Maserati Gransport & Audi RS4...

[Clark]

This car was done several weeks ago but only getting round to posting it now





It was only booked in for a 2 day correction as the swirls and marring were very very light so it only needed a 1 stage finishing polish (made a nice change! )


So up first was the pre-foam (Megs Hyperwash @ 60 degrees)...






Then rinsed off (you can just about see the swirling circled)...







I then cleaned the wheels and tyres with Menz 7.5 and the arches with Megs Superdegreaser before foaming the car again and washing with the 2BM and Shampoo Plus:






After rinsing i put the car inside and went straight to claying as there were no big tar spots that warranted using Tardis this time.


Meguiars Mild Detailing Clay and plain water was used for lube:









A final rinse off followed and i then dried everything off with a waffle weave and the leaf blower.


Once paint readings had been taken i then set about polishing out the minor defects - using Menzerna PO85RD and a 3M Finishing Pad @ 1500rpm's:





The side skirts and lower halves of the bumpers were pretty swirly though so i stepped up to 4" a polishing pad & 106FF for these areas:







I'd usually show a few before and after shots but in all honesty i couldnt capture much on camera and the paint was in extremely good condition prior to polishing


After a dust down to remove any polishing dust i gave the car a complete wipe down with Menzerna Top Inspection. This removed any remaining polishing oils and left the paint squeaky clean



The Owner wanted Vintage as LSP so this was applied via a German Applicator Pad:








While this cured i detailed the interior and fed the leather with Raceglaze Leather Balm, then cleaned the Glass with Megs Glass Cleaner Concentrate.

The wheels were sealed with Poorboys Wheel Sealant and tyres dressed with Blackfire Long LAsting Tyre Gel. Tailpipes were polished up with Raceglaze's Metal Polish.


One last wipe down followed, this time with Last Touch to remove any wax holograms and then i quickly snapped a few after shots (not a huge amount though as the Owner was in a bit of a rush and i had gone over my time limit slightly)
































It was a nice easy start to that week and it ended just as nicely with a 1 stage machine polish on an Audi RS4. This time the car was polished with Menz 106FF and finished with Raceglaze 55

































Thanks for Looking



Clark

[ScoobyDan]

I just love the RS4's in that colour
Great work as always Clark.

[presa900]

Nice work as usual, great motors, ditto Dan on the RS4

[Chris B]

You gotta do my WR1 Clark,great work.

[Houdini]

That Maserati looked absolutely stunning

[Clark]

You gotta do my WR1 Clark,great work.

Gladly!

[WR 1mposter]

You gotta do my WR1 Clark,great work.

Gladly!

Oi ! Chris get in the cue

[The Swede]

I was thrown out of the cue. He doesn't wanna be associated with pimps

[Clark]

eh?

[WR1 Bro]

Hi Clark,

What wax/sealant would you use on a Daytona Grey RS4?

[Clark]

Hi Clark,

What wax/sealant would you use on a Daytona Grey RS4?

Funnily enough thats what i'm doing tomoro

This particular one gets Zymol Vintage as it's on a maintainance plan and he wants good durability without having to top it up himself. If it were up to me i'd go with Werkstatt Acrylic though as Daytona Grey is a very "flakey" paint and looks great with a sealant

[Scooby Lee]

......Daytona Grey is a very "flakey" paint

What do you mean by "Flakey"?

...I ask this 'cos I'm test driving a Daytona Grey RS4 next week and I want to know what I'm looking for!

[Clark]

Basically the colour has a very high metalic flake content, more than some other metalics which can be a bit "muted" the WR1 is another very flakey paint colour. In direct sunlight it gives off a very sparkly/glittery appearance like the pics below:

[WR1 Bro]

...I ask this 'cos I'm test driving a Daytona Grey RS4 next week and I want to know what I'm looking for!

The paint quality on these cars is very good... Look under the bonnet and check the oil level. They need very regular checking and topping up.

[The Swede]

The paint quality on these cars is very good... Look under the bonnet and check the oil level. They need very regular checking and topping up.

That makes complete sense.

[WR1 Bro]

I was just saying.. the paint work is fine....

Check oil as they are prone to running low unless you keep checking the oil level.

Swede... open the door.......

[Scooby Lee]

Look under the bonnet and check the oil level. They need very regular checking and topping up.

Yes, I've heard!

...but, that's not a problem. It's just a characteristic of the Audi V8.

[WR1 Bro]

I reckon Heather's car has supped around 8-9 litres of oil in less than 9k miles. It is a pricey oil to keep topping up.

[Scooby Lee]

It is a pricey oil to keep topping up.

...but, cheap when compared to petrol!

Other than that; what do you think of the car?

