07 Ferrari F430/ 06 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG, 22PLE, Opti-glass Pro

[Alex Boyce]

I was contacted by this client due to his interest in 22PLE, and after some discussion of services needed/desired, a date was set. I knew I wouldn't be able to complete both cars in one day and I would need some help. I had previously talked with Charlie Hahn about "teaming up" for a detail when the opportunity arose, and this detail taking place in the Detroit area was the perfect opportunity.

Charlie and I arrived early in the morning to meet with the customer and evaluate the finishes of the vehicles, which had both been detailed a year prior by Todd Cooperider at his facility in Ohio. The Ferrari was still in outstanding condition; there was some light marring here and there, but nothing serious. The Mercedes on the other hand was a daily driver, and saw the automatic car wash often... and it showed. The owner made the day even better, a great person with a great appreciation for the work required to maintain his cars properly.

Process for Ferrari F430:

- 1Z ColourTec for wheels
- OPC for tires
- Foamed with Meguiar's Hyper Wash/OPC mix
- Exhaust cleaned with P21S TAW and various brushes
- Dried with leaf blower and WW towels
- Muffler polished with Optimum metal polish/black foam via Rupes LHR75
- HD Polish on black foam to remove any marring/haze via Rupes LHR21ES and LHR75
- Paintwork was wiped down with CarPro Eraser
- 22PLE VX1 Pro applied to all paintwork
- 22PLE VM1 applied to wheel faces/exhaust tips
- Full interior detail, including leather cleaning and conditioning with Ferrari factory-sourced products
- Opti-glass Pro applied to windshield
- HD Fabric Protector applied to convertible top
- Engine cleaned with steamer/HD Touch
- Tires and wheel wells dressed with Garry Dean's Infinite Performance Tire and Trim Gel

Process for Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG:

- 1Z ColourTec for wheels
- OPC for tires
- Foamed with Meguiar's Hyper Wash/OPC mix
- Exhaust cleaned with P21S TAW and various brushes
- Dried with leaf blower and WW towels
- Polished with Meguiar's D300/Rupes Yellow polishing pad, via Rupes LHR21ES and Rupes LHR75
- Car wiped down with CarPro Eraser
- 22PLE VX1 applied to all paintwork
- 22PLE VM1 applied to exhaust tips
- Opti-Glass Pro applied to windshield
- Tires dressed with CG VRP
- Wheel wells dressed with Garry Dean's Infinite Performance Tire and Trim Gel
- Interior vacuumed/wiped down with Garry Dean's IUDJ
- Engine detailed with OPC and steam

Due to time only after shots were taken of the Mercedes, but here are pictures of both, starting with the Ferrari:

Mercedes:

Thanks for looking!

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

First and foremost, I have to thank Alex for bringing me in on this job; it was truly a pleasure to work with another like-minded professional on two amazing automobiles such as these. Since you've read this far, you're already familiar with the products and processes we used so I will simply add a few more photos and commentary below.

As we arrived, the Ferrari (a 2007 model with just a shade over 5,000 miles on the clock) was in close to pristine condition. Despite being washed with hard, well-sourced water and having been caught in a rain storm during a previous outing, the owner clearly does an excellent job of maintaining his investment as the quality of Todd's workmanship in performing the previous correction was still evident.

Below, you can see that although there were a few signs of use such as soot around the exhaust, the car was mostly clean already. You can also see our equipment for the day laid out in the garage; at one point the owner jokingly asked if we were planning to move in....

Regardless, the car was foamed down to break down any road grime or mineral deposits on the finish:

In addition, the wheels and tires received a thorough cleaning to prepare them for the VM1 coating:

With the car now clean, it was easy to see that there wasn't much in the way of finish damage to correct; only very minor marring and a slight haze, which I tried to document to the best of my ability under LED lighting....

After after which I donned an LED headlamp and set to work polishing the lower panels and tight spots with the Rupes LHR75:

With the paint dialed back in and prepared for a coat of 22PLE, I set to work on the engine bay while Alex got a jump on the interior:

And here's the dialed-in Italian Leather and Carbon Fiber:

Following coating application, we pulled the car back out to take additional pictures; there truly is no angle from which this car isn't photogenic:

Later in the day, a few more shots of this Pininfarina-penned beauty were taken as well:

By the time we had completed the F430, we knew we were going to have to push through the AMG if we wanted to finish at a decent time. As such, we did not capture any process pictures. Regardless, the after results belie this as a 2006 model with over 60,000 miles traveled:

At the end of the day, these stablemates were ready to shine on for months, if not years, to come.

