SpeedFreak Detailed: McLaren MP4-12C full correction/Opti Coat

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SpeedFreak81

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What a magnificent machine! This car came to me from a previous client, in an enclosed transport after he picked it up in Connecticut. He also owned a matte black C63 AMG Black Series that I did a bunch of work on; and requested I prep the McLaren. Apparently this was a McLaren press/show car used at various events, but the dealer was having trouble selling it due to the "loud" McLaren Orange color? Personally, I LOVE the color, and it carries a lot of heritage from McLaren racing.

Typical of exotics, I saw a lot of factory paint defects, due in large part to the hand finishing of the body panels. Rotary buffing marks, swirls, and machine sanding marks were abundant especially on the lower portions of the quarter panels. I saw the same machine sanding marks on the Carrera GT I did a while back, luckily the Mclaren paint was soft enough that the defects could be compounded out.

The client gave me free reign to take whatever measures necessary to get this beast looking perfect. The front end was already treated to Xpel Ultimate paint protection film prior to it's arrival, so no corrective work was required on that end. The MP4 also got a custom hardwired Beltronics 9500 radar/laser system, and body color paint matched brake calipers courtesy of Chris & Mike @ CAS Design. After everything was complete I locked the finish in with Opti Coat Professional on the exterior surfaces as well as the wheels.


Products used:


  • Sonax Full Effect wheel cleaner
  • ZEP citrus degreaser
  • CG Citrus Wash
  • Pinnacle Speed Clay
  • DoDo Juice Born Slippery clay lube
  • M105 on LC PFW pad via FLEX 3401
  • Pinnacle Advanced finishing polish on LC CCS White pad via FLEX 3401
  • Menzerna SF4500 on LC CCS Grey pad via FLEX 3401
  • Sonax glass cleaner
  • Adam's Super VRT tire dressing
  • Opti Coat Professional coating



Wheels removed, cleaned & prepped, and coated



DSC_0777 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0778 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr


Color matched calipers freshly painted by Chris @ CAS Design



calipers by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr


Driver's side door after compound



DSC_0799 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0796 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0798 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0794 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0793 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




Roof after compound



DSC_0801 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




Driver's side quarter panel showcasing machine sanding marks left behind from the factory



DSC_0788 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0786 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0787 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr



After compound, sanding marks are removed



DSC_0790 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0789 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




Scratching on the rear of the car



DSC_0807 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0810 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




After compound




DSC_0811 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr



Engine cover and wing after compound



DSC_0805 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0802 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




More sanding marks on passenger quarter panel




DSC_0806 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




DSC_0814 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0813 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr


After compound



DSC_0816 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0815 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr



Passenger door after compound



DSC_0821 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0820 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




Shots post correction, car still on jackstands while the radar install was being completed



DSC_0933 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0877 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0881 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0880 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0879 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0883 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0884 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0887 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0889 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0888 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0891 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




DSC_0890 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0895 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0897 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0902 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0903 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0931 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0929 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0912 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0914 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0915 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr





DSC_0924 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr




After Chris and Mike buttoned everything back up the custom mounted display and power switch are displayed. Very stealth!



radar1 by SpeedFreak81, on Flickr
 
That is a hot ride

Sent from my LG-E970 using Tapatalk 2
 
You shouldn't have said it was on jack stands! You should have said that it is McLaren's new levitation technology that provides a smooth ride, even on the bumpiest of streets. :laughing:

Amazing job done on that 12C! I can't believe they were having trouble selling the orange. I agree with you that it is one of McLaren's best colors. Side note: there is a great documentary on YouTube that you can watch inside the McLaren Technology Center where they show just what goes into the design and build of the 12C. Very interesting if you're an engineering fan, car fan, racing fan, McLaren fan, or just a fan, fan.

Thank you for sharing your work. It was a beautiful job!
 
You sir, clearly exceed expectations and perfection in your work and your dedication shows the amount of work and time required to tackle a job like this.

Your work and photography show the talent you posses. I always thoroughly enjoy reading your work and taking it all in.

