# dooka 'Double D' Detail - Baker21 & dooka + Chris_Z4 vs McLaren MP4-12C.....



## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Hello all and I hope your well........:wave:

So following on from our latest write-up on a very nice Porsche 997 Carrera:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=239916

This detail sees Rob and I back on location out in the sticks on the following day of detailing the Porsche to attend to it's lovely new garage buddy, a very nice McLaren MP4-12C..........:car:

For this detail Rob and I had agreed with the owner to complete a one day enhancement on the car, ensuring protection from the elements as the main priority while removing as many defects as possible within the time frame. As this car like others we have detailed is a little special a few texts later and we managed to secure another competant detailer in Chris_Z4 for the day.........

Chris was keen to join us for the day not only so he could go for a nice spin in his Z4 but also to have a closer look at what McLaren have turned out in comparison to the Ferrari's and Maserati's he is usually polishing for his day job........:buffer:

Now this detail like the Porsche one will contain a fair few images so apologies in advance but I think they are all worth it, so onto the car's condition when we arrived in the morning:









































































Polish Residue:























































Swirls hiding:



























































































Getting in and out of this car proves difficult not to leave marks:





































More polish residue:























































As you can see from the images the car is in good condition and is looked after, just like the Porsche by a local valeter.

For those of you that know a little about the McLaren will have read a fair bit on the internet and on various TV reviews about door problems, panel gap and fitment issues, electrical gremlins and infotainment problems, this car has and is still experiencing those so it has been back to McLaren a few times and along with being washed a few times it was difficult to gauge the quality of the paint finish but from the outset, things looks pretty good.......:thumb:

With plenty to do and Chris now having arrived it was time to get cracking..........:detailer:

*The Detail Process:*

As defined above, the plan for the day was to perform an enhancement detail and with three of us I was confident we could take the machining to a good level showing some good results dependant on the defects.

Now as seen in the Porsche detail, we finished some last minute items on the morning of attending to the McLaren and the temeperature was low, therefore Chris and I decided to get the interior done first, so out with George, Megs APC, Megs Slide Lock Detailer Brushes and various Microfibres:



















All the matts were removed and AG Carpet and Upholstery Proectant applied:



















The car cover and matching bag was removed, cleaned and the boot also cleaned:










Looked as follows before the mats were re-fitted:























































With the sun making more of an appearance and us being a little warmer from being inside the McLaren it was time to attend to the wheels, so these where removed with protective sockets and a breaker bar:



















With the first wheel off this went onto the RiMat:










As with the Porsche, two wheels were removed at once allowing Chris to get cracking with the arches using Megs APC and a Vikan Brush - Rob at this point was practicing his David Bailey side role:





































The wheel was rinsed:



















I used Megs APC, Megs Wheel Brightener and a dooka Woolie Wash Mitt to remove the dirt but this removed fairly easily:










There was however a lot more contaiminents on the wheel so I applied some Iron-X:



















At this point I was disappointed and suprised to see that the wheel had received a front face refurb:




























Not ideal and flipping the wheel over to dry it with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel touching the surface revealed a large rough area, clearly showing signs of repair......:doublesho

The wheel was then sealed with some CG Jetseal 109 via an Applicator and buffed off before refitting:



















Chris has been making good progress on the arch, which I have to say was well enclosed around the suspension:




























Having completed the two Rear wheels and arches we then moved onto the front's and completed the same process, Chris had no problems:










Sadly for me on the passenger side again, the wheel needed a little Tardis:










But Tardis was never going to remove some more refurbing marks:





































As before the wheels were sealed and re-fitted and torqued up:










Moving onto the wash process now and first up Rob foamed the car:





































Next up it was time to go around the car with Megs APC and a Detailer Brush attending to various areas:

















































































































































The car was then rinsed:























































The car was then washed via the 2BM using some dooka Shampoo, dooka Wash Buckets and some dooka Woolie Wash Pads:





































Oh and the dooka Woolie Wash Pad Pose:










This was followed by another rinse:





































Time for some claying action, Chris and I clayed the car using Megs Last Touch for Lube and some Elite Fine Yellow Poly Clay:













































































































Claying removed very little contamination so we then decided to foam the car again:





































This was then rinsed:










As you can see in the image above, I thought Rob was tired from yesterday's detail but instead had slipped back into that David Bailey role:










The car was then dried with some CG Woolie Mamouth Drying Towels and Uber Drying Towels:




























Rob then broke out the dooka Dryer and on this car there are plenty of areas for the water to collect:










At this point I managed to spot some machining / wash marring marks in the paintwork:














































Rob as always was first onto the paintwork with his machine and knowing little about the McLaren finish he opted for some Megs 205 on a 3M Blue Finishing Pad to see what it was like:



















Not 100% sure of the finish due to the lighting and lack of defects on the front wing, Rob moved to the Rear Wing, which had a lot more defects on it with the same combination:




























It was clear at this point that like the Aston Martin DBS's paintwork we, as a team, had detailed sometime ago that the paintwork was fairly soft, some areas had more defects than others and sadly as we had not detailed the car form new it was difficult to assess whether the marks on the paintwork was down to Wash Marring or previous machining.........

