# Polished Bliss: To the Batmobile!...



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Yesterday saw this Lamborghini Gallardo belonging to a very good friend of ours come in for a 1 day All Surface Protection Detail, due to the stealthy appearance of the car it's started to be known as the Batmobile - hence the title 

The car itself has been driven "enthusiastically" over it's short life and has competed in 2 Gumball Rallies aswell as having a full camouflage body wrap at one point, so being solid black it was looking a bit tired:




























Previous machine polishing attempts were easily visible by the buffer trails and product sling:









































































A quick tip for you all - Don't leave your car with a window half down in a damp garage or there's a good chance you'll get this....










:lol:

Clearly the car could have been doing with a lot more than just a 1 day detail but the owner is the first to admit he isn't overly fussed about swirl free paintwork etc so a good general clean up was agreed as the most sensible option 

The front and rear grills were removed for easier access for cleaning:



















Then as always, the wheels were done first:

Gloss-It wheel gel (4:1) was used with the various brushes:





































Then rinsed (the inner rims were dry of paint and a bit rough so they only came up around 90%):










Arches and tyres were then cleaned with Meguiars Super Degreaser:










There was a large amount of tar in the arch liners...










...so out came the Tardis and a MF towel:

Before:










After:










The car was then foamed with APC at 60 degrees:










This was thoroughly rinsed and then all the exterior trim etc were cleaned with APC and a brush:














































The engine bay was sprayed with R222 and then agitated:










I then rinsed at 60 degrees and left the engine to idle for 5 minutes to help with the drying, as you can see from the steam it doesn't take long for the heat to build up from the V10!










With all the little details completed the car was then washed with the 2 bucket method and Meguiars Shampoo Plus. After rinsing this then highlighted the defects in the paint even more now the bodywork was clean:










After a quick going over the bodywork with Tardis to remove some minor tar spots I moved the car inside for claying. Surprisingly the clay took next to no contaminants off the paint or glass:










When it comes to preparing a car with swirly paint that's only in for 1 day we usually glaze to try and fill/hide as much of the defects as possible but once inside the buffer trails and massive amounts of scratches were clearly visible, making the paint extremely dull and milky looking:



















Luckily, having the fast acting Meguiars 205 to hand for a good few months now I was confident of making a vast improvement without taking multiple hours to complete. So with the Kestrel and a Gloss-It green polishing pad, I worked the polish at speed 6 with alot of heavy pressure for the first few passes before stepping down to speed 4 and using very light pressure. This took no longer than glazing but produced far better results:

We went from this:










To this:










Obviously loads of scratches left but alot of clarity and depth restored to the paint :thumb:

Left side of the bonnet polished, right side untouched:










The paintwork was then cleansed with Raceglaze Pre Wax Cleanser and then waxed with Vintage.

The wheels were also given a spruce up with the machine:



















I then sealed them with Blackfire Metal Sealant:










For the tailpipes (which had been removed from the full Tubi system - my god the car sounds nice!! ) a combination of Blackfire, Brilliant and Meguiars metal polishes were used as well as the dremel:










Side by side comparison:










The engine bay was dressed with 303:



















The interior was fully detailed including the leather, which was cleaned and fed with Raceglaze leather products:










The plastics and vinyls were thoroughly wiped with APC and then a new product from Raceglaze to ensure the mould didn't re-appear:



















The faded trim around the boot was dressed with Meguiars All Season Dressing:










After just over 12 hours of work and a wipe down this morning with Werkstat Carnauba Glos, this is how it looked:












































































































































































Thanks for looking :thumb:

Clark


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## patonbmw (Nov 23, 2008)

Wow, always love your posts


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## S-X-I (Sep 6, 2006)

Great work on one stelthy looking car!


