Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavish

[jlb85]

The Porsche 911 series cars are without doubt some of the most beautiful and balanced of all time. With this latest write-up, I bring you a beautiful black 997 Carrera S sitting on upgraded wheels and brakes.

Marc was originally contacted by this owner who jumped at the chance to own his dream car, and has since cared for it dearly. Even though the paint was in the top-tier of the population, the owner wasn't satisfied, and was contemplating using his Ultimate Detailing Machine and other goodies. With a family and full-time job however, he found it a better alternative to outsource the work. Upon the initial inspection with the client, there were very light swirls and very few Random Isolated Deep Scratches, and the paint would be the only thing to see work.

Marc picked the pretty lady up, brought her back to his place, and we started a long day of work. It seemed with a detailer soon to perform their trade, the car gobbled up at much dirt and grime as possible....

Inside the front air dam there were dead dried-out leafs, cigarette buds, and trash that needed to be cared for before the Porsche got her bath.

Vacuumed out

Door jams in need of love

There were several areas with wax residue that needed attention as well - here are a couple

Gas cap area could use a little help as well

To begin, wheels and expensive brake components were doused with P21S wheel cleaner gel

While the wheels dwelled, hard to reach areas got hit with Meg's APC (10:1) and a Swissvax brush while the wheel wells got APC (4:1)

Return to the wheels

 

[jlb85]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

Griot's wax residue cleaner was used around the sun-roof then agitated with a precision brush

A thorough rinse followed by a good two bucket wash helped to clean off dirt and grime very easily

Danase mild clay was used and yielded very light contamination while exhaust tips were cleaned with P21S finish restorer + #0000 steel wool

Once rinsed and dried with waffle weave microfibers, we taped off any areas not fit to be hit by buffing pads

Taped off, we tested a section for the best pad+polish combination.

From this we chose Menzerna 106 on a Lake Country black pad, followed by Menzerna 85RD on a blue Lake Country finishing pad, and got to work.

We weren't willing to settle for a good finish. A "good finish" can be delivered by too many others, and the owner specifically set out for as close to perfection as possible in the time allotted. Here's a section in which you can see the additional amount of gloss and clarity in the paint that was brought out by burnishing with PO85RD + a no cut pad.

That subtle difference is what truly set off the paint's look once completed.


How's this for clarity - my favorite pic of the set in which you can see clearly the printed words on the inside of the halogen lamp housing reflecting off the paint

 

[jlb85]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

The bottom ledge of the car under the door entrance was the worst portion of the entire thing. We worked the area with small pads until its finish matched that of the other polished portions

After the final rinse to remove any polishing dust, the car was blown dry with fresh waffle weave microfibers to clean up any remaining droplets. Next up the car needed it's initial layer of protection. Danase Wet Glaze was applied with a PC. The slickness this added truly shocked me as it was my first time trying it out. Surely it is in the top tier of slickness - right up there with Collinite, but without the difficulty to remove.

DWG set, buffed off, and left to cure, we turned our attention to the other small areas. Klasse AIO was used on all the door jams

Aquapel was applied to the windshield for high quality 6 month protection

The "Lucy Shot" of approval

With this, our allotted time was spent, and when the client was contacted about the great progress we made - he agreed to give us a few more hours to do the interior and any other small area we could finish. AWESOME. Marc and I turned the heat up and got cookin'.

Petals cleaned with woolite (10:1), carpets vacuumed, leather cleaned, dash cleaned with 1Z Cockpit Premium, Leather got Z-10, glass cleaned with Meg's Glass Cleaner Concentrate (make sure to use pure/RO water!)

Final protection came in the form of Dodo Juice Supernatural. DWG laid down a nice coat of slickness and protection for the wax, then SN went on very thin and easy. Left behind was a beautiful deep look

Interior came around nicely, but makes me mad I never had a booster seat in a Porsche growing up

Final look was outstanding.

 

[jlb85]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

The trunk as it should look

Trash thrown out, complimentary microfiber's for the paint in a sealed bag, and the owner's battery tender now secure in a water proof bag as well

License plate that was taken off and cleaned, was finally reinstalled, but got WD-40 to all the screws, and inside the screw housing first.

Finally...

With the vehicle now complete, the sky opened up and rain poured down. Great...

After almost 10 hours with two working, we were finished and even Lucy was beat

The owner shrugged off the rain, knowing things would easily clean off the now polished and waxed surface, and headed off.

Just remember that true gloss can't be hidden by rain nor low light conditions

 

[akimel]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

Oh my gawd, please come and polish my car.

Well done!

 

[SRHTX]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

:cheers:

Stephen

 

[sportscarhiatus]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

wonderful work. It's ashame that the customer still drove it in the rain. That would have made me cry. All that work Kindda like when I spend 5 hours or so detailing the wife's car and she just says "looks good." no appreciation.

Let me just say to you guys, you did outstanding work. That porsche was impeccable. Thanks for the pics.

 

[awheeler3296]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

That is one sweet ride!

 

[supercharged]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

Great work! That SuperNatural wooden pot is so teasing!!!

 

[jlb85]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

Oh my gawd, please come and polish my car.

Well done!

Hi akimel! Good to see you around! How does Tuesday sound?

Thanks bro!

:cheers:

Stephen

Thank you!!

wonderful work. It's ashame that the customer still drove it in the rain. That would have made me cry. All that work Kindda like when I spend 5 hours or so detailing the wife's car and she just says "looks good." no appreciation.

Let me just say to you guys, you did outstanding work. That porsche was impeccable. Thanks for the pics.

