# Damp sand on a laguna coupe



## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Hi peeps, I'm trying to get through old and new write ups alike, but short on time as always they will be sporadic. Im trying to do better though.

This car belongs to a fellow dw member and had previously been coated by us using the artdeshine octagon kit and I'm happy to report it was still alive and functional. This time round though, a damp sand had been arranged, having noticed uneven and heavy peel on parts of the car. Unfortunately we only had 3 days and as you will see, it was a long 3 days

This was the car after washing and decontamination, up for an inspection



This is an example of how the peel was robbing the car of reflection and clarity




And so with an idea of the job in hand, some areas of ingrained dirt and tail lights were taken care of so we could just tape up and crack on





As you can see under lighting surface defects had been kept to a minimum





And to the job in hand, some test areas were done to dial in the amount of passes needed for the desired results.







We started with 3000 grit disks, and moved upto 2000 for quicker more even sanding, then refined with 3000 to make compounding easier. Compounding was done with purple foamed wool and m101, results were just right



So we proceeded to do more sanding using the same combo. We varied the amount of hits with the 2000 grit so that when finished, the remaining peel would be even over the whole car. Meaning some panels would be reduced by say 60% if bad, some by 30% if lees bad, but in the end the finish would be the same 
This is the extent of the initial defects on this panel





Sanding bagan







Day one was over with and day 2 started much the same way, we had agreed that by the end of day 2 all sanding AND compounding was to be finished, so day 3 would be refining and coating only











Little bits were cut in first





Then larger areas





Lee was also going over any stray rds left after initial compounding



And the bumper tops were also finished, every inch of painted car was sanded and rectified






So at 3am we washed the car to remove any compound splatter and dust, meaning we could just arrive and get cracking in a few hours



Finally able to get a look at the compound finish properly



Day 3 saw refining begin. Our critical compounding sets paid off here as nothing more than a black pad and m205 was required





Checking out under various light sources








And getting the image distinction required





Now time for coating, arches first, the ramp really coming into its own these days




Now time for something new. Some of you won't have heard of this, some will, some will be waiting desperately to use it already. So a few images of the box and contents





As you can see its a high content silica coat. Application was very easy indeed, as was removal, surprisingly so actually. This is not a difficult product to use at all, quite the opposite, but it is critical. Follow the simple instructions and i see no issues with an amateur user being successful



After application and removal, we checked for smears with the sun gun, then began the curing process with the ir lights





So all that remains is the afters, such a shame it was now over cast

















A pleasure as always working with my brother to another mother, and huge thanks to steve for trusting us with his pride and joy, we appreciate it

I must muse on the sparkle and say this coating is something else. You can see in the afters how it has provided an absolute perfect finish on the rear plastics, and in the flesh the paint looked epic. I am definitely going to be adding it to my list of customer upgrades, an expensive one but well worth it imo


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Hello Folks,

To start with, a short video of the car emerging from the Obsidian Studio...






I'll make no apologies for the very "self-satisfied" chuckle...

It's no surprise that Matt was singing the praises of this coating - I'm about to 
do it too. I was already used to water rejection by the ADS Octagon coatings, 
but this stuff is something else! Knowing how everyone loves pics of beading,
here's some to prove it...























































In these last two photos, I had to raise the boot lid to retrieve my camera,
but even doing this as gingerly as I could, I didn't manage to avoid detection!



















I'll be posting my own thoughts on this experience into the ADS section as
well as into the Disabled Detailing thread, where I'll expand further on the 
sheer dedication of Matt and Lee in going the extra mile. For the time being,
I'll just say a simple thank-you from a very satisfied customer :wave:

Regards,
Steve


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Very nice work, as expected

Is that Lowiepete's car? 101 on wool, interesting combination, I am sure I read somewhere 101 did not play very well with wool. Of course my old memory could be playing tricks with me


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## lowejackson (Feb 23, 2006)

Opps, sorry Lowiepete, you are a quicker typist than me and have now answered my first question


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## moonstone mo (Mar 7, 2009)

Great write up Matt,you guys have done a amazing job on the laguna..how glossy is that finish!!!:doublesho:doublesho:argie:

Nice beading shots Steve,bet youre a happy bunny:thumb:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

moonstone mo said:


> Steve, bet youre a happy bunny


Dog with 2 tails doesn't come near it...

