My Car - Seat Leon Platinum FR TDI - Paint Correction

Associate
Joined
29 Jul 2003
Posts
894
Location
London
Thought id post up a detail I done with my good friend Rob who runs his own detailing company. Its a detail we done together and one I perticularly enjoyed as it was my car. :)

Here are the specifications of the car.

2005 Platinum Seat Leon FR modification list

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CHASSIS
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~ KW Variant 3 Coilovers
~ 034 TrackDensity Top Mounts
~ Eibach Anti Roll Bars 25mm front & rear
~ VF Engineering Drop Links
~ Audi S3 upper strut brace
~ Audi S3 lower strut brace
~ Hughes Engineering rear strut brace
~ ATE High Performance Brake Kit (4 Pot, 326x30mm 2 piece discs, ATE pads and braided hoses)
~ Audi TT Rear Calipers (256x22mm vented discs and Ferodo DS2500s)
~ EBC DOT-5 brake fluid
~ Leon Cupra R 18" alloy wheels (machine faced w/ anthracite inserts)
~ Toyo T1-R tyres
~ Forge 10mm rear hubcentric spacers w/ longer bolts and locking wheel nuts
~ SuperPro Steering Rack bush
~ SuperPro DogBone mount kit
~ Superflex front wishbone with camber adjustment
~ SuperPro rear wishbone bushes
~ Powerflex rear beam bushes


ENGINE
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~ TurboDynamics MD376 Stage 2 Turbo
~ AmD Technik Stage 3 custom remap (Kenny@AmD special)
~ Quaife ATB Differential
~ Blueprinted, Ported and Polished ARL Cylinder Head
~ Colt Cam Stage 2 - on order
~ Sachs Organic Clutch with DMF rated @ 407lb/ft
~ Hayward and Scott 3" Turbo Back Exhaust with custom H&S tip.
~ Wingnut EGR Stealth Race Pipe
~ Twin Cold Air Feed from fogs (custom)
~ Apexi Power Intake
~ Forge Short Shifter
~ Forge Motorsport 3" Turbo Intake Pipe - coming soon
~ Forge Motorsport Intercooler - coming soon
~ SFS Performance Turbo Intake Pipe
~ Hayward and Scott custom Turbo Outlet Pipe
~ Hayward and Scott custom FMIC Boost Pipe kit
~ SEAT 5.5 Ltr Screenwash Bottle


EXTERIOR
----------
~ Leon Cupra R front bumper
~ Fabia rear wiper
~ Areo front wipers
~ LHD drivers side mirror
~ Front and rear number plate surrounds
~ Xenon 6000K H7 HIDs, Xenon 9 LED H3 sidelights
~ OSRAM Night breakers H1
~ Diadem OSRAM Indicator bulbs
~ Engine bay bonnet seal
~ Debadged slightly
~ Professionally Detailed by JonJay (myself)


INTERIOR
----------
~ Becker Mexico Pro headunit
~ Audi S3 Autodim rear view mirror
~ Audi S3 Illuminated Vents
~ Audi S3 Pedals
~ Audi R8 Oil Cap
~ R32 Steering Wheel
~ VAG 2 button flip key - soon
~ Keyfob controlled windows
~ Leon Cupra R spare wheel (custom)
~ Leon Cupra R gear knob
~ Leon FR dead pedal (custom)
~ Brushed alloy oil dip-stick cover (custom)
~ Forge Strut Top Caps
~ VAG Cruise Control
~ Xenon White LED full interior conversion
~ Piano Black center console and battery cover.
~ SEAT Leon mats, leather handbrake cover, boot tidy and cargo net
~ CG-Lock


Hope you enjoy the writeup.

Gleammachine – Leon FR TDI :buffer:

Recently my partner’s car and my car were covered in contaminants by building work from next door. As this was entirely the fault of the builders (they gave us no prior warning to the work), out of principle I wanted a professional to fix the damage caused. Even though I am as a keen detailer myself and no stranger to a polisher, I felt that I shouldn’t have to sacrifice my own time to rectify the problem.

