# Mountune'd Ford Focus ST3 Enhancement Detail with a 'Birthday Treat' from MCC!



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

It's getting mightily chilly out there! It was only 2 degrees this morning!

Today's car was a rather lovely Red Ford Focus ST3, which has been treated to a bit of Mountune love. It was also the owners Birthday today, so I was keen to pull out all the stops to make sure the detail helped conclude a great day!

As a Birthday treat, I also upgraded the LSP on this detail to Crystal Rock :thumb:

On with the detail... Befores:


DSC02647 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02648 by RussZS, on Flickr

Nice! :lol:


DSC02649 by RussZS, on Flickr

Wheels first as always. I always rinse wheels and arches first to remove as much loose debris and dirt as possible, before making physical contact with the wheel itself.

Before:


DSC02651 by RussZS, on Flickr

After rinse:


DSC02652 by RussZS, on Flickr

The wheels were then liberally covered with AutoSmart Smart Wheels mixed 4:1:


DSC02654 by RussZS, on Flickr

I'd recently picked up the new Valet Pro brushes, so decided to test them against my 'go to' Swissvax offering, which despite its very high price tag, has split and begun to fall apart! However, it is the best at what it does, but I'm always looking to try new items released to see if anything can be improved upon!


DSC02657 by RussZS, on Flickr

As you can see, there are two sizes, both of which are smaller than the Swissvax brush.


DSC02655 by RussZS, on Flickr

I find the bristles on the larger VP brush to be relatively stiff, which made it a great choice on tyres and brake calipers. The smaller brushes bristles were softer and more flexible, making it ideal for intricate areas on some wheels, and around the wheel bolts where the Swissvax brush is sometimes a bit too 'big' to get into effectively.

I don't think these will replace my Swissvax brush, but they serve to compliment it very well, so I'll be using all three from now on, for more effective wheel cleaning!

The rear of the wheels were cleaned with the EZ Detail Brush (Wheel Woolies will be added alongside this later this week - I should have never sold them!)


DSC02656 by RussZS, on Flickr

All clean:


DSC02658 by RussZS, on Flickr

Rinsed:


DSC02659 by RussZS, on Flickr

Lastly the wheels were treated to new formula Iron-X! The smell hasn't improved, but it seems like the performance has got even better!!


DSC02660 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02662 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02663 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next up trusty Hyper Wash via Foam Lance. My Kranzle is about to die, so the Karcher X5.700 was used today.


DSC02664 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02665 by RussZS, on Flickr

I then worked around the car with a Swissvax Detail brush, and Surfex as and when required:


DSC02666 by RussZS, on Flickr


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DSC02668 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02669 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02670 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02671 by RussZS, on Flickr

After a rinse, the car was hand washed using Auto Finesse Lather shampoo:


DSC02672 by RussZS, on Flickr

I also tried out the new Valet Pro Sponge:


DSC02673 by RussZS, on Flickr

I'm not sure if it's because I've been using a mitt for so long, but I struggled to use the sponge. I'll give it a try out again on a warmer day when I have a bit more time, but I love my CQuartz Mitt, so went back to that for today. The sponge is easily on a par with the Zymol one quality wise though.


DSC02674 by RussZS, on Flickr

After rinsing, the car was treated to IronX and Tardis:


DSC02677 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02678 by RussZS, on Flickr

I then moved it inside for claying. The car had evidently been clayed recently as next to nothing was coming off the paintwork - a credit to its owner!

Next I dried using a combination of Uber Drying Towel and Aeolus 901 blower, to remove trapped water from under wing mirrors, bump strips etc:


DSC02684 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02682 by RussZS, on Flickr

The paint was then assessed to look for any low or high areas to ascertain if any panels had been resprayed or seen polishing before.

The average was about 180:


DSC02685 by RussZS, on Flickr

Defect wise the car was mixed. The rear bumper had recently been sprayed and the bodyshop had hacked away at the rear quarters for some reason leaving a swirly mess. Otherwise the paint wasn't too bad aside from a few etchings from bird poop:


DSC02690 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02692 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02697 by RussZS, on Flickr

It had also clearly been polished (badly) before, with lumps of polish in door shuts, under badges and on plastics!