Between all three of us we chopped and changed from the 3M Blue Finishing pad and the 3M Yellow Polishing pad with some Megs 205, I got busy on the Passenger Front Wing with the sun out nicely now:














































Chris was also enjoying the curves of the McLaren:



















Have to say that like the Ferrari 458, the bonnet is a good working height if your kneeling down:




























I really struggled to snap the swirly images in the sun, so apologies in advance.........

Before:



















After:



















Rob was making sure his wing was as good as it could be:



















Making some good progress now around the car with 3 of us:



















I opted a slightly different approach to Chris utilising the benefit's of the door's opening angles:























































Chris meanwhile was now well onto the lower panels of the Rear Bumper:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

As soon as the sun came out it soon passed over us after many hours of machine time and we had to get cracking so after all the car had been machined we then foamed the car and left to dwell:




























The car was then rinsed and had an application of Megs Last Touch, which was then dried with some Uber Drying Towels and Woolie Mamouth Drying Towels:










Rob then cracked out the dooka Dryer again:










After another follow up drying after Rob's handy work, Chris went for the token pose of the day with some Zaino Z-16 via a Sponge:










By this time I was well into sealing the paintwork with some Swissvax BOS via a Zaino Applicator:



















Next up Rob and Chris cleaned all the glass inside and outside with some dooka Glass Cleaner:



















Rob then sealed all the exterior glass with some G-Techniq G3 and in the interior glass on the engine bay as well but apologies now picture......:wall:

This was followed by the dooka sticker applciation and as you can see it's getting cold now:










Chris was at this point busy now removing some of the excess ground in polish left over by previous cleaning / polishing sessions with a ****tail stick:










Robs turn to feed all the rubber seals with some Swissvax Nano Express:










*The Results:*



















































































































































































































































































































*'Final Walkaround' video can be found here:*

McLaren MP4-12 walk around video can be found here

*dooka Detailing -'The Team':*










Thanks for making it this far and I hope this was an enjoyable read to you and apologies for all the images..........

Many thanks to Ian and Colin for letting Rob, myself and Chris loose on two very nice motor's at such a great location.......:thumb:

Massive thanks to Rob for an enjoyable weekend on the road both on location, in the dooka Caddy and at the hotel........

Big thanks to Chris for making the trip to see us in his rather nice BMW Z4...........:driver:

A truely special car this one and one that won't be forgotten in a hurry, some challenging lines on the paintwork but hopefully the final images show some good results..........:buffer:

Comments welcome as always..........


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## Kelly @ KDS (Aug 4, 2008)

Great work guys :thumb:

loving it ,

where did you get those special cross detailing brushes 

like the idea of them :lol:

really lovely car and lovely work .

How many pictures 

kelly

www.kdsdetailing.co.uk


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## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

Fantastic job there men!! That car is just stunning! Especially now 

- Jesse


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## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Looks like you guys had a great day, nice work on a yummy motor

Baz


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

@Kelly. 
It is the way I hold them. You ought to see how many pictures I take on a detail ..


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## Kriminal (Jan 11, 2007)

:argie:

If it was possible, I would bear it's children. Lovely motor mate, thanks for sharing :thumb:


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Top work indeed fella's :thumb:


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

Excellent read.
Good on ya guys :thumb:


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## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Suberb you guys never fail to dissapoint with your work or the cars! Brilliant write up.


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

What a car... what a great job... what a house... what a great write up!

Thanks for sharing guys! Brilliant!


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## Kelly @ KDS (Aug 4, 2008)

dooka said:


> @Kelly.
> It is the way I hold them. You ought to see how many pictures I take on a detail ..


i hope you realised i was messing :tumbleweed:  on the brushes

Yep all those pictures , takes me ages to read through them 

Not sure if i like it i prefer around 10-15 pics myself :lol:

dream car to work on and hope that i dont have to wait to long for the pleasure too

kelly

www.kdsdetailing.co.uk


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## AlexTsinos (Oct 10, 2010)

Amazing Job!
Great Car!


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Amazing car and a great write up as usual! Disappointed in the wheel refurbs though! Stunning colour combo!


