# Mitsubishi Evolution V - Zaino Enhancement Detail



## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

This recently imported EvolutionV was very clean and well presented but the paintwork was very dry, easily marked and lacking clarity and gloss. It was booked in for our Enhancement Detail package and protected with Zaino.

A few befores of the car shortly after being dropped off:


DSC08320 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08323 by RussZS, on Flickr

The owner also requested that a number of the stickers were removed including the Mitsubishi logo on the opposing ends of the spoiler:


DSC08324 by RussZS, on Flickr

We began with the wheels, tyres, arches and calipers.

Initially Auto Finesse Imperial was liberally applied to the wheels, left to work then pressure rinsed to remove as much of the dirt/dust as possible before making physical contact with the wheels:


DSC08326 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08325 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08327 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next Imperial was reapplied then worked with various brushes. G101 was used on the tyres and arches:


DSC08329 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08331 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08334 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08335 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08336 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08337 by RussZS, on Flickr

This was followed with a high pressure rinse then IronX was used on the wheels and arches to safely remove any fallout and brake dust present:


DSC08338 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08339 by RussZS, on Flickr

The wheels were then given a final rinse. Next we snow foamed the car:


DSC08342 by RussZS, on Flickr

and worked around the car with G101 and detailing brushes to clean the more intricate parts where a mitt cannot easily reach/clean:


DSC08344 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08346 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08347 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08348 by RussZS, on Flickr

Then the car was rinsed again and hand washed with Zaino's Z7 Car Shampoo:


DSC08350 by RussZS, on Flickr

After washing and rinsing the car was safely decontaminated using IronX for the fallout and Tardis for tar removal, then moved inside and clayed to remove any remaining contamination such as tree sap:


DSC08351 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08357 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08362 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08365 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08366 by RussZS, on Flickr

Next the Evo was safely dried with CG Wooly Mammoth Drying Towels and Aeolus 901x blower. After this we turned our attention to the stickers which required removal:


DSC08367 by RussZS, on Flickr

Heated gently with a hair dryer:


DSC08368 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08369 by RussZS, on Flickr

Then Tardis and tissue was left to soak for a short while, which safely and easily removed the remaining residue:


DSC08370 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08371 by RussZS, on Flickr

This left a slight outline of the logo but this would be addressed later when the paintwork is polished.

This process was repeated on the other stickers:


DSC08374 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08378 by RussZS, on Flickr

The Lancer and Evolution badges will also need removing and replacing in the future as it had been debadged previously but the new badges were reapplied over the old glue residue leaving a less than perfect badge presentation wise.

Next the thickness of the paintwork was assessed and as expected it was particularly thin:


DSC08380 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08379 by RussZS, on Flickr

The lowest reading we found was 69.1! We decided to proceed with caution on the areas with the lowest readings and it was also apparent that the bonnet and bootlid had been polished before based on the hologramming present on the paintwork.

Many combinations were tested before finding one which allowed a good level of safe correction within the given timescales but also finished down well to avoid hologramming. Some correction shots:


DSC08384 by RussZS, on Flickr

Before:


DSC08392 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC08393 by RussZS, on Flickr

Quite apparent difference in colour:


DSC08395 by RussZS, on Flickr

Before:


DSC08399 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC08401 by RussZS, on Flickr

Passenger door colour difference 50/50:


DSC08406 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08407 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08408 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08412 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08413 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08418 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08419 by RussZS, on Flickr

Mitsubishi logo fully removed:


DSC08426 by RussZS, on Flickr

The exhaust was polished by hand with Auto Finesse's Mercury Metal Polish:

Before:


DSC08434 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:


DSC08437 by RussZS, on Flickr

We finished with an Eraser wipedown followed by a layer of Zaino Z2 and Z8 final wipedown.

Some afters:


DSC08458 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08459 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08463 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08467 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08469 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08472 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08473 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08474 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08476 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08488 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08489 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08491 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08498 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08500 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08501 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08503 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08505 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC08507 by RussZS, on Flickr

Thanks for taking the time to read this write up and we welcome your comments and feedback.


DSC08513 by RussZS, on Flickr

Russ.


