dsms detailed - Aston Martin DB9/95pics/New Lusso

2008 Aston Martin DB9 Sport Pack

Car was booked for a 3 day full correction and show preparation. (My company name on my shirt is swirled out to align with forum rules FYI)

Wheels came first, tires pre cleaned using ARO. P21s wheel gel was left to sit for a few minutes, even though the wheels were very dirty I just dont believe in letting wheel cleaner sit on the wheel for 20 or 30 minutes. If it works, it will do the job in a few minutes or so... otherwise you need a stronger wheel cleaner but thats just my opinion.



Behind the spokes, calipers, hub mounting face etc. all cleaned with various brushes. Wheel wells received APC 4:1 scrubbed with a MF mitt.



Everything was rinsed thoroughly...



After, inner barrels de-tarred with Tarminator later on before polishing.



Paint was rinsed at high pressure, then foamed using a mixture of CG maxi Suds and a Biodegradable APC to help strip some of the prior LSP

Rinsing off the foam



2 bucket method carried out using CG citrus wash and clear.



Before the sun came back out I pulled the car inside to dry it and begin claying. Megs mild clay and ONR lube were used. The clay picked up a good amount of grime, some areas like the hood and truck were clayed twice.



Before starting correction I worked on the interior

Interior, although small took me about 2 hours to get back to 100%. All plastics, glass, trim, doorjambs and leather were treated.

Doorjmabs were hand polished and sealed, the rubber trim around them was dressed with TRV too.



Some finished shots (Passport 9500i properly hardwired and discrete like it should be, so many of my customers have valentine 1 wires hanging from the windshield:shakehead







The aluminum trim around the shiftboot was hand polished using wet mirror finish, which has proven to be a killer all around product. After



Trunk jambs were cleaned and sealed as well...

during



After...







After claying the car was given 2 IPA wipedowns to ensure all prior waxes or sealants were stripped off as well as any clay residue. Good test to see if the finish is well stripped if to place your finger tip on a panel and gently rub, if it squeaks instantly your usually okay to move onto correction.



All delicate areas and trim were tapped off. Paint readings were taken after that, the driver side front fender had been repainted but was a surprising perfect match to the rest of the car.



(Yes I got a haircut as the heat was getting to me)

The front nose and headlights had clear film protection. I started with those areas. While the paint was rotary corrected I found that Bob's DA method works best on the clear film.

I used the Flex 3401 and a polishing pad with Menzerna 106FA to correct, and then followed up with 106FA again on a finishing pad. I like the FA on the film because its pretty oily so it helps keep the heat down.



Under the halogens



The car had some RIDS and wash induced stuff. Nothing major but this was not a 95% job, this was a 100% so I chose a 3 step process which would properly correct and finish down the paint the way I wanted it.

Menzerna Power finish w/ a polishing pad
Menzerna 106FA w/ a polishing pad
Menzerna 85rd w/ a glazing pad

Working the hood with Power Finish. I started at 1100,1500, 1900rpm then backed down to 1100rpm. I finished down each stage as thoroughly as possible to really ensure the finish was properly leveled.



This being an Aston my main concern was sanding scratches which come from the factory. The car seemed to get away clean except for a few select areas like by the lower blinkers.

This same area on the blue vantage Bob and I did has a ton of issues. Spotting them in the halogens on the silver was tough but with the lights off in the garage the fenix picked up some pigtailing and RIDS.

I switched up to M105 with a 3" tufbuf wool pad, and then followed up with the 106FA and 85rd again.



Some various correction shots...



Working 85rd with a 3' finishing pad



The passenger side had a tiny scratch just above the door handle. After a few attempts at compouding it didnt budge so I had to wetsand it with 2500grit and follow up with the wool. Its lightened a bit was not able to be removed 100%.



Some more cut was needed on the passenger side so I stepped up to the DD yellow cutting pad from the green. Very surprised at the level of cut and finish you get with this, much more smooth than the orange foams.



Powerfinish breaking down



Trunk under the halogens, 2 steps down.





After correction..



Some old wax residue by the plate



Fixed



Tailights needed some attention. Before shots under the fenix





Before..



After..





Jeweling. When jeweling I only brought the rpms up to 1500 for 2 or 3 passes just to ensure i broke down 85rd all the way, after than I just made slow passes at 1100prm until I was happy with the look.



Trunk after jeweling



Trunk under the fenix LED with teh lights off, otherwise you cant see much of anything!



Some finished pictures after all the polishing and 2 IPA wipedowns. No wax or sealant applied yet.

I left the plastic tag on one of my halogens wire grills btw if your wondering what the little hook is in some of the pics.







