# Baker21, Chris_vRS & dooka vs Aston Martin DBS.....



## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Hello all........

Well it's been a while since my last post in here so apologies in advance, I am hoping that this detail will however be of interest and also highlight a few things as well.........

So I have been busy of late making a few changes, namely re-locating to a new area and also keeping myself busy at work, lack of internet in the new place has meant I haven't been on here as much.......

Anyway, onto the detail, the car in question is owned a friend called Andrew who I have been in contact for a while with. I knew that there was some potential to detail this Aston Martin but as with many things, sometimes the delivery date and timing of completing the detail slips, nevertheless we agreed a day and location over at the unit........:thumb:

As always more hands make more entertainment so I called upon Chris and Rob for a nice sunny day out at the unit, which has now been cleared to allow a lot more room, for some 'trio detailing'........:buffer:

For me this would be my first Aston Martin, which is always nice but having worked along side Aston Martin for approx 2 years on the One-77 I was aware of what to expect from the car in question and also it's condition.

The car in question is an Aston Martin DBS Carbon Black, now as stated due to timings this meant the car reached me with approx 300 miles on the clock however the marks evident on the car and the prep surely couldn't have come from anything done by Andrew............:doublesho

This was the condition of the car upon arrival:














































Buffer Trails:














































Andrew was supplied with the incorrect car cover, which also deposited a lot of 'fluff' onto the roof:










Excess polish:










More Buffer Trails:



















Almost strike through here by the looks of it:


























































































































































As you can see for me this is shocking, I mean in terms of prep it's awful........:doublesho

I have seen first hand how these cars are finished so was expecting this but having detailed other Marques it is amazing how a car costing so much more than your average family car can be delivered to a customer in such a condition............

So with plenty to do on a hot sunny day, we cracked on with the detail........:thumb:

*The Detail Process:*

Now as always I like to remove wheels on cars as I feel I can achieve a better clean and seal finish than that if they are left on, so the Aston received the same treatment, first wheel off and onto the RiMat:



















So I cracked on with the wheel using some Megs APC and a Lambswool wash mitt to clean the inside:





































Front face received the same treatment and was then dried with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel:










Chris was meanwhile cracking on with the arch:




























As expected this was pretty clean, Vikan Arch Brush used to brush off the grass and dirt on the arch:










Some Megs APC and a Detailer Brush on the Caliper and suspension:




























Followed by a rinse down:



















Rob was getting carried away at this point.......:thumb:










I decided to seal the wheels with some FK 1000P via an Applicator Pad:










This was buffed off:










Leaving the following:



















And then re-fitted and torqued up:



















We then moved onto the rear wheel:










'Wide-boy':










Same process followed:























































One side done:



















Then onto the other side:














































So just before the wash stage, I set Rob onto de-fluffing the roof, using some 3M 3434 tape rolled over on itself:




























It was then time to wash the car so first up rinsing:




























The car was then foamed:




























While the foam dwelled we went around with some Megs APC and Detailer Brushes cleaning various areas:






























































































































































































This was then rinsed:










We then washed the car using the 2BM and some dooka Woolie Wash Pads:























































Another rinse:



















The roof at this point was dried with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel:



















Some Megs Last Touch and Elite Fine Yellow Poly clay was used on the car:














































Another rinse and then the whole car was dried with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel:










We then moved the car inside:



















Rob then got out his dryer to remove all the water in the wing mirrors, door shuts, etc:



















Chris supervising:










The whole car was taped up in various areas with some 3M 3434 tape and then we broke out all the machines:










We tried a few areas with various combos and it's safe to say this is the softest lacquer I had evern come across, we agreed on Megs 205 on a 3M Finishing Pad:










So here is a 50/50 with Rob's results:



















And the whole rear panel:



















Chris working his magic on the Festool:



















Rob working his magic on the Flex:



















I was meanwhile working with the Makita on the tailgate - Before:










After:




























Checking our work as we went along:










Rob progressing down the driver's side:



















The Driver's Side Sill - Before:










After:










Chris was making great progress, so much so it was time for a break:










I had a fair few marks on the tailgate to perfect:



















Chris then completed an Megs Last Touch wipedown on the wheels to remove some of the excessive dust:










Rob went around with his dooka Woolie Duster:
































































Henry was used on the interior:



















The interior was treated to some Gliptone Leather Cleaner and Leather Conditioner.