First, Thank you! Unfortunately, here in Michigan the weather is weird like that. Yesterday they forecast afternoon storms and it ended up not raining at all! The owner was aware of the weather that day, and decided to go ahead despite. But at least he only had a short distance to drive.

He was able to wash the car on the weekend, and see how it turned out. Good thing about Supernatural, it looks even better after a little time and a good QD. Im the MAN

I'm glad you enjoyed the pics!

That is one sweet ride!

Oh man,it is! Not only does it look great, but the craftsmanship in this car is amazing. Everything fits right, feels solid, no corners cut. The interior took longer than I thought because it has either carpet or leather covering everything!

Great work! That SuperNatural wooden pot is so teasing!!!

Isn't it!? It looks so distinctive, but casual.

Thank you, sir!

 

[unclestu]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

:goodpost:The only thing nicer than a well polished black car is a well poished black Porsche. What a great detail!!! Thanks for posting such a well laid out documentation of your art. As I am a nubee I will use this post as my road map to detail my 911. The picture showing the taping was very helpful and that picture under the halogens makes you want to just jump into the endless blackness of the paint finish. The depth and clarity that you achieved was amazing. I have a Flex 3401 and in the pictures your polisher looks a bit like mine. Which polisher were you using and what size pads were you using when polishing the rear vents over the engine? I am about halfway through my first detail on my Porsche. What do you think about the Wdgps as opposed to what you used? That is what I am using I applied the first coat and will be following it up with another coat followed by a coat of Fuzion. :cheers:

 

[Ryan]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

Truly a nice job.

 

[sportscarhiatus]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

First, Thank you! Unfortunately, here in Michigan the weather is weird like that. Yesterday they forecast afternoon storms and it ended up not raining at all! The owner was aware of the weather that day, and decided to go ahead despite. But at least he only had a short distance to drive.

He was able to wash the car on the weekend, and see how it turned out. Good thing about Supernatural, it looks even better after a little time and a good QD. Im the MAN

I'm glad you enjoyed the pics!

How does Supernatural compare to Pinnacle Souveran or Fuzion?

 

[jlb85]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

:goodpost:The only thing nicer than a well polished black car is a well poished black Porsche. What a great detail!!! Thanks for posting such a well laid out documentation of your art. As I am a nubee I will use this post as my road map to detail my 911. The picture showing the taping was very helpful and that picture under the halogens makes you want to just jump into the endless blackness of the paint finish. The depth and clarity that you achieved was amazing. I have a Flex 3401 and in the pictures your polisher looks a bit like mine. Which polisher were you using and what size pads were you using when polishing the rear vents over the engine? I am about halfway through my first detail on my Porsche. What do you think about the Wdgps as opposed to what you used? That is what I am using I applied the first coat and will be following it up with another coat followed by a coat of Fuzion. :cheers:

I agree! Black Porsches with the rear quarter panels give off the best reflections, and look like Shakira

I was using the Flex lightweight, and Marc was using the Makita. For the Engine Cover Vents I used 3 inch diameter foam pads on what looks like a 2.5 inch diameter backing plate. I purchased them at my local Pro Bodyshop Supply Store as part of a kit that had wool and foam pads and the backing plate. It is the best $30 in pads I have ever gotten. I use them so often you would not believe it!

I am glad you are able to use the write-up! We (Marc and I) both started the same way: reading forums, reviews, and learning from other's write-ups. Only back then there was much less information! We are glad to be able to help. If you run into any problems or just want some further advice, don't hesitate to PM me! We are enthusiasts above all, and helping out a fellow enthusiast (and Porsche owner!) is always a top priority.

Truly a nice job.

Thanks!!

How does Supernatural compare to Pinnacle Souveran or Fuzion?

We have not tried Fuzion, yet. We need a sample But Supernatural and Souveran are completely different animals. Souveran is warm, easy to apply and super easy to wipe off. It beads great, and lasts OK. Supernatural is a b..... to apply, harder than Souveran to remove, and has a less "warm" glow to it IMO. But it is crisper, more clear, and kind of "brings it all to the front". One Step details cannot use Supernatural because it enhances the swirls in a weird way. Souveran works better in these cases. But Supernatural has the super high Carnauba content (making it difficult to apply) and can make a perfect finish look incredible, and it continues (if not improves) to gloss and shine with time. IMO, Supernatural looks best after a few days and a fresh wash.

But from what I have seen on the boards, Fuzion stands alone in gloss. I'm dying to try it!

 

[unclestu]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

I agree! Black Porsches with the rear quarter panels give off the best reflections, and look like Shakira

I was using the Flex lightweight, and Marc was using the Makita. For the Engine Cover Vents I used 3 inch diameter foam pads on what looks like a 2.5 inch diameter backing plate. I purchased them at my local Pro Bodyshop Supply Store as part of a kit that had wool and foam pads and the backing plate. It is the best $30 in pads I have ever gotten. I use them so often you would not believe it!

I am glad you are able to use the write-up! We (Marc and I) both started the same way: reading forums, reviews, and learning from other's write-ups. Only back then there was much less information! We are glad to be able to help. If you run into any problems or just want some further advice, don't hesitate to PM me! We are enthusiasts above all, and helping out a fellow enthusiast (and Porsche owner!) is always a top priority.[/I]

I want to thank both you and Mark for your gracious offer to provide advice and assistance in problem solving. I feel privileged to be able to tap into such a wealth of knowledge and experience.

 

[A4 1.8tqm]

Re: Black Porsche 997 Carrera + Upgraded Wheels + Upgraded Brakes = beauty! AutoLavi

Beautiful work! jlb85, want to trade a sample of Fuzion for a sample of SN?