# Black Range Rover Evoque Enhancement Detail



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Hi Guys,

This is probably my final write up of 2014 so I'd like to start by saying a Merry Christmas to all of you, and thanks for reading my humble write ups this year. This car belongs to a friend of a very close friend who asked me to have a look at this recent purchase. It's a lovely car, very nicely specced but the previous owner didn't look after the paint too well. Being very soft Land Rover Santorini Black, it's always going to be difficult to look after.

Early Saturday morning it looked like this... Pretty dirty and in need of a good bath...

















So as always, I started with the wheels... Sprayed with Wolf's Deironizer v4 and left to dwell whilst I sorted out my pressure washer and filled buckets. The wheel bucket was filled with the new Auto Finesse Wheel Soap. After 10mins or so, the wheels were agitated with various tools...



Next, tyres and arches were sprayed with Megs Super Degreaser and agitated with appropriate brushes...



Once rinsed we had reasonably clean looking wheels...



It became apparent that the previous owner has had them refurbished in a strange black with a hint of blue. The owner pointed this out to me and said he may well have it rectified as he wasn't a big fan...

Next up, the car was foamed using ValetPro Advanced Neutral Snow Foam. I never like using a very thick dilution as I find it's a bugger to rinse, this consistency is about the perfect blend of dwell time, and effectiveness IMO...



Whilst the foam was dwelling, I attacked the intricate parts with AF Verso and an Envy brush...





All door/boot/bonnet shuts treated too...



After rinsing the foam, the car was washed using Britemax CleanMAX and a Microfiber Madness Incredimitt...



A Carbon Collective Exfoli-Mitt was then used to remove any remaining contamination. It didn't feel as though there was much, but it's always a worthwhile step...



Clearly no protection on the paint!



The car was then taken inside and dried with various towels and the Aeolus warm air dryer...



A quick look under the lights shows loads of marring from the Exfoli-Mitt, but other than that it wasn't too bad... Looked worse than it actually was.



Always a nightmare on the Range Rovers, the softest black A/B/C pillars around...











Paint readings taken... Pretty normal I think, although at around 100 microns at the lowest point suggested there may have been a polisher at it before...



A test set on the rear door using the rotary with a black Dodo FIN pad and Scholl S40 did OK, but I stepped up to Menz 203S for a tiny bit extra bite. This combo sorted it perfectly whilst also finishing down well so for a single stage, it was exactly what I wanted to achieve.







Panels were wiped down with Gyeon Prep after each set to ensure true correction...



Starting to look nice and glossy...



You may also notice that I'd taken a slight break from polishing to dress the tyres. A new product for me, Car Skin Rubber.... Nice finish!



Arches were also dressed with Wax-Tec Mint Dress but I don't have a pic...



Paint wasn't perfect but it was pretty decent for a single stage...





Once all the paint had been polished, it was given a further wipedown with Gyeon Prep before protecting using Sonax Hybrid NPT followed by a coat of CarPro Reload... Great combo this...



Glass was cleaned with AF Crystal and the windscreen sealed using Dodo Supernatural Glass Sealant...



Interior was hoovered, wiped down with CG Inner Clean before dressing using Wolf's Silk Milk. All exterior plastic was dressed using AF Revive...



Engine bay dressed using Wax-Tec Mint Dress and then it was given a final buff before the after pics. I'm afraid it was dark outside after I'd finished so inside pics will have to do...





















Plates refitted and ready for the owner to come and collect it...





Thanks very much for reading, and I hope everyone enjoys their Christmas and New Year!

All The Best
Jon :thumb:


----------



## sneaky! (Jan 19, 2007)

Great work and write up as always  Happy Holidays as well Jon!


----------



## gibbo555 (May 3, 2011)

Brilliant as usual Jon, we have the same tastes in products I always notice in your posts :thumb: best spec for these evogues in my opinion, anything else looks a bit, dare I say it, hairdresserish.


----------



## Kash-Jnr (Mar 24, 2013)

Great write up as usual Jon!
I've used the CC clay mitt as well, found it way too harsh and the marring you have looks exactly like what I had. Which is good cause I thought I might have had the wrong technique. Awful product imo as I've used a CarPro clay cloth and its a lot smoother.


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Kash-Jnr said:


> Great write up as usual Jon!
> I've used the CC clay mitt as well, found it way too harsh and the marring you have looks exactly like what I had. Which is good cause I thought I might have had the wrong technique. Awful product imo as I've used a CarPro clay cloth and its a lot smoother.


Interesting to read that actually Kash. It's about the 5-6th time I've used it and this is by far the worst the marring has been. I quite like it and I love the speed you can get round the car, but I may well try another brand next time round.


----------



## gibbo555 (May 3, 2011)

Kash-Jnr said:


> Great write up as usual Jon!
> I've used the CC clay mitt as well, found it way too harsh and the marring you have looks exactly like what I had. Which is good cause I thought I might have had the wrong technique. Awful product imo as I've used a CarPro clay cloth and its a lot smoother.


I've found the G3 clay mitt does this as well, I use AS version, I get on with it the best.


----------



## MEH4N (Mar 15, 2012)

Great work Jon, you've made that look lovely.


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

MEH4N said:


> Great work Jon, you've made that look lovely.


