We carried out our ultimate new car exterior detail on this volcanic orange Mini Cooper (f56). The customer drove from Cork city dropping the car off on Sunday and collecting again afternoon on Wednesday so that was plenty of time to give the car our full attention.
A picture the owner shared with our Facebook page.
Fergal Mc Dermott > MX Valeting > June 21, 2016 – “My F56 MINI Cooper that was recently ceramic coated by MX Valeting.”
This is a write up of the process we carried out, I hope you enjoy!
After a thorough inspection we noticed five problem areas.
- Stone chips on the bonnet
- Wheels highly contaminated with brake dust
- The paint was slightly weathered and swirled
- The glass would need polishing to remove chemical etching/ghosting
- The exhaust tip needed protection from the corrosive exhaust soot
First step to thoroughly wash and clean all exterior surfaces and we started this with a citrus pre-wash to remove heavy dirt.
After pressure washing away the heavy dirt a second application was applied to the front where the bugs were dried on solid, this was allowed to dwell and would be removed in the next process.
Next was to hand wash the car, we use the best wash mitts from carpro which are made from lambs wool. A great buy for anyone looking for a durable yet soft wash mitt, I have this for about three years now!
The hard to reach areas were agitated with a soft bristle brush.
After another pressure rinse the inner bodywork areas needed to be cleaned, areas like the fuel filler, booth and door jambs/shuts, plastic and rubber trims. Here we used a medium strength all purpose cleaner (APC) to remove any grease and dirt.
Front and back number plates were removed and the covered paintwork was cleaned in the same APC.
The next step is the most important, the paint is now washed and dried but still is not fully clean it’s not totally smooth which means that there is contamination stuck onto the paint and this will need to be removed if the ceramic paint protection is to bond correctly with the paint.
First we sprayed a bodywork solvent around the lower sections to help remove any tar deposits followed by iron x, this product helps lift iron contamination from the paints surface seen below by the purple dots.
Final step is to clay the paint and glass 100% free of contamination, we used a clay pad and spray lubricant by hand.
After a final hand wash the exterior was dried and brought inside, to finish the detail.
The stone chips needed to be fixed which we done with the correct volcanic orange BMW paint.
While the paint was drying we removed the wheels so they could be detailed correctly.
First the tires were deep cleaned free of dirt, grime and blooming with strong APC and a strong bristle brush.
On to wheels which were very badly contaminated with iron, surprising for a car only four months old!
And tar deposits next.
Final step was to dry the wheels and remove any grease and chemical residue from the wheels paint in preparation for the ceramic coating, this was done with isopropyl alcohol (50% mix).
We applied Carpro Dlux to the wheels with a foam block and suede cloth.
The wheels were refitted and after looking through the owners manual we found that the wheel bolts needed to be tightened to 140 NM of torque.
We dressed the tires with a Matt finish dressing
Next we concentrated on the paintwork, first step was to remove any imperfection which were light hazing and swirling, Carpro reflect was used on a lake country polishing pad with the every trustworthy kestral DAS6.
After an isopropyl alcohol (70% mix) wipe down to remove any polish residue we’re left with a bright and flawless finish!
Now to protect that finish we applied Carpro Cquartz UK ceramic paint protection coating with a foam block wrapped in suede cloth.
The finish was very deep and rich.
Next up we machine polished the glass with the same combination as on the paint and done an isopropyl alcohol wipe down then applied Gtechniq G1 the G2.
The exhaust needed a polishing, and for ease of cleaning we applied Carpro Dlux.
Some inside reflection shots.
Thanks for looking!