Regards,
Steve


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

A truly astonishing amount if work in three days! But worth it for that finish. The effects and water repellency of the coating look superb - top work guys


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## alpinaman (Oct 9, 2008)

Awesome.... As expected!


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Thanks for the beading shots steve, exactly as expected. The way they have pooled on the roof waiting to roll off is quite something!


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Great stuff guys.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

stangalang said:


> Thanks for the beading shots Steve, exactly as expected. The way they have pooled on the roof waiting to roll off is quite something!


I just cannot wait until that happens again and I spray a light mist of NGPS on
it. Just 2 light sprays into the air above and I'm expecting a scatter like no
other. Though the ADK Obsidian does come close; very close!

Regards,
Steve


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Superb work:thumb:and beading is great..


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## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

Awesome work guys! :thumb:


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## alxg (May 3, 2009)

That's some work there guys, top stuff indeed :thumb:


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Nice work! Why you choose Tacsystem coating over ADS this time Lowiepete?

What this coating cost and where we can buy it???


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

sm81 said:


> Nice work! Why you choose Tacsystem coating over ADS this time Lowiepete?
> 
> What this coating cost and where we can buy it???


We kind of bullied him into it as we had some we wanted to use :thumb:

Plus there wasn't enough time to get the octagon on there, so a one bottle product suited also


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

stangalang said:


> We kind of bullied him into it...


Let's just say that when faced by 2 coating experts, I was a tad out of my
depth! I wasn't by any means misled however, practicalities aside, the result
is better than I could have imagined. :thumb:

At the beginning of this adventure, I was expecting to have the Octagon 
formula re-applied, but factors beyond everyone's control kind of got in the 
way. There is another car in my stable for which the Octagon is reserved,
so I have no reason to believe that it's an inferior product. The coatings
applied to the Coupé last November were well an truly in place when this work
was done, as Matt confirms in his OP...


stangalang said:


> This car... had previously been coated by us using the artdeshine octagon kit and I'm happy to report it was still alive and functional.


When presented this time, only the bonnet and roof had been ADK waxed in 
the interim, with the paint having only been ONR washed with occasional QD 
wipeovers with NGPS. All the while, what I was seeing was an exceedingly
smooth surface that was far easier to clean, despite the spectacular way it 
rejected water.

Even with Matt being a man of few words, I had expected to hear a bit more 
than just "alive and functional" myself. At the time, I got the feeling he was 
quite impressed. Mind you, we haven't heard from Lee yet...

Regards,
Steve

ONR = Optimum No-Rinse
ADK = ArtDeKotsos Obsidian Wax
NGPS = ADS Nano Gloss Paint Sealant


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

sm81 said:


> What this coating cost and where we can buy it???


I think this was answered in the OP too...


stangalang said:


> I am definitely going to be adding it to my list of customer upgrades, an expensive one but well worth it imo


Translate that as P.O.A. or P.B.N. and being available from Obsidian Detailing.

Regards,
Steve

P.O.A. = Price on Application (enquiry)
P.B.N. = Price by negotiation (as part of bigger deal)


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## Bod42 (Jun 4, 2009)

The detailing shop over here in New Zealand has just started stocking TAC products. They look very good and hes pushing me to try Sparkle.

Great work on the car guys. Always love a good wet sand thread.


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

*You know you've got a clean car when...*

...a guy from your favoured body-shop puts down his tools as you arrive, comes 
over and utters: "'bout time you gave this a wash, innit?"

Guess who's a bit pleased :thumb:

Regards,
Steve


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

Hi All

I thought I would post my thoughts on this detail.

Well we actually had 2 days and about 4 hours to get Lowiepetes car completed
Lowie turned up Sunday while we were finishing this car off.



Now Pete wanted to help as much as he could so got stuck in and gave his car a waterless wash and clay to help out anyone who has met pete can see his passion for his car this only inspired us more to do what we could in the time we had so a damp sand it was not for full orange peel removal as time would not allow this but to help increase reflection.

