Glistening Perfection New-Car Prep

The New-Car Detail was originally incepted when I started to get some current clients that bought new cars and had me come to their home to do the detail. It was apparent, somewhere along the line, the paint on the new cars I was getting should not have had swirls, scratches, and hologramming. Once we backtracked a bit, I realized this was being done when the dealers prepped the cars prior to the client taking delivery. My assumption was confirmed after watching cars being prepped at various dealerships here locally.

Most dealerships need and want to get the “unit” out the door. I say unit, because no matter how much you’ve spent on this new car, it’s a unit in the eye of the dealer. To us enthusiasts, it’s a “car” and at this level, it should be treated with some dignity. Often times, a car arrives at the dealer, it’s stripped of all plastic and protective films, washed by the porter, and waxed using hand or machine to shine it up for the client. Most people don’t ever notice the small detail such as paint swirls, scratches, and imperfections in the paint because of the emotional high of finally getting the car you been waiting for. The client just wants to sign the papers, shake the salesman’s hand, and drive. It’s only the weekend when it comes time to wash the car, the way the sun shines on the hood when coming out of the office one afternoon, or when a obsessive compulsive detailer point out these flaws, that you realize the extent of the damage done to your car’s paint from one wash alone at the dealer.

So I decided, I would offer a service that would keep the car in pristine condition, just as it left the factory, until you take delivery. This service would step in right after the car had been delivered and the dealer did their technical pre-delivery inspection, PDI. New-Car Detail would have me be the first to take all the plastic off the seats, remove stickers from windows, remove plastic wrap from the paint, etc. Your car would be cared for in a manner that respected this new acquisition, with assurance that YOUR best interest was in mind. After all, you are the one paying for this service, not the dealer.

Below is a recent New-Car Prep on a 2008 Aston Martin Vantage; it belongs to fellow 6speeder parkedr. This Vantage was delivered two days before my arrival. The common flaw in every Aston Martin is the way the factory sands and finishes the car. The paint is sanded dry using an orbital sander. The problem is that the pad becomes dirty after a while and the clear becomes damaged by the debris embedded in the sanding pad. To make matters even more challenging, Aston Martin only does a compounding and polish and sends the new car to the dealer to finish up the final detailing. Most dealers are not equipped to handle such advanced correction. Bauer Aston Martin knows of this issue and is the only dealership I know of that sends every Aston Martin to a body shop for proper repair. This Vantage though was to only be touched by Moe. I thank my client’s salesman James Peacock of Bauer Aston Martin in Santa Ana for his hospitality.

Initial Condition

Notice the halogramming on the door







Compound residue around the lights



Compound residue around the clear film











Close-up of Compound residue around light



Needless to say I was shocked and could not believe this is how a new car looks from the factory. At first, I didn't believe the salesman; then he showed me a new container unloading another Vantage with the same issues.

 

All plastic film and wrapping is removed (15 min)

The interior is vacuumed and cleaned to remove fingerprints, dirt, and adhesives (25 min)





I use a space heater to warm the interior prior to conditioning the leather. This opens the pores of the leather and allows the conditioner to better penetrate the hide





The interior is vacuumed and cleaned to remove fingerprints, dirt, and adhesives (45 min)

The various leather, vinyl, aluminum, etc. surfaces are conditioned using the proper products (180 min)

 

The car gets a thorough wash (55 min)

Wheels, wheel wells, and tires are cleaned using a pH-balanced all-natural wheel cleaner using a gentle horse hair wheel brush.





An all-natural pure tallow, coconut essence oil, and lemon extract soap is used to gently clean the paint. A 100% Australian Sheepskin Wash Mitt is used for its delicate wool.







The car is then rinsed and dried using forced air blower (15 min)

 

The tires, wheels, and wheel well are cleaned, conditioned, and protected (60 min)

The tires are cleaned and stripped of wax using a non-caustic, acid-free, chlorine-free citric oil-based cleaner designed to remove Cosmoline, oil, and grease from all surfaces safely.