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## simon burns (Nov 1, 2011)

Top job mate!Amazing car :thumb:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

WTG team Dooka:thumb:


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## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

:argie:


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

You lucky ********! :lol:

Great work guys on a stunning motor! 

There's a re-run of 'How To Build a Supercar' (McLaren MP4-12C) tonight on BBC2 at 11:30 if you missed it last night. 

It's definitely worth watching or recording with a great section on painting the MP4-12C. :thumb:

Alan W


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## Mr.Ry (Nov 14, 2011)

Big pat on the back lads...awesome job!!!!


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## toddy2 (Jul 21, 2009)

Nice work, I like the wash/rinse stickers on your buckets, is it possible to buy these??


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

kdskeltec said:


> Great work guys :thumb:
> 
> loving it ,
> 
> ...


It's Rob's new 'Multi'Tasking' trick, he is also pretty good at drinking tea and chatting at the same time..........

I will try harder next time to post as many as you Kelly........



dooka said:


> @Kelly.
> It is the way I hold them. You ought to see how many pictures I take on a detail ..


Tell me about it, glad you were a little more reserved on this one.........:thumb:



kdskeltec said:


> i hope you realised i was messing :tumbleweed:  on the brushes
> 
> Yep all those pictures , takes me ages to read through them
> 
> ...


As for 10-15 pics, don't start trouble.............:lol:



toddy2 said:


> Nice work, I like the wash/rinse stickers on your buckets, is it possible to buy these??


Thanks and it sure is possible to source them, drop Rob a PM and he will be able to sort some out for you..........:thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Alan W said:


> You lucky ********! :lol:
> 
> Great work guys on a stunning motor!
> 
> ...


I saw that Alan - it is worth watching! Gives the impression of a mega quality paint finish, but what i dont get, is that the cars look to be finished before the assembly takes place?! Surely they need to give them another refining session before delivery to the dealers to ensure they look their best?


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## The_Bouncer (Nov 24, 2010)

Bloody awesome work guys... what a car to work on indeed :thumb:

Good to see the pad pose in play, reckon you guys should do a montage of pics with pads on the bonnets and do a guess the cars comp lol.

Is it me or does Rob look a bit like Jenson button... hmmm










think you should apply to Mclaren be his stunt driver Rob.. ha

Top notch work as always gents. car looks stunning.


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Fantastic job as always...car is amazing..


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## Giobart (Mar 23, 2011)

Amazing Job, car and team!


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Brilliant job guys :thumb:

So what's happening about the wheels ?


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

ads2k said:


> Brilliant job guys :thumb:
> 
> So what's happening about the wheels ?


Good question, not sure to be honest, informed the owner so have left it in his hands, hopefully the images taken are of some use.........:thumb:



The_Bouncer said:


> Bloody awesome work guys... what a car to work on indeed :thumb:
> 
> Good to see the pad pose in play, reckon you guys should do a montage of pics with pads on the bonnets and do a guess the cars comp lol.
> 
> ...


Nice idea with the comp Bouncer and I reckon Rob may well use that, as for him looking like Jenson Button, seems like you also figured out why Jenson and Rob can be see frequently wearing caps..........it's not for advertising purposes.............:lol:



JBirchy said:


> I saw that Alan - it is worth watching! Gives the impression of a mega quality paint finish, but what i dont get, is that the cars look to be finished before the assembly takes place?! Surely they need to give them another refining session before delivery to the dealers to ensure they look their best?


For me having seen a few of these 'Supercar' manufacturing facilities it's no suprise that some of the cars are finished as they are..........

The budgets they have to make these cars are tight, the timescales are even tighter and the high labour intensive build schedule means that something has to give. As much as they may market the car as completely hand built, in reality it is but with it comes plenty of hands having been all over the car..........

Take for example a simple Skoda Octavia, delivered from the Czech Republic brand new and you will be hard pushed to find a mark or defect on the car..........:doublesho

That aside, it's nice to see something pushing Italian supercar's from Britain...........:driver:


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Cracking work Lads, really loving the car, not sure about there Bonnet badge though..... lol

You lot staying in a hotel...... :argie:

Cheers

PaulN


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## dooka (Aug 1, 2006)

Again, thank you all for the positive comments..

The how to build a super car programme doesn't really show the quality of this McLaren. I would say they make it sound better than it is. Panel gaps are all over the place, lights mist up as soon as they see a drop of water, doors are a pain to open and close and a good few electrical gremlins. It is difficult to get into, but very easy to get out of. It's a new car, so I guess over the next few years all production niggles will be ironed out..

@ Kelly, of course I realised you were joking  ..

