2008 G8 GT - Tons of pictures!

[zmcgovern45]

This car needed a lot of work, to say the least. It was filthy when I got it - tons of dirt, bugs, melted rubber, etc all over the car. I was in for more of a surprise after I washed it and pulled it inside under the halogen lights - The car was covered in swirls, scratches, and scuffs. Luckily I was able to correct the majority of the swirls with just a single stage polish, a good amount of heavier defects remained, but the clarity was restored to the paint by reducing the swirls. After applying a good sealant, the gloss and depth amazed me - especially because it was a white car!

Overall I was more than pleased with the results - Loved moving this car in and out of my garage, sounds soooo angry!

Process:
Pre-wash - treated heavily soiled areas with diluted (10:1) all purpose cleaner to help loosen contaminates
Wash - Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss diluted to remove any previous layers of protection
Dryed - DI Waffle Weave Microfiber
Clayed - DI fine grade clay using ONR diluted to clay lube solution
Taped all plastic Trim to protect from polish and wax residue
Polished (one step) - Meg's M205 w/ LC White Polishing pad on PC7424XP
Wiped car down with 12% IPA solution to remove any remaining polishing residue
Sealant - Chemical Guys Black Light
Tires - Meg's Endurance Gel

Time: approx 10 hours

Before:

^Car didn't look too bad from a distance, but you may change your mind after seeing the close ups.

^Melted rubber from the drag strip - that was fun to get off

^didn't spend much time on the bumper aside from normal cleaning since I was told it was going to be repainted soon

^Wheels were a little dirty

 

[zmcgovern45]

During:

^Wheel and Tire cleaner going to work

^Can you tell where I have washed?

^Paint under halogen lights... not so good.

^After claying the hood... used an entire clay bar on this car.

^Wheels are now the correct shade of black

^Pulled the car into the sun to inspect the paint after claying... revealed the swirls and scratches everywhere

^Taping to prep for polish

^Test area before

^50/50 shot of polished test area and unpolished area

^You can see some heavier defects remain, but the swirls are gone and the clarity is restored

^Front of hood before

^Front of hood after

^Hood after polishing

^Trunk after polishing

^Rear before

^Rear After

^Those 2 pads started as white

^Checking the paint out in the sun after polishing

^Not perfect, but a TON better

 

[zmcgovern45]

^This is an example of the heavier scratches that are still visible

^Sealant drying

After:

^Glossy trunk

^Much of the damage on the rear bumper was corrected

^Wheels and tires looking good

^My absolute favorite shot. The hood looks dripping wet! I was surprised to achieve this amount of depth and gloss with a white car!

 

[zmcgovern45]

Very quick (15 minute) photo shoot before it was picked up.

 

[EddieF]

HOLLY CRAP!! I cant believe the difference the sealant made! Awesome job!

 

[zmcgovern45]

HOLLY CRAP!! I cant believe the difference the sealant made! Awesome job!

Agreed. This was my first time with CG Black Light... made a believer out of me. I've heard the CG V7 Spray Sealant makes it even better, I've got some on order now!

 

[EddieF]

I might have to order some of that stuff!

 

[Smurf]

Sweet looking Holden that's what we call them down here :xyxthumbs:

 

[yosheego]

great work! =D :xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs:

 

[dcjredline]

Yeah now that is a pretty G8!!! Nice job

 

[zmcgovern45]

I might have to order some of that stuff!

Wouldn't be a bad choice... especially for such a reasonable price!

Sweet looking Holden that's what we call them down here :xyxthumbs:

I did notice the manufacturer sticker on the driver door jam said Holden on it.

great work! =D :xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs::xyxthumbs:

Thank you!

Yeah now that is a pretty G8!!! Nice job

It's gorgeous! Thanks!

 

[gothamite302]

Agreed. This was my first time with CG Black Light... made a believer out of me. I've heard the CG V7 Spray Sealant makes it even better, I've got some on order now!

it really adds a lot of slickness to the final product! but in the pictures, it doesnt look like it needs it!

 

[c5z06camaro]

Very nice job and that G8 :drool:

 

[SuperGlide]

Fantastic! White is always a challenge

 

[Klasse Act]

The car came out great, CG BL is awesome for sure, I was introduced to the product last weekend at our detail fest and its going to be in my collection over the winter, waiting for the 2013 detailing season!

Couple suggestions on the car if I may, one is getting the yellow film on both fogs. The next thing I'd do, since its white and black theme is looking so good, blacken out the Poncho badges as well as the side markers, this will tie things in nicely IMHO. I love those wheels on there too, simply perfect!!

 

[vet]

Nice!

 

[stibuki]

Nice job, big car with lots of real estate to polish! BTW... if you didn't know, no need to tape the side turn indicators on the front fenders as they pop right out. Just push the assembly a little toward the front of the car and rotate the the rear away from the fender toward you. Saves some time as they are a bit of a pain to tape up.

 

[zmcgovern45]

Very nice job and that G8 :drool:

Thanks!

Fantastic! White is always a challenge

Thank you!

The car came out great, CG BL is awesome for sure, I was introduced to the product last weekend at our detail fest and its going to be in my collection over the winter, waiting for the 2013 detailing season!

Couple suggestions on the car if I may, one is getting the yellow film on both fogs. The next thing I'd do, since its white and black theme is looking so good, blacken out the Poncho badges as well as the side markers, this will tie things in nicely IMHO. I love those wheels on there too, simply perfect!!

Turns out the one light was yellow because he replaced it with an aftermarket light and it oxidized like that... I was unsure if it was that color on purpose or not, so I did not attempt to correct it. He said he was going to replace it again anyway to get it back to clear.

The clear side markers look fine IMO since the surrounding "vent" is black. I'm not sure if the owner has anymore non-performance plans for this car.

Nice!

Thank you!

Nice job, big car with lots of real estate to polish! BTW... if you didn't know, no need to tape the side turn indicators on the front fenders as they pop right out. Just push the assembly a little toward the front of the car and rotate the the rear away from the fender toward you. Saves some time as they are a bit of a pain to tape up.

It was big! I am always weary of removing pieces from other people's vehicles, tape leads to less mistakes! Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[YNOT]

Fabulous job. I absolutely love those cars. Quite a bit of work, but what a difference it made. The owner must've been ecstatic.

Nice work!!

 

[LDM]

As an owner of a white G8 GT, good job giving that Pontiac a new shine.