I contacted Rob as I have been following his work on DW for a number of years and knew his work was absolute quality. Another benefit of choosing GleamMachine is that by simply watching Rob work I would pick up hints and tips that would help me as a detailer in future details. Best to learn from one of the best right? And Rob is one of the best in his field.

Date was quickly agreed and I turned up at Rob detailing studio at 08:30am. I was pleasantly surprised that Rob was already outside prepping even though I was half an hour earlier (hardly not traffic on the road). Rob inspected the car and he hit the ground running so we could get the car under the spotlights to assess the damage as soon as possible.


Stages and Products
- Wash stages: Valetpro citrus pre-wash for pre rinse and foam stage, washed with Meg’s shampoo+
- De-contaminated: AS Tardis followed by i4detailing polyclay & AS reglaze
- Machine work: Menzerna 203s, IP3.02 & 85RD on a polishing pad,
- Protection: Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish (pre-cleaner) Blackfire Wet Diamond paint sealant via DA, Blackfire Metal sealant on the alloys, G-techniq C4 on the plastic trim, Glass 3M & Carlack glass sealant, shuts Werkstat strong.
- Trim: exhaust Meg's metal polish, rubber seals Swissvax seal feed, arches AS finish, tyres Megs endurance.


Wash Stages

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The car was pretty clean after the wash stage. I was very impressed by the speed and efficiency Rob worked around the car. His product knowledge of how to get the car clean quick, what works and what doesn’t work but retain the thoroughness was great.

There wasn’t much to report claying wise apart from the yellow clay bar having darker yellow contaminants on it from the roof. We presumed this must have been the cement contaminants they used on the roof next door. I was pretty pleased to hear Rob say the paint was in excellent condition and was pleased to work on a car with original paint. My heart was pounding however as Rob started inspecting the paint dept levels around the car. As a keen detailer myself, my car is the one I machine polished, try new products, and learnt how to detail on so was conscious that I may have gone a little too aggressive on some panels in my earlier years. I was overjoyed to see healthy consistent readings all over the car! This also meant Rob could work his magic without fear of low clear-coat levels.

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The car was taken into the studio, taped up and Rob inspected the car under his myriad of halogen lights he has. There were no swirls on the car just some deep RDS marks that either I put in from removing the heavy cement contaminants or the previous owner put in.


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All in all however again I was overjoyed at how few and far between these marks were for a 5 year old car. The RDS was extremely hard to see due to the colour of the car so we both inspected the panels at some extreme angles to catch them. Robs 150w halogens caught them perfectly.


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Rob tried various polish combinations on the rear quarter to see what worked best. We had agreed that it would be impossible to try and chase every single bit of RDS that day as it would require multiple stages, lots of time and the fact that they were so hard to see unless under special conditions. We opted to achieve

Depth - The degree of richness or intensity: depth of color.
Shine - radiance or brightness caused by emitted or reflected light.
Clarity - Clearness of appearance

Example of RDS on the roof.
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Machine Stage

Whilst Rob was machining I got to work on the Wheels and Door shuts.
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Werkstat Prime Strong worked great on all shuts it touched! –Added to shopping list,

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On the Roof there was an area where the RDS needed special attention. Rob got out the Menzerna IP and Woolpad combination, cornered off the area and did his magic.

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Protection & Trim Stage

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I was absolutely blown away by how good G-Techniq C4 was! Added to shopping list…

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Results

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Summary

I have to say Rob @ Gleammachine is a true master of the art. It was amazing exchanging ideas about all things detailing. Rob throughout the day was extremely friendly and professional. He answered all my questions and gave me great info & advice on each stage in great detail. Also his product knowledge is impeccable and I already have a shopping list as long as my arm! I was blown away by the products Rob used at various stages – they all worked flawlessly and his experience really showed.

What I am really pleased that my approach to detailing and keeping the car swirl/scratch free really paid off. Under the inspection of the myriad of lights the paint condition was fantastic to which rob commented and for a professional like Rob to comment meant to world to me. The fact that the car was covered in cement dust and I managed to get it off without too much damaged was a massive relief.

