# Cueball presents....1999 Ford Ka



## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

This little KA belongs to someone that works for me, and since she is away on holiday and it is suffering from the very common water ingress issue, I said that I would take a look for her, try my best to fix it and to make it "shiny"...

So the overall object of this detail is not so much a full correction - it isn't, but to fix the car so that come winter the poor girl doesn't have foot wells of solid ice again!

So here is what I stared with, 1999 Ford Ka, driven by someone that has just past her test, doesn't know anything about cars, and doesn't care about keeping them clean, this is a pure, cheap A - B machine.... as I was to find out later on, every panel has been painted at some point, it has different sized tyres on it and I'm pretty sure it has been in at least one major crash  my findings will all be discussed with the owner when she gets back from her holiday...























































The interior was the usual dirt, grime and glitter! :lol:




















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I doubt the engine had ever been cleaned before, looking forward to see what I can do with this..



















So, as always, onto the snowfoam 










And the snow foam pulling some off some of the dirt and random crap that is being blown about at the moment:










And after I had cleaned the car using the 2BM and a good squirt of dodo BTBM










The car was covered in tar spots like these below, my usual 3 stage decontamination routine was used to deal with these and the rest of any nasties hiding away (Tardis, IronX, then clay)



















The clay of choice today was my dodo SN, with Poorboys wipe n spray as the lube....It was a brand new clay bar:










I have noticed in recent times a kind of "badge of honour" with some people showing how dirty their clay is after just x passes, or panels, sorry guys, but that is BS and just shows that your wash routines are not up to scratch...here is the SN bar after use, paint and windows:










It's up to you what you make of that.... 

So after all that, and a quick wipe down, I was left with this:














































I then pulled the car in to do some polishing, as I already mentioned, this was less of a detail than a repair, so I went with a 1 stage polish in order to remove some scratches, but there was no point going for a full correction, so I decided on 3M extra fine, with the 3M pad, and rotary machine (still waiting on the 3M sponsorship to come through  :lol

Some dodgy 50/50s for you!




























There were a lot of deep marks and scratches that I could do nothing about, but I think I was getting there, after polishing was finished and another snow foam to remove dust etc:





































I had a quick go at the engine too using Megs Super degreaser, various brushes and finished off with 303 aerospace...





































After I had (hopefully) fixed the water issue, I decided to steam clean the interior as well as deep clean with the Vax wet n dry.... The plastics were finished off with Poorboys natural look and CG new car sent was sprayed to help out with the clean... the seats were a little dirty as you can see by the collected waste and were still drying in these shots...

This is what I managed to pull out of the interior




























I did have a few more shots, but seem to have lost them in the transfers! :wall:

Anyhoo.... it was now time to finish the car off....I went with 1 coat of Clearkote RMG via the DA and a finishing pad, then after this, 2 coats of CG Blacklight, again via the DA and finishing pad, then topped off with 1 coat of CG V7...

Tyres and exterior plastics were dressed with CG trim gel, and the windows have not been done in these pics, but were looked after with my Megs window spray and AG palm pads...









































































So here we are, hopefully there is a bit of better shine on the car, and no water on the inside for her to worry about..and hopefully a nice turnaround on a small, cheap workhorse!

Any comments/advice/suggestions most welcome, as always!.....

:thumb:


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## JenJen (Jun 30, 2010)

Very nice  bet she will be over the moon!


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## Sportspack Mark (May 24, 2007)

nice work!


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

Nice work there baldy :thumb:


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## richard33dees (Feb 19, 2010)

looks cracking, bound to return more for it now if she decides to sell after you've had your wee word about the damage. Do you not want some dodo sponsorship as well as 3M? lol


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## Brazo (Oct 27, 2005)

A very good job Cuey and very kind and thoughtful of you to do it for this lady:thumb:


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## CraigQQ (Jan 20, 2011)

nice work cue. was hoping it would be one with the massive plastic arches, never seen one of them where the arches were dressed or anything lol.. always grey.. almost white in colour!


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## rob929 (Aug 15, 2010)

Nice job baldy!


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## ChrisST (Jul 19, 2009)

Superb work Cuey, you can't beat a tired looking old car being brought back to life.:thumb: I'm with you on the clay bar thing too.


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

What a nice chap you are! Hope the young lady appreciates your hard work


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## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

I will pm you with my holiday dates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## h13ulk (Oct 31, 2008)

Nice turn around. Are you sure your not doing here car for any other reasons lol


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Nice work fella, great result given the brief (repair) and lovely finish. That lady will certainly have a smile on her face when she returns & nice to see some honest sweat shed :thumb:

Personally, cant wait to do something that size  

Lovely jubbly :wave:


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## turboyamaha (Nov 18, 2010)

Great job mate!!


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Nice work cuey, I'm sure she'll appreciate it :thumb:


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## ITHAQVA (Feb 20, 2011)

Really nice job mate & very nice of you to help the young lady out.
:buffer::thumb:


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Fantastic job mate, it looks like a new car!!! :thumb:

She will be one happy lady!