[WR1 Bro]

It is a pricey oil to keep topping up.

...but, cheap when compared to petrol!

Other than that; what do you think of the car?

True...

Do you want me honest opinion?

As a package out the box it is awesome.

Anyone can drive an RS4 and look like a good driver. For the wife it is perfect with safety in mind.

It goes against the rules when you throw it into a bend. Big 4.2 lump sitting up front and it will still go around tight corners extremely well... probably not Evo well!!

I've always considered it a solid luxury version of an Evo... By this I mean compared to a Scooby it has a lot of electronics. I'm sure you could take a nap at the wheel and the car would keep chomping on at 100+ miles per hour.

One thing... it is a license eater... you just don't realise how fast you are going.

Even if you choose to drive sensibly... it does this remarkably well too. from 25mph you can stick it in 6th and never take it out of gear even on a twisty road like the Cat'n'Fiddle road. Given the documented torque figure is relatively low it will pull and pull..... from no revs to what feels like way beyond the limiter.

Drifting.... so easy and controlable.

[Scooby Lee]

True...

Do you want me honest opinion?

As a package out the box it is awesome.

Anyone can drive an RS4 and look like a good driver. For the wife it is perfect with safety in mind.

It goes against the rules when you throw it into a bend. Big 4.2 lump sitting up front and it will still go around tight corners extremely well... probably not Evo well!!

I've always considered it a solid luxury version of an Evo... By this I mean compared to a Scooby it has a lot of electronics. I'm sure you could take a nap at the wheel and the car would keep chomping on at 100+ miles per hour.

One thing... it is a license eater... you just don't realise how fast you are going.

Even if you choose to drive sensibly... it does this remarkably well too. from 25mph you can stick it in 6th and never take it out of gear even on a twisty road like the Cat'n'Fiddle road. Given the documented torque figure is relatively low it will pull and pull..... from no revs to what feels like way beyond the limiter.

Drifting.... so easy and controlable.

I'm probably going to test one this afternoon (or Sat.)

...but, even 07 and 57 Reg examples are still advertised for well over £45k. Which goes some way to prove they've got good residuals......higher, in fact, than any valuation / buying guide suggests!

Mind you, I've been offered an 08 Reg M3 Saloon (with Electronic Damper Control) with less than 2k on the clock for £47k......which may be a better purchase!

[WR1 Bro]

True...

Do you want me honest opinion?

As a package out the box it is awesome.

Anyone can drive an RS4 and look like a good driver. For the wife it is perfect with safety in mind.

It goes against the rules when you throw it into a bend. Big 4.2 lump sitting up front and it will still go around tight corners extremely well... probably not Evo well!!

I've always considered it a solid luxury version of an Evo... By this I mean compared to a Scooby it has a lot of electronics. I'm sure you could take a nap at the wheel and the car would keep chomping on at 100+ miles per hour.

One thing... it is a license eater... you just don't realise how fast you are going.

Even if you choose to drive sensibly... it does this remarkably well too. from 25mph you can stick it in 6th and never take it out of gear even on a twisty road like the Cat'n'Fiddle road. Given the documented torque figure is relatively low it will pull and pull..... from no revs to what feels like way beyond the limiter.

Drifting.... so easy and controlable.

I'm probably going to test one this afternoon (or Sat.)

...but, even 07 and 57 Reg examples are still advertised for well over £45k. Which goes some way to prove they've got good residuals......higher, in fact, than any valuation / buying guide suggests!

Mind you, I've been offered an 08 Reg M3 Saloon (with Electronic Damper Control) with less than 2k on the clock for £47k......which may be a better purchase!

By all accounts the M3 is AWESOME. I had a little blat with one when in the RS4. They are quick (no quicker than the RS4) but the rear end look very unsettled on a fast sweeping bend when I went past it....

Granted, owing to the newness of the M3 it might not have been run in fully. Advantange of the RS4 - whatever the weather you can nail it.

[Scooby Lee]

Clark,

How easy is it to remove a small lacquer scratch from the rear door of a Daytona Grey RS4?

I test drove one today, which was mint other than this rather annoying blemish!

Lee.

[Clark]

It depends on a few things - how deep the scratch is, i.e - can you feel it with your finger nail? and how much paint there is to play with (this is where paint thickness gauges come in handy ). If there is a decent amount of paint to play with and the scratch is not through the clear coat and into the pigment layer then it should be possible to fully remove it or at least improve it to the point of not being able to see it unless you look at it really hard

[Scooby Lee]

It depends on a few things - how deep the scratch is, i.e - can you feel it with your finger nail?

It can be seen more than it can be felt......using a nail I could just about perceive a surface deflection. It does not appear to have exposed the pigment layer; but I cannot profess to be an expert in this field!