Chemical Guys for a cherished Honda S2000
This S2000 is the owner’s absolute pride and joy, and it’s always kept immaculate. The owner’s partner is a Sports Therapist whom I have used for back and muscle treatments, and after chatting one day about this car, I explained to her how it could look even better than it did. She had even carefully washed it the night before so I didn’t see it dirty (I never have!), and it saved some time washing before going starting de-tarring and claying, which being a car that lives in London, it was desperate for.
So, here are some pictures taken at the start of the day, highlighting some very bad swirls, and what the camera couldn’t capture was the bonnet covered in tiny flecks of white paint (which they originally thought were stone chips).
As mentioned, being already clean meant it was straight on with a tar remover to the lower sills, and clay for the rest of the car. Because of the spots of paint on the bonnet and front wings a more aggressive than usual clay was needed which in turn led to severe marring (dulling) of the paint, but as it was for a full paint correction, this wasn’t a problem.
Cleansing stage finished, delicate areas were masked with tape then the whole car was checked using a digital paint depth gauge. Evidence was found of a small (and very good) repair on the front offside wing, elsewhere it was original if rather thin in places, paint. Original wings and bonnet around the 120 micron mark, which is a good healthy paint depth. Moving further to the back of the car, and lower down the doors, readings were dropping to 72-80 microns, so caution would be needed. A check inside the engine bay on paint that isn’t clearcoated (or only has one coat unlike the bodywork which will have several) gave readings of around 55-65microns, so this showed there was not a lot of clearcoat to work with, and meant any deeper scratches would have to be left. This was discussed and explained to the owner and she was happy for me to carry out what work I felt safe.
Starting at the boot lid with the rotary polisher and a finishing polish, the soft Japanese paint proved to be very nice to work with and correct, as this 50/50 picture below on the bootlid demonstrates.
The owner was on hand to inspect, and as she was thoroughly delighted with that, I continued to finish the boot lid and work around the rest of the car. It was a spectacularly hot day, affecting both me and the polishing products, so not many pictures were taken.
Once the correction stage was finished, Chemical Guys products were chosen to finish with. First up, EZ Creme glaze was used to nourish the paint and make the most of the lovely deep colour. This was then followed by a coat of the excellent 5050 Connoisseur Paste Wax which is known for the ‘wet look’ that is imparts on the paint. The alloy wheels were coated with a sealant, Jetseal 109, the metal exhaust tips had become rather corroded but were soon restored with a dedicated metal polish and some elbow grease. Tyres and the small amount of unpainted trim were treated with New Look Trim Gel, and finally the roof was raised (it was kept down all day to prevent any polish marks) and treated with a waterproofing agent.
Here is the end result, both the owner and her partner were very pleased.
A quick advert for the partner of the car’s owner, Will Taborn. A qualified Sports Therapist who is a specialist in treating all sorts of soft tissue damage and muscle pain, I would highly recommend his services. Mention Shine On Auto Detailing if you should decide to contact him. http://www.tastc.co.uk
Testimonials
“I would definitely recommend anyone to use Shine On regardless of marque, Paul is a genuinely nice bloke who has the rare attributes of actually loving his job and doing it to the best of his ability (bordering on OCD). I personally plan to use this service at least every 8months to keep the cars looking at their best.
And to top it all off…..even my wife commented on how and I quote ‘amazing’ it looked, that testimony alone is worth its weight in gold!
Andy (M3 and Battle Bus!)”