All in all I had one of the most enjoyable days detailing of my life. Blown away by GleamMachine and would definitely recommend Robs services to anyone. I can’t wait to unleash what I learnt from Rob– he has really inspired me to carry on with detailing and raised my game to the next level.
 
Good write up... I must say, it's a fantastic feeling stepping back and admiring a car that you've just put hours and hours of work into.

However, you didn't do it yourself but I'm sure you'll be needing a topup 6-12 months down the line then you can do the work yourself :)
 
Good write up... I must say, it's a fantastic feeling stepping back and admiring a car that you've just put hours and hours of work into.

However, you didn't do it yourself but I'm sure you'll be needing a topup 6-12 months down the line then you can do the work yourself :)
Cheers. :)

Your right I didnt do it all myself, not sure why you are referencing this? Joint detail with Rob doing majority of the work...

Yep already topped up the protection. Using maintenance wash products helps keep things fresh also.

Why do 'detailers' have to use stupid names for things? Why not just call it was it is: a..............garage? :confused::confused:

That aside it does look nice and shiny :)
I can name a lot fo trades who use stupid names for things lol.
 
A SPONGE!!! OMG

Also:
ENGINE
----------
~ TurboDynamics MD376 Stage 2 Turbo
~ AmD Technik Stage 3 custom remap (Kenny@AmD special)
~ Quaife ATB Differential
~ Blueprinted, Ported and Polished ARL Cylinder Head
~ Colt Cam Stage 2 - on order
~ Sachs Organic Clutch with DMF rated @ 407lb/ft
~ Hayward and Scott 3" Turbo Back Exhaust with custom H&S tip.
~ Wingnut EGR Stealth Race Pipe
~ Twin Cold Air Feed from fogs (custom)
~ Apexi Power Intake
~ Forge Short Shifter
~ Forge Motorsport 3" Turbo Intake Pipe - coming soon
~ Forge Motorsport Intercooler - coming soon
~ SFS Performance Turbo Intake Pipe
~ Hayward and Scott custom Turbo Outlet Pipe
~ Hayward and Scott custom FMIC Boost Pipe kit
~ SEAT 5.5 Ltr Screenwash Bottle

:p
 
[TW]Fox;18773710 said:
Do any of these firms offer pure paintwork correction, ie not wax, wheels etc?

Yea all of them, just tell them what you want done, no ones turning work away these days.

But you have to ask is it not worth another few quid to get the lot done properly surely.
 
[TW]Fox;18773710 said:
Do any of these firms offer pure paintwork
correction, ie not wax, wheels etc?
They do but it doesnt take them long to apply a layer of wax afterwards anyway.

A SPONGE!!! OMG

Also:


:p
Its actually a grout sponge and just as safe as using a lambs wool mitt if you use the correct pressure and wash technique.

Yea all of them, just tell them what you want done, no ones turning work away these days.

But you have to ask is it not worth another few quid to get the lot done properly surely.
Agreed :)
 
Yea all of them, just tell them what you want done, no ones turning work away these days.

But you have to ask is it not worth another few quid to get the lot done properly surely.

No because I enjoy doing it myself, I just can't do paint correction.
 
[TW]Fox;18773710 said:
Do any of these firms offer pure paintwork correction, ie not wax, wheels etc?

I do but the car must be prepped correctly. Some people wouldn't do it right so I'd have to do that again. For example not claying correctly and leaving tar spots.

I did a 130i last week and the guy prepped it himself. He did a good job too. He had a half price correction for doing most of the work himself :)
 
[TW]Fox;18773888 said:
No because I enjoy doing it myself, I just can't do paint correction.

I've seen a few write ups on DW where the owner has cleaned the car before having a detailer do the correction.
 
I've seen a few write ups on DW where the owner has cleaned the car before having a detailer do the correction.

Yea but they never do as good a job, iv spent hours rubbing away and i just cant get the same effect as these pro's, iv given up now and admit im a lazy ****, pay the money, get it done properly then keep on top of it :)
 
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