# Vauxhall VXR8 - Even New Cars Benefit from Detailing!



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Yesterday's detail, for myself and Gordon, was a brand new (just off the transporter a couple of days ago) Vauxhall VXR8. The dealer has done some light prep work on the car previously, but the point of this detail was to ensure that the car was looking its best and as a new car should look, and get it to a stage where the owner can maintain his pride and joy and keep it looking its best.

This will be a shorter writeup then normal from me, as we were a man down (lazy Davy was sunning himself at Edition 38, so we had to polish the bumpers ourselves :lol::lol and on such a big car, there was less focus on photographs - got as many as I could to show off the results though 

The car arrived looking like this...





































First off, we set about cleaning the wheels with Bilberry Wheel Cleaner, arches and tyres with G101. The plastics, rubbers and gaps were also all cleaned with G101 as there was transport grime and evidence of film and glue around the car, this process ensured that all the intricate areas were thoroughly cleaned out (such a process should form a part of every detail washing stage ),



















The car was then foamed and rinsed, then washed using the two bucket method and the new Chemical Guys shampoo, Glossworkz which was nice to use and the smell reminded me a lot of Zaino Z7.

After washing and drying, we went around the car looking for little bits of transport film...



















and tar and glue residue...










that was on the car. The film was gently peeled off, and large area of glue were all removed with Reflection Perfection Tar & Glue remover... this was carried out after the first was as on large areas, we chose to spray on and gently wipe off the glue after a dwell time, and this required clean paint to avoid marring. Once fully de-glued and all film removed, the car was then washed down again using Optimum No Rinse, dried off and then clayed with Meguiars QuikClay and Last Touch as a lube.

Once fully cleaned and decontaminated it was time to fully assess the paint finish. Before washing it was clear to see there were some marks on the car, but after cleaning it was then clear to see these marks were light and not excessive... though for a new car, they shouldn't be there at all! We started with the bonnet...














































Assessing the polishing and pad combinations starting from the least aggressive (Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish on a finishing pad) and working up, we decided on Menzerna PO106FA Final Finish on a 3M Blue Waffle finishing pad for the required level of correction and finishing in a single polishing stage. The polish was applied uisng a regenerating technique as follows..


Spread at 600rpm
Begin working at 1200rpm, slow machine passes and light pressure for three or four passes till residue evenly spread
Work at 1500 - 1800rpm, light to medium pressure and moderate speed machine movements until residue goes clear
Reduce speed to 1200rpm, supporting weight of the machine for two or three slow passes to revive polish
Repeat 1500-1800rpm passes until residue clear
Refine at 1200rpm with light pressure, slow machine passes for a couple of passes
Burnish at 900rpm supporting the weight of the machine for a couple of passes

This paint presented a very slight drag to polishing, and higher than usual panel temperatures of up to 80degC during polishing - the above technique moderated the panel temperatures allowing longer work times for greater levels of correction and also better clarity in the finish through working the abrasives. The results after...










Nice glossy bonnet - doesn't show you the quality of the finish though, so out with the Sun Gun to really assess it:























































Happy with that 

Onto the rest of the car, which is bigger in person that it looks in pictures!! Before shots from around the car...






















































































































General light marring. The front bumper however, revealed a slightly different story, having clearly seen machine polishing work in the past as evidenced by the holograms...





































Correction over the majority of the car was as described above with Menzerna PO106FA. The front bumper and a couple of other sections where slightly deeper marks were found required Menzerna PO85RD3.02 Intensive Polish applied uisng a 3M Yellow Waffle polishing pad as follows:


Spread at 600rpm
Work at 1200rpm with light pressure to evenly spread residue
Work at 1800rpm with moderate pressure, slow to medium machine movements until residue goes clear

No refining stage was carried out as th IP was followed with Menzerna PO85RD Final Finish applied using the regenerating method described above to maximise the clarity by increasing the work time.

End results, after machining and wipe down with Menzerna Top Inspection, assessed using the metal halide lights...





































These lights are very good, a million miles better than standard halogen bulbs which can mask and hide a lot of imperfections... but they are still nor as good as the smaller area light from the Sun Gun which for me remains the ultimate light source for finish assessment. So, after shots with the Sun Gun...













































































































The car was debadged at the owner's request...




































































































The paintwork was then protected using Victoria Concours Wax. 