Keep up the outstanding work Brian,

Mike

:)
 
smack said:
You sir, clearly exceed expectations and perfection in your work and your dedication shows the amount of work and time required to tackle a job like this.

Your work and photography show the talent you posses. I always thoroughly enjoy reading your work and taking it all in.

Keep up the outstanding work Brian,

Mike

:)
Click to expand...

^What he said!!! Well done :dblthumb2:
 
smack said:
You sir, clearly exceed expectations and perfection in your work and your dedication shows the amount of work and time required to tackle a job like this.

Your work and photography show the talent you posses. I always thoroughly enjoy reading your work and taking it all in.

Keep up the outstanding work Brian,

Mike

:)
Click to expand...

Mike,

Thanks so much for the kind words! Means a lot!!!

Brian
 
The car looks awesome and the painted calipers were a fantastic idea. Great work!

However, this is what bothers me and maybe you can help me out. I know for a fact the MP4-12 will spend hours in a booth at the factory having every panel worked over so the paint is "perfect." These are Ron Dennis' words. This guy lives at a level most of us cannot dream of when it comes to seeking perfection. It's McLaren for crying out loud. That being said, do you think the imperfections are from the factory or from shipping, driving, poor detailers prior to your work, or etc?

I'm not asking to call you out but simply because I want to know. I've always been perplexed about 6 figure cars that need their paint honed fresh off the truck. You see it on Ferrari’s and Lambo's as well, all of them need their paint perfected.

Your thoughts?

I love the work and I really appreciate an installer who makes an aftermarket piece as subtle as possible.
 
nissenc1337 said:
The car looks awesome and the painted calipers were a fantastic idea. Great work!

However, this is what bothers me and maybe you can help me out. I know for a fact the MP4-12 will spend hours in a booth at the factory having every panel worked over so the paint is "perfect." These are Ron Dennis' words. This guy lives at a level most of us cannot dream of when it comes to seeking perfection. It's McLaren for crying out loud. That being said, do you think the imperfections are from the factory or from shipping, driving, poor detailers prior to your work, or etc?

I'm not asking to call you out but simply because I want to know. I've always been perplexed about 6 figure cars that need their paint honed fresh off the truck. You see it on Ferrari’s and Lambo's as well, all of them need their paint perfected.

Your thoughts?

I love the work and I really appreciate an installer who makes an aftermarket piece as subtle as possible.
Click to expand...

Ron Dennis may have a vision or goal of all his cars being "perfect" when they leave the factory....however, I guarantee he isn't inspecting every single car before it leaves the factory. Also, perfection in one person's eyes can differ greatly from another's.

I've seen the same defects on enough exotics that have come straight from the factory to know what goes on there. Whether or not it is due to a lack of proper training on the technician's part, or laziness.....is up for debate?
 
I wonder if the people who work on these cars day in and day out at the factories just feel like its just another car. Someone who works at the factory and spends a lot of time with these cars might forget just how special they are and not give them the attention they deserve.
That McLaren looks amazing and I really love the color. Lately orange has been climbing my list of favorite colors.
 
geekdout said:
I wonder if the people who work on these cars day in and day out at the factories just feel like its just another car. Someone who works at the factory and spends a lot of time with these cars might forget just how special they are and not give them the attention they deserve.
That McLaren looks amazing and I really love the color. Lately orange has been climbing my list of favorite colors.
Click to expand...

Of course there are those who won't take the pride in their job, as they should but these factory jobs are sought after even by those who drive by the factory everyday and are held to very strict standards.

If they spend 12+ hours buffing a car/inspecting a car only to send it back when they find miniscule defects i'm not sure how they couldn't see obvious things like pig tails, holograms, and etc. These aren't your Detroit line workers from the 70's. You know? But it's not just McClaren, Ferrari/Lambo/and etc all have these same issues from the factory. Certainly the ability to understand what a scratch looks like isn't knowledge locked up in the pages of these forums.
 
Fantastic job there Brian! :dblthumb2:

I can tell ya' one thing.... they wouldn't have a problem "getting rid of" that ugly orange car if they dropped it down my way. ;) (Of course they'd have to drop the $250 grand down my way too.) :laughing:
 
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