Photoshoot and detail progress photos: 2016 A6 Ibis White

[Kouki Monster]

So 2 weeks ago I decided to detail, polish, and ceramic coat my A6. Split up the process over multiple days. I went with Cquartz UK 3.0 as it was my first time using ceramic coating, and this one seemed pretty user friendly. I picked the car up late October 2019 and been meaning to give it a good detail since I got it. Overall the car was in pretty good condition. I did find some flaws throughout the process which are shown below. Unfortunately the day I finished was pretty cloudy and made for some boring pics, but I will redo the shoot next car wash. I'll start with the actual photos and then include some cellphone shots of the detail towards the end.





































And some iPhone shots throughout the detail:

Started with foaming the car.



Next up was the Iron-X and you can see how much iron was being pulled out.







Despite the clean carfax, the rear bumper was resprayed at some point. You can see the crappy paint work and how much orange peel was present. I knew the rear face was painted (which I assumed was a slight touch up), but when I inspected in detail I realized the whole rear bumper was painted and just the rear face had been left with terrible orange peel for whatever reason. I've never wetsanded an actual car before but watching some YouTube videos on the process gave me the courage to try. I figured worst case scenario, it would need to be properly painted at some point if I messed up anyway. However I was very happy with the end result.





In the middle of wet sanding.



Final outcome and the tools used.





Before/After of the tails.





Before/After on the body panels.









The swirls on the black B-pillars bothered me since I bought the car, so this was a relief.





The ceramic coating, sealant, and prep I used were all by CarPro.



Some final shots showing the reflection.







And that's all. Let me know what you guys think.

[Speedooooo]

Nice pictures and great detail!

[MattyMarkey]

Awesome detail and nice work on the entire process! I would love to try to tackle this process myself as well, so this helpful. Though my wife may kill me if I spend that much time on my car and away from the fam... she already thinks I love my car too much. Maybe if I tell her it saves me ~$2k??? haha

[Cayo71]

Nice work and congratulations... For years I've detailed my own cars. A multi-day process. Wash, Clay, compound, polish, and seal. Never done the Ceramic but thinking about doing it next time. The satisfaction at the end of the process is unique and helps heal the sore back you get after spending 16+ hours bending and twisting to hit all spots! What camera and lenses did you use to get those shots?

[goldenzrule]

Looks nice. These cars looks great in white. Shooting cars on overcast days is actually the best setting for them. Most pros prefer to shoot on an overcast day. Direct sunlight can lose a lot of lighting issues on a shiny car.

[Kouki Monster]

Nice pictures and great detail!

Thanks!

Awesome detail and nice work on the entire process! I would love to try to tackle this process myself as well, so this helpful. Though my wife may kill me if I spend that much time on my car and away from the fam... she already thinks I love my car too much. Maybe if I tell her it saves me ~$2k??? haha

Haha doesn't hurt to try! My wife works nights so that helped lol. Although if I was going in prepared, it could be knocked out in 1 long day or 1-2 days.

Nice work and congratulations... For years I've detailed my own cars. A multi-day process. Wash, Clay, compound, polish, and seal. Never done the Ceramic but thinking about doing it next time. The satisfaction at the end of the process is unique and helps heal the sore back you get after spending 16+ hours bending and twisting to hit all spots! What camera and lenses did you use to get those shots?

Thank you! I agree 100%. For me it begins with enthusiasm, then regret in the middle of "why did I do this", ...then eventually satisfaction towards the end lol. Camera used was a Sony A7III w/ 24-70mm and 85mm lenses. Borrowed from my brother as I normally shoot with a Canon 6D myself, but I might switch to Sony soon.

Looks nice. These cars looks great in white. Shooting cars on overcast days is actually the best setting for them. Most pros prefer to shoot on an overcast day. Direct sunlight can lose a lot of lighting issues on a shiny car.

Thanks. Normally I do prefer some sun peeking out either early morning or late in the day. However white car + plus boring gym parking lot + gray background AND foreground make it hard for the car to stand out IMO.

[goldenzrule]

Id have to disagree. Nothing like a grayed out background to make your subject really pop. Before cameras had the ability built in, I used to Photoshop the background to be greyed out and provide more pop to my subject.