DSC02700 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02702 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02705 by RussZS, on Flickr

Correction wise I mainly used Megs 105 and 205 on various pads. Some panels were finished with Lime Prime as they were hologramming very easily (I used Eraser to check it wasn't filling!)

50/50:


DSC02713 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02716 by RussZS, on Flickr

Whilst I was correcting, I drafted in my 'wheel specialist' for some of her other skills - nothing rude, but exhaust polishing!!

So, out came the Mercury again (James I need some more soon!)


DSC02720 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02721 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02723 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02725 by RussZS, on Flickr

Taa-daa!


DSC02729 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02730 by RussZS, on Flickr

Meanwhile I was still busy correcting!


DSC02726 by RussZS, on Flickr

The resprayed rear bumper held a bit of a surprise!

Before:


DSC02733 by RussZS, on Flickr

Oh...


DSC02734 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC02736 by RussZS, on Flickr

It is covered in score lines from poor wet sanding, so it is going back in for another respray. Hopefully they won't "polish" the rear quarter this time! 

The finishing products were patiently waiting for their turn!


DSC02737 by RussZS, on Flickr

As a Birthday treat to the owner, I upgraded the wax for him to a layer of the £800 Crystal Rock (normally a £40 extra). How nice am I? 


DSC02739 by RussZS, on Flickr

It was also the first outing for Dodo's new trim dressing. It left a great finish but struggled slightly with the polish residue:


DSC02740 by RussZS, on Flickr

So I got the trusty Revive out:


DSC02742 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02743 by RussZS, on Flickr

Much better! (the remaining white residue was removed safely with a Megs Triple Duty Brush)


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

and finally, some afters. I've somehow managed to turn it into Electric Orange.... :doublesho:lol:


DSC02744 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02748 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02749 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02750 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02751 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02752 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02753 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02755 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02757 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02758 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02759 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02767 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02768 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02769 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC02770 by RussZS, on Flickr

Thanks for reading!


DSC02764 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next weekend we have an Ultimate Green Focus RS in for a Crystal Rock Enhancement and an Electric Orange Focus ST in for a Tuition Detail...

Russ (and Milly!)


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

First

Amazing job Russ as always 
was waiting for the final result
top man


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Jakub555 said:


> First
> 
> Amazing job Russ as always
> was waiting for the final result
> top man


You didn't read it that quickly!!


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> You didn't read it that quickly!!


No but I seen amazing result Russ

Now time to read
:thumb:


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## Richard. (May 3, 2011)

Looking fresh! Nice one Russ 

May I ask what you use on tyres?


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Oh btw, my floor is finally being painted this week and all of the clutter will be away in some custom storage space - finally!

I'm looking into having a dedicated room built within the unit so that I can better control the lighting and temperature. All coming soon, along with some other exciting bits...


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## Superspec (Feb 25, 2011)

Nice job mate.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Richard. said:


> Looking fresh! Nice one Russ
> 
> May I ask what you use on tyres?


I always use Pinnacle Black Onyx unless a customer wants a less shiny look, in which case I reach for 3M Tyre Restorer.

The Pinnacle is pricey but worth it.


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## Richard. (May 3, 2011)

Nice one, cheers


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## JamesR1 (Apr 24, 2008)

looks good Russ, just needs wheel centers to finish it off.


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Enjoyable read there 

Well done.


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## leachy (Sep 20, 2011)

Great work as ever Russ.


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## Stust3 (May 5, 2011)

Firstly cheers for all the work Russ, not seen the car in person yet but from the pics the work looks top quality :doublesho

Secondly i cannot rate the experience highly enough, the service itself is second to none, Russ went out of his way to accomodate the detail and worked silly hours to achieve some top results as you can see from the pictures, as for upgrading the wax well what can i say apart from huge thanks for being so generous but again it just goes to show just how high the service is and shows the high standards he works to and its been an ace birthday present 

Thanks alot again for all the work carried out Russ, cant wait to see the car in person tommorrow and see just how good the work really is, they say a picture says a 1000 words but nothing can beat seeing the car in person, top work carried out by Midlands Car Care, shall definately be using your services again


