Xantiaman's Blog

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 31 Aug 2008, 11:38

Very little happening on the Citroen front at the moment, in fact i've not driven the Activa for nearly a week! My new job means i dont have to use my own car to get to and from work, as i now have a lovely Transit van for the task.

I did manage to get one side of the car properly machine polished using a 3M pad and 3M Perfect-IT II Fast Cut compound followed by a 3M soft foam waffle pad and Ultrafina compound which basically removes the swirl marks and haze from the previous stage.

Its done a good job so far, the paintwork is not all that special and some chips need touching in too,but it now has a deep, swirl free gloss which really bring out the true colour of the paint.

Talking of which, i've been searching for the paint code and found it on the drivers side A pillar. It comes up as 'Gris Fulminator' and was a 2000 to 2007 colour meaning its actually quite rare on a Xantia. It has a fair amount of blue and silver pearl which when you see the paint formulationsis pretty obvious!

Only problem is there are 6 shade variations! I'll start with the standard shade first.

It now has new genuine Citroen mudflaps on the front, still looking for a rear pair but it now looks less naked!

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 01 Sep 2008, 20:45

Finished work a little earlier than normal so decided to refurbish one of my wheels. Plans were scuppered when i found my new D/A sander was only suitable for adhesive sanding discs so i had to resort to a small air powered D/A which runs out of puff very quickly. Had to use a bit of filler on the face as a deep scratch was a bit too much to grind out, a quick coat of primer and then 2 coats of Standox water based, and then some high quality laquer. Result is pretty good despite my gun gunking up and it matches the finish of the other wheels, which had previously been refurbished in a very bright, coarse silver which i quite like.

Gareth

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 01 Sep 2008, 21:16

Was that scratch on the rear offside wheel Gareth? Been there all the time I owned the car. Not guilty m'lud

Don't forget there is another Activa around these parts that would love a wheel refurbish

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 01 Sep 2008, 21:37

citrojim wrote:Was that scratch on the rear offside wheel Gareth? Been there all the time I owned the car. Not guilty m'lud

Don't forget there is another Activa around these parts that would love a wheel refurbish

Hi Jim, yes it was the offside rear. It was the most unsightly one, as Vicky picked out the worst for me. All looking good now.

When you get a chance, if you pop down here i can do all wheels for you in one go, would take a few hours..

Gareth

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 01 Sep 2008, 21:53

XantiaMan583 wrote: When you get a chance, if you pop down here i can do all wheels for you in one go, would take a few hours..

Brilliant Gareth, thanks

I'll be in touch... It'll be a couple of weeks I reckon...

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 02 Sep 2008, 19:32

Got a few pictures tonight, the first is the front bumper corner. Both corners were finished in a different type of grey, from a Ford i believe!

There was some damage to the OSF edge once sanded away, another skim of filler and primer did the job and i mixed up the standard shade, it matches quite well and gloss holdout is good so far -

And here is one of the wheel i did the other night, excuse the state of the tyre as it needs a clean up, but you get the general idea!

And here is my works van -

If anyone does require any work in the south east area, i'll do a special FCF discount, so just drop me a PM!

Gareth

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 02 Sep 2008, 19:59

Wow 8) That's a seriously good job Gareth.

Knowing the severity of the wound to the bumper and the rubbish job I made of it, you have transformed it.

Yes, it was Ford Levante Grey I used to touch it up. I also painted the N/S mirror back in the same shade

It was the nearest colour Halfrauds had. Tht's my excuse and I'm sticking to it

Your Activa will end up looking more mint than mine soon...

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 13 Sep 2008, 19:36

Some new, better pictures taken today. All four wheels have now been refurbished, and i've had a go at getting some deeper scratches out which makes quite a difference. Note also the new number plates 8)

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 13 Sep 2008, 19:50

I'm impressed Gareth. How easy would it be to 'invisibly mend' deep key
scratching on a black Activa which shows the white primer like a neon light!
I showed Jim the damage in near total darkness yesterday and it still stands
out; no denting, just scratching...

hang, draw, and quartering is too good for some folk.

May have to take a run over!? Is there a club discount? 8)

Andrew

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 13 Sep 2008, 20:42

The rule of thumb is, if the scratch catches with your fingernail it wont come out to make it invisible, if primer is showing you have no chance to making it unnoticeable. SMART repair techniques can repair the damage depending on where it is.

There is always a forum discount available

The scratches on mine were deep enough to catch, at some point they had been touched up which made it look worse. I used thinners to remove the old paint, and then used a 2000grit soft Abralon pad with water to smooth the scratch out, and the surrounding area.

You can only do this if the paint is thick enough and ideally has only scratched the laquer and not fully gone down to the basecoat.

3M fast cut plus and a machine buffer makes light work of removing the haze left by the 2000 grit and reduces the risk of burning through the paint by 'working' the buffer into the scratch, as you have already removed all the material needed.

Unread post by **CitroJim** » 13 Sep 2008, 20:56

andmcit wrote: May have to take a run over!? Is there a club discount? 8)

Do it Andrew. Knowing just what a trek it is from your locality to this one, why not make a weekend of it? We can put you up for a night and take an opportunity to run the Lexia over your Activa and resolve any issues it might find.

Gareth, is that really my old Activa or have you swapped it for another and transferred registrations

Looking forward to seeing it tomorrow

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 13 Sep 2008, 21:12

I reckon the only way of getting any car looking like new again is to sell it
to Gareth!

And NO, I'm NOT offering my black Activa, even with it's Activa badge on
the back...

No, I do need some professional guidance on rescuing the appearance of
my Activa though!

The deep scratch on the nearside rear 1/4 panel above the wheelarch is
the worst and there is white showing through, though that said, there is
another scratch along the roof (between the edge of the sunroof and the
door shut) and down the c pillar in a lazy snake which isn't as deep yet
still shows up white.

The black is flat non metallic though I guess it may be a specail double
lacquer as it does have a real sheen to it. Is there any chance of making
a repair or does this point to a respray for the whole side of the car from
the roof down the pillar into the rear wing? I guess my comprehensive
insurance should cover me for vandal damage although of course it'd
just be a write off as far they're concerned!?

Andrew

XantiaMan · Unread post by **XantiaMan** » 13 Sep 2008, 21:17

Best thing is to do some pictures and post them up..

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 13 Sep 2008, 21:22

Sure thing! Would make things more obvious!

Andrew

andmcit · Unread post by **andmcit** » 14 Sep 2008, 20:23

XantiaMan583 wrote:Best thing is to do some pictures and post them up..

Hi Gareth - I'm not trying to hijack your blog, but talking 'shop' here rather
than bogging down your email inbox seems the most likely solution; PLUS
fellow Citroenists can share my misery with the sad sight of a keyed black
Activa:

(btw - the car is a bit dirty so the vertical streaks are just dirt)

nearside rear

closer:

sunroof surrounding edge:

nearside rear C pillar:

Any suggestions Gareth!? You can pm a me your thoughts if you have the
inclination/time! I'm not going to get the car up and running satisfactorily
to travel any distance until I get my new heater matrix fitted first...

Andrew