crap to people and get away with it surly the name alone is misleading never mind false advertising.

Barry.


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## ad172 (Oct 14, 2009)

Once again thanks for all the great comments. It's definitely been worth it even if my neighbours do think I'm nuts!!

As for the car, yes it does go extremely well. I'm still amazed by the point A-B performace and the torque is simply immense!!

James, I'll pop by one afternoon for a tea and a chat. Are you about Saturday??


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## Mr Gurn (Dec 9, 2009)

from one scooby owner to another.............. that looks brilliant fella!!!!!

def has that spec-d look....... do you know anymore details on it??


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Superb detail, do like that interior! :thumb:


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## Axel_89 (Feb 21, 2011)

*Adam, the Impreza with that color is awesome*... :thumb:

If one day I buy one Impreza, will be Grey. Hehe. 










*
Grey with Gold rims, it's amazing*! 

One hug buddy.


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## dazzyb (Feb 9, 2010)

Lovely car so jealous. And so rare too. Only thing to beat a type uk is the rb320


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## Suberman (Aug 16, 2010)

ad172 said:


> It was a light agitation with a soft bristled brush so no damage to the carpet pile.
> 
> First impressions of 303 Fabric guard show no change to appearance or feel of the carpet fabric. Will be interesting to see it's properties.


Hi mate. Hows the 303 fabric guard serving you so far?


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Nice looking..


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## horned yo (Feb 10, 2009)

really nice work


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## ad172 (Oct 14, 2009)

Suberman said:


> Hi mate. Hows the 303 fabric guard serving you so far?


Hey Suberman

To be honest the interior of the car gets very little abuse. Generally only me in it commuting to work. Did give the mats a good clean on the weekend a going over and they came up a treat.

Adam


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