Tyres dressed with Espuma Tyre Dressing, wheels with FK1000P. Trim with Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel, buffed at the very end of the detail before the after pics to ensure no smearing. Glass was Stoner Invisible Glass.

I'm afraid, owing to a finishing time of after midnight and typical Scottish weather (rain), after shots are all indoors... can't be helped sometimes, and I never want to rush a car finished to get pics outside in the daylight! Hopefully the above direct light shots give a good idea of the finish quality achieved, and the following afters show the car off as well as possible after detailing given the restricted space in the unit (there was a lot of contorsionist poses from me to get the full car after shots :lol::lol:





































And some more shots from around the car 

















































































































































Enjoy  I certainly enjoyed the detail :thumb:


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## ajc347 (Feb 4, 2009)

Wow, what a transformation. :thumb:

I wish I could get my car to look half as good as that.


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## SBerlyn (Nov 9, 2008)

That's a bit nice!

First time I've seen one in that colour.

Top work Dave & Gordon 

S


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## Superb Driver (May 29, 2009)

Totally beautiful job Dave and Gordon, love these big ozzy saloons having lived over there for a while. I think i shall save up for one!


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## Edward101 (Jun 5, 2009)

Absolutely amazing, top marks to you both :thumb:. The final shots make the paint look like glass


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## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Love the gloss under the neons. Good work guys!


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## Grizzle (Jul 12, 2006)

Fairly rattling the cars in Gordon... Tax mans gonna love you lol.

Lovely finish.


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## KKM (Dec 10, 2007)

Super slick results!!

You guys are certainly being kept busy!!!

Keep 'em coming!!

:thumb:


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## macca5050 (May 17, 2008)

looks dripping wet!


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

I can only agree with Dave's comments on this one. Terrific looking car and a very enjoyable detail. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the owner and wish him all the best with his new car. Great example and quite a distinctive colour also. Look forward to seeing it around. :thumb:



Grizzle said:


> Fairly rattling the cars in Gordon... Tax mans gonna love you lol.
> 
> Lovely finish.


As they say variety is the spice of life. Phones ringing off the hook this weather and fully book till middle of October.
So things looking well, even for the tax man. . He is a nice guy he even gives refunds. :thumb:. Just reinvest in more products and equipment.


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

Looks great love the finish, oh and nice to see some good honest photography.

Gav


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Detail Ecosse said:


> Looks great love the finish, oh and nice to see some good honest photography.
> 
> Gav


Thank Gav for the kind comments.
Is there any other type of photography. :lol: Always better to show the car as it is, in the flesh :thumb:
Gordon.


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## eurodub (Mar 24, 2009)

Stunning work once again....:thumb:


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## Trist (Jun 23, 2006)

Really nice work again :thumb:

Love these VXR8s


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Cheers for the kind words, guys 



KKM said:


> Super slick results!!
> 
> You guys are certainly being kept busy!!!
> 
> ...


Cheers :thumb: Yes, its great to be being kept busy, at least for a part time detailer  ... There will be many more writeups to come I hope, I get a real buzz out of my detailing :thumb:



Detail Ecosse said:


> Looks great love the finish, oh and nice to see some good honest photography.
> 
> Gav


Cheers Gav. These pics are taken in manual mode on my D90, I change the exposure time using the meter on the camera to try and avoid under and over exposing - I'm not an expert though at photography, but I do my best to show my work. For me, the best pics for really showing your work on paintwork are the direct light shots that we see many of the pros and ammetures alike doing


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## ross-1888 (Feb 22, 2009)

yeah guys another great example of perfection by the dynamic duo.


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## Saqib200 (May 13, 2008)

Looks really glossy in the after pics, nice work.


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## tdekany (Jul 22, 2006)

*Beautiful result Dave!!*:thumb::thumb:


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## Byron (Jan 31, 2009)

Another VXR8 courtesy of Astons. So much car for £22k!

Good results too...


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## Katana (Mar 31, 2007)

Brilliant job, the paint almost looks see-through because of the depth.