The tires are conditioned using a waterless natural cleaner and conditioner for automotive rubber. Zymöl Tyre Preserve cleans, penetrates, rejuvenates and protects against drying and ultraviolet rays while enhancing colour and leaving a subtle natural glow.



The wheels are further cleaned using a polymer-based detail spray.



The wheels are now waxed using an all-natural Spun Tallow and Castile Soaps-based Spearmint Oil Extract wheel wax. You simply spray and let dry.



The wheel wells are conditioned using einszett Tiefenpfleger. Overall, 5 steps and 5 different products are used to care for the tires and wheels.





The paint was temporarily waxed since I could not do any paint correction on dealer premises due to time constraints (20 min)

 

The paint is decontaminated and prepped using clay (20 min)



The einszett Atomizer Sprayer is an excellent tool to spray the Zymöl Lehm Lube without getting sore hands from pumping the sprayer.







The condition of the paint is examined and the proper action is planned (5 min)

 

The paint is corrected from sand marks made by the factory during their dry-orbital sanding (1200 minutes)

Here's a close-up of the imperfections from the sanding









Notice the half-moon shaped lines near the light. This is the pattern of the sander when a small piece of debris is lodged in. This is deep into the clear coat. Common on all Aston Martin vehicles.



After paint correction and leveling. This step is our proprietary process. All I can say is that there's no sanding involved. The paint is properly corrected and nothing is filled or hidden.







Since this is a daily driver and goes through a weekly wash routine, most of the areas mentioned that had this imperfection were minimized but not removed. The client and I felt the removal of so much clear wasn't worth the reward of a new paint job down the road as the clear thins away from polishing and waxing. So the time required to actually correct the whole vehicle is around 20 hours.

 

The paint is polished using a gentle, all-natural, and SAFE paint cleanser to condition and prep the surface for wax (35 min)



The paint is then waxed using an all-natural, Brazilian white carnauba-based wax. Zymöl Vintage ($2000 /jar) was massaged by hand into the paint in this particular detail level (120 min over three applications)


The exterior glass is cleaned, conditioned, and protected (30 min)

Interior glass is cleaned and conditioned (20 min)

Final inspect vehicle for quality control (15 min)

Photo documentation throughout entire detail (90 min)

 

In recap, some may say this is too much work, a new car doesn’t need this much work, or this is over the top. To these critics, I can only say that there has never been a time in our lifetime that a typical high-end luxury, sport, or exotic car has cost more than a home. Starting on the right foot and maintaining the car’s level of care is just another aspect of ownership. I feel we’re never the true owner of a car. Cars will typically outlive us and be passed down generation to generation. You are the current caretaker of this new Aston Martin, Porsche, or a Ferrai, Bugatti, Lamorghini, etc. It’s your responsibility to make sure the time, effort, and passion that went into making this car is reflected in how you carry the torch. Properly detailing the car through its life is simply the best investment in assuring you get top-dollar when it comes time to sell the car and move on to the next purchase.

 

Another job well done Moe!!! Working late I See...

one question...When did you start throwing in Johnny Walker Blues with your services?

 

Well...this client was SOOOOO accomodating and he's been such a great member of the Glistening Perfection family of clients, I thought I'd throw in something special.

 

phenomenal. i still need you to do the paint correction on my hood.

 

Thanks Jon. Let me know when you want to bring back your M Coupe.

 

Moe, YET ANOTHER stunning example of your work. i think that documenting the entire process with pictures/explanations is very helpful.

thanks for sharing!

 

You're welcome. I've been wanting to share this one for a month now but haden't had time. I hope it does a good job to raise awareness of the condition an Aston is delivered and the sheer experience needed to correct the paint. It's not for the faint of heart. But, she cleans up nicely

 

very nice work! wish you would around the dallas area.