# Volvo V50 R-Design: Enhancement Detail



## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

Hi everyone,

Last month my dad bought a replacement for his 3-cylinder diesel Polo. Since I am home for the festive season, I thought I'd give it a bit of a spruce-up. I hadn't seen the car before, but was pleased to see that it initially seemed to be in excellent condition, with no dings, scratches or excessive swirls. The optional 18'' BBS Medea wheels were overall in very good condition, as was the optional heated black leather. So, this should be easy then. Except for the weather...if I ever start up professionally, I shall call myself 'Sub Zero Detailing' as I always seem to be doing this when it's bloody freezing... Anyway, on to the task at hand:

Car is overall quite clean, light road dirt and brake dust is all that is obvious. And polish residue from when my dad slapped on some Autoglym SRP, bless him:










Did I mention it was cold?





































SRP residue and dirt:



















First, the wheels were cleaned with diluted Bilberry, which was sprayed on and then agitated with an EZ brush and a small detail brush:










Leaving the following:










I then decided to try out my new bottle of Iron-X. Very effective, but the 'improved scent' is still godawful. But that's not the point. This was sprayed onto the wheels, left for a couple of minutes and then agitated with another small brush:



















Agitated:










Rinsed to leave the following:










The run-off made the place look (and smell) like something terrible had happened:










The car was then foamed. It turns out my father had been using old wash 'n wax through the foam lance, so I used it all up as I don't fancy it clogging up the gauze in the lance. You know what though? It made a damn fine foam:










You'll see it is getting darker, a side-effect of being so far North and me being fundamentally lazy and staying in bed all morning. I soon regretted this though. The temperatures dropped well below freezing, so I had to adapt my wash technique. Using the two-bucket method, a lambswool mitt and Dodo BTBM, I had to wash a panel at a time and then rinse the suds off before they froze... :doublesho As you can imagine, I wasn't really inclined to take pictures at this point!

I'm sure you already knew this, but washing a car in sub-zero temperatures is either for the eternal optimist, or the idiot. I'll leave it to you to decide which one I am 

The car was rinsed and brought into the garage, leaving this:










Yes, frozen beads. I decided to leave the heating on overnight to defrost it, and continue in the morning. Before I went in though, I had to use this on the driveway to prevent certain death:










Anyway, day two, and I began by using Autosmart Tardis on any tar deposits. I then clayed the car, including the glass and then the wheels, using Sonus Green and Dodo Born Slippy (smells nice, works well enough, but I think I prefer my old Last Touch). The car was remarkably free of contamination, with only the rear bumper showing any serious amount:










While I was doing the tailgate, my dad told me he wanted the sticker the dealer applied below the 'V50' badge removed, which I was happy to do!










This involved use of the world's most retro hairdrier:










And some fishing line. The adhesive was heated with the hairdrier and the fishing line was then used to 'saw' through the adhesive, as shown:










The small amount of adhesive residue left behind was then removed with a dab of Tardis, and I then continued claying as normal:



















I then did an IPA wipedown to remove any Born Slippy residue before polishing. My basic but functional setup, a lifesaver for the lower panels:










I decided to follow the mantra of 'start light then work your way up' and tried Menzerna PO106FA and a black Hexlogic pad on my DAS-6 Pro. This didn't have enough cut to get through the light wash-induced swirls, so I stepped up to a white Hexlogic pad. This had the desired effect, so I continued with this combination. I was not after 100% correction as I didn't have the time, and although some small RDS still remained, the edges of them had been sufficiently rounded to considerably reduce their appearance. I was able to increase the gloss and clarity of the finish in a single-stage process. I feel this is the beauty of PO106FA. Assuming there aren't many heavy defects, it can make a remarkable difference and still finish down very well. Menzerna polishes also have the reputation of being difficult in cold conditions , but I've not yet had this problem. A very under-rated polish in my opinion.

No pictures of this though, as the combination of the interior lighting and my camera meant everything was blurry  If anybody would like to make donations for a good SLR camera, feel free!

Anyway, day three saw the completion of the polishing, and another IPA wipedown was completed. I decided to try Zymol HD Cleanse on the roof. This was applied and worked-in with a microfibre pad and buffed off immediately. However, it was a complete pain to buff off cleanly. I don't know if it was the temperature, so I'll write it off for now and revisit it in the summer. Failing that, it's getting sold :devil:

LSP of choice was my new pot of Zymol Glasur.