Blackfire Wet Over Ice Kit was the sealant choice -Black Fire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection via the G220:










Followed by Black Fire Midnight Sun Wax via the supplied Applicator Pad and finally some Black Fire Deep Gloss Spray.

AS Highstyle was appied to the tyres via a paintbrush:










I at this point opened the roof to ensure all the areas under it were cleaned:




























Rob went for the Madonna 'Strike a Pose' look:










Back to serious matters, Rob then attended to the Glass with some dooka Glass Cleaner and Cleaner Pad:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

*The Results:*

*Indoors - Roof Up:*







































































































































































































*Indoors - Roof Down:*













































































































Time to then roll the Aston outside:



















*Outdoors - Roof Down:*

















































































































































Apologies for all the images but between Rob and I we managed to take a fair few..........:lol:

Massive thanks to Andrew for allowing Rob, Chris and I to attend to his lovely Aston Martin and I think the end results speak volumes, much more depth and clarity added to the paintwork and hopefully much easier to maintain.........:detailer:

As always it was an enjoyable day with Rob and Chris and thanks to them both for making the trip, good banter, good laughs and hopefully a good end result.......:thumb:

Thanks for taking the time to read this detail and comment's welcome as always........


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## [email protected] (Apr 28, 2011)

Cracking job guys.


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## deano_uk (Apr 29, 2007)

Now thats how a car like that should look, nice work.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Awesome job - surprised about the softness of the laquer! Looks stunning the the finished shots there. my current 'lottery car!'


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## samm (May 19, 2006)

Fantastic final pictures fellas.


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## kenny_boon (Feb 27, 2008)

brilliant work guys, shocking condition for such a new car with horrible prep 

great turn around, looks brilliant


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Stunning work guys, the final inspection guy at Aston Martin wants to hang his head in shame.


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

That looked horrendous to start with. Nice work guys!


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## Russ and his BM (Jan 1, 2008)

Thaaaat's better Lovely job. But why the IPA on the wheels after the 1000p had been put on?


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

butler2.8i said:


> Stunning work guys, the final inspection guy at Aston Martin wants to hang his head in shame.


I have no idea whether this was done at Aston or at the dealer but it's just another example of what can be done in a day I guess


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Nice work lads, funny how the lacquer on these are so soft but the Astons a few years old are rock hard. Do you think he may go for a nano sealant at some point to help the lacquer from a scratch resistance perspective?

Dealer prep really was p£ss poor wasn't it, especially the near strike-through on the bonnet:doublesho

Thanks for posting her up:thumb:


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## Giosabcsl (May 15, 2011)

Nice work guys. That drivers door was soo badddd...

Loved the step by step photos.

Glad to see a stunning car with a stunning result 

Just out of interest what sort of water to apc ratios do you use for body work?? 10:1


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Russ and his BM said:


> Thaaaat's better Lovely job. But why the IPA on the wheels after the 1000p had been put on?


Total typo mate, my bad, it was a Last Touch wipe down, will edit it now


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Nice one guys, the three muskateers strike again!

Why did you ipa the wheels after they were sealed?!


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

SimonBash said:


> Nice work lads, funny how the lacquer on these are so soft but the Astons a few years old are rock hard. Do you think he may go for a nano sealant at some point to help the lacquer from a scratch resistance perspective?
> 
> Dealer prep really was p£ss poor wasn't it, especially the near strike-through on the bonnet:doublesho
> 
> Thanks for posting her up:thumb:


Astons are changing and there are a new wave of models in the studio as we speak but I'm not sure there are any plans to change the lacquer.....

Funny you mention the Nano sealant, plan is for us to look after this beauty so was thinking if putting something on it like that in a few months time depending on whether it gets locked away for the winter or not :thumb:



Giosabcsl said:


> Nice work guys. That drivers door was soo badddd...
> 
> Loved the step by step photos.
> 
> ...