After correction, no LSP yet either



Since the car was silver I decided to get it as wet looking as possible. I started the LSP process with Danase wet glaze on a LC 100ppi foam pad using the Flex 3401. I worked in the glaze at speed 5 until it was clear and buffed off right away. This helped with the wetness and slickness of the paint.

Working DWG



After that I applied Jetseal 109 by hand and let it cure for about 2 hours before buffing off. While it was curing I moved onto the trim.

Rear plate areas was pretty dry. After a light cleaning I applied TRV to all the plastics using a foam painters stick.

Before





After



I appled the first coat of tire dressing (secret sauce I call it) with a DD sponge, living 5 minutes away from Phils place has some benefits... I just pick up whatever I need but also I get to feel a product before I buy it. I really like how thick these were so I bought 1 and ended up buying a bunch more a few days later.



I always dress the tires first before polishing or sealing the wheels, no matter how careful you are some sling will end up on the wheel at some point:doh:

Flaps before



After dressing with TRV



Engine was cleaned using a light mixture of APC and DI water, no direct spraying. Just a damp MF works best for me, that is if the engine is not a total mess.

Engine all finished



Dressing applied on front cover as well





Under the hood was cleaned and sealed using Werkstat, in an area like this a sprayable selaant really helps.

After cleaning and sealaing...



The DB9 had a QuickSilver exhuast system, even at idle it just sounded great. Stock tips kept everything looking as it should however, I like that.

Tailpipes before..



polishing with #0000 steel wool and white diamond metal polish



After



Lower rear valance was dressed as well for a dark matte finish



Wheels and brakes were hand polished with CG wet mirror finishm then sealed with 2 coats of JW acrylic jett





All finished with the undercarrige dressed



Glass was hand polished and then sealed using Werkstat again



All metal trimwork polished as well...



Wiper cowl cleaned and dressed






As a finishing touch I like to spay some lightly scented de-odorizer in the interior. Back in the day (about a whole 2 years ago) I would spray some Febreez but Bob showed me Ozium (glycol-ized air fresherner) and I loved it.



I like the smell of well treated leather but I also want a lasting fresh scent in the car when the owner opens the door.



After all the finishing touches were taken care of I applied.... a carnauba wax? :shead:

To be honest I have not put a nuba on my own or a customers car in about 8 months, I just prefer sealants. But I decided since the Aston was on its way to a show (concourso type event) than a nice nuba may add something to the finish.

Phil gave me a sample of the new Lusso Oro wax to try and I figured this would be a great test bed. I applied one thin coat to the DB9 and let it cure for a little bit and buffed off. It is a very very hard wax, but goes on very smooth and buff off easy.

I had no issues with sweating either as I went back and checked the finish hours later.

Okay, enough of my longwinded explanations and some final shots...



Of course, cloudy skies however:waiting2:





(The plate is just too cool to blur out)







Before the rain came I pulled it back in













Halogens only as backlighting









Total time: 22.5hrs

Always enjoy these longer details, get a chance to do everything all out.

Thanks for looking :thumb:

 

BEAUTIFUL JOB:applause: thanks for such a great write up and sharing some of your tricks.

 

ahh im having deja vu lol lemme tell ya dave your write ups just get better and better. also i was speechless when i saw you used a nuba wax on this :laughing:

 

Looks great Dave, I actually saw the car last night and it looks amazing. You do some great work buddy hope to see you soon!!!!!!!

 

Nice work Dave!!!

Where did you get that big can of Ozium? I can only find the smaller 3.5 oz cans.

 

simply stunning :applause:

 

Beautiful work Dave...

 

Awesome!!!

 

That car and your detail are equally stunning!

 

stunning results dave.. i just noticed you didn't use your ear protector as you're using 3403?LOL

 

Damn impressive sir! Absolutely love your attention to detail on this one!

 

My all time favorite car and you made it look amazing, great job it came out so good.

 

Looks awesome!!

 

That's because I was not there to tell him.....................

 

GOR-JI-OWWWWSSSSEEEE !!! (wolf howl sound).

Nice work, sweet write-up. More! More! icture:

 

Steller job!! I love the finish product!!

 

Amazing Work, I'm a sucker for reflection shots :thumb:

 

hello david how u been . where did u get those meguiars brushes from

 

Very meticulously done and well thought out and done. Could you share a little more insight on the wet mirror shine as you stated how it's become more of a staple product for you in regards to how you like and feel about using it, Thanks for your continuos posts on your details.

 

Amazing work as always!

One of your best write up's to date! Looking forward to the next one