Now in my eyes the pictures we took really don't do the car justice I know I rushed the pictures I took and I did find it hard showing the amount of RDS and Swirls in the paint with the gold colour we think most of this happened in the first year of ownership now Pete has really got the waterless wash method down we hope with the protection that the car now has these will be kept at the minimum in the future.

I do have to say Pete really does have a passion and love to help where he can I hope Pete does not mind me saying with his disability he does very well indeed.

Now me and Mat wanted to work within safe levels for this car as of course in time it might need another polish even with 2000 and 3000 grit being used the average paint still on the car is around 130 microns plenty left for the future as Pete will be keeping this car many more years yes there are a few deep RDS that were reduced but not fully removed again playing on the safe side but full swirl removal of course as you can see in the pictures.

But overall I am extremely happy in what we achieved in a short period of time on not a small car it even got the arches coated in an expensive coating not just dressed.

Now as for the Tac Systems Sparkle coating from reading up on it it can last up to 5 years for me any coating that does 2 is good would never want to go beyond that without at least a light polish personally 12 months on own vehicle.

Sparkle has to be one of the nicest high end coatings I have used I can see it being big for the home user due to the ease of use as long as some common sense is employed.

So all that has to be said is a thank you to Lowiepete for letting me work on his car it was a pleasure.

Lee


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## sm81 (May 14, 2011)

Is it same system than this?
http://eng.tacsystem.cn/gdetail.html?gid=3365
Odd claims: "Thickness up to 10 micron and 9H"

Basically Tacsystems products are "same" than CarPro products or very similar?


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

sm81 said:


> Is it same system than this?
> http://eng.tacsystem.cn/gdetail.html?gid=3365
> Odd claims: "Thickness up to 10 micron and 9H"
> 
> Basically Tacsystems products are "same" than CarPro products or very similar?


Nope that one is different same name but this one is 75% and different formula 
think that one was a first version type.

Carpro make all there own stuff now :thumb:


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Hello Folks,
I know it seems a bit late and a tad back to front, but I've finally managed to
get round to sorting out some photos after my Cumbrian trip. On arrival in
Oldham the guys were still back-logged with a black car sporting some rather
hard paint. So, quite unexpectedly, I'm asked by Matt if I'd like to get on 
with the preliminary clean and decon process on my car, so as to lose as 
little time as possible.

You might think this a bit strange, the customer doing his own decon stage.
However, I did at the outset ask if I could be involved. I'm not one for just
sitting around watching others work, fascinating as it might be, for all of 5
minutes flat. However, all of a sudden, this is real and calls for a proper job!
Nothing, but nothing was to be missed on this occasion.

Of course, I just love wielding the ADS clay cloth, so I didn't need any second
bidding, however, it did also mean paying very close attention to every square
inch of that paint, especially in the most vulnerable areas. It just happens
these are usually the most difficult areas for me to reach. No pressure then...

So, here's the car upon arrival into the yard after a 100 mile trip from off the
farm and down the M6 at an ungodly hour...




























Close inspection found this bit of reactive metal embedded into the roof...
(sorry for the poor pic)










...and then the afters. Compared to the paint I've seen on other cars as they
enter a detailing studio, I'm by no means embarrassed by these. Especially
as the car is nearly 6 years old, has never before been machine polished, 
and, mostly has only ever been washed using waterless / less water methods :doublesho



















That's Steven aka m2srt looking on. He turned up in the rather fruity sounding
green Ford in the next picture...




























Now, I must get on and expand on the ADS Section thread, as that is where
this adventure really began, in November 2013...

Regards,
Steve


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## [email protected] (Aug 31, 2013)

Looks great, much better condition than my laguna coupe :thumb:


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## Zolasbackheel (Feb 11, 2013)

Those new pics really show how greater job you guys did. Understand why you are all so happy!!


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Zolasbackheel said:


> Those new pics really show how greater job you guys did. Understand why you are all so happy!!


