The product used to remove these defects in the paint work was Optimum GPS (Glaze, Polish, Seal). Optimum GPS does not fill the swirl marks when used with a machine polisher and has micro fine abrasives to permanently remove defects in the paint whilst leaving a mirror finish and protection to protect the paint work, we use high intensity LED lights to spot defects in the paint work which will make spotting things like swirl marks, holograms, scratches, and marring much easier and ensure a defect free finish.

The interior was also thoroughly detailed with the leather trims treated with Optimum Leather Protectant. Total time taken to complete this job was 6.5 hours.

The interior was detailed and the leather was cleaned and treated with Prima Nourish, a premium quality leather conditioner that feeds the leather to prevent premature aging and leaves a soft and supple matte finish.

The exterior had a rich foam high pressure wash from top to bottom to remove all the build up of road grime then a coat of Prima Banana Gloss Liquid Wax was applied, although Prima Banana Gloss does not have great durability its shine and depth on dark colours is unmatched by other products and is well suited to this particular job.

Shortly after a group of 30 or more arrived from the UK to be used as Press Cars for the Media, Displays, Reviews, Drive Days and Dealer Training, unfortunately on arrival it was obvious these car needed some work as they travelled through the UK on a train, resulting in a lot of iron dust (iron rust particles) embedded on the paint work.

These vehicles needed to be decontaminated and detailed to a very high standard as they would be reviewed by journalist and put on display for the public to see. The iron dust was removed with a product called IronX, which is sprayed onto the vehicle, left to dwell for a few minutes then washed off; IronX safely removes the embedded iron particles from the paintwork and turns purple when it reacts with the iron particles. The vehicles were then meticulously detailed throughout to a high standard.

Clear Bra Removal

The initial job was to remove a Clear Car Bra on the front bumper bar and bonnet that had started to go yellow, the purpose of a Clear Car Bra is to protect the paint work against stone chips, this was carefully peeled off using moderate heat from a heat gun once the clear film was removed 3M Adhesive Cleaner & Solvent was used to remove any sticky residue left behind, the paint work was then polished and sealed with Optimum Poli-Seal until a Paint Correction was done a few months later.

Interior Detail

The interior was meticulously detailed and the Leather Cleaned & Conditioned with Prima Nourish, a Leather Conditioning product that nourishes the leather and has a matte finish leaving it feeling soft and supple.

Paint Correction / Paint Protection

A couple of months later we performed a Stage One Paint Correction to remove some very minor swirl marks, this was done using Optimum Hyper Polish and a Black Lake Country CCS Finishing Pad on a Rotary Polisher. This ensured the paint work was in perfect condition before applying Opti-Coat Paint Protection which is an aftermarket clear coat that has better scratch resistance, chemical resistance and durability then any other paint protection on the market.

We also get a lot of calls from people who are against machine polishing because they have been stung by detailers that have done a poor job and left their paint work looking worse then when they started by leaving buffer trails and burning through the paint. This is caused by the so called detailer using a polish and pad combination that is too agressive and burning through the paint work (you can not remove swirl marks and scratches and finish the paint down pefect in one step).

There is no reason why a flawless defect free finish cannot be achieved by machine polishing, all it takes is a highly skilled detailer to know what they are doing. No two paint jobs are the same and require different polishes and pad combinations to achieve a perfect finish, a perfect finish cannot be achieved by hand polishing as this will not remove swirl marks or heavier paint defects.

Stage 1 Paint Correction is just that, polishing the paint work in one stage or one step with only one type of polish and pad combination. This is suited to paint work in good condition already that have no real visible swirls and only very minor marring – the Stage 1 involves refining the paint work with a finishing polish and a finishing pad only and is generally not abrasive enough to remove swirl marks and scratches, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (2.5 Hours +)

Stage 2 Paint Correction is suited to cars that have moderate swirl marks and light scratches and involves using 2 different polish and pad combinations; the first step is generally a cutting (abrasive) polish, to remove imperfections such as swirl marks, light scratches and other moderate paint defects. This is followed by a finishing polish and finishing pad to refine the paint work even further by removing any marring or holograms left by the previous step, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (4 Hours +)