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

stunning as always chaps


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

nice work 

what did you use on the end of the dremmel for the tips?

polishing felts i have used so far are leaving some serious hollogramming


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## Nanolex (Jun 8, 2008)

Great results and amazing pics!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Looks good, #205 doing well for quick application there on the DA too, always nice to enhance the clarity of a finish


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## 03OKH (May 2, 2009)

Amazes me what you can do in one day. Cracking :thumb:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

badly_dubbed said:


> nice work
> 
> what did you use on the end of the dremmel for the tips?
> 
> polishing felts i have used so far are leaving some serious hollogramming


We actually ended up using sanding discs as the pipes were really bad on the bottoms. We still couldnt get them 100% but it was alot better than before and we didnt have much to lose really...

These are what I use quite alot:


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

like a wire wheel thing yes?

maybe a little harsh for my wheels :lol:


did they not score the tips finish at all?


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## duncyboy (May 31, 2009)

'What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours'

Great work.

Gallardo Nera = iWant


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## *MAGIC* (Feb 22, 2007)

Who had tried polishing it before you guys? :wall:

They deserve to be shot :doublesho

Looks great after though :thumb:

Robbie


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

badly_dubbed said:


> like a wire wheel thing yes?
> 
> maybe a little harsh for my wheels :lol:
> 
> did they not score the tips finish at all?


Yeah they did mate, but the felt tips polished it out nicely. As I said, we had nothing to lose as they couldnt get much worse in all honesty 



*MAGIC* said:


> Who had tried polishing it before you guys? :wall:


Stevie wonder maybe?? lol!

Cheers Robbie :thumb:


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

you will need to send me a link to what felt tips you use 

the bobs i had were brutally hard


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## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

stunning work as usual


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

badly_dubbed said:


> you will need to send me a link to what felt tips you use
> 
> the bobs i had were brutally hard


It's just the ones in the kit we have mate, I'll go look through google images and come back in a minute...

*Edit*

Here we go, similair to this:


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

awesome cheers for that

the ones i have are so hard you could hammer them into wood...

those look like they have a bit flex on them


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## shabba (Sep 28, 2008)

Awesome work guys! top results for the time given were 12 hours, amazing!


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## Pert (Sep 7, 2009)

Fantastic results there. :thumb:


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Great little tickle Clark :thumb:, very stealth indeed....


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## baseballlover1 (Sep 25, 2007)

Clark said:


> We actually ended up using sanding discs as the pipes were really bad on the bottoms. We still couldnt get them 100% but it was alot better than before and we didnt have much to lose really...
> 
> These are what I use quite alot:


Is that a metal wire? do you use that in conjunction with the polishes? Have you thought about stockingg them? 

,dan


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## Ultimate Shine (Jun 3, 2008)

nice work man i wish i could do the gumball in a lambo and have it wraped with camo. A few more details maybe

Great finish and using the combo :buffer:Green Gloss It and 205:buffer: :thumb::thumb:


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## dsms (Feb 1, 2008)

Serious blackness, car looks great Clark, top work!


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## wallzyuk (May 29, 2007)

Good stuff. Brilliant write ups mate.


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

*Excellent result for a 1 day detail.* :thumb::thumb::thumb:


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## andrewst500 (Nov 2, 2008)

as always fantastic work


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## farz020589 (Oct 3, 2008)

seen this car a good few times in inverurie now good work for one day.


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## paranoid73 (Aug 5, 2009)

Fantastic work for such a small amount of time :thumb:


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## mccalia1 (Mar 1, 2008)

You mentioned the inner rims were dry of paint and were a bit rough so they only came up around 90%.

If the car was in for longer than a day OR if it was Ne Ulta Plus detail, what would you have done to achieve a 100% clean....would it have been possible?

Excellent turnaround for a 1 day detail :thumb:


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Cracking job. Nice to see a few honest photos after semi correction. The car still looked brand new after :thumb:


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## [email protected] (Jan 9, 2006)

what a transformation even without correction work, awesome


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Looks awesome guys.:thumb:

One of the few cars in solid black when trying to correct thats almost reduced me to tears.:lol:


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## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

Nice motor, and a nice tidy up.


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## remonrace (Jan 13, 2009)

Massive improvement, I didn't even know Lambos could get that dirty


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## Deeg (Mar 30, 2009)

Amazing work.

I was lucky enough to see this in the flesh yesterday when I nipped in past and it looks awesome!!!