This was a joy to use, easy to apply thinly as it spreads like butter, and left a first-class finish. No problems here.

I decided to trial Chemical Guy's new Hybrid V7 spray sealant on the side and rear glass, and the door shuts. Easy to use and smells fantastic, and will report back on durability:










Comma's gel-based rain repellent was applied to the windscreen. I find this so much easier to spread and especially buff off than Rain-X, and it performs every bit as well if not better:










The interior was thoroughly vacuumed and all plastics were wiped down with Meg's APC and then Aerospace 303. Some of the leather looked a little shiny:










I used my sample of Dr Leather wipes on the leather, and I was pleased with the result. Nice natural smell, and a clean, smooth matte finish. Here is the leather still drying:










The pedals were also filthy:










These were simply sprayed with Meg's APC and wiped with a microfibre. Much better:










The engine plastics were also dressed with Aerospace 303:










The exterior plastics were treated with Gtechniq C4. Very, very impressed, but I forgot to take photos :wall:

The alloys were sealed with Planet Polish Wheel Seal and Shine and the tyres were dressed with Meg's Endurance, and Chemical Guys Stripper Scent applied to the interior.

Job done.

This morning, the driveway had thawed enough to take a few 'after' shots. Hope you enjoy them! I did spot some of my dad's SRP residue still lodged in some nooks and crannies, so please excuse them.



































































































































































And my little helper:










Any comments, criticisms or questions welcome :thumb:

Andrew


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

tidy car that :thumb:
ive already got celeste dettaglio but i keep looking at other waxes of similar cost, including glasur


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## jamest (Apr 8, 2008)

Great job, looks super.

That salt seems to have worked a wonder too, seems to have got rid of 99% of the ice in a 100 yard area. :lol:


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## Jonny_McC (Apr 19, 2010)

good write up mate.

I'm in the same boat. my dad just bought a volvo XC60. still to detail that for him. lol

J


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Brilliant work matey, and a credit to you for doing it in those temperatures!!


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## nickmak (May 29, 2010)

Great job there! :thumb:

Is it me or did you do the car up until all the ice melted away?


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## Bensenn_GER (Mar 24, 2010)

Wow, top job. The wheels looked a bit oxidised before. Or was it only break dust?


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## AKFM (Dec 26, 2010)

wow very impressed, good work!!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Nice choice of car  :thumb:

Looking very clean afterwards, very nice - rather you than me sliding around on the ice though!


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## mel (Mar 8, 2008)

Lovely looking car , 

Remove the dealer sticker from the rear window also just to finish it off.....


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## Deano (Jul 7, 2006)

great work there on a lovely car. dont envy you cleaning those wheels though.


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## gargreen7 (Apr 12, 2009)

nice car mate, !


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

-Kev- said:


> tidy car that :thumb:
> ive already got celeste dettaglio but i keep looking at other waxes of similar cost, including glasur


Glasur is a cracker :thumb: But I know the feeling! 



jamest said:


> Great job, looks super.
> 
> That salt seems to have worked a wonder too, seems to have got rid of 99% of the ice in a 100 yard area. :lol:


Thanks mate  Haha yeah, I got lucky with the thaw!



Jonny_McC said:


> good write up mate.
> 
> I'm in the same boat. my dad just bought a volvo XC60. still to detail that for him. lol
> 
> J


Cheers! Cool, would be good to see a writeup on that whenever you can 



MadOnVaux! said:


> Brilliant work matey, and a credit to you for doing it in those temperatures!!


Thank you very much :thumb: It takes a special kind of nutter :lol:



nickmak said:


> Great job there! :thumb:
> 
> Is it me or did you do the car up until all the ice melted away?


Thanks 

Nope, I cleared that area with a shovel the night before. I shouldn't have bothered, it just became an ice rink! And the car wasn't being used all week, so it could stay in the garage till it all thawed 



Bensenn_GER said:


> Wow, top job. The wheels looked a bit oxidised before. Or was it only break dust?


Thank you! Just brake dust and rust from the discs 



AKFM said:


> wow very impressed, good work!!