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## beko1987 (Jul 25, 2010)

I agree with you on the clay Cue, a good decontamination beforehand (tardis, iron-x and degreasing wipedown) should leave stuff-all for clay to pick up!

Good show on a shopping trolley though!


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

good work, it doesn't look to be too bad around the petrol cap either  I wanted one of these instead of the Polo as they are much more fun to drive, although they seem to rust !!! It looks like thats be made up of a few parts too, the interior looks to be out of a later car and the bumpers were never colour coded in 99. Still it looks a nice cheap runner


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## slim_boy_fat (Jun 23, 2006)

When she returns, she'll think you've traded her car in for that one!! :thumb:

What a nice Boss too.....got any jobs going? :lol: :lol:


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## chunkytfg (Feb 1, 2009)

The Cueball said:


> I have noticed in recent times a kind of "badge of honour" with some people showing how dirty their clay is after just x passes, or panels, sorry guys, but that is BS and just shows that your wash routines are not up to scratch...here is the SN bar after use, paint and windows:


I must admit I know what you mean Cue'y!

The cars I have clayed have never been that bad! infact the only one I would say is 'Really' bad is the Hilux and even then it is only on the tailgate as it gets a seriously hard life and rarely cleaned:doublesho

I did my new 5 year old focus the other day. It's had a hard life and never really been looked after. After a decent foam and clean/detar the whole car was clayed with a single piece and the clay put back in the box for use on the wheels at a later date!:thumb:

Top job on the car Cue'y:thumb:


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## Jcoventry (Dec 19, 2009)

Looks good for a 1999 model. Rust around petrol cap and corners of doors/B pillars but not too bad, underneath might be a different story though. Personally impressed at how clean and rust free the slam panel under the bonnet is - they're usually rusty on Kas of this age.

Thing about the clay bar is interesting - I was puzzled when my clay bar came out so clean, but whats been said here seems a reasonable explanation.


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

What a good boss, got any jobs going? 

Bet she'll be over the moon. Didn't think that cour was available back in 99, looks like Tango Red? So, what've you found that makes you think it's had serious damage?


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

Very good, sure she will be pleased!


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## ant_s (Jan 29, 2009)

Good turn around Cuey, nice treat for her and a good workout for you lol.


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Excellent work, paintwork was flat as a pancake beforehand


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Great work done..


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Thanks everyone.... I look after most of my staff's cars...they work their @ss off for me and make me look good, so it's a wee thank you from time to time....

As for the car, once I got in and around the car it just didn't feel right, re-paint on every panel, the gaps didn't sit right, scrap yard parts underneath, bumpers and interior not quite right for the age, wrong sized tyres....... just stuff like that! 

Cheers for all the nice comments....

:thumb:


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

Cracking turnround matey


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## ianrobbo1 (Feb 13, 2007)

thank heavens for your observations ref the clay, I thought I'd been using it wrong all this time!! could never understand why mine didnt get as mucky as some on here, 
I'll bet the young lady will be well pleased with the brill job you've done on the car for her!!


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## kempe (Jan 9, 2011)

Top work there buddy :thumb:


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## ChuckH (Nov 23, 2006)

Superb Mate .. Great turnaround. A car does not have to cost a fortune to look so nice !!


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Nice work there, big improvement.

What did you use via the VAX on the interior? I have the 6131 and have only used AS Brisk and simply extracted the dirt.


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## magpieV6 (Jul 29, 2008)

cracking job cuey, i need a steam cleaner. Theres only so long you can avoid interiors!


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## McClane (Dec 9, 2010)

magpieV6 said:


> cracking job cuey, i need a steam cleaner. Theres only so long you can avoid interiors!


x2. That wet vac pulled an amazing amount out too, that'd be start for me.

Great job as ever :thumb:


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## james_death (Aug 9, 2010)

Nicely done, could see you been left the keys every holiday...:lol:


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

SimonBash said:


> Nice work there, big improvement.
> 
> What did you use via the VAX on the interior? I have the 6131 and have only used AS Brisk and simply extracted the dirt.


Cheers!

I still use the Vax cleaner that came with the machine, I will have to replace it soon, so may look into the AS Brisk....

:thumb:


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## Joeboy (Apr 4, 2011)

Nice work looks good


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

A true knight in shining armour. You can never see a damsel in distress. :lol:
Hats off big guy and lovely transformation and finish.
Gordon.


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## Scatty (Oct 1, 2010)

nice job matey, i am your friend would u like to do mine when i go on holiday pretty please ha !!


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Nats1984 said:


> nice job matey, i am your friend would u like to do mine when i go on holiday pretty please ha !!


For you... no problem :argie:

Just drop it off the next time you are away...