Thanks for looking!

 

[Orinda Auto Detail]

Sick work guys!!!You killed it!!! Charlie I like your watch

 

[Dcox9]

Omg wow! Great work guys!

 

[mrclean81]

Thats some killer work. Im seriously impressed.

 

[Wors]

Great job guys, both cars look fantastic! Nice camera work too.

 

[DKumarm3]

Both car look amazing guys.

 

[sprocketser]

Top jobs on top cars !

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Thanks for the comments guys!

 

[XxBoostinxX]

Awesome job!

On a side note. How do you like the Rupes LHR75? I am in the market for a mini polisher and would like to hear your thoughts on it. Do you use the Rupes pads or other pads? I'd really like to try and use hydrotech 3" pads, but haven't seen a clear cut answer if I can or not.

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Awesome job!

On a side note. How do you like the Rupes LHR75? I am in the market for a mini polisher and would like to hear your thoughts on it. Do you use the Rupes pads or other pads? I'd really like to try and use hydrotech 3" pads, but haven't seen a clear cut answer if I can or not.

The LHR75 is an excellent tool, no doubt about it. The main drawback you'll find is that it can become a pretty sizable investment if you don't already have an air system large enough to efficiently keep it running. When you factor in the cost of the tool itself, a compressor, quality hose/reel, good fittings, and a filter/regulator setup you're likely well beyond the cost of even an LHR21ES.

That said, if you do already have an air system in place picking up a 75 is a no-brainer. I have used mine with Rupes pads, Meg's MF discs, Meg's 4" foam pads, and also LC 3" (non-hydrotech) pads with no issues. I would imagine you could use the HT pads without a problem.

On a budget, there's really nothing wrong with outfitting a "normal" DA like a GG6 or G110v2 with a smaller backing plate and going to town with it.

 

[Pats300zx]

Amazing work guys. How did you like the 22PLE products overall???

 

[XxBoostinxX]

The LHR75 is an excellent tool, no doubt about it. The main drawback you'll find is that it can become a pretty sizable investment if you don't already have an air system large enough to efficiently keep it running. When you factor in the cost of the tool itself, a compressor, quality hose/reel, good fittings, and a filter/regulator setup you're likely well beyond the cost of even an LHR21ES.

That said, if you do already have an air system in place picking up a 75 is a no-brainer. I have used mine with Rupes pads, Meg's MF discs, Meg's 4" foam pads, and also LC 3" (non-hydrotech) pads with no issues. I would imagine you could use the HT pads without a problem.

On a budget, there's really nothing wrong with outfitting a "normal" DA like a GG6 or G110v2 with a smaller backing plate and going to town with it.

Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions. I do currently own a compressor but its not a big unit. What is the smallest size you would recommend?

 

[Alex Boyce]

Amazing work guys. How did you like the 22PLE products overall???

Thank you!

I've used the whole line up of 22PLE quite a bit, and love them all so far, great gloss, slick finish, makes maintenance details MUCH easier.

In the world of coatings, I think it is one of the easiest I've used (although I have not tried them all).

 

[C. Charles Hahn]

Awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer all my questions. I do currently own a compressor but its not a big unit. What is the smallest size you would recommend?

More important than the "size" of the unit, you'll want to look at the output in terms of air volume/flow rate. The LHR75 requires 11.3 CFM at 88PSI to run optimally; while you can get away with a compressor with lower output, it will be running all the time and you will have a lot of moisture in the air.

For this particular job, I had a roughly 30 year old Craftsman compressor with me; it was a 1HP/12-gal. tank unit rated to deliver 6.1 CFM at 90PSI. It got the job done well, and probably would be fine to rely on for only occasional use. It doesn't hold a candle to the unit I have permanently installed in the shop, though, which is a 5HP/80-gal. Ingersoll-Rand compressor rated to deliver 15.8 CFM at 90PSI.

I know that doesn't really give you a direct answer to your question, but somewhere in that range is where you'll want to aim, depending on what or how much you plan on using it. Generally speaking, you should go for the largest compressor you can afford -- and you might want to consider looking at used ones on Craigslist/etc. as well.

 

[jtford95]

Great job guys!! You two did your craft well! Awesome!