Cheers :thumb:



Dave KG said:


> Nice choice of car  :thumb:
> 
> Looking very clean afterwards, very nice - rather you than me sliding around on the ice though!


Haha glad you like it, just a shame it's the 2.0D and not the D5! 

Thank you, appreciate it. I will admit, I did end up on my backside a couple of times! 



mel said:


> Lovely looking car ,
> 
> Remove the dealer sticker from the rear window also just to finish it off.....


Cheers! Yeah, I'm already badgering my dad about that. Might just do it when he's not looking 



Deano said:


> great work there on a lovely car. dont envy you cleaning those wheels though.


Thanks  Ah they're not so bad, they aren't real split rims!


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

your meant to say glasurs rubbish to put me off buying it :lol:


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Superb finish and lovely gloss on the paint Andrew! :buffer: I'll bet your Dad was pleased. :thumb:

Nice write-up and photos of a challenging detail in those temperatures - you're braver then me! :lol:

Alan W


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

-Kev- said:


> your meant to say glasurs rubbish to put me off buying it :lol:


Give in to temptation, be at peace with the fact you're about to lose £100 



Alan W said:


> Superb finish and lovely gloss on the paint Andrew! :buffer: I'll bet your Dad was pleased. :thumb:
> 
> Nice write-up and photos of a challenging detail in those temperatures - you're braver then me! :lol:
> 
> Alan W


Thanks Alan! Yep, he's quite chuffed. He was sceptical before I started but I think he's come round now 

Thanks, I just slapped the photos all together and hoped they'd come out alright :lol: And in all honesty, I don't recommend it, I might have pneumonia. Or man-flu...


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## "SkY" (Apr 21, 2009)

nice car,looks good


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## SergeiTS (Jun 28, 2010)

Beatuful car .


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Nice work and nice colour motor, wheels are very Oettinger esk...........:thumb:


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## pee (Apr 6, 2009)

tidy looking car


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## DON 41D (Jan 21, 2008)

That's a stunning car Andrew, still haven't seen it in the flesh myself, your off your head with all these sub zero details, i still haven't ventured out with the pressure washer on the S60, waiting for the weather to warm up a bit!


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## sargent (Aug 25, 2009)

superb work.

love the wheels. are they standard on the model?


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## N14 NNC (Aug 23, 2007)

Fantastic - i have been waiting for these images! I hope to give my own V50 some much needed TLC soon and your pics have been an inspiration. Glad the bubble badge is off the tailgate, the spec on the car is special and i hope your dad will get the benefit of this one and not leave it tucked up in the garage. The 2.0D has plenty of pep and i have had the pleasure of stretching the legs of my own recently and am more than happy with the go in it - have you had a proper shot of it yet?


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

DON 41D said:


> That's a stunning car Andrew, still haven't seen it in the flesh myself, your off your head with all these sub zero details, i still haven't ventured out with the pressure washer on the S60, waiting for the weather to warm up a bit!


Hi Donald, you probably haven't seen it because it couldn't get up the driveway in the snow! You'll see it out and about much more from now on  Glad you like it. I'm told your S60 is a cracker, looking forward to seeing it.

As for the sub-zero details, I have to cram them in whenever I'm home, so that doesn't leave much time :doublesho I have occasional use of a unit near Glasgow when I'm away at college, but obviously that's just for keeping on top of my own car.



sargent said:


> superb work.
> 
> love the wheels. are they standard on the model?


Thanks  No, the first owner must have chosen them as an option or replaced the standard wheels with them. They're BBS 'Medea' wheels as far as I know. I do like them, I have to admit... :argie:



N14 NNC said:


> Fantastic - i have been waiting for these images! I hope to give my own V50 some much needed TLC soon and your pics have been an inspiration. Glad the bubble badge is off the tailgate, the spec on the car is special and i hope your dad will get the benefit of this one and not leave it tucked up in the garage. The 2.0D has plenty of pep and i have had the pleasure of stretching the legs of my own recently and am more than happy with the go in it - have you had a proper shot of it yet?