Here is one I did years ago with this effect

[JWebb_C7_Comp]

So 2 weeks ago I decided to detail, polish, and ceramic coat my A6. Split up the process over multiple days. I went with Cquartz UK 3.0 as it was my first time using ceramic coating, and this one seemed pretty user friendly. I picked the car up late October 2019 and been meaning to give it a good detail since I got it. Overall the car was in pretty good condition. I did find some flaws throughout the process which are shown below. Unfortunately the day I finished was pretty cloudy and made for some boring pics, but I will redo the shoot next car wash. I'll start with the actual photos and then include some cellphone shots of the detail towards the end.





































And some iPhone shots throughout the detail:

Started with foaming the car.



Next up was the Iron-X and you can see how much iron was being pulled out.







Despite the clean carfax, the rear bumper was resprayed at some point. You can see the crappy paint work and how much orange peel was present. I knew the rear face was painted (which I assumed was a slight touch up), but when I inspected in detail I realized the whole rear bumper was painted and just the rear face had been left with terrible orange peel for whatever reason. I've never wetsanded an actual car before but watching some YouTube videos on the process gave me the courage to try. I figured worst case scenario, it would need to be properly painted at some point if I messed up anyway. However I was very happy with the end result.





In the middle of wet sanding.



Final outcome and the tools used.





Before/After of the tails.





Before/After on the body panels.









The swirls on the black B-pillars bothered me since I bought the car, so this was a relief.





The ceramic coating, sealant, and prep I used were all by CarPro.



Some final shots showing the reflection.







And that's all. Let me know what you guys think.

Looks fantastic. What did you use after the Menzerna 400??

I’ve been working on my wife’s ink blue Q7 with Jess Polish but it’s still showing swirls from the damned car wash..


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Cayo71]

Menzerna 400 is fantastic. You can pretty much use it as one step compound and polish. It works in two stages. I've used it in my previous black car an saw no benefit in using a dedicated polishing agent after using Menzerna 400. I'm sure the OP will provide more details on what he used next.

[Kouki Monster]

Yeah I did some test spots and being the car was white without flake I was able to use the Menzerna in a single step. It was my first time using it as I usually do the 105/205 combo or even ultimate compound. Although after trying this I’m never going back lol.

[MattyMarkey]

Menzerna 400 is fantastic. You can pretty much use it as one step compound and polish. It works in two stages. I've used it in my previous black car an saw no benefit in using a dedicated polishing agent after using Menzerna 400. I'm sure the OP will provide more details on what he used next.

Assuming you use a buffing tool vs by-hand? Recommendation on a wheel? I don’t need/want to spend a ton of money on one

I’ve always done my vehicles by hand (wash/clay/compound/wax), but I also probably haven’t done it to the level anyone on this post has done haha

Trying to step my game up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cayo71]

Assuming you use a buffing tool vs by-hand? Recommendation on a wheel? I don’t need/want to spend a ton of money on one

I’ve always done my vehicles by hand (wash/clay/compound/wax), but I also probably haven’t done it to the level anyone on this post has done haha

Trying to step my game up


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, a rotary buffer is a must for compounding and polishing, or a forced orbital such as the Flex. For sealing(Waxes and polymers) you can do it by hand. I have a Dewalt variable rotary Polisher, not as expensive as Makita or the marvelous Flex, but it is reasonably priced.

[MattyMarkey]

Yes, a rotary buffer is a must for compounding and polishing, or a forced orbital such as the Flex. For sealing(Waxes and polymers) you can do it by hand. I have a Dewalt variable rotary Polisher, not as expensive as Makita or the marvelous Flex, but it is reasonably priced.

Appreciate it! I’ve always used plenty of elbow grease and got a workout - doesn’t come out like a professional would do, but still good enough for my liking.

Getting older means it’s time to use a different tool.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[A665]

Nice photos. Great work. Stellar results.
Enjoy!