:lol:

:thumb:


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## RisingPower (Sep 21, 2007)

Me too cuey, I hear kilbride is just down the road


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## Rgk Detailing (Dec 6, 2006)

Cracking work again Cuey :thumb:

these are good fun car's to drive, my mum had two KA's both from new, though they both ended up getting rear ended 

This one looks like a very early KA Collection, with the fresher interior fabric's and colour coded bumpers, my neighbour had a Collection just like this one brand new in March 1999.

Richard


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## gally (May 25, 2008)

Fantastic work cuey and I love the comment about the claybar as mentioned in my recent thread I 100% agree!

Oh 1 question, why not go for a really really durable wax like 476 or something similar? It's not like it's going to get the 2bm every weekend.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

gally said:


> Fantastic work cuey and I love the comment about the claybar as mentioned in my recent thread I 100% agree!
> 
> Oh 1 question, why not go for a really really durable wax like 476 or something similar? It's not like it's going to get the 2bm every weekend.


Yeah, I remembered the thread we had going, so thought I would throw a little dig in there for fun 

As for the 476... 2 reasons why I didn't - number 1 I don't have any, and number 2, I have just got the CG stuff and quite like using it 

I could have used the FK I have, but as I said, I just went with the CG route!

I much prefer using sealants at the moment...gone right off the whole wax thing! 

:thumb:


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## Bratwurst (Jan 23, 2009)

Great job Mr C - one hell of a turnaround considering it was just to 'make it shiny' :thumb:

Don't often see Ka's in that colour... I quite like it. Nice wee bit of cheap motoring. :driver:


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## VIPER (May 30, 2007)

Great turnaround there buddy to say the least - looks like a different car :thumb:

She wants to get those oversized front tyres sorted though ASAP, as I'm sure you're going to tell her. Nothing like the correct size those and it stands out a mile. Whoever fitted those must have been having a serious 'off day'?

She's going to be amazed when she sees it for the first time!



(agree about the clay btw. ).


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## B&B Autostyle (Apr 4, 2010)

Great work there mate,car looks one hundred percent.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Viper said:


> Great turnaround there buddy to say the least - looks like a different car :thumb:
> 
> She wants to get those oversized front tyres sorted though ASAP, as I'm sure you're going to tell her. Nothing like the correct size those and it stands out a mile. Whoever fitted those must have been having a serious 'off day'?
> 
> ...


The tyres are really pi**ing me off tbh...they are pretty new, and the person who fitted them must have know what he was doing....the car was taken back to the person she bought it from, as there were a few issues, and he "helped her out".... i.e. stuck the wrong sized tyres on her car, as he probably didn't have the right ones in stock... :wall:

I think that it doesn't help that she is not from this country, if you get my drift 

All findings and thoughts will be explained to her when she gets back...

:thumb:


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## Paulo (Aug 11, 2007)

_Great work Cuey....:thumb:

_


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## martyp (Oct 24, 2006)

Nice work, I actually want to get a car like that before Winter. Budget around £500, run it through Winter to keep my Jeep free from salt etc, then sell it for either the same or more next Spring. Rinse then repeat etc.

The turnaround you've done has shown how much difference you can do just by cleaning to a car that already looked 'alright'. :thumb:



> I have noticed in recent times a kind of "badge of honour" with some people showing how dirty their clay is after just x passes, or panels, sorry guys, but that is BS and just shows that your wash routines are not up to scratch


Loved that line too! :lol: :lol:


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## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

Great work Cuey.

Its scary that someone has sold her this car, knowing the tyres are differant. Just shows what some people get away with if the other person isn't clued up. 

Anyway, do you always do the engine bay last before protection?

I like to do it first, then any overspray from Megs SD gets washed off.


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## SubtleAggressiv (Jul 17, 2010)

Cueball strikes again!! I like your write ups cueball keep 'em coming please :thumb:


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

Good work Cue.

Car looks tidy - I'm sure she'll be pleased with her boss!

PS Totally agree re the clay - it's the sme for me with my rinse bucket - if its minging then I've not pre-washed (Snowfoam / rinse) correctly in my book


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## raitkens83 (Jun 7, 2009)

Nice work mate & nice of you to do that for her. Give me a shout when you are looking for new people to work for you :lol:


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

mattastra said:


> Great work Cuey.
> 
> Anyway, do you always do the engine bay last before protection?
> 
> I like to do it first, then any overspray from Megs SD gets washed off.


Cheers!

I don't do the engine last, it just looks that way in the photos...

I actually clean it at the same time as the rest of the car, before polishing, but because I use 303 to finish it off, I leave taking pics until the end, so that by then the 303 has all dried in, and it (hopefully) looks better 

:thumb:


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## AJ02 (Nov 7, 2010)

That looks brilliant buddy.
My sister has one of these too, same colour and the same year I think but with the black plastic bumpers front and back. The trim is in good nick and the paintwork isn't too bad either, except from the usual chips you can expect from a car of it's age and the insane amount of swirls.

You've inspired me Cueball :thumb:


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## Leemack (Mar 6, 2009)

All i can say is

It's not all about sports cars 

:thumb:


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