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

Cracking as always me lad


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## Derekh929 (Aug 28, 2011)

Russ looks great know really slick finish with Zaino well did you like it? Have you seen the new 1 series performance edition £29k with nearly 1m performance and the looks are growing on me


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Very nice work as always man :thumb:


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## JakeWhite (Oct 14, 2011)

Very sharp! Cracking work as always russ


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## Alzak (Aug 31, 2010)

Great job as always Russ not best colour to work on


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## deni2 (May 4, 2011)

Well done, car is perfect. Reflection shots are amazing, :thumb:.


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Looks mega Russ, great job, especially due to the thin readings! What was your chosen route with the polish/pad combo?


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

Fantastic work Russ.


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## Zetec-al (Feb 28, 2011)

Great work russ!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thanks all 

I'll answer the specific questions tonight when I'm in front of a PC. 

Russ.


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## TubbyTwo (Apr 14, 2011)

Great turnaround.


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## DetailMyCar (Apr 19, 2010)

Good job again Russ, Zaino always looks great on light colours like that!!!

I still have a huge soft spot for these, I owned an Icelle Blue Evo 6 back in 2004 and it was one of the most fun yet ridiculous cars I've ever driven.










Looks great though, good job! :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job there matey :thumb:


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

Cracking work Russ


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## Tuddie (Aug 14, 2010)

Beautiful car!! excellent job mate.


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## Grahamwm (Apr 10, 2012)

Great job as ever, what sort time scale of durability would that zaino combo give?


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Great work,the finish is amazing:thumb:


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## Marky-G-66 (May 31, 2012)

Nice work on the evo Russ:thumb:
I`ve got a white car myself now and i always look forward to your posts especially if you`re doing a white one... to see what you`re using... In fact i bought the entire Zaino collection based on this... so i blame you for my ever shrinking wallet:thumb:


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## moosh (May 8, 2011)

Cracking job! These things dnt have much paint to play with at all :buffer:


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## ianFRST (Sep 19, 2006)

awesome 

would love to own one, nearly got one before the ST, but insurance was a bit of a killer (£1290) back then, i bet its even more now :lol:


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

Fantastic work!


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## lisaclio (Sep 6, 2008)

nice work as always


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## ted11 (Jul 8, 2011)

Always a pleasure to look at your work.


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## Jord (Apr 3, 2012)

Stunning work yet again Russ.

These cars look so damn tough, love it!


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## ckeir.02mh (Jan 5, 2012)

Can't beat a white evo.

Good job Russ as always mate.

Chris.


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## leemckenna (Oct 11, 2011)

great work russ


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## Herby (Oct 2, 2009)

Indoor shots look stunning. Great work


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

Lovely job once again Russ:buffer: thanks for sharing


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## BolgOfTheNorth (Dec 19, 2011)

Looks fantastic, always amazes me what a difference polishing can make to the colour of white cars.


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## goodyuk82 (May 12, 2011)

Nice 50/50 transformation, excellent finish.


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## Michael_McL (Aug 25, 2011)

Great reflections for a white car!


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## rookie7 (Mar 9, 2011)

Nice that :thumb:let us know what pad and polish combo was


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## david_pupu (Sep 19, 2011)

i hope that became my ride someday ^_^


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## Socal Brian (Dec 4, 2011)

magnificent work Russ! I've got a white car as well and always interested in what works to bring out the best look!


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## Wout_RS (Jun 13, 2012)

damn what a beautifull evo! never liked the older one's. but this one is so damn nice!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thank you all for the very kind words 

The Z2/Z8 normally gives a strong 4-6 months I find. Great product for looks and durability.


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## Bkjames (Sep 13, 2006)

Looks awesome mate :thumb:


Brian


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Sorry that I'm only just replying properly...



Concours Car Care said:


> Cracking as always me lad


Thanks Lee 



Derekh929 said:


> Russ looks great know really slick finish with Zaino well did you like it? Have you seen the new 1 series performance edition £29k with nearly 1m performance and the looks are growing on me


Yeah Derek not keen on the styling of the newer model though! Maybe the coupe will look better!! Thank you 



AaronGTi said:


> Very nice work as always man :thumb:


Thanks mate 



JakeWhite said:


> Very sharp! Cracking work as always russ


Cheers Jake!



Alzak said:


> Great job as always Russ not best colour to work on


Indeed Albert, definitely looking a lot better afterwards though.



deni2 said:


> Well done, car is perfect. Reflection shots are amazing, :thumb:.


Thank you as always 



JBirchy said:


> Looks mega Russ, great job, especially due to the thin readings! What was your chosen route with the polish/pad combo?