[christianb5s4]

Looks amazing, great shots and work on cleaning the paint up! I did the same thing when I picked mine up (did it the day after) and it's amazing how a day or two of proper cleaning and polishing can change a car. Relatively little effort for big long term gains. Plus when it needs a minor polish down the road, you're starting with a good base.

[socialpro]

So 2 weeks ago I decided to detail, polish, and ceramic coat my A6. Split up the process over multiple days. I went with Cquartz UK 3.0 as it was my first time using ceramic coating, and this one seemed pretty user friendly. I picked the car up late October 2019 and been meaning to give it a good detail since I got it. Overall the car was in pretty good condition. I did find some flaws throughout the process which are shown below. Unfortunately the day I finished was pretty cloudy and made for some boring pics, but I will redo the shoot next car wash. I'll start with the actual photos and then include some cellphone shots of the detail towards the end.





































And some iPhone shots throughout the detail:

Started with foaming the car.



Next up was the Iron-X and you can see how much iron was being pulled out.







Despite the clean carfax, the rear bumper was resprayed at some point. You can see the crappy paint work and how much orange peel was present. I knew the rear face was painted (which I assumed was a slight touch up), but when I inspected in detail I realized the whole rear bumper was painted and just the rear face had been left with terrible orange peel for whatever reason. I've never wetsanded an actual car before but watching some YouTube videos on the process gave me the courage to try. I figured worst case scenario, it would need to be properly painted at some point if I messed up anyway. However I was very happy with the end result.





In the middle of wet sanding.



Final outcome and the tools used.





Before/After of the tails.





Before/After on the body panels.









The swirls on the black B-pillars bothered me since I bought the car, so this was a relief.





The ceramic coating, sealant, and prep I used were all by CarPro.



Some final shots showing the reflection.







And that's all. Let me know what you guys think.

Really great pictures!! What camera / setup did you use?

[JWebb_C7_Comp]

Yes, a rotary buffer is a must for compounding and polishing, or a forced orbital such as the Flex. For sealing(Waxes and polymers) you can do it by hand. I have a Dewalt variable rotary Polisher, not as expensive as Makita or the marvelous Flex, but it is reasonably priced.

I have PC orbital; do you think that and a microfiber cutting pad would work well with the Menzerna 400?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Cayo71]

I have PC orbital; do you think that and a microfiber cutting pad would work well with the Menzerna 400?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

It may work depending on the amount of correction needed. Do you have heavy swirls or scratches? PC is not forced rotation orbital so if you are going to try it make sure that the pad angle and pressure you put doesn't stop the pad from rotating. Pad need to vibrate randomly and rotate. Good luck!

[christianb5s4]

Microfiber pads are a big step up from foam in terms of cutting and finishing abilities assuming it's used correctly. Porter Cable makes great polishers that last forever, however there are more powerful random orbitals on the market that get much closer in capability to rotaries but still have the benefit random orbitals bring.

Options include Flex XC3401VRG, Chemical Guys BUF501X, Rupes, etc.

[JWebb_C7_Comp]

It may work depending on the amount of correction needed. Do you have heavy swirls or scratches? PC is not forced rotation orbital so if you are going to try it make sure that the pad angle and pressure you put doesn't stop the pad from rotating. Pad need to vibrate randomly and rotate. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply. The car wash swirls are pretty heavy. Having used the Porter Cable random orbital polisher with MF pad and Jesscar correcting compound helped tremendously, but some of the swirls remain.

I mark the backing plate so I can see if it stops due to pressure. And, it’s pretty easy to make that happen. I think more power is warranted..


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Kouki Monster]

Thanks all. The pictures were taken with a Sony a7iii.

For the machine I used Griots DA I’ve had for 8+ years. You can get a quality DA for decent prices these days. I also used the microfiber Cutting pads with the menzerna as a one step and was pretty impressed. I wasn’t going for perfection but I’d say I got a 80-85% correction with that combo.

[mrdouble99]

don't know why, but i realy like the wood trim :)

[JWebb_C7_Comp]

don't know why, but i realy like the wood trim :)

That car looks spectacular in and out! Kudos to OP...


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Kouki Monster]

Thanks for the kind words fellas! Yes I was unsure about the wood trim initially but it really grew on me.