We have both 4:1 and 10:1 so just depends on how much grime is on there, in this case it was 10:1


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

Fantastic work, Stunning car


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

ryand said:


> Nice one guys, the three muskateers strike again!
> 
> Why did you ipa the wheels after they were sealed?!


:lol:

See above Ryan


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## Skodaw (Mar 19, 2006)

Never ceases to suprise me the way these Astons are prepared - I'd be gutted to receive a car in that condition having spent so much money - that said brilliant work


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## loneranger (Aug 13, 2010)

Nice work again guys and another cracking motor. It's amazing that a car that new can look so bad, but not anymore. I bet the owner is well chuffed.


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## scarycrow999 (Aug 19, 2011)

what a difference! the end result is awesome and being a newby I appreciate the tips along the way! great pics lovely job


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## evotuning (Oct 16, 2009)

Don't be suprised if after 2-3 washes the car will look just like before  So I wouldnt blame AM crew too much for poor preparation.

Of course, they could do much better work, but even with ultra safe washing techniqes, marring on this colour is inevitable.

Here in Pl we have one of these DBS Carbon Black coupe since February, the car is frequently washed only by us ( SV Poland ) since it was new, and it turns out that after every wash some light machining is requierd. This paint is by far the worst I've ever met, however, also one of the most beautiful,gloss level and lack of orange peel is unbelivable 










You can see it in background 

Great work nonetheless


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

loneranger said:


> Nice work again guys and another cracking motor. It's amazing that a car that new can look so bad, but not anymore. I bet the owner is well chuffed.


I think he was happy and yours will be on here next mate.........



evotuning said:


> Don't be suprised if after 2-3 washes the car will look just like before  So I wouldnt blame AM crew too much for poor preparation.
> 
> Of course, they could do much better work, but even with ultra safe washing techniqes, marring on this colour is inevitable.
> 
> ...


Completely agree with you on the wash technique and even trying to buff off wax, etc induces marks, which is a shame, it's going to be interesting as I will be looking after this one and I think I may need to think about some ceramic sealant in the future for it.........

That a side I don't think you can excuse the buffer trails.............:buffer:

Nice motor's by the way and thanks for sharing.........:thumb:


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Cracking work lads, did the 3 of your cut the time to a 3rd or did Rob insist on lots of coffee breaks? 

Good to see the flip flop details back.

Cheers

PaulN


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

PaulN said:


> Cracking work lads, did the 3 of your cut the time to a 3rd or did Rob insist on lots of coffee breaks?
> 
> Good to see the flip flop details back.
> 
> ...


To be fair I think when you work in a group you just got that little bit further on each panel, we still ended up rushing around at the end of the day...........:detailer:

As for Rob insisting on coffee breaks, I don't think he made one to be honest........:lol:

Trying to get Rob and Chris to join in with the Flip-Flops but I think they are firmly trainer guys........


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Great work Guys :thumb:


The DBS didn´t have any DA sanding mark from factory???


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Racer said:


> Great work Guys :thumb:
> 
> The DBS didn´t have any DA sanding mark from factory???


Sadly there were plenty of DA Sanding marks, especially on the tail gate bit I struggled to get any decent pics of these


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Baker21 said:


> Sadly there were plenty of DA Sanding marks, especially on the tail gate bit I struggled to get any decent pics of these


All removed with finish pad and #205???


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Fantastic work as always..


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

How much fun does that look?! 

Great write-up on what looks like a great day. :thumb:


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## Jamie_M (Dec 1, 2008)

Jesus wept. WTF happened to that poor Aston!

Awesome job. Awesome motor!


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Racer said:


> All removed with finish pad and #205???


No chance, the idea of the detail was to do as much as possible in a day no Full Correction


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## slrestoration (Nov 11, 2009)

Nice bit of finishing work from 'Team Dooka' Very enjoyable write up, finished shots really do the all the hard graft justice:thumb:


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Baker21 said:


> No chance, the idea of the detail was to do as much as possible in a day no Full Correction


ah ok , i know for experience that Aston Martin offers his customers a wide range of DA sanding marks :lol:

The car turned very good


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## HAWKEY_SKYLINE (Mar 23, 2008)

awsome work matey  
what was the paint like to correct ? as i have a DB9 to be doing on monday :thumb:


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Great work there guys :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Fantastic work.


