# Polished Bliss: Aston Martin DB9



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

This was the second detail of the week after completing a minor correction on a 997 C4S on Monday and Tues 

*Car*:





































*Service Option:* 3 day Major Paint Correction Detail.

The owner had travelled all the way up from Glasgow so it was no real surprise to find the car was quite grubby upon its arrival, so an extra generous helping of APC in the foam lance (60 degrees) was used to try and remove as much dirt and grime as possible:










This was left to dwell for 5 minutes before foaming again and then rinsing at high pressure (again at 60 degrees):










The hot water pressure washer comes into its own in these times - not much dirt left on the paint now 



















The wheels and tyres were cleaned with Blackfire's wheel and tyre cleaner (menzerna 7.5 replacement), then Autosmart Tardis followed by Megs Super degreaser in the arches:










The engine bay was rinsed at medium pressure after being soaked with Super degreaser:



















All the exterior trim and shuts were cleaned with APC and a slide lock brush before I then washed the car with the 2BM and Meguiars Shampoo Plus:










Tardis was used again to remove some minor tar spots along the lower half of the car and arch lips and I then put the car inside for claying.

Meguiars Quick Clay was used as there wasn't a huge amount of contamination present as you can see from the (out of focus ) pic:










Once dried off I took paint readings which showed everything on the car was original except for an area on the o/s rear quarter which had been blown in. The paint readings were anything from 65 to 150 microns but the composite gauge was able to split the layers nicely and I found that I still had decent (and safe) levels of clear to play with even on the low areas.

Now time to inspect the paintwork...










buffer trails:



















Micro marring from a sanding disc used by machine:



















More micro marring:
































































And here you can see where the rear arch has been blown in:



















So overall the paint was in a pretty poor state of affairs, with pretty much every panel showing signs of sanding haze not properly polished out and some areas not even polished at all. As the paint was all original I can only assume this was due to the prep done by Aston Martin themselves as I have seen similair examples on various detailing forums before and have heard of new car prep problems of this sort...

*Correction*:

After a quick play about with polish and pad combinations I settled on a mix of Menzerna 3.02 and 3M Fast Cut Plus with a Meguiars Cutting Pad:










This achieved the desired result with some areas needing 2 hits:










The smaller areas were cut in with 4" and 3.5" pads throughout the detail:










Some more correction shots in no particular order:

*Before*:



















*After*:



















Rear quarter which had been blown in:

*50/50*:










*completed*:










*50/50* on top of rear quarter:










*Before*:










*After*:










*Before*:










*After*:










This 50/50 shows how much clarity you lose in the paint from all the micro marring:



















The lower lips on the doors were done with the smaller pads:

*Before*:










*After*:










*Before*:










*After*:



















The back bumper took a bit of extra effort where the worst of the micro marring was:

*Before*:










*After*:










Top of back bumper before:










*After*:



















*Before*:










*After*:










Once all the correction work was completed I then refined the paint further with Menzerna PO85 RE5 and a Meguiars finishing pad. This stage alone took well over 7 hours to do properly.

The flake really started to show through the nicely prepped surface though...










A lambs wool duster was used to remove all traces of polishing dust and the paint was then given a thorough wipe down with Top Inspection to remove any remaining oils.

A classy car needs a classy wax so Vintage was applied by applicator pad to the whole car and then buffed off after 10 minutes, meanwhile Marsha had sealed the wheels (Blackfire Metal Sealant), dressed the tyres (Gloss-It) and polished the tailpipes (Megs NXT).

This was the interior process:

- Thoroughly hoovered
- APC wipe down
- Glass cleaned with Eimann Fabrik
- Leather fed with Raceglaze Leather Balm
- Shuts waxed with Vintage





































The engine was dressed with Aerospace 303 and the underside of the bonnet was wiped down with Gloss-It QD:



















And here are the obligatory Sun Gun shots to show the final finish. I should point out that these were taken before the final wipe down so there are some smears from the Vintage in a couple of the pics 
















































































































































































































And here's the ones Rich took with his SLR 



































































































































































Total Work Time: *33 Hours*.

