Range Rover Sport Supercharged
As with a lot of detailing work I undertake, this amazing Range Rover Sport had recently been purchased by it’s new owner, Tony. Fully loaded with all the toys you can imagine it is an absolutely amazing vehicle that was missing just one thing, a shine to match it’s performance. Thankfully, I could help.
Booked in for two days due to the size of the car and the nature of the paintwork to be corrected, I arrived on the first day to meet Tony and assess the Rangey.
The booking was for the works, exterior paint correction, interior and engine bay. First job was to get it clean, a job that wasn’t too bad as it wasn’t too dirty to start with. Everything was soaked with a citrus degreaser, outside, door shuts, wheel arches and under the bonnet before being rinsed off then thoroughly washed using lambswool mits and a variety of brushes for the wheels, arches and engine. Once done, all was rinsed and dried using microfibre drying towels.
Working on the farm where Tony’s joinery firm is located, I had the luxury of lots of space. I moved the car to quiet area and inspected the paint all round. Visually, a number of light scratches were clearly visible along the passenger side, probably from bushes and branches. The paint was heavily swirled and holograms were also visible suggesting someone had attempted to machine polish the car previously. A good look round with a paint depth gauge revealed no surprises, the paint being of healthy original thickness all round. With this in mind, I masked up the trim using 3M tape and carried out a test patch.
Experience has shown me that Range Rover paint in dark colours can be a little tricky to finish perfectly, needing careful refining to leave a crystal clear, sharp finish. This one was no different, and after some experimenting with different polishes I settled on a cutting compound to address the swirls and scratches, then re-polishing with a lighter cut product to burnish the paint to a glossy reflective shine.
The weather did threaten several times to close in on me, hence why some pictures are darker than others! Thankfully however, the rain never arrived and I was able to continue my work.
By the end of the first day, most of the first compounding pass had been completed, so the car was placed under cover for the night. Before leaving, I treated the alloy wheels to give them as much curing time as possible. Each wheel in turn was first treated using Swissvax Cleaner Fluid, then Swissvax Autobahn Wheel Wax which was left on to cure overnight.
Day 2
With the paintwork finished, I first dusted the car down before treating the car with Swissvax Cleaner Fluid. Acting as a paint cleanser and a glaze, this leaves the paint with a perfect surface for the next stage to bond to, the wax. In this case, Best Of Show was chosen for it’s great aesthetic benefits and durability. Using a soft foam pad, I applied the wax panel by panel to the whole vehicle and left it to cure in the sunshine for approximately 30 minutes before buffing to a brilliant shine.
I used this time to dress the engine bay and buff the wax from the wheels I had applied the night before, as well as dressing the tyres and arches.
Exterior finished, I turned my attention to the insides. It had been well looked after, the leather was in need of a clean and condition, but was in otherwise excellent conidition. The rubber over mats were removed and washed, carpets carefully vacuumed, interior plastics cleaned along with the glass (inside and out) with the leather being treated last.
By now it was the end of a second long day and the Range Rover looked fabulous, much to Tony’s delight. A lack of sunshine at the end meant it was hard to capture the beautiful metallic flake of the Buckingham Blue paintwork, but it looked deep and glossy, a signature feature of the Swissvax waxes.
Testimonials
“I know its your job and your paid for it but thanks again for bringing the car up to the standard that I really wanted. This was the first time I’ve ever had anything detailed but it wont be the last thats for sure!”