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## jcp (Oct 2, 2010)

Stunning work guys on a gorgeous car


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## Minus8 (Aug 1, 2011)

I wouldn't have taken delivery of a car at that price in that condition, that's pretty shocking :doublesho

Great turn around though as always guys :thumb:


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## wookey (Jul 13, 2007)

Nice write up and an excellent turn around!

What was the outcome of the possible strike through area?

Also do you use jack adapters when you remove the wheels?


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## Sneaks (Dec 21, 2010)

Absolutely stunning guys :thumb:


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## robq7653 (Jun 24, 2011)

I think it's fair to say 'job well done'. Can't believe the state on arrival though, my 51 reg bm looked better nick than that paintwork. Was it garage monkeys cleaning that done it?


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Racer said:


> ah ok , i know for experience that Aston Martin offers his customers a wide range of DA sanding marks :lol:
> 
> The car turned very good


The DA sanding marks are fitted as standard 



HAWKEY_SKYLINE said:


> awsome work matey
> what was the paint like to correct ? as i have a DB9 to be doing on monday :thumb:


You will find that the lacquer is very soft , correction is easy enough and your biggest problem is putting marks back in when removing polish or LSP, just make sure you have some new super soft cloths 



wookey said:


> Nice write up and an excellent turn around!
> 
> What was the outcome of the possible strike through area?
> 
> Also do you use jack adapters when you remove the wheels?


Basically there was a lot of paint and lacquer there and it looked worse that it was, mark was removed and just sone lower readings than other areas were left.....

I do indeed, I use the Pinch Weld Adaptors from the DW GB 



robq7653 said:


> I think it's fair to say 'job well done'. Can't believe the state on arrival though, my 51 reg bm looked better nick than that paintwork. Was it garage monkeys cleaning that done it?


I think the machine marks were from the factory but yes the car must have been washed a few times to inflict those sort of wash marks......


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Baker21: What do you Blackfire sealant againts it rivals like Carlack or Zaino?
I have Carlack LLS and I'm not satisfied it? Is the Blackfire better with looks?


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

sm81 said:


> Baker21: What do you Blackfire sealant againts it rivals like Carlack or Zaino?
> I have Carlack LLS and I'm not satisfied it? Is the Blackfire better with looks?


I think like most products it's down to personal preference.

I am a big fan of the likes of Zaino, however the process can be long winded if followed correctly, Black Fire was something that was suggested to me to try, it's application is easy and while it's durability may not be as good as Zaino it is respectable.

Again I think it's glossiness is your own opinion but on a freshly machined surface it really does look slick


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Durability about 3-4 months?


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

sm81 said:


> Durability about 3-4 months?


If you layer up the products are defined with the kit I use then I would expect 4 months as a minimum but this depends on your wash process and technique..........:thumb:


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## Big Buffer (Jan 1, 2011)

Absolutly mint guys hats off to you an excellent job as always.
Those buffer trails were terrible and clearly no time or care was applied.
Great product range used also


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## Driftland Liaison (Sep 17, 2009)

Cracking job guys and an even better write up, always enjoy reading your posts :thumb:

Neil


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> Cracking job guys and an even better write up, always enjoy reading your posts :thumb:
> 
> Neil


Cheers Neil, as a side note I have been for many years a regular visitor up your neck of the woods to Kirkcaldy...........:wave:


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## JMAPUK (Feb 13, 2010)

Again Guys the reflections on the panels are awesome, cracking job 

Well done


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

JMAPUK said:


> Again Guys the reflections on the panels are awesome, cracking job
> 
> Well done


Cheers Jason, how are things going with you? I hear you have been busy since our 'Detailing Day'?


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## JMAPUK (Feb 13, 2010)

there has been a few chinese whispers going on me thinks - all details given in your private message tray


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

you can also see a walk around video of the end result of this AM DBS Volante Carbon Back here. More videos will be added soon.


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Lovely work as always guys on a stunning motor :thumb:


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## _Kenny_ (Jan 19, 2006)

Absolutely stunning. Cracking work


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