Vince's XM...213k and slowing....

[vince]

Well guys the Xantia is coming on nicely on its course to being top dollar for the northern rally at the end of may....Im still waiting for my tyres to come via a mate of mine, and im going back to the factory standard 195 55 15's as ive been running 195 65 15's for ages and have always thought the sidewalls were too tall. I bought the wrong size last time

The Pallas venture is coming on o.k....Ive just had an Audi A3 3.2 quattro dropped off tonight for a one day vehicle enhancement tomorrow, and have a celica, an astra, a meriva and possibly a passat to do in the weekends following that. Ive still not done a website yet (Steve i need to speak to you about that) but am going to start leaving cards under certain cars windscreen wipers that id like to do. I missed an opportunity on a circa 1989 red Lotus Excel on friday which was very well looked after you could tell, but the paintwork looked a little flat, i thought "that would come up a treat" but didnt have any cards on me at the time

Im charging £50 for one day enhancements at the moment until i get a few cars under my belt and my website done, then i can post up prices for different jobs on the website. Its all still a sideline thing, and will remain so, as my main job keeps me busy enough and stressed enough, but id love to get to the level that i could ditch sales targets etc and fix up cars for a living....that would be great

Going to be a busy day tomorrow then

[vince]

Well i have just had a good look round the A3.... It is clear its been machined before as its full of holograms on the lowerhalf of the body (where its hardest to not rush it as its uncomfortable) but waist height all round is not too bad so that shouldnt take too much work to put right. The bonnet and roof are a mess though with alot of deep scratches which may need wetsanding to get out with 2500 wet and dry. Chrome all needs doing along with the chrome s line mirrors fitted to it.

Im looking forward to tackling it TBH as its been a while since i did a car in such poor condition....Im sutre he will be happy with the results

At least i hope so

[Deanxm]

Thats good news you have a few coming in vince, i hope things work out well for you, your vsx looks stunning i dont see why anyone elses car would come away from you any differently.

D

[Dommo]

You should see the swirls on this soarer of mine Vince, it'd certainly be a challenge for you once it's ready!

[Trainman]

Ive still not done a website yet (Steve i need to speak to you about that)

No worries buddy, I need to speak to you too about spring cleaning mine, and don't worry about the Northern Rally (what we discussed there is something else going on)........

Also, I've had a couple of other enquires which I think you will be interested in, will probably give you a bell either Wednesday or Thursday evening.

[CitroJim]

Vince!

I need you! I need you to come and work your magic on my V6. I've just washed her and done the best I can but in the bright sunlight there's swirls and marks everywhere She looks fine in normal light but the sun really shows up her imperfections

One thing I can't do to save my life is detail a car...

Here she is, all washed and ready for a VERY special occasion next weekend

[myglaren]

I'd be delighted if my car looked like that Jim.

[Deanxm]

Its the Mud flaps that finnish it off steve, nice, shiny, new Mud flaps, no Ctroen C5 should be without new Mud flaps.

She looks stunning Jim just like that Activa of yours.

D

[CitroJim]

She looks stunning Jim just like that Activa of yours.

Thanks Dean The Activa is in need of a good wash too but not as much as Rattiva. She's absolutely plastered in it and has not been washed for umm, months. The contrast between V6 and Rattiva is unbelievable despite them both being Mauritius Blue Exclusives...

I'm saving water

One thing I do with Rattiva every week without fail is hoover and dust her inside. I can tolerate a mucky car externally but not inside. The interior MUST be spotless always.

[Deanxm]

yes, inside must be clean i agree, i do like to wash and polish in fact i do the xm even though its in bits, it keeps the paint healthy, not been washing the Activa much though, silver isnt a rewarding colour to clean.

D

[vince]

Jim, if your looking for a good quick fix ready for next weekend, nip to Halfords and get some Meguiars Ultimate Compound. Its about a tenner i think....also pick up a Meguiars applicator sponge pad for about £3 i think they are, and then in Asda they sell Kent microfibre cloths in a 6 pack for £3.

You can hand apply the Ultimate Compound and work it in in a straight line pattern rather than a round and round pattern. You know when its ready to come off as you can do the swipe test with your finger, when it swipes a grease free line its ready to come off...takes about a minute or so. Use one cloth to remove the compound, then the second to buff the area. You will remove 80% of your holograms that way and it will finish up really well. Its up to you then wether you wax it or not.

Like i said, its a quick fix so you wont remove all the swirls or scratches (contrary to what the advertising says) but it will leave your car paintwork looking very slick.

Have a look on Youtube for videos on Meguiars Ultimate Compound use...Its good stuff that i use for removing holograms


Im rethinking my £50 charge as its not enough for the work required to restore a better than factory finish.....considering i can now wet sand deeper scratches out (taught myself) and turn a car round to this degree, a pro charges circa £500....so a ton is reasonable....i dont think i will be bowled over with takers in this economy, but the A3 took me 8 hours

So....here is the A3 i did today
Before:




During



Wet sanding a big scratch out of the bonnet


After

[CitroJim]

Blimey Vince That’s a lovely job you did on that A3. Looks like a mirror finish

On that basis you're definitely selling yourself short at £50 a car...

Thanks muchly for the tips. I'll give that a go on Friday (or earlier if I can).

[Citroenmad]

The finish on that A3 does look stunning Vince, excellent job

Im sure you could easily make a career out of detailing, once things get going.

Dean, I know what you mean with silver cars being unrewarding to polish. I rarely choose a silver car (though I do like the colour and its in my ideal list) but always end up with a shade of silver.

I too always try and keep my car spotless inside, even if the outside is looking a bit grubby. My C5 is totally filthy, black wheels, more flies showing through on the front than there is paintwork, but the inside is immaculate! I always wash and hoover my Xantia after every use, as it then sits under its car cover until next time. I could do with giving both a good polishing, I might well try your above advice with the Meguiars Ultimate Compound Vince.

So you use the foam applicator for applying the products? I always thought that they might get a bit full with polish and a if a bit of grit were to get on .... so ive always used polishing cloths to apply and microfibres to buff. I use the applicator pads for putting on tyre dressing and black plastic care but might give them a go with the polish next time.

Need to get one or two cleaned for the X rally, so I best get cracking!

[Citroening]

Need to get one or two cleaned for the X rally, so I best get cracking!

Don't forget those trophies that are up for grabs!!!

[Citroenmad]

Need to get one or two cleaned for the X rally, so I best get cracking!

Don't forget those trophies that are up for grabs!!!

Yep, im working on it, got the sand paper to hand ready to make the bonnet into the 'rat' self colouring rust look, already got a little fluffy toy hanging from the rear tow eye, alloy wheels are in for a refub in orange and the windows look as though the car has had an interior fire. Just for good measure many cartoon comics will be cut up and glued onto the dashboard, as a modern day flocking. Will that cut it? Seems to be very popular around here