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Stust3 said:


> Firstly cheers for all the work Russ, not seen the car in person yet but from the pics the work looks top quality :doublesho
> 
> Secondly i cannot rate the experience highly enough, the service itself is second to none, Russ went out of his way to accomodate the detail and worked silly hours to achieve some top results as you can see from the pictures, as for upgrading the wax well what can i say apart from huge thanks for being so generous but again it just goes to show just how high the service is and shows the high standards he works to and its been an ace birthday present
> 
> Thanks alot again for all the work carried out Russ, cant wait to see the car in person tommorrow and see just how good the work really is, they say a picture says a 1000 words but nothing can beat seeing the car in person, top work carried out by Midlands Car Care, shall definately be using your services again


Cheers Stu - very kind words indeed! It's good that it's worked out so well with local transport links too. Happy Birthday too mate!! :thumb: Well, for yesterday... I need to go to bed!! :doublesho

Russ.


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## Alzak (Aug 31, 2010)

Great job as always Russ :thumb: I'm not surprised that Stust3 is happy with Your work as looks like You always treat customers cars like Your own one .

I can see that wheel cleaning support team has been awarded to "new" polishing position :thumb: lucky You my GF don't bother to come down when I clan our car ...


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

lovely Russ to notch:thumb:


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Great work as ever Russ :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great work there mate.


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Nice job. How durable revive is?


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## Tom_watts (May 2, 2010)

great work russ, you certainly put some hours in on this one


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## Hoppo32 (Nov 18, 2008)

Great work Russ on what is a very underated car:thumb:


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## maikolo (Oct 27, 2009)

Cracking work mate!


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Nice one Russ, looks tremendous! Your missus must be a patient lady, I'd have no chance getting mine to help me out!

Interesting thoughts on the valet pro stuff, think I'll try one of those sponges, my lambswool pad is getting tired now!

Thanks for sharing!

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk


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## Deeg (Mar 30, 2009)

Looks good Russ...

Although what was with the paint transfer on the pad???


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## Scott_VXR (May 22, 2011)

All the motors you do look spot on mate. Congrats
May I ask wt the combos were as to pad and polish, as I have a similar set up and I'm still a little unsure :-/


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## Waxamomo (Jun 18, 2008)

Looks excellent Russ, nice birthday present too :thumb:


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## Depaip (Jan 10, 2010)

Nice job!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Deeg said:


> Looks good Russ...
> 
> Although what was with the paint transfer on the pad???


It's been recently resprayed and evidently not lacquered so it's going back in to be done again. The sanding marks were shocking too!!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

sm81 said:


> Nice job. How durable revive is?


Ive seen 2-3 months on most plastics. Longer on door seals.


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## sicko (Jun 20, 2009)

:argie::thumb:


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

Great work Russ, my birthdays coming up any chance of a free layer or cr


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Scrim-1- said:


> Great work Russ, my birthdays coming up any chance of a free layer or cr


Yes of course!!!

*If you book yourself in for an enhancement detail


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## abbacus (Mar 24, 2011)

Great work Russ! :thumb:


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

MidlandsCarCare said:


> Yes of course!!!
> 
> *If you book yourself in for an enhancement detail


How much is that going to cost me


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Lol!! If you pop up I'll put a layer on for you possibly! May cost you a KFC though


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## rodders (Jul 8, 2008)

Great job and a superb looking car.


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Fantastic Russ. Great finish on a lovely colour. Hard to capture on camera I find. The worse the camera the more red it looks. The better, the more Orange it looks!

I'm going to try out revive soon as I fancy another trim product to try. Always like trying new things. 

Love the pinnacle aswell.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Cheers guys. I miss getting shots in daylight as the car looks so much better. Bring on the 'light nights'!!


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## athol (Oct 3, 2009)

Looking very nice, good results guys.


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

fantastic work there , second to none Milly:thumb: oh thanks for coming Russ:lol:


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

Great job Russ, was looking forward to reading this!

I keep looking at the car thinking the White stripes don't quite suit it now with the wheels done in Anthracite, I reckon either no stripes or some Anthracite ones to match the wheels would look rather tidy!

