Highlight Silver Mazda BT50 - Detailed by Lawrence

[lawrenceSA]

So this vehicle was recently purchased by the owner and has been subjected to quite some abuse over the years. As you can see, it is a workhorse....

There was a lot to do and so I arranged to do the detail over 2 weekends, with some work done in the evenings after work in the week in between - all in all I spent 44 hours on it.

First up, the engine bay:

Before

-Alternator covered with cling wrap
-Spray with Cyclo APC and agitate with various brushes and mf towels
-HP rinse
-Blow dry
-Clean/Polish/Protect painted surfaces using AF Tripple by hand with a MF applicator
-Dressed with Autofinesse Dressel

After

Once that was done it was time to get really dirty.... I spent a few hours on my back cleaning the undercarriage

Before

-Spray with Cyclo APC and agitate with various brushes and mf towels
-HP rinse
-Tire cleaned with Valet Pro Billberry
-Dressed with Shield Sheen

During

Just so you know, even though Billberry smells like strawberry ice-cream, it really doesn't taste much like it :lol:

After

Then it was time to move on to the wheels and arches

Before

During

-HP rinse arches
-Clean with Cyclo APC using a Mothers Fenderwell Brush
-HP rinse

After

Before

During

-Clean tires with Valet Pro Billbery Wheel Cleaner @ 1:6 and a Mothers Tire brush.
-HP rinse
-Repeat tire cleaning
-HP rinse
-Wash wheels and brake calipers with VP Bilberry Wheel Cleaner @ 1:6, Daytona and Daytona Jnr brushes and Valet Pro Boars Hair Brushes
-HP rinse
-Dry
-Remove tar using Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover
-Spray with APC and HP Rinse
-Dry
-Remove bonded and embedded ferrous contaminants on wheels and brake calipers with Autofinesse Iron Out, Daytona (big and small) brushes and Valet Pro Boars Hair Brushes
-HP Rinse + flood rinse

The embedded dirt was so bad I had to hit each wheel at least twice, sometimes 3 times and on one wheel a 4th time. I also used the opportunity to test out an (un-named) iron remover from Crazy Detailer

Here I have sprayed the left side of the wheel with AF Iron Out and the right side with the un-named iron remover.

As you can see it seems to be a bit thicker and clings longer, but, it didn't seem to 'bleed' at all... so I rinsed, and then sprayed the whole wheel with AF Iron Out.

If you ignore the bleeding coming from the lower right wheel nut, there seems to be a pretty similar amount of bleeding across the whole wheel, leading me to conclude that although the un-named iron remover never bled, it still removed as much iron. I have fed back to them though the the bleeding is a useful visual indicator and needs to be present.

-Dry
-Polished with Meguiars Cleaner Wax
-Protected with Menzerna Powerlock
-Tires dressed with 2 coats of Optimum Tire Sheen

After

Continuing with the 'dirty' stuff the Door/Boot Jambs and Petrol Flap areas were cleaned
-HP rinse
-Clean with Cyclo APC and Valet Pro Boars Hair Brushes
-HP rinse

They were then later further cleaned up, polished and protected using Autofinesse Tripple

Before

After

Before

After

Before

During

After

 

[lawrenceSA]

After that it was time to get the car cleaned up in preparation for polishing

Some random pics of stuff on the paint

Wash
-HP rinse
-Applied Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II via Crazy Detailer V2 Foam Cannon, left to dwell
-HP rinse
-Applied Valet Pro Citrus Pre-wash via a spray bottle, left to dwell
-HP rinse
-2BM wash using lambswool wash mitts and a sample shampoo I am testing
-HP Rinse
-Flood Rinse
-Dried using ONR and WW drying towels

Decontamination
-Tar removed using Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover
-Iron removed using Autofinesse Iron Out
-Remaining contamination was clayed off using Shield Heavy Duty clay with ONR as lube.

Then I moved on to cleaning up the rear end.

This involved removing the number plate

Using these goodies

To leave me with this

Then I had to remove a LOT of over-spray

And then I tackled the dirt that had built up around the badges over the years. There was also a lot of spots of blue paint in this area.

Before

During

Process:
-Autofinesse Tripple
-Cotton buds
-MF towels

After

The headlights also needed some attention

Before

In the below pic you can also notice the terrible state of the chrome details

Process on headlights
-Menzerna PF2300 / 4" Lake Country Orange flat pad followed by Menzerna SF4000 / 4" White Lake Country flat pad

Process on chromed details
-Meguiars NXT All Metal Polish

After

Before we get into the paint correction, let't take a look at the interior....

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Some other random 'before' shots of the interior

Process was:
-Vacuum
-Clean plastics using Shield Heavy Duty Vinly and Rubber Cleaner
-Protect plastics using Aerospace 303 protectant
-Clean fabric seats using Aerospace Spot cleaner

 

[lawrenceSA]

Paint readings were taken and there was no cause for concern, except for the roof, which had clear coat failure, rust spots and was just generally stuffed.... the owner is planning on repainting this section

Time to polish some paint

This is what it looked like to start with

There was also paint transfer and deep scratches and a nasty chip and some etching

And after a 1-step correction using Menzerna PF2300 on the Flex 3401 with Orange Lake Country pads

Before

After

Before

After

The paint was then protected using 2 coats of Optimum Optiseal

Window rubbers were in a terrible state from being left for years but cleaned up nicely, although far from perfect.