It was really difficult capturing the true "in the flesh" finish on camera. My photography skills are somewhat lacking unfortunately


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## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

Well worth the effort and late nights Matt :thumb: My apologies for delaying you on the Scirroco on Saturday!


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

*So, 2 weeks on...*

Hello Folks,

Please excuse the delay in posting this, various problems have recently 
cropped up and I'm now trying to catch up. Having left the Obsidian Studio
with very clear advice ringing in my ears, especially the bit about no 
chemicals touching the surface for at _least_ 7 days, and it now being 10
days and near 300 miles of journey home, finally I could do some cleaning.

Of course, for the time of year, there were bound to be few casualties, 
though I do rather like the red reflections in the paint on this first photo...




























What came next was a huge surprise! What do you think is wetting, or should
I say, attempting to wet that surface?










Here's another shot...










Don't you all be shouting ONR, just because you know that's my favoured 
washing tipple. Even the Octagon Formula that was previously on the paint
didn't reject it like that! This led me to a bit of a dilemma, the key question
being that if it wasn't sheeting out as it should, just how could it be doing its 
work?

Needless to say, I went about the wiping very gingerly indeed! Yeah, I know
all about the hardness of the coating, but I still wasn't going to be tempting 
fate on the very first wash. It has taken several years of very careful washing
to develop an equally hard mindset when it comes to bucketless washes and
that's not going to change in a flash, no matter how durable these new 
fangled coatings are.

Nevertheless, I made sure that the MF cloth was liberally dampened before
my first swipe, the latter made a little more slowly than usual. The key with 
ONR being that you give the product time to do its work, so you don't have 
to do any compensating.

Then came the next surprise, 3 or 4 gentle swipes revealed this...










Now, usually, if there's any resistance, then I'm off indoors to get several 
"sheeeeeets" of that fancy kitchen roll, place them on the offending areas
and adding another spray or three of ONR, leaving it to do its thing while I
carry on washing elsewhere. Not on this occasion!

So, to find such little resistance was indeed a surprise. I'd arrived home at
6pm on the Thursday and tackled this at around 3pm the following day. As
things have turned out, I have not washed the car since...

*So, 6 weeks on...*

...and I'm by no means embarrassed! The recent fairly heavy rain has given
the car a good wash and left this. I'll let the pictures do the talking; don't be
seduced by the beads, study them closely...























































So, how do I conceal my joy..?

Regards,
Steve


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

Hi Steve 

Glad the coating is doing well I think it will be very popular with the home user when and if it comes over pm me your address got to send you some of that paint cleanser I tried the wax as well mixed thoughts on that.


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## DIESEL DAVE (Jul 26, 2007)

Lovely work on Steves car


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## Lowiepete (Mar 29, 2009)

Hello Folks,

Well, almost 2 months on, and only its second wash yesterday. I went off to
the PistonHeads Sunday Service today at Zenos Cars in Wymondham today. 
A very interesting morning and a bit of a new phenomenon for me.

A dull and chilly day and when I went back to the car I had to do a bit of a
double-take. The paintwork looked oily; at least it looked like the car had
been sprayed with one of those chameleon colours that change hue depending
upon your viewing direction. It wasn't as stark as that, but it was if the flake 
was doing a bounce, like it was reflecting back down from the clearcoat 
surface as well as reflecting upward through the lacquer.

In all the time I've had the car, I have never before seen this effect :doublesho
Sadly, my camera didn't pick up this reflection effect 

Regards,
Steve


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## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

Beading looks great! 

Some proper effort your cars had on it now Lowie!


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## Tom J (Mar 29, 2009)

Great detail. May I ask what car lift that is in your garage and rough cost? Looking for one for mine


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## alfajim (May 4, 2011)

The car is a credit to you. Looks great.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Tom J said:


> Great detail. May I ask what car lift that is in your garage and rough cost? Looking for one for mine


I don't know the make. It's a low rise which is ampul for my needs. Was 1400 delivered if I recall


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## Stu Mac (Aug 18, 2014)

Superb results all round, a long 3 days initially but worth every minute of it


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Stunning results and still looks amazing in the recent pics!!


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