Nice colour though and you've done a great job on it, nice clean clear write-up too and nice to see you trying out a few products again, always good to keep testing


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

Stunning finish Russ, loving the turnround on the unit matey


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## BlackPanther (Oct 23, 2010)

very nice Russ :thumb:

If you still have it, could you get a cheeky outdoor pic up pls


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## EthanCrawford (Jan 7, 2010)

Great results Russ.
Looking forward to the RS write up. 
When you painting the floor ! :lol:


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Stunning work,best colour imo to


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## dazzyb (Feb 9, 2010)

looks great mate
nice treat to use crystal rock with no extra charge


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

No stripes is definitely the way forward. 

OEM ftw.


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## gb270 (Aug 22, 2008)

Nice work there


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

Nice work and another in depth write up. Must be about time to join the best and get a Flex? :thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Flex is definitely on the shopping list Mr Miller


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## PrestigeChris (Nov 17, 2009)

nice work shame on the mountune though!


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## ant_s (Jan 29, 2009)

Looks as awesome as all of your work Russ, but pleeeeease do a write-up for the the RS! jeez i'll even come over and make tea for the day to get near one


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## s3 rav (Apr 30, 2008)

Very nice there mate.


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## bazz (May 15, 2007)

lovely job fella on a nice car


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## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

Great finish as always Russ! :thumb:


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

nice work Russ :thumb:
seen that happen alot to the swissvax brushes - is this due to the wooden handle 'swelling' when wet do you think?.. i love using the envy brushes, but fancy getting myself some of these soon.. longevity puts me off though...


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> Flex is definitely on the shopping list Mr Miller


festool! nearly nicked my mates one


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## richard33dees (Feb 19, 2010)

Nice work Russ, always great to see your progress via twitter too


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

-Kev- said:


> nice work Russ :thumb:
> seen that happen alot to the swissvax brushes - is this due to the wooden handle 'swelling' when wet do you think?.. i love using the envy brushes, but fancy getting myself some of these soon.. longevity puts me off though...


Yes I think so - I'll tape up my next one to hopefully keep it in one piece. I have 5 or so of them - this one is ready for the bin I think 

Thanks all!


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## leemckenna (Oct 11, 2011)

great work looking forward to some more pics off unit


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> I always use Pinnacle Black Onyx unless a customer wants a less shiny look, in which case I reach for 3M Tyre Restorer.
> 
> The Pinnacle is pricey but worth it.


Pinnacle make some real good products, doe you use any other Pinnacle products Russ....

Great job on the Focus:thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

123quackers said:


> Pinnacle make some real good products, doe you use any other Pinnacle products Russ....
> 
> Great job on the Focus:thumb:


Just the Souveran wax really, not explored much more of their range as yet.

Which pieces do you recommend?


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## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

Lovely finish mate, mercury is a top product.


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> Just the Souveran wax really, not explored much more of their range as yet.
> 
> Which pieces do you recommend?


The crystal mist carnauba detailer spray is real nice, Advanced finishing polish is good for the holograms you had on the Focus, The Advanced swirl remover has a good work time..... Great products give'em a whirl...

Love Souveran on Black!!!

Hows the new year going well booked up:thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

123quackers said:


> The crystal mist carnauba detailer spray is real nice, Advanced finishing polish is good for the holograms you had on the Focus, The Advanced swirl remover has a good work time..... Great products give'em a whirl...
> 
> Love Souveran on Black!!!
> 
> Hows the new year going well booked up:thumb:


Thanks for that - appreciated! 

It's going very well so far thanks - fully booked for Feb, only one day remaining in March and have booking in April and May already! Obviously only based on 2 cars per week as I'm only part time, but I like to think it keeps the passion levels high and my all goes into every car.


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## 123quackers (Jan 29, 2009)

MidlandsCarCare said:


> Thanks for that - appreciated!
> 
> It's going very well so far thanks - fully booked for Feb, only one day remaining in March and have booking in April and May already! Obviously only based on 2 cars per week as I'm only part time, but I like to think it keeps the passion levels high and my all goes into every car.


Sounds good , good luck with it all and keep on posting:thumb:


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