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

awesome job guys 

did you manage the bumpers ok without me  :lol: 

cach up soon


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## Slick 77 (Jun 19, 2007)

excellent finish there guys :thumb:


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Stunning results guys, you make a good duo!! :thumb:


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

badly_dubbed said:


> awesome job guys
> 
> did you manage the bumpers ok without me  :lol:
> 
> cach up soon


That will have been the reason for the gone midnight finish! We had to do them ourselves, and wax the wheels ourselves too  :lol::lol:


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## Jody 4444 (Mar 12, 2009)

Absolutely stunning, Top work :thumb:


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## badly_dubbed (Dec 11, 2008)

Dave KG said:


> That will have been the reason for the gone midnight finish! We had to do them ourselves, and wax the wheels ourselves too  :lol::lol:


:lol:

badly "skivvy" dubbed springs to mind

:lol:


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## magic919 (Mar 11, 2007)

Lovely job. They are always such a job. Don't know what they do to get them so bad. I guess sitting around for months doesn't help.


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Great work guys.A new Chemical Guys shampoo


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

badly_dubbed said:


> :lol:
> 
> badly "skivvy" dubbed springs to mind
> 
> :lol:


Nail on the head springs to mind. :lol:
Away sunning yourself when this work yo be done. Skiving you call it.
I can think of a few others. But it is a family forum. 

And we had to make our own coffee that was worse than the bumpers. 
Gordon.


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## Planet Admin (Jul 11, 2009)

Great job:thumb:


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## missyR (Oct 6, 2008)

Stunning car and a fantastic result as always


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## a_kerr (Aug 26, 2009)

As the proud owner of this car, I'd like to give a big thankyou to Gordon & Dave for all their hard work. I hadn't met either of them before this detail, but doing my homework on this site, they were obviously well respected.

Having now met them and witnessed their genuine enthusiasm and attention to detail first hand, I would have no reservations in sincerely recommending them to anyone else.

Hopefully I'll be able to keep on top of the car myself in future, but if I do need any help, I know who I'll be calling upon!


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## Rasher (Mar 6, 2006)

absolutely superb job


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

missyR said:


> Stunning car and a fantastic result as always


Hi Helen, long time no hear from you on the forums! Cheers for the kind words 



a_kerr said:


> As the proud owner of this car, I'd like to give a big thankyou to Gordon & Dave for all their hard work. I hadn't met either of them before this detail, but doing my homework on this site, they were obviously well respected.
> 
> Having now met them and witnessed their genuine enthusiasm and attention to detail first hand, I would have no reservations in sincerely recommending them to anyone else.
> 
> Hopefully I'll be able to keep in top the car myself in future, but if I do need any help, I know who I'll be calling upon!


I'm delighted that you are happy with the car! Just drop us a line or email if you need any advice, we'll be happy to help  I imagine we should warn owners about our late night finishes more often, though!! :lol:


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

missyR said:


> Stunning car and a fantastic result as always


Thanks Helen for the comments.
But congratulation on the 2 awards yourself. Big :thumb: up from me and well done.


a_kerr said:


> As the proud owner of this car, I'd like to give a big thankyou to Gordon & Dave for all their hard work. I hadn't met either of them before this detail, but doing my homework on this site, they were obviously well respected.
> 
> Having now met them and witnessed their genuine enthusiasm and attention to detail first hand, I would have no reservations in sincerely recommending them to anyone else.
> 
> Hopefully I'll be able to keep in top the car myself in future, but if I do need any help, I know who I'll be calling upon!


I wish you all the best with your new car and hope you enjoy it as much as we did working on it. As Dave has said you have our numbers and email if you require any other advice. Take care and all the best.

Gordon.


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Very nice chaps :thumb:

Truly stunning finish at the end, and some really enjoyable pictures to follow the whole process.

Nice read as always , keep um coming :lol:


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## ledzepp (May 20, 2009)

that looks stunning,, the owner should now take it home leave it in garage and not drive it in the sun or rain...... it will only spoil the stunning work youve done,

the owner seems very pleased
alan


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## Will-S (Jun 5, 2007)

Stunning work guys, well done.

Loving the effect of Victoria's Concours Wax


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## Stuhil (Jun 5, 2009)

Looking good gents and, as we've come to expect, an honest, clear and concise write up. I've read so many of your reports I can't but help feel as if I know you both personally...thanks again.

PS..can you PM me directions and report time etc :thumb:

Cheerz


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Stuhil said:


> Looking good gents and, as we've come to expect, an honest, clear and concise write up. I've read so many of your reports I can't but help feel as if I know you both personally...thanks again.
> 
> PS..can you PM me directions and report time etc :thumb:
> 
> Cheerz


PM sent mate, and you'll be part of one of these writeups very soon :thumb:


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## Ian2k (Apr 13, 2009)

Thats soooooo nice


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Great job guys - looks good :thumb:


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