Stage 3 Paint Correction is suited to cars that have heavy swirl marks, scratches and other paint defects, it involves using 3 different polish and pad combinations, and this can also include spot wet sanding for heavier scratches. The first step is a heavy cutting compound with a heavy cutting pad to remove those deeper swirl marks and scratches, the second step is a cutting polish and polishing pad to remove further swirls marks followed by the finishing polish and finishing pad to further refine the paint work to a swirl, mar and hologram free finish, it is then followed by a wax or paint sealant to protect the paint work. (6 Hours +)

This involved detailing the vehicles for these manufacturers to the highest level possible prior to the event and maintaining them throughout the 10 day event. One of these vehicles included the Audi E-Tron concept car imported in to Australia for the event, the Audi E-Tron is a full electric high performance sports car that is capable of 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds.

The 2011 Australian International Motor Show was held on the 1st-10th July at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, it was the biggest International Motor Show event to date with a total of over 193,755 motoring fans attending the event to see over 400 vehicles on display from car manufactures.

So we went to work soaking the van in a thick lather of foam that softens the bugs and grime and lifts them from the surface and all the crevices where they managed to embed theirself, after numorous soakings and high pressure cleans it was looking much better, and we were left with a sparkling clean van. As the paint work was a little worse for wear a machine polish was needed to bring back that shine it once had.

The paint work was lightly machine polished with Optimum Poli-Seal, a premium All in One Polish and Sealant, that not only removes minor imperfections and oxidation but also leaves a durable layer of paint protection.

Stickers are safely removed using a moderate heat technique to allow the adhesive to come away from the paint so the stickers can be easily peeled away, due to the stickers covering the paint and protecting it from contamination there can sometimes be a visible difference between the areas covered with a sticker and the areas that weren’t especially if the stickers have been on there for some time. It is recommended to machine polish the paint work to restore it so there is no visible difference and you are left with a flawless finish.

Sticker Removal is charged on an hourly rate, please contact us for more information.

The leather interior was cleaned and treated with Prima Nourish, which leaves a matte finish on the leather that is soft and supple, protecting it from premature aging and UV Rays.

The exterior and engine bay was extensively detailed ensuring all areas were meticulously clean and the paint work was machine polished with Optimum Hyper Spray Polish to remove very minor swirl marks and other imperfections to ensure the paint work was in an immaculate imperfection free condition before apply Opti Coat Paint Protection.

After the paint work was decontaminated and polished the Paint Protection was applied, Opti Coat bonds to the paint work leaving an extra layer of clear coat that is extremely hard and more durable then any other paint protection on the market ensuring the paint work is always protected from damaging enviromental elements.

Hand Polishing is a great option if you dont have the experience using a machine polisher and would rather do it yourself rather then having a professional car detailer do it for you, hand polishing will only remove very minor scratches / scuffs but will give you outstanding results when using the right products and leave your paint work with a deep mirror finish if the paint work is in reasonable condition to start with, however it is no comparison to what can be achieved with machine polishing by a professional car detailer.

Many people are still using terry towling or rags when polishing their car, this is not the best way to polish your paint work as it will do more damage then good when you look at it in the sun, terry towling and rags are too course and will damage the paint work by inducing swirl marks. The best method is working the polish with a foam applicator pad and remembering a little polish goes a long way, once you have worked the polish in you can remove the residue with a soft microfibre towel which is a lot softer then terry toweling. Do not buff the polish in after it has dried as this will cause damage to the paint work, simply wipe it off with a soft microfibre towel.

We recommend that you try to work in all directions when polishing with the foam hand applicator, this will help to ensure that the edges of the defects are rounded off evenly, always make sure you work the polish in so it breaks down the abrasives, not working the polish in and breaking down the abrasives will leave marring when wiping the polish off, remember when hand polishing to only use a very fine polish as using abrasive polishes by hand will cause more damage.

Remember a polish has no protective properties and is purely for removing defects and cleaning the paint work, so be sure to apply a wax or paint sealant after polishing your car to protect the paint work from damaging enviromental elements and to lock in that deep mirror finish shine. You may even want to consider using an All in One Polish / Wax product that will polish and seal the paint work in one application.