Presidential_Detail

Hey guys! Its been a looong time since Ive posted on these forums! I now have a full time job, so detailing is only a weekend hobby for me. This car belonged to a long time customer of mine who recently acquired this 2009 "Solid Red" Nissan GTR. With only 15k miles on the clock, the paint was in pretty bad shape from the previous owner. Knowing what I was capable on his past vehicles, the client called me up and we quickly scheduled a date to perform my a full correction on his GTR. When he told me it was in bad shape over the phone, I just figured it had the normal minor swirling and the car would still be in relatively good shape..this was not the case.


Pre-Detail Inspection

As you can see in the following pictures, the paint was full of RIDS and imperfections. I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me.


















A fairly deep gouge in the paint from the previous owner, luckily still not through the base coat completely, I was able to make it much less noticeable after polishing.


Wheels

As with any super car, you need super brakes, which also generate a ton of brake dust!




After soaking with P21S Wheel Gel, the wheels were then agitated with a wash mitt and EZ-Detail Brush.


A Swissvax Boars Hair Detail Brush to reach the tighter areas like the Brembo Brake Calipers.


Wheels Complete.


Engine

The engine bay just needed a light cleaning, finished with 303 Aerospace Protectant.


Exhaust Pipes & Prep

Exhaust Before.


After using Chemical Guys #2 Metal Polish.


The owner decided he did not care for the black vinyl on the wing, so it was removed.


He also decided to ditch the Nissan badge on the trunk lid.


With a little prying using fishing line and heat gun, the badge was removed safely.


The remaining double side tape was removed using a 3M Pinstripe Removal Wheel.


Paint Correction

Irony. This GTR had incredibly soft paint, I'd hate to find out what Nissan paint engineers classify as a "soft" clearcoat!


Front fender Before.


After First Stage of Compounding. The gouge in the paint is still slightly noticeably under the direct halogen lighting, but you would have a hard time ever seeing it if you didnt know it was there. Even the owner had a hard time finding it and it was one of his main concerns with the correction. I call that success!


After applying two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.(notice previous gouge is hardly visible)


Drivers Side Door Before.


If you look closely, there is some slight hazing, possibly from a previous detail.




After correction and two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.




50/50 of Driver Door and Rear Quarter Panel.


Rear Quarter Panel Before.








Rear Quarter Panel after correction and two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.








The A-Pillars needed a little love also.


After First Stage of Compounding.


Mirror Before.


After First Stage of Compounding.


Passenger Side Front Fender Before.




After correction and two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.


Passenger Door Before.


After correction and two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.

Presidential_Detail

50/50 of Passenger Door / Quarter Panel


Passenger Rear Quarter Panel Before.




After correction and two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.




The eraser wheel used to remove the badge residue left a bit of marring on the paint, which is easily polished out.




After correction and two coats of BFWD Paint Sealant.




Interior









Final Completed Pictures

Ret*

Very nice work. Any tips on removing decal adhesive without a wheel?

MagickStick

You are F@king Amazing!

Knightrider03m

Just jizzed a little

Presidential_Detail

GooGone will work with a microfiber, but if the adhesive is real old, your going to hate your fingers by the time your finished. Is this for pinstripes or a sticker?

Thanks guys!

918TastyGarage

iTrader: (2)

very nice. im a at home detailing buff myself. what machine are you using. i just picked up a porter cable 7424xp. before i was just being really carefull with a circular polisher, this porter cable makes application butter and worry free.

do you always use sealant over wax? or was this just for client cars? with my personal cars i typically just use a nice high quality wax since i do it so often, but i recently picked up some wolfgang paint sealant and its really nice also, easy on and easy off.

LightningTeg

I was always under the impression, sealant first, then wax

Charlie Moua

iTrader: (3)

great job .

I like how you post before/after pictures. It really helps others realize how great a car can look if done correctly.

Presidential_Detail

You would be correct. However sealants are so good these days, its not necessary to apply wax over the top. Its just and added bonus. With the particular sealant I use, I prefer it without wax over the top. Gives it a slicker feel and more crisp look to the paint.

Thanks! Many people do not know the potential of their cars paint!

HatchVX

You always deliver with your details. Its so crazy to see the differences once your done. Props man.

Presidential_Detail

Thanks man!

UtzChips

I am looking to buy a Flex DA or rotary buffer for the spring for my car. I work 45-50 hrs a week, so I don't want to have to spend 2x the time to accomplish something, if I can cut it in 1/2 with a rotary.
However, I don't want to spend $400+ for a DA AND another $500 for a rotary.
I have an old car that I can practice with if I choose the rotary, as well as wet sanding techniques.

I was hoping you'd give me some tips, which would be greatly appreciated!

Did you wet sand that deep gouge? If so, what is your choice of paper? Meguiars claims that the particles in their paper is more uniform. I wouldn't know.

If you didn't sand, what type of compound did you use? I would assume you used a rotary buffer as opposed to a DA? If so, do you use a rotary for the majority of the job to cut down on the time? If not, why?

When you say "1st stage of compounding" I assume you mean that you use a rubbing compound, as opposed to a polishing compound? If so, are you using a rotary or DA with it and what brand do you prefer?

What is BFWD paint sealant? I don't know what brand I want to use, so since you're having success with that, I'll try it. How long does it take to cure?

Thanx!

hoki06

Great work and beautiful car!

JmurGSR98

How much does a detail like this cost for just the exterior?

Looks awesome!

Charisma

Don't want to steal the thread, but a package like this would start at $300 for exterior alone in my areas.

Presidential_Detail

Thanks for the compliments everyone. Charisma, you need to up your prices! Most professionals for this type of work are charging north of $800-1000 on average.

double_0 SI

GREAT WORK, and IMO, worth the money and effort put in. I have an Evo IX that has close to 30hrs worth of detailing into it… it's a true labor of love, with AMAZING results! In my tiny little Minnesota town, I have a difficult time getting anyone who wants a "full detail" to their car… they don't realize the steps, the hours and the products used to get it to this level. For myself, I always detail my cars to their fullest potential.

Red is always a great color to work with, and your results are stunning. I'm very surprised to see the rear deck emblem didn't have any sun fading. Sometimes if the emblem has been on too long, you have the have issues. You luckily removed the emblem before any further fading was done by the sun.

This is a truly amazing job, and you have to admit, that car looks great sitting in your driveway!!
You did an amazing job, thanks for sharing!

W95civicEXcoupe

Yes. Absolutely amazing!!!