Apollo_Auto
New member
Hi all! This is a Ferrari California that I did a couple of months ago, which was until now a demo/toy at the dealership and it's been treated like the red-headed stepchild that it is since then... Been throttled, beaten, sometimes loved and rode hard and put away buggy. Anyway, this orphan is now going to a good home with an eagerly awaiting and loving foster parent from his motherland.
From all the demo and joy rides this thing was completely covered in scratches again. At the track, they have a courtesy wash, which isn't so courteous, service that I will soon commandeer... There were also 3 scratches that couldn't be saved (these were the major ones, but there were a few notable others...) from some idiot sitting on the car... the rivets in their jeans did a number on the paint!!! 123, 123, 123... OK I'm calm now. I didn't get too many B4's but the ones that I did get will give you an idea of what the whole car was like.
On to the polishing and wax. So knowing these cars like I do now, I don't even bother starting with the least abrasive combo anymore. I started with a finishing pad and IF InstaCut #15 which did a great job of removing the light scratches, but didn't do much for the deeper ones, so I went to Scholl S17 and the same pad, but it was also a fruitless effort. Then, I went with S03+ and the same pad and it put me right where I wanted to be. I polished all the aluminum parts with this combo, but switched to S17 for the trunk and hood, because they're fiberglass and react a bit differently to the previous combo... in other words they're easier to correct. Less the deeper scratches, it came out fantastic especially for a car that was used like this one has been.
Lusso Oro prototype... I was one of the lucky boys to get to try this wax before its debut (thanks to Phil at detailersdomain) and these are my thoughts: First of all, WOW what a pleasant scent! When I opened the jar I almost felt like shucking my work clothes and heading to the beach for a piña colada! Density: hard as a rock. I tried to plunge my... finger into it and it just wasn't budging. That tells me that it's packed to the hilt with nuba. Also the very fine grainy texture is a nice nuba-filled sign. When I apply wax, I'm a "swiper" not a "rubber" which means that I like to swipe my applicator across the top instead of rubbing it around. Maybe it's just mental, but I fell that you get the best "dosage" of the wax that way. Anyway, I started to apply the wax and then noticed that in some places it looked as if I'd missed some spots. The I got the feeling that I was just applying oils instead of wax. After that, I slowed down my application motion and applied it "more than evenly" and everything was OK and I got a nice, even and hazy layer.
I would suggest a little less oil in this wax, but I know that would lead to "stickier" application. IMO this wax needs to be worked in a bit more than the conventional wax, but then again I don't think it's the "conventional" wax.
Final thoughts: FANTASTIC. Just like a woman that drops jaws when she enters the room or an exotic sports car, this wax requires a bit more attention than the average one, BUT a very nice, glowy wax and though durability is not important to me, we'll see what that's like in a few months! Oh and removal... it came off like nothing was even there after curing for about 30 minutes... if I had to compare it to another wax (concerning removal) I would compare it to CG 50/50 or InstaFinish Premium Wax... they both come off like butter.
Still a bit oily from the wax, but I went back over it with a SW MF and cleaned it up as much as I could.
Here's a video after the SW MF under the "Crime Light"
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2zlxyEUYDo"]YouTube - S6000511[/ame]
And a normal walk around
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jo5BfP3098"]YouTube - S6000512[/ame]
Thanks for reading and... should I say it? OK and thanks to all the Playboy subscribers for "reading"!
- Jesse
From all the demo and joy rides this thing was completely covered in scratches again. At the track, they have a courtesy wash, which isn't so courteous, service that I will soon commandeer... There were also 3 scratches that couldn't be saved (these were the major ones, but there were a few notable others...) from some idiot sitting on the car... the rivets in their jeans did a number on the paint!!! 123, 123, 123... OK I'm calm now. I didn't get too many B4's but the ones that I did get will give you an idea of what the whole car was like.
On to the polishing and wax. So knowing these cars like I do now, I don't even bother starting with the least abrasive combo anymore. I started with a finishing pad and IF InstaCut #15 which did a great job of removing the light scratches, but didn't do much for the deeper ones, so I went to Scholl S17 and the same pad, but it was also a fruitless effort. Then, I went with S03+ and the same pad and it put me right where I wanted to be. I polished all the aluminum parts with this combo, but switched to S17 for the trunk and hood, because they're fiberglass and react a bit differently to the previous combo... in other words they're easier to correct. Less the deeper scratches, it came out fantastic especially for a car that was used like this one has been.
Lusso Oro prototype... I was one of the lucky boys to get to try this wax before its debut (thanks to Phil at detailersdomain) and these are my thoughts: First of all, WOW what a pleasant scent! When I opened the jar I almost felt like shucking my work clothes and heading to the beach for a piña colada! Density: hard as a rock. I tried to plunge my... finger into it and it just wasn't budging. That tells me that it's packed to the hilt with nuba. Also the very fine grainy texture is a nice nuba-filled sign. When I apply wax, I'm a "swiper" not a "rubber" which means that I like to swipe my applicator across the top instead of rubbing it around. Maybe it's just mental, but I fell that you get the best "dosage" of the wax that way. Anyway, I started to apply the wax and then noticed that in some places it looked as if I'd missed some spots. The I got the feeling that I was just applying oils instead of wax. After that, I slowed down my application motion and applied it "more than evenly" and everything was OK and I got a nice, even and hazy layer.
I would suggest a little less oil in this wax, but I know that would lead to "stickier" application. IMO this wax needs to be worked in a bit more than the conventional wax, but then again I don't think it's the "conventional" wax.
Final thoughts: FANTASTIC. Just like a woman that drops jaws when she enters the room or an exotic sports car, this wax requires a bit more attention than the average one, BUT a very nice, glowy wax and though durability is not important to me, we'll see what that's like in a few months! Oh and removal... it came off like nothing was even there after curing for about 30 minutes... if I had to compare it to another wax (concerning removal) I would compare it to CG 50/50 or InstaFinish Premium Wax... they both come off like butter.
Still a bit oily from the wax, but I went back over it with a SW MF and cleaned it up as much as I could.
Here's a video after the SW MF under the "Crime Light"
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2zlxyEUYDo"]YouTube - S6000511[/ame]
And a normal walk around
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jo5BfP3098"]YouTube - S6000512[/ame]
Thanks for reading and... should I say it? OK and thanks to all the Playboy subscribers for "reading"!
- Jesse
It's a great wax and a shame I have overlooked it for so long... 
!
! Ferrari paint is ceramic so yup, it's hard a nails... but not as hard as the European VW's... they take the prize for the world's hardest paint... I hate VW's. I've figured out a way to polish most F-Cars in about 2 steps though