Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
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- Lord of the Sponge
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Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
The weekend before last I detailed a customer's Seat Leon Cupra and this weekend past he bought his wife's Seat Leon FR to me for some love. What was supposed to be a relatively normal detail for me turned into a bit of a nightmare as on Sunday morning at 05:30 I picked up where I left off the previous evening physically correcting the paint (defect removal via machine polisher) only to find at 08:00 the power to my neighborhood went off.
It only came back on at 20:00 on Sunday evening and I managed to squeeze in another 3 hours of polishing before calling it a night Fortunately the client was not in a rush for the vehicle and I therefore had the opportunity to finish it off during the day yesterday (was at home anyway as the spawn's school was closed for Diwali).
So, onto some pics and details ('scuse the pun )
On arrival the vehicle was covered in surface dirt
First order of business was to get the car jacked up and on axle stands and the wheels off so I could clean the wheel arches
Then I moved onto the wheels themselves. They were in relatively good condition but did have a few curb rashes, the odd scratch and a few random stains around the valves.
Before
After wash with dedicated wheel cleaner
Looking good right.... wrong
On closer inspection a few tar spots were found and these were then removed
and then some more 'nasties'.... a buildup of embedded brake dust and other iron particles
Iron remover sprayed on
Starting to react with the iron
Once all were cleaned they were then clayed and polished and then finally sealed and tires treated
I then moved onto the engine bay
Once this was completed it was time to clean out the door and boot jambs, petrol cap, around badges and emblems etc
Before
After
So with all the 'dirty' work out the way, it was time to give the car a proper wash. It was pre-washed with the foam cannon and a mix of products designed to clean and strip off any existing protection and then thoroughly washed using the 2 bucket method
After drying off the vehicle it became glaringly obvious that some hack detailer had had his way with the client's car before. You will notice a lot of buffer trails / holograms in the pics below, caused through poor polishing techniques. In discussions with the owner upon collection of the vehicle, I was told how the rear end was repainted (bumper work) and we assume that the body-shop decided to polish out the whole car, presumably under the assumption that they would be doing the client a favor by having his car all nice and shiny..... well, all they did was screw up his paint. Gotta love you a good bodyshop/hack detailer..
So, next up I removed all the tar spots from the vehicle itself, finding some right up to the bottom of the windows - it is unreal how many little spots of tar find their way onto your vehicles paint!
this was followed by a complete removal of all the embedded iron particles from the entire surface of the vehicle
The vehicle was then thoroughly rinsed in preparation for claying. I did not snap any pics of the claying process itself, however I can tell you that the amount of bonded contaminants on the vehicle is pretty much on par with what you would expect from a 5year old daily driver - so after a solid 12 hours of work behind me, I had finally got all the crud off the top of the paint, and everywhere else was now clean and the wheels were put back on the vehicle.
So now we can see what the condition of the paint is REALLY like....
Swirls and light scratches
Some deeper scratches
And then I think that one that will scare all of you into removing bird crap and bugs immediately....
Yip, that damage (which was too deep to safely polish out BTW) was caused by the acid in bird crap and / or bugs.... it literally etches (eats its way through) your clear coat.... ouch!
Paint correction itself then got underway...
Before
After
The entire vehicle was then corrected and treated to a combo of Chemical Guys Blacklight/Collinite #845/Chemical guys V7 as the LSP. Windows were clayed, polished and sealed, all exterior trim was treated, the car was vacuumed and all interior panels cleaned etc.
Lastly the tailpiece was also given a quick polish
Some after shots
Total time spent on vehicle = 26 hours
Thanks for looking
It only came back on at 20:00 on Sunday evening and I managed to squeeze in another 3 hours of polishing before calling it a night Fortunately the client was not in a rush for the vehicle and I therefore had the opportunity to finish it off during the day yesterday (was at home anyway as the spawn's school was closed for Diwali).
So, onto some pics and details ('scuse the pun )
On arrival the vehicle was covered in surface dirt
First order of business was to get the car jacked up and on axle stands and the wheels off so I could clean the wheel arches
Then I moved onto the wheels themselves. They were in relatively good condition but did have a few curb rashes, the odd scratch and a few random stains around the valves.