Thanks for taking the time to read as always :thumb:


----------



## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

fantastic work Clark


----------



## mattm (Jun 1, 2007)

Amazing work as usual Clark. :thumb:

I bet the owner was gutted that he had to drive it home back though all the salt! :wall:


----------



## KleenChris (Apr 4, 2008)

Crackin' work and lovely motor :thumb:

You worked so hard on the car that you have torn your jeans


----------



## Exclusive Car Care (Jan 14, 2007)

excellent work as per usual mate


----------



## DieselMDX (Apr 18, 2007)

awesome work and great pics


----------



## Eddy (Apr 13, 2008)

Probably one of my top 10 fav cars. stunning work and what a turn-around. :thumb:


----------



## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

cracking job! my favourite car ever!

Also, I see you don't have OCD quite like me. The car is facing the wrong way on the mat outdoors. Noticed other details you've done cars face other way.

I always have to have cars drive on my drive forward LMAO. For some reason my bro once reversed on and I made him turn around :lol:


----------



## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

nice work it looks brilliant


----------



## Jakedoodles (Jan 16, 2006)

Awesome work Clark. I love doing Astons - they are such beautiful cars. You've made that one ten times more beautiful.


----------



## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Car porn!! That looks so beautiful and now the paintwork looks flawless

Another top detail Clark. :thumb:


----------



## branter33 (Aug 23, 2007)

Superb work as usual :thumb:

On such a gorgeous car. :argie:


----------



## ryanuk (Jun 22, 2007)

very nice clark. looks ace.


----------



## jpmcc (Mar 3, 2007)

fantastic work. looks stunning


----------



## Finerdetails (Apr 30, 2006)

top work as always Clark, pick from rear drivers quarter does it for me


----------



## Auto Finesse (Jan 10, 2007)

As always, top class work


----------



## brucie (Apr 16, 2006)

Aweomse job again Clark!!



Mat @ SWS said:


> cracking job! my favourite car ever!
> 
> Also, I see you don't have OCD quite like me. The car is facing the wrong way on the mat outdoors. Noticed other details you've done cars face other way.
> 
> I always have to have cars drive on my drive forward LMAO. For some reason my bro once reversed on and I made him turn around :lol:


Hah, i actually thought something didn't look right in hte pictures of the wash process!!


----------



## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Another top job guys. Its a shame that he has to drive such a long way home. The paint has so much flake in it and you really brought it out.


----------



## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

It was the first thing I noticed. The DB9 does have a nice **** tho LMAO


----------



## remonrace (Jan 13, 2009)

Oh god, love your work!


----------



## Dixondmn (Oct 12, 2007)

simply stunning.- wow


----------



## jasonbarnes (Sep 10, 2008)

brilliiant work clark amazing car aswell love astons :thumb:


----------



## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Awesome job as per usual Clark :thumb:


----------



## Dan Clark (Jun 25, 2007)

What a beautiful turn around!!!


----------



## DPN (Jan 7, 2006)

Fantastic work :thumb:


----------



## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Cracking work as always mate.:thumb:

Did well to get that red arrow of the paint.



Clark said:


>


----------



## stuupnorth (May 30, 2006)

*wow*

WOW !!!
stunning as always :thumb:


----------



## Guest (Jan 31, 2009)

1 word as usual Clark. "STUNNING"

Paul


----------



## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Gleammachine said:


> Cracking work as always mate.:thumb:
> 
> Did well to get that red arrow of the paint.


your on form tonight mate.


----------



## scott170 (Nov 21, 2008)

WOW !!! Hard to believe top end dealers send there cars out like this , excellent turnaround clark :thumb:


----------



## farz020589 (Oct 3, 2008)

good work


----------



## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

superb work on a cracking car - great transformation.

Not sure about all the vignetting on the photos though - are you adding those in PS (looks like it) or do you have a filter or something that is causing it? Prefer your pics without it TBH


----------



## leo_jones (May 27, 2008)

nice one clark another great job to add to your portfolio!