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Amazing transformation in a day there, Clark :thumb:

And what a great finish despite it not getting the 'full monte' treatment - it still looks absolutely superb :argie:


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## StuaR32t (Jun 6, 2009)

Nice one:thumb:

was gonna ask about the dremel bits but you've answered all my questions already! 
got a cheapo dremel bit set from B&Q for like less that 20 quid its got everything!! which metal polish that you used would you say was the coarser??

Stu


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## col85 (Jan 28, 2009)

nice to see a lambo being used properley, was the wrap he had for the gumball. Im sure a remember a camo lambo


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

very nice work there


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

http://www.motorcities.com/media/images/640/06E7E390113553B.jpeg

is this it in camo guise?


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## clcollins (Jul 30, 2007)

Great work as always, do you do anything with the mould on the door, if not what plans are there for treating it?

PS. Where's this NE Plus Ultra write up you mentioned weeeeeeeeks ago?


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## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Great work as usual Clark :thumb:

Mario


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## TCD (Jan 27, 2009)

Dream car & good job mate!


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## pjboy123 (Dec 6, 2008)

fantastic job on a fantastic car well done


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Looks fantastic, as always mate! :thumb:

Love how the exhausts turned out!!


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## Frothey (Apr 30, 2007)

Great work (again) Clark - just goes to show you can do great work with "just" a light polish.


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## karburn (Feb 1, 2008)

Impeccable as always!! Batman was undoubtedly pleased. Your posts are indeed inspiring. :thumb: I forgot all about the full Dremel set that I have stashed away in the garage. I also just received my Meg's 105/205 polishes yesterday, and now I can't wait to tackle my old swirly Benz.


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## Perfection Detailing (Nov 3, 2007)

Very nice Clark great pics as well:thumb:


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## final-spin (Feb 8, 2009)

if carlsberg did detailing......

you guys have to be best in the uk...

take a bow clark and co...


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Holy amazing 1 day transformation Batman :lol:

very impressive long day of work :thumb:


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## GIZTO29 (May 8, 2009)

final-spin said:


> if carlsberg did detailing......
> 
> you guys have to be best in the uk...
> 
> take a bow clark and co...


Agreed! Amazing!:thumb:


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## Black Widow (Apr 6, 2009)

Great work (as always) :wave:


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## cheffi (Apr 12, 2008)

poooorn!


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Top work as ever - that mould was not nice :thumb:


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## MoggyTech (Feb 28, 2009)

Amazing results on such a quick turnround :thumb:


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## cazz1000 (Oct 8, 2008)

mate were did you get that ground sheet cover thing???????


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## Planet Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Amazing results mate:thumb: In just 12 hours as well:doublesho


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## Phil1971 (Sep 3, 2007)

Breathtaking results even without a 'full correction'.

As said before, the Polished Bliss posts are truely inspiring :thumb:


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

love all your posts Clark the work takes the bar to a new level


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## Bluetacker (Feb 6, 2009)

Great work...car is looking awesome! :thumb:


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## Thomas-182 (Mar 5, 2006)

Wow, bet the customer was over the moon, what a difference!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Thanks guys!



mccalia1 said:


> You mentioned the inner rims were dry of paint and were a bit rough so they only came up around 90%.
> 
> If the car was in for longer than a day OR if it was Ne Ulta Plus detail, what would you have done to achieve a 100% clean....would it have been possible?
> 
> Excellent turnaround for a 1 day detail :thumb:


The wheels basically were as clean as they were going to be and there's not much else you could do in all honesty mate. Part of the owners business specializes in powder coating so i'm sure he can rectify this if he feels the need 



badly_dubbed said:


> http://www.motorcities.com/media/images/640/06E7E390113553B.jpeg
> 
> is this it in camo guise?


I'm 99% sure that's it yes :thumb:



clcollins said:


> Great work as always, do you do anything with the mould on the door, if not what plans are there for treating it?
> 
> PS. Where's this NE Plus Ultra write up you mentioned weeeeeeeeks ago?