Before
After wash with dedicated wheel cleaner
Looking good right.... wrong
On closer inspection a few tar spots were found and these were then removed
and then some more 'nasties'.... a buildup of embedded brake dust and other iron particles
Iron remover sprayed on
Starting to react with the iron
Once all were cleaned they were then clayed and polished and then finally sealed and tires treated
I then moved onto the engine bay
Once this was completed it was time to clean out the door and boot jambs, petrol cap, around badges and emblems etc
Before
After
So with all the 'dirty' work out the way, it was time to give the car a proper wash. It was pre-washed with the foam cannon and a mix of products designed to clean and strip off any existing protection and then thoroughly washed using the 2 bucket method
After drying off the vehicle it became glaringly obvious that some hack detailer had had his way with the client's car before. You will notice a lot of buffer trails / holograms in the pics below, caused through poor polishing techniques. In discussions with the owner upon collection of the vehicle, I was told how the rear end was repainted (bumper work) and we assume that the body-shop decided to polish out the whole car, presumably under the assumption that they would be doing the client a favor by having his car all nice and shiny..... well, all they did was screw up his paint. Gotta love you a good bodyshop/hack detailer..
So, next up I removed all the tar spots from the vehicle itself, finding some right up to the bottom of the windows - it is unreal how many little spots of tar find their way onto your vehicles paint!
this was followed by a complete removal of all the embedded iron particles from the entire surface of the vehicle
The vehicle was then thoroughly rinsed in preparation for claying. I did not snap any pics of the claying process itself, however I can tell you that the amount of bonded contaminants on the vehicle is pretty much on par with what you would expect from a 5year old daily driver - so after a solid 12 hours of work behind me, I had finally got all the crud off the top of the paint, and everywhere else was now clean and the wheels were put back on the vehicle.
So now we can see what the condition of the paint is REALLY like....
Swirls and light scratches
Some deeper scratches
And then I think that one that will scare all of you into removing bird crap and bugs immediately....
Yip, that damage (which was too deep to safely polish out BTW) was caused by the acid in bird crap and / or bugs.... it literally etches (eats its way through) your clear coat.... ouch!
Paint correction itself then got underway...
Before
After
The entire vehicle was then corrected and treated to a combo of Chemical Guys Blacklight/Collinite #845/Chemical guys V7 as the LSP. Windows were clayed, polished and sealed, all exterior trim was treated, the car was vacuumed and all interior panels cleaned etc.
Lastly the tailpiece was also given a quick polish
Some after shots
Total time spent on vehicle = 26 hours
Thanks for looking
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
BEAUTIFUL!!!
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Fantastic job as always
Shabbir Hoosen
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
thanks guys - appreciate the comments
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Amazing transformation dude. Very well done.
Ex Rides:
'96 Citi Sport 1800
'96 Citi Sport 1800
Vodka wrote:Ahh If it's got tits or wheels It's going to cost you money!!
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- Lord of the Sponge
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Thank youaslam325 wrote:fok thats brilliant work
Thanks.Mc3103 wrote:Amazing transformation dude. Very well done.
From the minute I see a car for the first time I immediately start wondering how it will eventually look once done and keep thinking about it during the detail until the car is finally corrected. It's a really rewarding experience to see the change after each step of the process, and then (hopefully) to see a big smile on the customer's face upon collection. It's part of the reason why I do this.
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Cant see pics...but sure its flawless.
Current:
2019 VW Polo Vivo GT 1.0TSI (Reef Blue Metallic)
Past:
2019 Toyota Rav-4 GX-R AWD (Graphite Grey Metallic)
2019 VW Polo 1.0 R-Line (Reef Blue Metallic)
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Great work, pity bout the power though
EX:
CW Polo TDi Sportline
| Cross Polo wheels | LED Numberplate - Interior - Park light | NeVaG & Maldino | Dimsport |
CW Polo TDi Sportline
| Cross Polo wheels | LED Numberplate - Interior - Park light | NeVaG & Maldino | Dimsport |
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
top stuff lawrence!