----------



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

Stunning clarity in the finish!


----------



## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

Have I told you yet that your work makes me sick, Clark?  In this profession, you beat all these eyes have ever seen! No offense Rich, but I think your boots have been filled quite nicely .


----------



## chris l (Mar 5, 2007)

Top job as usual looks fantastic


----------



## Scud (Jun 30, 2006)

Yet another cracking jon there Clark, wont Rich let you try his Slr out then...


----------



## jeroens (Nov 24, 2008)

amazing job Clark!

How much pressure do you use when rinsing off the foam.

Wondering what would be safe to use on a car.... (think I might be a bit over cautious and should pump up the pressure...)


----------



## auto concierge (Nov 24, 2008)

*Aston DB9 Correction*

The level of consistant excellence in all your write ups is a breath of fresh air, I will look for any dirt or other flaws..... and there are always none even in the tines of the front grill which on that car are a P.I.T.A to clean.

In answering the one reply about top end dealers sending the car out this way every Aston I have detailed has had left over pigtail DA sand scratches in the finish, there are always problem areas around the rear decklid and the top of the doors near the glass trim and in the curves of the hood(bonnet).


----------



## prkprk1 (Dec 12, 2008)

Very nice - the rear 3/4 shots through the SLR are amazing!


----------



## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

Amazing work Clark. Interesting paint readings. I take care of a Vintage and when the owner picked up the car, he asked me to go with him to look over the paint. The manager claimed that ALL AMs have 11 layers of paint. 9 base and 2 clears. My readings are around 200mil on the Vintage.

:thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb:


----------



## dsms (Feb 1, 2008)

Your level of excellence is just outstanding Clark. The fact that you took the extra time to properly jewel (7hours) the finish shows your level of dedication. I always look forward to a PB write up and am never disappointed.


----------



## scott508 (Aug 23, 2007)

beautiful, thanks for doing another write up... i think people really appreciate the time you put into doing this for the forum.


----------



## Piratez (Jun 28, 2008)

Awesome :thumb::thumb::thumb:


----------



## TCD (Jan 27, 2009)

Really stunning mate!


----------



## Kadir (Jun 14, 2007)

Excellent stuff as ever.


----------



## Phil H (May 14, 2006)

truley amazing work! stunning photos


----------



## Reflection (Jan 27, 2009)

absolutely amazing!! love your work! a true inspiration!

what causes buffer trails, Micro marring etc etc... bad usage of machine, wrong pads, wrong pressure applied??


----------



## Waxamomo (Jun 18, 2008)

Stunning work and a level of work we all aspire too.

Your pictures are great but those Rich took with the SLR are just unbelievable, I think I need to buy myself one :lol:


----------



## banditbarron (Sep 1, 2007)

Excellent detail and informative write up
My money shot:


----------



## renocfc (Mar 25, 2008)

really impressed with that on such an amazing car, saw a aston vantage the other day that could of done with a good detail, brilliant job done there matey top marks


----------



## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Amazing work on a stunning car.


----------



## M9 RS (Feb 14, 2008)

seen this car in the flesh on friday when in picking up some products.the flake in the paint is crazy.total stunning turn around and well worth every hour put in.well done:thumb:


----------



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Scud said:


> Yet another cracking jon there Clark, wont Rich let you try his Slr out then...


Yeah he does but I just prefer him to take most of the afters as he can work it alot better than me 



jeroens said:


> amazing job Clark!
> 
> How much pressure do you use when rinsing off the foam.
> 
> Wondering what would be safe to use on a car.... (think I might be a bit over cautious and should pump up the pressure...)


Full pressure mate, and sometimes medium pressure around arch lips etc just to be safe


----------



## joe_0_1 (Apr 7, 2007)

Got any jobs?  

Brilliant work as ever, absolutely fantastic.

I've wondered before, and I'm sure you've been asked, but what's the washing bath all about?


----------



## mi16joe (Dec 29, 2007)

hey great reflections there, nice job on the back quarter too!


----------



## Miglior (Feb 12, 2006)

wow!! well done on another fantastic job!


