AutoLavish in Puerto Rico: RUF RTurbo - Porsche 996
RUF produces some wild and crazy cars (http://www.ruf-automobile.de/) that can get very extreme very quickly. Even if you opt for a more mildly modded ride, you're still sure to have a very rare head turner that demands attention anywhere it goes. We we lucky enough to work on one such machine during our recent time in Puerto Rico. Whether it was a RTurbo from the RUF factory or a conversion, it sure was a beauty.
This particular car was quite clean and well maintained, but never-the-less could use some autoLavish love to put her over the top. Being rarely driven but always appreciated, it was the smaller things we needed to concentrate on during our short time working for this client. Wheel faces and even the inside of the wheels were well kept, but the calipers needed some love, the paint needed light contamination removal using clay, and there was the same light swirling that seems to plague all Porsche owners due to the soft clear-coat used.
Getting things set up:
Badges / nooks and crannies were the focus for good reason
light wax build-up in the usual areas:
While she's well kept, you can see there's just some gloss missing even in the shade while dusty
The inner door sill covers were quite scuffed
Plate removed for more thorough cleaning
Plate bumper removed for even further cleaning, then sprayed with diluted APC to dwell
P21S Wheel Cleaner Gel doing it's thing once agitated
Wheels after looking proper
Calipers as good as they'll get without wheel removal
The owner purchased the car with the rotors already showing cracking, but has had his eye on them for awhile. It seems they haven't gotten worse, but prior to even starting on the vehicle we brought up the potential issue to him.
With a car so dusty, it was important to remove any grime possible prior to actually touching the paint. We pre-foamed with Meguiar's Gold Class with a tad of APC in the shade, then rinsed before the real foam+wash.
A clear picture showing the exact outcome we desired: foam slowly dripping off the vehicle. The suds suspending dirt away from the surface of the vehicle while carrying it safely from the paint.
Members of the autoLavish trifecta claying the vehicle only after a pre-foam, rinse, foam, wash, and final rinse have been completed.
Finally its time for a proper inspection. Now that the surface was pre-soaked, rinsed, foamed, washed, rinsed, clayed, and finally rinsed, we could take plenty of paint thickness measurements, inspect the paint in the sun, and get an over-all idea of how much work the car required, and create a work-plan. We were to remove the light swirls from the finish, re-clear the lightly hazy headlamp housings, clean-up the exhaust tips, wipe-down the interior, clean up the door sills, re-clear the taillight housings, and leave her well protected for the future. No problem
Ready to rock!
With the soft clear-coat and light defects, 3M Ultrafina made a fine one-stepper. Our polarized filter made this 50/50 on the hood possible, so hopefully it gives you an idea. Also notice the lack of absolute clarity in the headlamp housing which would later be taken care of as well.
While I got the paint under way, Jacob put his attention to detail on quick interior work with a microfiber towel and 1Z Cockpit Premium...
...as well as using Meguiar's M205 on the headlights (i know i know it's a pic in the shade, but the afters will prove it really was perfected)
Later in the day, Jacob found his inner-peace by working the lower rocker panel to perfection...
...while I worked the door sills with M105 by hand to bring back more clarity. Though they weren't perfected, they were greatly improved
Nearing the home-stretch, the vehicle was re-foamed with Supernatural shampoo and washed to remove polish dust and any oils that may be left.
We already knew we were going to use a sealant+wax combo, and the sealant of choice for this car was one of our favorites: Danase Paint Sealant (new version) applied by PC. Jacob applied and I followed with Eurow Shag microfibers after letting the sealant set for 5-10 minutes once hazed over.
For those hard to reach areas, simply remove the pad and use it to hand apply. Much safer than sticking a hard machine in tight areas around the softer-than-metal paint.
Wiped off:
Wax selection was easy. We needed something easy to use (as to not marr the finish), deep (without taking away from the metallic finish), and we wanted additional durability. Wax with durability...hmmm... what about a wax/sealant hybrid? Wolfgang Fuzion got the nod. It seemed fitting that in 2009, the year with the first mixed President of the US, to have a mixed wax applied by a mixed person? I kindly accepted the honor to make this trilogy complete.
setting:
What you've been waiting for...
Thanks for looking!
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Originally Posted by 91trunk
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