Before

After

-cleaned using Shield Heavy Duty Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner
-protected using Aerospace 303 protectant

The same process was used on the exterior plastics

Before

After

All the roll bars had been painted black and once cleaned these were treated to Autoglym SRP worked in with a MF applicator by hand and buffed off

And finally some pics of everything completed

And as we all know, the minute you finish detailing, the rain arrives.... fortunately it was a very light drizzle.

Thanks for looking and as always, and questions or comments are welcome.

:hi:

 

[CaveRacing]

Outstanding results!

 

[FrankS]

Excellent work as usual Lawrence!

 

[antti@561detailing]

Lawrence, you most be one of the most detail oriented detailer here...stuff you do is just unbelievable.

 

[AZ Mike]

I love to see your write ups. Great work and wonderful posts.

 

[whavens]

WOW great job. That truck looks new now. Thanks for the write up.

Walter

 

[Sicoupe]

Simply amazing buddy!

 

[LRC3]

Great job..

 

[dchristo]

Outstanding !

 

[noslef]

Amazing work! I enjoy reading your write-ups...keep posting them up!

 

[custmsprty]

Lawrence, you most be one of the most detail oriented detailer here...stuff you do is just unbelievable.

:iagree: WOW!!

 

[ryandamartini]

Great work,

I'm surprised that a regular working class vehicle got that kind of treatment. 44 hour job.. here that would cost a percentage of the vehicle's value I think!

 

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Wow! Your attention to detail and thoroughness continues to grow with each write up Lawrence! Well done good sir!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[lawrenceSA]

Outstanding results!

Thank you Lee

Excellent work as usual Lawrence!

Thanks Frank

Lawrence, you most be one of the most detail oriented detailer here...stuff you do is just unbelievable.

WOW thank you so much for your kind words.

I love to see your write ups. Great work and wonderful posts.

Thanks Mike. I love sharing it and am glad to know you enjoy reading them.

WOW great job. That truck looks new now. Thanks for the write up.

Walter

Thank you Walter

Simply amazing buddy!

Thanks my friend

Great job..

Thank you

Outstanding !

Thanks Dave

Amazing work! I enjoy reading your write-ups...keep posting them up!

Thank you. I have every intention of doing just that and again, I am glad you enyoy reading them :xyxthumbs:

:iagree: WOW!!

I am very humbled. Thank you!!!

Great work,

I'm surprised that a regular working class vehicle got that kind of treatment. 44 hour job.. here that would cost a percentage of the vehicle's value I think!

Thank you.

Well there are a few factors at play.

I have done work for one of his friends before
He got the vehicle for a really good price (given its condition)
He was finding it very difficult to be in the interior
He (and I say this with all due respect, and, it is not something he will not say himself)... is lazy
He wanted the job done right and so was referred to me by his friend
He drives a Golf 7.:R which I will be doing in the near future so probably wanted to see what to expect before booking that in?

In terms of the cost of the detail to him in comparison to the vehicle value, things work a little differently over here again due to a multitude of factors.

Detailing is still a very small sector and the value that is placed on it is therefore comparatively small, so the market is still not ready for what the rest of the world would deem an acceptable rate, and so by comparison, the cost of a detail to the customer is not as big a percentage of the vehicle's value

Just to make it worse for the detailer....

The exchange rate is crippling (everything has to be imported)
The shipping costs are crazy
Our own customs/duties rates are just as bad.

The result of which is that product costs are much higher per detail, so we really get squeezed... but if you love what you do, none of that actually matters...

 

[lawrenceSA]

Wow! Your attention to detail and thoroughness continues to grow with each write up Lawrence! Well done good sir!

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Mike

 

[ryandamartini]

Thank you Lee


Thanks Frank


WOW thank you so much for your kind words.


Thanks Mike. I love sharing it and am glad to know you enjoy reading them.


Thank you Walter


Thanks my friend


Thank you


Thanks Dave


Thank you. I have every intention of doing just that and again, I am glad you enyoy reading them :xyxthumbs:


I am very humbled. Thank you!!!


Thank you.

Well there are a few factors at play.

I have done work for one of his friends before
He got the vehicle for a really good price (given its condition)
He was finding it very difficult to be in the interior
He (and I say this with all due respect, and, it is not something he will not say himself)... is lazy
He wanted the job done right and so was referred to me by his friend
He drives a Golf 7.:R which I will be doing in the near future so probably wanted to see what to expect before booking that in?

In terms of the cost of the detail to him in comparison to the vehicle value, things work a little differently over here again due to a multitude of factors.

Detailing is still a very small sector and the value that is placed on it is therefore comparatively small, so the market is still not ready for what the rest of the world would deem an acceptable rate, and so by comparison, the cost of a detail to the customer is not as big a percentage of the vehicle's value

Just to make it worse for the detailer....

The exchange rate is crippling (everything has to be imported)
The shipping costs are crazy
Our own customs/duties rates are just as bad.

The result of which is that product costs are much higher per detail, so we really get squeezed... but if you love what you do, none of that actually matters...

Thanks for sharing. Just here a job like this would be so expensive that it is rare. So thank you for the insight into another market.