----------



## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

beautiful car and equally stunning detail mate! looks amazing!


----------



## Guest (Feb 2, 2009)

Absolutely Stunning!!!!


----------



## 'Buzzkill' (Jan 16, 2009)

Great work and an interesting read as always.


----------



## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Splendid effort and results as usual Clark.


----------



## hus55 (Apr 23, 2008)

i have missed the polished bliss write ups!!:thumb:

where have you guys been?


would ultimately like to see you detail a G-wagen i hear there are a few in your neck of the woods.

rgds hus


----------



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

hus55 said:


> i have missed the polished bliss write ups!!:thumb:
> 
> where have you guys been?
> 
> ...


Too busy to spend much time on the forums now I'm afraid so it's only going to be 1 or 2 write ups a month now. Quality rather than quantity I say 

And what's a g wagon?


----------



## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

G Wagon, the Merc thing I think with the washable interior, 4x4


----------



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

I did wonder if that's what he meant but seeings as they're not the best looking things in the world I was hoping I was wrong


----------



## Perfection Detailing (Nov 3, 2007)

Great work Clark as usual and a nice write up:thumb:


----------



## cuprar amarillo (Jan 17, 2009)

Stunning Work clark


----------



## hus55 (Apr 23, 2008)

its called quantity based on quality and voted 'coolest car on the planet' by a certain topgear presenter



you would know if you ever had the pleasure of cleaning one


----------



## rossdook (Aug 20, 2008)

A lovely motor that - Cracking job Clark!

U guys got any plans for a breakfast meet or similar again sometime this year then? I'll have to get down for that if I possibly can.


----------



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

rossdook said:


> A lovely motor that - Cracking job Clark!
> 
> U guys got any plans for a breakfast meet or similar again sometime this year then? I'll have to get down for that if I possibly can.


I dont think we're going to have much time for breakfast club meets this year although that's not for definite yet. We will have an open day once the nicer weather arrives though :thumb:


----------



## Carn (Apr 13, 2007)

Incredible work.....gobsmacked !


----------



## Nick_S (Dec 20, 2008)

Spectacular work on that car. Although it's rather disturbing how terribly prepped it was from the factory. Great turn around, car looks like how it should have.


----------



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Fair play to Aston for sanding the majority of the O/P out the paint as it does make for a stunning finish once properly prepped, it's just a shame they dont get the time to do it properly themselves.

Still, keeps me in a job!


----------



## rossdook (Aug 20, 2008)

Clark said:


> I dont think we're going to have much time for breakfast club meets this year although that's not for definite yet. We will have an open day once the nicer weather arrives though :thumb:


Great stuff. Will keep a lookout for details sometime nearer the time. Snow will need to thaw first, right enough!


----------



## Marcof (Feb 22, 2008)

Yes it is a nice job, ......i should know i am looking at it every day, i have got to say that from my point of view it is money well spent.

This is the second car that polished bliss have done for me, (first was that blue XKR convertable), you may remember.

Its a shame that the dealers dont offer this level of service, if it was offered to me, i would tick that box......however I wonder if the dealers would do it as well as polished bliss.......i doubt it.


Thanks to polished bliss,

Looking forward to my next visit.

M.:thumb:


----------



## Clark @ PB (Mar 1, 2006)

Thanks for the feedback Marco and I'm glad you were happy with the end result, thanks for the business also :thumb:


----------



## Conlon (Aug 13, 2008)

what a car! looks great


----------



## N8KOW (Aug 24, 2007)

mattm said:


> Amazing work as usual Clark. :thumb:
> 
> I bet the owner was gutted that he had to drive it home back though all the salt! :wall:


Ditto. Stunning clark, you using rich's camera?


----------



## Pro Detail (Sep 23, 2008)

Great Work


----------



## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Missed this one first time round.

Superb as always!:thumb:


----------



## LCCoolH (May 18, 2009)

Looks awesome!


----------



## MRC (May 7, 2009)

Awesome detail & car.:thumb: Beautiful reflections from that vintage.


----------

