Detailing an XC70 D5

Post 730270 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-17 23:06:41

Friends of ours have gone away on holiday for two weeks and recently word of mouth has got around about my bike repairs and my obsession for cleaning my car. As a side line I'm now servicing quite a few bikes in my own time, and now I'm being asked to detail some local cars. Today dropped off was a 2012 black XC70 AWD. My friends have had it since new and it's there general work horse used for the kids, shopping, carrying kayaks and the pet dog etc. It doesn't get cleaned very often and when it has been its been by the Polish supermarket idiots. Here's some pics of what it's like when it was dropped off earlier today. I've started some work today and I'll be doing the rest over the next week or so in the evenings after I get home from work.

Post 730272 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-17 23:23:02

Started with a snow foam. Iron X on the wheels, they were really bad Before Doing its thing Just rinsed off with jet washer, no wax or tyre dresser yet Decided to do one panel from start to finish today so made a start with the bonnet. After snow foam, washed with shampoo, clayed then with my Meguiars da polisher used Poor boys cutting polish, Autoglym polish, Poor boys black hole then sealed with Meguairs ultimate wax then a final lock down sealant which was left on for an hour then buffed off. Before After

Post 730273 by abdul on 2014-08-17 23:26:06

Good work

Post 730274 by Pliskin on 2014-08-17 23:41:08

That wheel cleaner looks like you have run over Shaun of the Dead extras

Post 730276 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-17 23:59:22

[QUOTE=Pliskin;730274]That wheel cleaner looks like you have run over Shaun of the Dead extras[/QUOTE] Lol, its not a wheel cleaner as such, its something that gets into the paint and draws out all the crap.

Post 730292 by stribo on 2014-08-18 07:09:21

Cool, a detailing thread, Pedro will be happy. ;)

Post 730293 by volvokid on 2014-08-18 07:17:54

I used to charge about £350 for a full paint detail and that's cheap considering how much products and man hours I would spend on the cars, hope your charging well

Post 730294 by volvokid on 2014-08-18 07:19:51

I wouldn't have thought PB would have enough cut for Volvo paint.... Is it just hiding the swirls or is it actually taking them out?

Post 730300 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-18 07:55:32

[QUOTE=volvokid;730294]I wouldn't have thought PB would have enough cut for Volvo paint.... Is it just hiding the swirls or is it actually taking them out?[/QUOTE] PB master cut used as the bonnet had a lot of swirls and only two minor scratches which it took out with no issues.There are a few more prominent scratches down the side of the car so will need something stronger on those, but not starting on them till later in the week.

Post 730302 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-18 07:59:38

[QUOTE=stribo;730292]Cool, a detailing thread, Pesdro will be happy. ;)[/QUOTE] I thought I'd get away with it as its on a Volvo lol.

Post 730303 by jamesy12345 on 2014-08-18 08:02:18

Impressed with the knowledge about detailing here, my cars are usually pretty bad paintwork wise as I don't get put off when purchasing unless there is corrosion. The Xc70 looks really good didn't realise you weren't finished!

Post 730370 by T5frankie on 2014-08-18 18:03:10

you wearing your missus' slippers?

Post 730374 by stribo on 2014-08-18 18:06:15

[QUOTE=T5frankie;730370]you wearing your missus' slippers?[/QUOTE] You've set yourself up for a fall there mate. lol

Post 730442 by merc85 on 2014-08-18 21:33:35

Looking good mike, What are you going to use on the inside of the arch liners?

Post 730458 by T5frankie on 2014-08-18 22:07:08

[QUOTE=stribo;730374]You've set yourself up for a fall there mate. lol[/QUOTE] How come?

Post 730467 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-18 22:30:35

Two long scratches on the passenger side rear door, Spent a good 30 minutes on the panel, I'm only a novice but very happy with the results. Front passenger door just needed a gentle cut, then polish and wax. And just for all the German haters, my M and the new Golf we picked up last Wednesday. :lovestory Taking my son and some of his mates to watch Bournemouth play at home against Nottingham Forest tomorrow night, so will tackle the tailgate on Wednesday night. More pics to follow.

Post 730937 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-22 00:43:21

Finished off the XC70 today and I'm really happy with the results. I had a budget to stick to, so I couldn't do as much as I wanted as ideally I'd like to of taken the wheels off to clean the backs properly and also clean the arches better. Volvo paint is very hard and being black it shows up every imperfection. With the money I make from this I will be investing in more products which will make future jobs easier like a large range of cutting/polishing pads and stronger cutting liquids etc. I emailed the owners a few pictures and they couldn't believe how different the car looked. Some finished pictures, they were taken with an Iphone so not the best, in the flesh the paint really sparkles. I didn't budget for doing anything on the inside, but as this was my first time and I wanted the owners to be happy, I thought I'd give it a quick tidy up. Having a Labrador, the boot area was covered in dog hair, but soon tidied up using a damp cloth and then dabbing with a latex glove which picked up the hair with ease, then a quick vacuum.

Post 730941 by graemewelch on 2014-08-22 01:46:52

Looks like youve done a cracking job. I need to do mine sometime

Post 730942 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-22 02:13:17

[QUOTE=graemewelch;730941]Looks like youve done a cracking job. I need to do mine sometime[/QUOTE] Thanks. In total spent 9 hours on it. Just ordered a load more products including some Zaino Z8. Heard great things about it, plus now having our own black car thought it rude not to give it a go. Shame I can't bill the wife for my time considering she drives the golf lol.

Post 730943 by graemewelch on 2014-08-22 02:50:33

I use blackfire products on mine. Its not the cheapest but i think its worth the extra money.

Post 730979 by MIKESC70T5 on 2014-08-22 11:49:06

[QUOTE=graemewelch;730943]I use blackfire products on mine. Its not the cheapest but i think its worth the extra money.[/QUOTE] Just looked at the blackfire range, there equivalent product is £19 for 591ml bottle, Z8 is £22 for a smaller bottle. Haven't heard a single negative comment about it so I'll use some and report back.

Post 731009 by abdul on 2014-08-22 18:09:15

Excellent work

Post 800218 by Dave Tuting on 2016-04-28 11:28:33

Couldn't see any photos at all, just squares with 'Photo Not Available' in them?

Post 800221 by Biff on 2016-04-28 11:54:25

[QUOTE=Dave Tuting;800218]Couldn't see any photos at all, just squares with 'Photo Not Available' in them?[/QUOTE] That's probably as this thread is ancient & they have been removed from the hosting site.