You obviously never read the whole thing did you?  Everything was wiped down with APC and then the Raceglaze Bacterial Wipe product to prevent the mould coming back.

As for the NE Plus Ultra - it is coming but we now have no idea of when as there's just too much to do at the moment and there's over 10 hours of HD footage to go through let alone the 800+ pics :doublesho



cazz1000 said:


> mate were did you get that ground sheet cover thing???????


Here: http://www.morclean.com/mobile-floor.html


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## mattjonescardiff (Dec 12, 2006)

Good to see that mould removed!

Great Detail as always Clark.


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## Ali (Apr 5, 2006)

Great work, prefer Keith's bus on silver wheels tho! Was sold to Shoefi for about a month then he bought it back!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Ali said:


> Great work, prefer Keith's bus on silver wheels tho! Was sold to Shoefi for about a month then he bought it back!


You're entitled to your opinion mate, but you're wrong - the black wheels looks mean


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## Keith CSL (Aug 16, 2006)

Thanks again to Clark and everyone at Polished Bliss. 

Fantastic job yet again, you deserve all the praise rightly given in this thread. :thumb:

Not driven the car since :doublesho


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## edthedrummer (May 30, 2007)

Clark, the felt bobs you use for the exhaust tips, do you wash them and reuse them? They go black very quickly no?


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Keith CSL said:


> Thanks again to Clark and everyone at Polished Bliss.
> 
> Fantastic job yet again, you deserve all the praise rightly given in this thread. :thumb:
> 
> Not driven the car since :doublesho


Cheers Keith - but get the bloody thing driven, it sounds too good to be sat still! 



edthedrummer said:


> Clark, the felt bobs you use for the exhaust tips, do you wash them and reuse them? They go black very quickly no?


They go black but they can still be used without any problems


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## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

Nice work Clark............ whens the decals going on?!!

Loving the black wheels!!

:thumb:


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## Culainn (Sep 2, 2009)

Fantastic work as always. Always surpassing the standard by a mile.


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## Ali (Apr 5, 2006)

Clark said:


> You're entitled to your opinion mate, but you're wrong - the black wheels looks mean


HA! Plenty from you!


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## FALCONGTHO (Apr 7, 2007)

Nice work man....To see the Lambo go through its quick stages made me smile..
Black is *****in when its clean...


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## Chris424 (Dec 5, 2007)

That is stunning! I love your posts


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## ben1988 (Jan 28, 2009)

thats a amazing finish your cars always come out the best i think your attention to detail is out of this world


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## sidekickdmr (Nov 14, 2007)

Awsome Job, Awsome car

loving the stelth look


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## Stew (Jul 9, 2007)

Rumour has it that this one has even been washed by the owner! I'll believe it when I see it! :lol::lol:

Nice work as always Clark.


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## Keith CSL (Aug 16, 2006)

You better believe it! It may even be dried properly.......


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## RP john (Aug 1, 2009)

totally awsome !!!!!


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## Stew (Jul 9, 2007)

Keith CSL said:


> You better believe it! It may even be dried properly.......


I want a shot of that Keith!


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Missed this thread previously, another great job there Clark, well done, looks amazing just for that polish up


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## GSVHammer (Feb 7, 2009)

Stunning results!


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Keith CSL said:


> You better believe it! It may even be dried properly.......


Have you used it yet??



ALANSHR said:


> Missed this thread previously, another great job there Clark, well done, looks amazing just for that polish up


Thanks Alan!


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## scottgm (Dec 27, 2009)

Such a Stealth looking car!!


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## chimpy88 (Oct 2, 2009)

Yet again another top quality post


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## Keith CSL (Aug 16, 2006)




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## Piratez (Jun 28, 2008)

Excellent job Mr Clark :wave:


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## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Keith CSL said:


>


Lol, break yo'self fool!


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## Keith CSL (Aug 16, 2006)

knew you would love that


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## Chris CPT (Dec 16, 2009)

Awesome job. The car looks excellent:thumb:


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Nice tidy-up the car looks great!:thumb:


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## -Aid- (Nov 28, 2009)

other perfect finsh.


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