@ Bouncer, that is a great idea, maybe for a New Year comp :thumb:.. As for looking like Mr Button, you will never see us photographed together, plus I'm a much better driver  ..

@Toddy, I have replied to your PM..

@Mr Baker, yup, as I came up through the ranks in the trade, when I was serving my apprenticeship, I learnt to make tea before I was even allowed to pick up a hammer, dolly, paint gun or spanner. So had years of practice at Tea drinking and chatting, note to self, must work harder next time..


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## Fairzo (Oct 23, 2011)

Stunning job and thread, well done all. Exhausted now and off for a lie down.


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

PaulN said:


> Cracking work Lads, really loving the car, not sure about there Bonnet badge though..... lol
> 
> You lot staying in a hotel...... :argie:
> 
> ...


Funny you mention that Paul as it's something I spoke to the guys about when we were there, for me I think the one on the steering wheel is the one that makes it stand out more............

As for staying in a hotel, let's just say we are good 'mates'.........:lol:



dooka said:


> Again, thank you all for the positive comments..
> 
> The how to build a super car programme doesn't really show the quality of this McLaren. I would say they make it sound better than it is. Panel gaps are all over the place, lights mist up as soon as they see a drop of water, doors are a pain to open and close and a good few electrical gremlins. It is difficult to get into, but very easy to get out of. It's a new car, so I guess over the next few years all production niggles will be ironed out..


Just to add to this Rob, I have just taken this off DOS's thread in 'The Studio':

_McLaren have today signed off a comprehensive range of MP4-12C firmware and hardware updgrades that fix a range of niggles including battery drain and over sensitive fault sensors. These updates will be available for installation into customer cars within a few weeks and will also allow deliveries of new cars to be resumed. _


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## adlem (Jul 6, 2008)

Thank you for sharing - love your write-ups! :thumb:

Very nice car, great work, and you three seem to get on well working together which is good! Rob didn't seem to do much in the morning


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## dazzyb (Feb 9, 2010)

amazing write up on a stunning car, now made even better
great work guys


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## JasonPD (Jan 8, 2010)

Great write up guys and stunning results on such a special car :thumb:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

adlem said:


> Thank you for sharing - love your write-ups! :thumb:
> 
> Very nice car, great work, and you three seem to get on well working together which is good! Rob didn't seem to do much in the morning


He was busy finishing off the porker to be fair.....:thumb:


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## CJ1985 (Feb 21, 2011)

great work as always, it really is a stunning car watched the program about them the other day..


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## badman1972 (Jun 24, 2010)

Beautiful work as always gents, what a stunning motor :argie:


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Great stuff lads, what a car! Shame about the wheels for the owner, lets hope Mclaren do the right thing.

Thanks for posting her up:thumb:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

SimonBash said:


> Great stuff lads, what a car! Shame about the wheels for the owner, lets hope Mclaren do the right thing.
> 
> Thanks for posting her up:thumb:


No worries Mr.B, finally got it posted up........:thumb:


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## Perfection Detailing (Nov 3, 2007)

Nice work chaps enjoyed that :thumb:

Neil


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Cracking job there guys :thumb:


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## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Nice detail, write-up and photos too!:thumb:


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## Mad Ad (Feb 7, 2011)

Cracking work guys, good read, see you was modelling some of the detailing world clothing at the same time.


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## s3 rav (Apr 30, 2008)

Great work but looks wise just does nothing for me.


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

Stunning work guys, top class write up


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Mad Ad said:


> Cracking work guys, good read, see you was modelling some of the detailing world clothing at the same time.


Yep, a few choice items, old and new


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## Vossman (Aug 5, 2010)

Fantastic job fellas, well done.


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## Jakub555 (Aug 17, 2011)

Awesome job there guys
top men

:thumb:


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## renny (Aug 31, 2009)

Great job, great location and great car.



Am I the only sad man who thought ' wow, I'd kill for them garages' before even looking at the cars??


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

renny said:


> Great job, great location and great car.
> 
> Am I the only sad man who thought ' wow, I'd kill for them garages' before even looking at the cars??


Your not the only one mate, me and you both


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Did the owner follow-up with Mclaren regarding the refurb'd wheels Si?


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Top notch work there chaps :thumb:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

SimonBash said:


> Did the owner follow-up with Mclaren regarding the refurb'd wheels Si?


I know the car has been back to McLaren since the detail for the infotainment update but I'm not sure what was discussed with regards to the wheels


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## Guest (Dec 20, 2011)

top work guys


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## scootspanker (May 15, 2009)

nice!


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## Lupostef (Nov 20, 2011)

Brilliant write up and pictures. Great work and a stunning car aswell, win win


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