Megs 101 then 205 on this one. Although thin, it was surprisingly hard and very oxidised. Thank you for the kind words 



Scrim-1- said:


> Fantastic work Russ.


Thanks 



Zetec-al said:


> Great work russ!


Cheers :thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

TubbyTwo said:


> Great turnaround.


Thank you 



DetailMyCar said:


> Good job again Russ, Zaino always looks great on light colours like that!!!
> 
> I still have a huge soft spot for these, I owned an Icelle Blue Evo 6 back in 2004 and it was one of the most fun yet ridiculous cars I've ever driven.
> 
> ...


Thanks mate!! I didn't know that you had a 6 - looks great!!! How long did you keep it for?

Zaino is great on white, it's all I seem to use now along with Tough Coat.



DMH-01 said:


> Great job there matey :thumb:


Thanks as always 



North east Car Care said:


> Cracking work Russ


Thanks Shaun, appreciated :thumb:



steven.vanessa said:


> Beautiful car!! excellent job mate.


Thank you 



Grahamwm said:


> Great job as ever, what sort time scale of durability would that zaino combo give?


Cheers  Around 4-6 months typically. Adding ZFX and getting down 3 layers will see this increase further.



tonyy said:


> Great work,the finish is amazing:thumb:


Thanks as always 



Marky-G-66 said:


> Nice work on the evo Russ:thumb:
> I`ve got a white car myself now and i always look forward to your posts especially if you`re doing a white one... to see what you`re using... In fact i bought the entire Zaino collection based on this... so i blame you for my ever shrinking wallet:thumb:


Oops sorry!! 

Zaino will look superb on your S2000! I look forward to the write up 



moosh said:


> Cracking job! These things dnt have much paint to play with at all :buffer:


Indeed, a bit un-nerving at times so I had to tread carefully, especially on the bonnet and bootlid (which was so low that I did by hand).



ianFRST said:


> awesome
> 
> would love to own one, nearly got one before the ST, but insurance was a bit of a killer (£1290) back then, i bet its even more now :lol:


Get rid of your garage queen and get one bought then 



Bill58 said:


> Fantastic work!


Thank you 



lisaclio said:


> nice work as always


Thanks!!



ted11 said:


> Always a pleasure to look at your work.


Thank you as always Ted, appreciated 



Jord said:


> Stunning work yet again Russ.
> 
> These cars look so damn tough, love it!


Cheers and totally - I love them!!



ckeir.02mh said:


> Can't beat a white evo.
> 
> Good job Russ as always mate.
> 
> Chris.


Thanks 



leemckenna said:


> great work russ


Thanks Lee!!



Herby said:


> Indoor shots look stunning. Great work


Thanks 



bigslippy said:


> Lovely job once again Russ:buffer: thanks for sharing


Cheers :thumb:



BolgOfTheNorth said:


> Looks fantastic, always amazes me what a difference polishing can make to the colour of white cars.


Yeah definitely, especially on older cars!! Thank you 



goodyuk82 said:


> Nice 50/50 transformation, excellent finish.


Appreciated 



Michael_McL said:


> Great reflections for a white car!


Cheers :thumb:



rookie7 said:


> Nice that :thumb:let us know what pad and polish combo was


As above 101 and 205 with 3M Waffle Pads  Thanks 



david_pupu said:


> i hope that became my ride someday ^_^


They must be awesome fun to own!!



Socal Brian said:


> magnificent work Russ! I've got a white car as well and always interested in what works to bring out the best look!


What do you use on yours at the mo? Thank you! 



Wout_RS said:


> damn what a beautifull evo! never liked the older one's. but this one is so damn nice!


Agree and it was a challenging car but the owner was delighted so as always, very rewarding!


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## -Raven- (Aug 26, 2010)

Nice one Russ! Looks you certainly brought the gloss back on that one mate! :thumb: 

Good call by the owner to get those stickers removed too!


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## Socal Brian (Dec 4, 2011)

Originally Posted by Socal Brian 
magnificent work Russ! I've got a white car as well and always interested in what works to bring out the best look! 

What do you use on yours at the mo? Thank you! 

Klasse at the moment. Want to try something else next maybe Werkstat or Autofinesse tough prep and power seal.


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## Giobart (Mar 23, 2011)

Nice Job Russ!! 
She had very low thicknesses!


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## Mumbles (Nov 7, 2011)

Great result! Love how glossy it looks!


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Thank you all - really appreciated.

Russ.


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