Thanks Rav! :thumb:


----------



## stumpy90 (May 13, 2014)

Bet your guy was mega pleased with that! Great job.


----------



## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

No surprises here that its yet another great write up and cracking work Jon!


----------



## ocdetailer (Apr 9, 2014)

Impressive improvement for an enhancement, benefits of soft paint. Even under those harsh lights it looks deep and glossy


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> No surprises here that its yet another great write up and cracking work Jon!


Thanks Jonny, to be honest I very nearly rang you when I was doing it. I'd left myself well short on Glass sealant but luckily a work colleague sorted me out at short notice!


----------



## Ghorrocks (Jan 27, 2014)

Great job


----------



## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> Thanks Jonny, to be honest I very nearly rang you when I was doing it. I'd left myself well short on Glass sealant but luckily a work colleague sorted me out at short notice!


Always here to help out mate if im about.

I was actually around our way this weekend and not over the water at Sams.

Still need to come and get that Ultra Glaze sample too to try out in the new year.

Looking like the vixxer will be going middle of the year too so will have a new car detail I might need a hand on towards the second half of the year


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Always here to help out mate if im about.
> 
> I was actually around our way this weekend and not over the water at Sams.
> 
> ...


Cheers mate, not *** anything on for a while but I'll bear that in mind.

VXR... Going?! Didn't think I'd ever see that one coming! Any thoughts on what you might replace it with? Whatever it is it's *** big boots to fill!


----------



## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> Cheers mate, not *** anything on for a while but I'll bear that in mind.
> 
> VXR... Going?! Didn't think I'd ever see that one coming! Any thoughts on what you might replace it with? Whatever it is it's *** big boots to fill!


Yeah mate, neither did I but because I get a car allowance in work, we all have to abide by new rules being put into force by the company with a major one being emissions!

Limited to 120kg so anything hot hatch or powerful e is out of the window for now unfortunately 

really fallen for Audi A1's, although abit on the small side, there is only me and sam at the min so don't need a big car per se.

1.4 tfsi turbo has 150 hp which is quite unlockable with maps etc so that's what im swaying towards at the min in Daytona grey S Line clothing

Nice small car to detail too which should save me abit of time at weekends haha


----------



## waxtrucker (Mar 21, 2014)

Exellent work and Merry Christmas


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Yeah mate, neither did I but because I get a car allowance in work, we all have to abide by new rules being put into force by the company with a major one being emissions!
> 
> Limited to 120kg so anything hot hatch or powerful e is out of the window for now unfortunately
> 
> ...


I must admit I do like those myself. Have a go in an S-Tronic one, nice little pocket rocket if you can unleash a few more ponies.


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

waxtrucker said:


> Exellent work and Merry Christmas


Thank you my friend, Merry Christmas to you too.


----------



## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

JBirchy said:


> I must admit I do like those myself. Have a go in an S-Tronic one, nice little pocket rocket if you can unleash a few more ponies.


Test drove on the other week and was impressed by its handling and acceleration for only a 122 hp engine.

Faceleift one due out in April and the engine has been boosted to 150 so should keep me occupied.

Thought if I cant step up in power and engine size then I will step up in marque haha


----------



## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Very nice job:thumb:


----------



## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

Nice write up, the car looks excellent. don't Suppose you have any advice for the black abc pillars, the Mini has them front and back and improved on them but seen people get better results


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Christian6984 said:


> Nice write up, the car looks excellent. don't Suppose you have any advice for the black abc pillars, the Mini has them front and back and improved on them but seen people get better results


Yes I've done a few now, all I can recommend is to take it very slowly. You really don't want to get any heat into them so perform multiple sets, slow as poss and very light abrasives.

Here's about the best I've got on a proper Range Rover...


----------



## GJH0702 (Oct 21, 2011)

Great work Jon


----------



## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

JBirchy said:


> Yes I've done a few now, all I can recommend is to take it very slowly. You really don't want to get any heat into them so perform multiple sets, slow as poss and very light abrasives.
> 
> Here's about the best I've got on a proper Range Rover...


Thank you, id searched the forum at the time i was polishing the car but didnt come up with much, i made an improvement safe to say going carefully. Although Before i started under the brinkmann they were not a pretty sight


----------



## Wout_RS (Jun 13, 2012)

Great work and write-up as usual Jon!

Have a nice christmas and a happy new year!
May 2015 even be a greater detailing year!

Looking forward for the next write-ups then


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Wout_RS said:


> Great work and write-up as usual Jon!
> 
> Have a nice christmas and a happy new year!
> May 2015 even be a greater detailing year!
> ...


Thanks Wout, very kind of you. Enjoy your Christmas! :thumb:


----------



## Supermario (Jul 8, 2014)

Nice write up Jon.

Am I right in assuming Gyeon Prep was used in place of an IPA wipe down?


----------



## jam3s (Nov 25, 2010)

Nice write up


----------



## bazz (May 15, 2007)

great job and looks much better and more glossey.
hope the owner was happy with the results


----------



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Supermario said:


> Nice write up Jon.
> 
> Am I right in assuming Gyeon Prep was used in place of an IPA wipe down?


Yes thats correct buddy. I don't know for sure, but I think PREP is very much IPA but with added degreasers so it gives an even cleaner surface that using IPA on its own.


----------

