Patient on the table this time is my other halves 2007 MINI Cooper Cabriolet. We picked it last June for a really good price but it was suffering some neglect. I promised to sort it out as soon as I could but it did take a lot longer to find availability for it but I freed up time some 7 months later!
Swirly paint, thick with free sap, chemically damaged alloys, mouldy green roof and faded plastics were just some of the things letting the car down. Quite a few deep scratches also, some I could reduce but most were too deep.
To start was a deep cleanse of the engine bay with degreasers and steam.
The roof was then scrubbed multiple times to remove all the ingrained dirt. Constantly rinsing and watching the colour of the foam helps indicate when all dirt had been removed.
All intricate areas were cleansed with a variety of brushes and APC
2BM
Tree sap, iron deposits and tar were then removed both chemically and via Clay Bar
Pulled inside and dried off with warmed air and plush towels. The roof was also wet vac'd to remove any remaining dirty water. This proved beneficial!
Any easily removed trims that would interfere with the polishing process were removed at this point, it also allows for any grime thats hiding underneath to be removed
Years of improper maintenance with a strong acidic wheel cleaner has inflicted chemical damage to the gloss black wheels. I was hoping I could restore these without going down the refurb route. They were removed cleaned polished over 6 hours then protected with a wheel wax.
Whilst the wheels were off I decided to clean up the wheel arch and paint the tired looking brakes. The arch was steam cleaned and sealed with an underbody silicone protectant. Brakes were cleaned up with wheel acid, scrubbed with wire brushes then sanded to prepare them perfectly for 3 coats of Rosso Corsa Red calliper paint. One fully cured a final coat of CarPro Dlux was applied.
Trims taped up it was time to fully inspect the paint
I treated myself to a GoPro recently and have been playing around with it whilst I work... QUE POLISHING MONTAGE!
http://youtu.be/CdNerVJueLo
With the paint looking fresh and glossy we begun the protection layers. First a base coat of Polish Angel Escalate lotion via DA, then a coat of Polish Angel Master Sealant via DA then another by hand 8 hours later. After 24 hours to cure a final layer of Polish Angel Rapid Waxx is applied.
Paintwork taped off the fabric roof was then re-waterproofed with Gtechniq Smart Fabric
Trims were recoloured, conditioned and protected with CarPro Dlux
Next was to tackle the interior. Soggy dirt ingrained carpets, old dressing dripped down the plastics, old make-up stained plastic and leathers in need of a clean and condition! Steam, brushes, hoover, wet vac and citrus cleaners were used to restore the interior before all plastics were dressed, leathers were conditioned by hand and fabrics were coated with Smart Fabric.
Now the final product :)
Thanks for reading
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Originally Posted by gauldrymini