Hello good sir! :wave:

Glad you like them! Same here, I hate seeing these bubble badges on paintwork, and I'm also not a fan of dealer stickers in windows so I'm hoping to get rid of that too. I'd have gladly offered to give you a hand with your V50, but then you went away for the holidays 

I got a good drive of it yesterday, after the 'after' shots were taken. I'm very impressed. Seats are perfectly comfortable (typical Volvo), suspension is well-damped and comfy enough for our roads, lots of toys, nicely weighted steering on the move, and as you say, plenty of pull from the 2.0D. Very impressed with the gearbox too, well-judged ratios (and I'm not normally a fan of 6spd boxes) and a lovely shift action. I'm very confident my dad will give this one plenty of use 

I may have to move onto Volvo once I'm finished with my Fabia...get a D5, start tuning it...hmm


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Very nice! What engine is in that? Would the full leather be quite rare? Any interior boot shots? Cheers


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## DavieC (Jan 3, 2007)

Great detail. Did your dad buy the car from Ian Cattanach? Cracking bloke, decent cars, service prices are very good compared to the local dealers, very trust worthy.


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

ryand said:


> Very nice! What engine is in that? Would the full leather be quite rare? Any interior boot shots? Cheers


Thanks! It's the 136bhp 2.0D, based on the HDi unit apparently. The full black leather does seem to be rare, most of the R-Design's I've come across have that awful two-tone interior. Looks nice but discolours so fast. This is the only one I have:












DavieC said:


> Great detail. Did your dad buy the car from Ian Cattanach? Cracking bloke, decent cars, service prices are very good compared to the local dealers, very trust worthy.


Thanks! Yes he did, and we have nothing but praise too :thumb:


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## nicp2007 (Apr 25, 2007)

very nice mate :thumb:


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Missed this first time around...great work buddy, especially in the cold conditions...

Well done!

:thumb:


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

Pride & Performance said:


> very nice mate :thumb:


Cheers! 

Looking forward to the sample of BOS :thumb:



The Cueball said:


> Missed this first time around...great work buddy, especially in the cold conditions...
> 
> Well done!
> 
> :thumb:


Thanks very much  It gave me something to do, instead of being stuck in the house (which, admittedly, is a bit more warm and comfortable :wall

I won't have any more Showroom posts for a while, not until I get home for Easter


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## GrahamKendall (Sep 8, 2009)

Do my eyes decieve me or is that fine looking skoda outside the halls in the sunny Gorbals!


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

GrahamKendall said:


> Do my eyes decieve me or is that fine looking skoda outside the halls in the sunny Gorbals!


:doublesho

You sir, have very good eyes! :thumb::lol:


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## GrahamKendall (Sep 8, 2009)

Dont worry Im not a stalker I am also a seafaring Veteran of the Clydeside University of Nautical Technology! i was there ac ouple of weeks ago....I sometimes wish I was a cadet again!:thumb:


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## GrahamKendall (Sep 8, 2009)

Speaking of which... I noted that its almost quarter to three! Have you just staggered back from sharkeys Hahaha, Seriouslly though, cracking job on your old mans volvo!:thumb:


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

cracking job


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

GrahamKendall said:


> Dont worry Im not a stalker I am also a seafaring Veteran of the Clydeside University of Nautical Technology! i was there ac ouple of weeks ago....I sometimes wish I was a cadet again!:thumb:


Ah right that makes sense! Haha, can that name be abbreviated? 



GrahamKendall said:


> Speaking of which... I noted that its almost quarter to three! Have you just staggered back from sharkeys Hahaha, Seriouslly though, cracking job on your old mans volvo!:thumb:


Haha nope, I'm not allowed near there for a wee while, I just had my tonsils out so no alcohol allowed... I am a bit of a regular there though! :lol:

Thanks :thumb:


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## Jochen (May 21, 2007)

Very nice job! :thumb:


Really love the car too :argie:


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## AlexTsinos (Oct 10, 2010)

it looks awesome :thumb:


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## Leodhasach (Sep 15, 2008)

Jochen said:


> Very nice job! :thumb:
> 
> Really love the car too :argie:





AlexTsinos said:


> it looks awesome :thumb:


Thanks very much for the comments guys, it's nice to see a thread of mine getting some attention the second time around 

I saw the Volvo tonight for the first time since early January, and my dad must be looking after it quite well as it's still looking good 

The wheel sealant in particular is holding up very well :thumb:


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## Elliott19864 (May 11, 2008)

Nice job, lovely cars them.


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## prokopas (Apr 29, 2010)

nice work


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