MichaelG Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Had a lot of enquiries about the benefits of Machine Polishing etc lately, and as i cleaned this the other day i thought i would post up a couple of pics to show people what i was talking about. The pics are of my girlfriends Mini Cooper. Its been machine polished a few months ago, and treated with Diamondbrite. And it gets its usualy bath in the old "liquid gold" of Sonax whenever i can. Its amazing the results you get from proper hard graft and knowing how to use your equipment, but by heck its taken me a long time to master it ! lol just about drove me at times on some cars !! Spec of the car is:- Full BMW Mini Aero Kit and Roof Spoiler Lowered 45mm 17" Alloys and Tyres Lexus Lights Full Magnex 3" Custom Exhaust Pipercross Induction Tinted Windows Chrome Bits all round, mirrors etc Custom Shortened number plates Chrome Side Vents Not bad for a 23 year old female eh ! Oh.........and she LOVES the Supra Enjoy the shine!!.............comments welcome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Class One Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Ooooooh very shiney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Getrag Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Thats looking really good! Can I make one observation?....painted brake calipers would look awesome behind those alloys IMO. Might have to get some of your action during the summer months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 Thats looking really good! Can I make one observation?....painted brake calipers would look awesome behind those alloys IMO. Might have to get some of your action during the summer months. LOL i could do, but BMW are kinda funny about doing anything to the brakes for warranty purposes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 but they're ok about induction kits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 24, 2005 Author Share Posted March 24, 2005 Strangely yes, lol, as long as any claim made hasnt been affected by the addition of the Induction kit. i.e. If the car runs lean and pops then claim would be void, but if the door handle fell off........you could still claim on warranty lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted March 24, 2005 Share Posted March 24, 2005 Show me an older car Michael New cars and a shine is cheating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 Show me an older car Michael New cars and a shine is cheating What about my Soop ? Thats ten years old ! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeT Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Show me an older car Michael New cars and a shine is cheating agreed my car always looks good regardless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 Ok for the doubters then.............how about my 1992 Escort Cosworth......... 12 years old and glossy to the extreme Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homer Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Maybe I'm getting a bit old but I hate to see good cars that are badly modified, The paintwork looks good, but the headlights and indicator lights look awful. The front bumper looks very badly fitted and something doesn't look right with the half smoked lights. IMO stock would have looked far better, it just looks like a bit of a Barry boys car with the mods now. Also, isn't fitting huge wheels to a front heavy 4wd car going to ruin the finely tuned Cosworth handling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 Maybe I'm getting a bit old but I hate to see good cars that are badly modified, The paintwork looks good, but the headlights and indicator lights look awful. The front bumper looks very badly fitted and something doesn't look right with the half smoked lights. IMO stock would have looked far better, it just looks like a bit of a Barry boys car with the mods now. Also, isn't fitting huge wheels to a front heavy 4wd car going to ruin the finely tuned Cosworth handling? Badly modified ??? The car was featured in Performance Ford, had £15000 spent on it, all in sensible mods. Full leather nappa retrim. The wheels were Rondells which are like hens teeth to get and classed as by far the best wheels for the Escort Cos and recommended by GGR (cosworth specialists). The engine bay had chrome tanks, samco hosing, proper uprated turbo / intercooler etc, the car had very expensive suspension, exhaust etc. The front bumper corner on that side always goes like that with age........the brackets seem to sag and it just happens again after time with new ones and the fitting of Quad Headlights. Have you ever actually looked at a standard escort cosworth ? Look at one.........then this one..........and tell me which you would rather have. Smoked lights not to everyones taste i agree, but this car when i had it was regarded in Ford Circles as one of the best available. I had it for sale on Autotrader and it sold 13 hours after i placed the advert, the guy didnt see the car beforehand but placed the money into my account and then flew over from Belfast, saw the car, and was away 25 minutes later. Its since been in Ford magazines twice again, sold on, and appeared at the Irish Motor Show and in London. Cant have been that badly modified.......... Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobbeh Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Not doubting Mike, I saw the red supra pics I thought this was a thread dedicated to your polishing techniques Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Getrag Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 yeah...polishing techniques would be nice..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 LOL I posted polishing techniques on another thread............will go find em.........brb........... *wanders off for 5 mins* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 OK here we go.............techniques It all really depends what condition your paintwork is in....... 3 examples........ Flattish / Fine scratched / swirled paint. Best bet here is to either get someone with a machine polisher to do it for you, or if you are capable, get a fine grade cutting polish and do it yourself. But it is a LOT easier with a machine polisher, preferrably twin headed (single headed are terrible IMHO) The machine polisher will do all the hard work for you and as long as you go in a straight line motion along the car panel again it shouldnt be too much hard work. A few hours tops usually if the car is quite bad. The grain of the polish will vary depending on how badly swirled / scratched / oxidised the car is. Paintwork generally good but polishing swirls can be seen in sunlight etc Easiest solution for this is to use a good quality shampoo, chamois leather, allow the car to dry completely, and then to use a polish such as Auto Glym Super Resin, with a bit of pressure in STRAIGHT lines, and again remove in straight lines as much as poss with a terry towel cloth. Turning the cloth frequently. If this doesnt work, one of my personal preferences here is to apply the same polish but remove it with the machine polisher then run over the car with a terry towel.........the results are amazing !! Twin headed buffer/machine polishers can cost about £200-300 for a good one. The simplest of the three is..... Car has great paint just needs keeping tip top Wash the car with best shampoo you can get your hands on, chamois dry the car, apply a coat of auto glym super resin polish, or Meguiars NXT Generation Tech Wax and remove with terry towel, then apply a coat of Auto Glym Extra Gloss Protection. If funds permit i would however suggest having your car Diamondbrited as we treat cars with here. Pic to follow will show why......... Thats about it really, when i got my soop, it had the usual swirls etc a bit, and i spent a few days, machine polished it twice, once with a cutting polish, once with Radiant Wax (auto glym trade polish) and removed with machine polisher, applied super resin polish, removed with machine, applied super resin, removed by hand with terry towel, once happy with the finish, i applied a couple of coats of extra gloss protection (auto glym) removed by hand with terry towel, and then the daddy......i diamondbrited the car. Now all i do is wash it with Sonax and Chamois it down every time..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeT Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 what exactly is diamond brighting and where can i get it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelG Posted March 25, 2005 Author Share Posted March 25, 2005 For full details see my website in the FAQ Section....... http://www.diamondvalet.co.uk Its basically a protective coating on the paint, that is guaranteed to protect from paint fading and bird crap stains etc for 6 years. Can only be guaranteed if its applied by an authorised distributor (like us) though. Michael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest S21 HNN Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 Well that is one fine looking mini!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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