Polo TSI Highline DSG
ex:Polo TSI Comfortline
ex:MKVII GTI DSG
ex:MKVI GTI DSG CPi Tuned
ex:MKV GTI CPi Tuned
ex:Polo TDI Sportline
ex:VeloCiti 1.4i
Ex-Rides Thread
ex:Polo TSI Comfortline
ex:MKVII GTI DSG
ex:MKVI GTI DSG CPi Tuned
ex:MKV GTI CPi Tuned
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Ex-Rides Thread
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Lovely stuff!
When can we import you to JHB Lawrence?
When can we import you to JHB Lawrence?
Candy White 2007 Touran 1.9TDI Trendline
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
+1hubbly_bubbly wrote:Lovely stuff!
When can we import you to JHB Lawrence?
See my rides thread http://www.vwclub.co.za/phpbb3/viewtopi ... 2#p1690093
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Nice work again, Lawrence. Amazing change hey! Just a quick question though ... what do you use to get the door jambs and hinge area so clean? That area always gets a big build-up of gunk and it is usually so hard to get clean.
2005 VW Citigolf 1.4i
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- Lord of the Sponge
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Thanks guys
@1point9.... Some all purpose cleaner (something like clean green although I use a Different brand). Spray on, agitate with a brush, rinse. Seal with same wax you would on your car.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
@1point9.... Some all purpose cleaner (something like clean green although I use a Different brand). Spray on, agitate with a brush, rinse. Seal with same wax you would on your car.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
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- span die seile
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Why don't we have a '**** in my pants of amazement' smiley?
Great job man!
Is this the one that was held up by Eskom?
Great job man!
Is this the one that was held up by Eskom?
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- Lord of the Sponge
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Thanks buddy. Yip, same one that got delayed on Sun
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Actually just saw this thread on the seat forum and wanted to PM you.
You sir are a legend at car detailing. Well freaking done man.
You sir are a legend at car detailing. Well freaking done man.
2006 E92 335i * Monica
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Thanks buddy - appreciate the kind words!SHAUN wrote:Actually just saw this thread on the seat forum and wanted to PM you.
You sir are a legend at car detailing. Well freaking done man.
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
That is sexy as hell, very nice car wow! I love the Seat Leon FR.
One thing I want to note here, your photography skills are just as leet as your detailing! I am not an avid cameraman, but damn nice pics dude! Got a good eye!
I wish you were in JHB firstly and secondly wish I had moola to get it done *sigh*
Brilliant job dude!
One thing I want to note here, your photography skills are just as leet as your detailing! I am not an avid cameraman, but damn nice pics dude! Got a good eye!
I wish you were in JHB firstly and secondly wish I had moola to get it done *sigh*
Brilliant job dude!
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- Lord of the Sponge
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Geez thanks very much bud.... I have only owned my DSLR camera for a few months now and am still trying to figure it all out so I am well chuffed that you dig the pics.... have had some guidance from a few of the okes on here (you know who you are ) and with practice I am sure I will keep getting better.TimTDI wrote:That is sexy as hell, very nice car wow! I love the Seat Leon FR.
One thing I want to note here, your photography skills are just as leet as your detailing! I am not an avid cameraman, but damn nice pics dude! Got a good eye!
I wish you were in JHB firstly and secondly wish I had moola to get it done *sigh*
Brilliant job dude!
Thanks again
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
top notch as always, need to plan me a KZN trip sometime.
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
Great work once again Lawrence, I saw the cupra and it was spotless,so much so that even after a few days of rain , a simple rinse and it was back has u left it
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
awesome, cant wait to get my caddy treated
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Re: Seat Leon FR - Detailed by Lawrence
thanks - yeah that's the thing hey... once it has been detailed properly and surface dirt should come straight off at the next wash without any harsh chemicals or aggressiveness cleaning, meaning less damage to the paint and a car that looks 'shiny' for longer.carapau wrote:Great work once again Lawrence, I saw the cupra and it was spotless,so much so that even after a few days of rain , a simple rinse and it was back has u left it
thanks Neelesh.... can't wait to do the caddy - (you have PM BTW)dbndude wrote:awesome, cant wait to get my caddy treated