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View Full Version : C5 Corvette - Polished and Protected with CQuartz UK



Zach McGovern
06-04-2014, 04:55 PM
This early C5 Corvette had only 11,500 miles when it was dropped off with me (that's an average of only ~700 miles/year!). I inspected this vehicle during the winter while it was in storage and the owner told me that he wanted the car to be as shiny as possible, and he mentioned that he did not enjoy having to wax it on a regular basis, so a paint coating was an obvious choice for this job. We decided on my Premium Exterior Enhancement Detail. The paint was in fairly good shape with the usual swirls throughout, but there were some areas with more severe defects such as sanding marks, bird bomb etchings, and RIDS that were not completely removed with the one-stage polishing process, however it would take a dark room and a carefully focused spotlight to find these defects on this bright white paint. After a very thorough cleaning, multiple step decontamination process, one-stage polishing process, and ceramic paint coating installation, the car doesn't look too bad for a 16 year old car! In fact, it looks like new


Process
Tires: Tuf Shine Tire Cleaner & Tire Brush
Wheels: Meguiar's D103 (10:1) and various tools/brushes
Wash: CG Citrus Wash via Sheepskin Mitt (2BM)
Decon 1 Tar Removal: Stoner Tarminator
Decon 2 Iron/Fallout Removal: CarPro IronX
Decon 3 Bonded Contaminate Removal: Nanoskin Autoscrub Fine Mitt with Glide as Lubrication
Tape Trim and Areas of concern
Polish: Meguiar's M101 on white LC pads via Rupes LHR21ES and Rupes LHR75E
Paint Cleaner/Coating Prep: CarPro Eraser
Ceramic Paint Coating: CarPro CQuartz UK
Wheels: Lightly polished with M205 by hand then sealed with Reload
Tires: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Glass: Meguiar's D120
LSP: CarPro Reload


Before


Bug guts on the front bumper
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8858_zpsa6cc1dfb.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8859_zps6e708cc2.jpg




Tar and grime buildup on the inner fender

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8860_zpse8c6eb1a.jpg



Dirt and iron buildup on the paint
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8863_zpsfaa49760.jpg




Light dirt and dust on the wheels.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8865_zpsf9976775.jpg




During

Removing tar deposits on the lower panels of the vehicle. Tarminator helps to quickly and easily loosen tar and begin to dissolve it. This makes it easier to wipe away and eliminates any need to "scrub" the paint, therefore reducing the risk of damaging the paint.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8874_zps091e0597.jpg




Iron X was used to safely remove bonded iron contaminates. This clear liquid turns purple as it reacts with iron and safely dissolves it from the surface. There was plenty of iron buildup to remove.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8877_zpsa8f12451.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8883_zps0f6eac62.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8887_zps6ae15cfb.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140422-DSC_8888_zps99290e82.jpg


After the paint was completely clean, the true condition was revealed. There were common swirls and scratches as well as some other more severe defects.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140423-DSC_8900_zpscb7f2b64.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140423-DSC_8902_zps5ad64d92.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140423-DSC_8903_zps41cb0cf7.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140423-DSC_8909_zps37e96215.jpg



Sanding Marks
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140423-DSC_8904_zps84a3ccf0.jpg






Bird bomb etching
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140423-DSC_8907_zps84c3f446.jpg




It was quite difficult to capture these defects in the camera, but here is a shot of the door before correction. Notice the swirls.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140424-DSC_8913_zps2c23b13e.jpg




Door after polishing. The swirls and lighter defects have been removed resulting in a clear, crisp reflection of the light. This is what leads to very glossy paint!
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140424-DSC_8914_zps06ccad54.jpg




The paint was looking excellent after polishing.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140424-DSC_8923_zps342fa506.jpg





After

Wheels were lightly polished by hand and tires were dressed with a water based dressing to help nourish the rubber.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_8969_zps0acab2eb.jpg




The paint looked great! It had a glassy, wet finish to it.

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_8960_zps5a1ecb37.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_8970_zps24ccd852.jpg





The paint looked great in the sun (this might be my personal record for # of sun stars in one photo)!
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_8983_zps9e1e935e.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_8984_zps8e5334c8.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_8986_zpse07f7c19.jpg




This 16 year old car looks as good as new!
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_9016_zps5fb676b3.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_9017_zps152d11f9.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_9020_zps2950e181.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_9022_zps2ba5e7e1.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j24/AttentiontoDetailingPeoria/Detail%201998%20Chevy%20Corvette/20140425-DSC_9027_zpsc8b1eb36.jpg


As always, Thanks for looking!