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      04-07-2013, 02:36 PM   #1
Gray_Panther
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My first client! - Reflex Silver Jetta + Opti-Coat

Hello all,

A good friend of mine recently purchased a new VW Jetta. He knows about my side business that I have started and he came to me after telling him about Opti-Coat. He was interested in the product and scheduled a date to work on his car. Unfortunately, before the day of the detail, a scuff was found on his front bumper. Not sure how it got there, but he wanted it gone.

Onto the products used:
800 grit 3M sandpaper
ONR
Meg's clay with ONR as clay lube
Adam's APC for the tires
PC 7424XP
Meg's Cutting Pad
Meg's Polishing Pad
Meg's #105
Meg's #205
IPA Solution
Opti-Coat 2.0

Detail Process:

He was kind enough to take it to a touch-less car wash to wash away all the salt. So I decided to not bring out my foam gun and went ahead with an ONR wash. This is how it looked when it arrived.





The scuff



Even though the car is new, the door jambs would need attention


After washing the exterior and cleaning the mud-flaps, I began claying the whole exterior. The good news is that this car was shipped with the plastic wraps and removed upon arrival at the dealer. The clay was pretty clean besides some embedded grit and dirt. It's a great practice for car companies to ship their automobiles in such a manner.

Here is the clay before


And after



I then cleaned up the door jambs


After that was done, I finally turned my attention to the major defect. This was actually my first time wet-sanding so I was extremely cautious. I tried compounding the defect first with #105 but I didn't do much as expected.

I let the sandpaper soak in clean water for a couple hour and used my ONR clay lube to keep the defected area lubricated. I used a single motion technique where I applied the least amount of pressure and kept the direction of my passes the same. I forgot to take pictures of the process because I was so much in the zone that I didn't want to break concentration.

After wet-sanding, the paint was cloudy but level. I then took my trusty PC with #105 and began compounding. It was to my relief that after compounding I could clearly see the reflection of my hand again. What a relief! I then polished it down with #205 and my polishing pad. I then examined the rest of the car and polished out some of the swirls that were present. To my surprise it was kept in great condition.

I then did an IPA wipedown and began Opti-Coating. It was my first time using this product, so I made sure I did as much research and watched as many videos as I could to get the best understanding possible before putting theory into practice. I was surprised at how easy it was to apply and it took me about an hour to do the whole car. Here are the after pictures:

The scuff is gone!







Afterwards, I picked up my first client and drove him back. I made sure I drove up slowly to his car because I knew the anticipation about the outcome of the scuff was killing him inside . I am evil. He had the biggest look of surprise on his face when he could not find it. We did a walk-around and he couldn't stop commenting on how glossy it looked.
We went out for drinks later that night and he told me his parent's looked at my work and said "Autos einai filos," which the English translation from Greek is, "Now this is a friend." It really touched me and I took great pride in that statement.

Thanks for reading!
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      04-07-2013, 07:42 PM   #2
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congrats! looks great.
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      04-07-2013, 10:39 PM   #3
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awesome!
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      05-10-2013, 05:17 PM   #4
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Id bring my car to ya
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      05-10-2013, 06:27 PM   #5
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Looks great. I am also starting to dabble in the detailing business as a side gig!
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      05-10-2013, 07:02 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwbreed View Post
Id bring my car to ya
If I go to Spain next year, I'll be sure to polish the hell out of it!
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      05-10-2013, 07:06 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray_Panther View Post
If I go to Spain next year, I'll be sure to polish the hell out of it!
Ill still b here! Well if I still have it by then. Depends on how well I heal
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      05-10-2013, 07:10 PM   #8
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How many more weeks?
Don't get rid of it. The 1 series picture game needs you!
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      05-10-2013, 10:19 PM   #9
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Nice job! Wet sanding on a new car...way to control the nerves.
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      05-10-2013, 11:53 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray_Panther View Post
How many more weeks?
Don't get rid of it. The 1 series picture game needs you!
Haha I haven't posted in the picture game in so long. Well 6 or 7 more weeks to go before I can bear weight back on the injured foot and try to walk on it. What's worrying me is I'm having very bad nerve pain in the injured foot and sometimes shots of pain. The doc said before surgery there was a chance I could loose some feeling in my foot but I've got the exact opposite too much and super sensitive to the lightest touch. Worst case scenario is it may develop into complex regional pain syndrome which kinda means I'm stuck with it. Which then I don't think operating a clutch with that foot would be very conducive or feel to good either. Just gonna hope I heal well and the pain slowly subsides. I love driving stick and would hate to sell it for that reason to get an auto. But just mentally prepairing myself IF that's what it comes to.
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      05-11-2013, 10:13 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bmwbreed View Post
Haha I haven't posted in the picture game in so long. Well 6 or 7 more weeks to go before I can bear weight back on the injured foot and try to walk on it. What's worrying me is I'm having very bad nerve pain in the injured foot and sometimes shots of pain. The doc said before surgery there was a chance I could loose some feeling in my foot but I've got the exact opposite too much and super sensitive to the lightest touch. Worst case scenario is it may develop into complex regional pain syndrome which kinda means I'm stuck with it. Which then I don't think operating a clutch with that foot would be very conducive or feel to good either. Just gonna hope I heal well and the pain slowly subsides. I love driving stick and would hate to sell it for that reason to get an auto. But just mentally prepairing myself IF that's what it comes to.
That's tough. It probably must be a huge mental game too. Just focus on getting better...slide into a DCT (If need be) and enjoy the road again!
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      05-11-2013, 10:14 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BBBluey View Post
Nice job! Wet sanding on a new car...way to control the nerves.
Yes, I was taking some deep breaths during that time. Huge learning experience!
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      05-11-2013, 10:36 PM   #13
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Garage List
Nice job... But I'm even more impressed with your house.
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      05-12-2013, 03:12 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray_Panther View Post
That's tough. It probably must be a huge mental game too. Just focus on getting better...slide into a DCT (If need be) and enjoy the road again!
Thanks man. Appreciate the kind words.
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      05-15-2013, 04:17 PM   #15
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Do I spy a 337 in your driveway? My last sporty car was a 337. That thing was a blast and killed in auto-x.
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      05-15-2013, 04:27 PM   #16
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Looks like you did a great job. Also- beautiful house.

The opti-coat is a great product- just make sure you wipe down any areas that don't flash away within a few minutes.
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      05-15-2013, 07:06 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cheshirecat79 View Post
Looks like you did a great job. Also- beautiful house.

The opti-coat is a great product- just make sure you wipe down any areas that don't flash away within a few minutes.
Thank you! Yes, because it was my first time, I was wary of the whole process. The "Flashing" confused me the most while reading and watching others do it. But once I went at it, I understood right away. It just clicked for me and went to town on the Jetta. I see his car often and it has been raining and he can't shut up about it. Even with all the rain he could count on his one hand how many times the wipers did one cycle of wiping. Impressive!

Quote:
Originally Posted by str8shot View Post
Do I spy a 337 in your driveway? My last sporty car was a 337. That thing was a blast and killed in auto-x.
No .My parents bought that GTI for me 8 years ago when I was 16. And right after I sat in it, I of course found out about the 'tex. I then saw pictures of the 337 and had to have those valences. Never looked back!

All it has are:
Smoked sides
337 valences and wing
HID retrofit that I did 6 years ago.

I am envious you did own an actual 337
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