Hello guys and gals. Here's another great example of a super car from our friends in Italy. I've gotta say, the Ferrari California looks even better in real life. The fit and finish on this car was second-to-none; which is expected from Ferrari. However, as a detailer, there were many areas on the exterior that left things to be desired.

Our client wanted a detail and he heard of us from one of our business contacts. Needless to say, our reputation gets the clients of this caliber through the door and allows us to do what we do best; resurrect even brand new cars. The client was skeptical of the scope of work needed, but left everything to our discretion. This is where a leap-of-faith comes in and we don't take that lightly.

As you'll see from the pictorial below, the level of work that went into this Ferrari California is something that years of experience and a passion for perfection can only accomplish. There are many great detailers around the world that are sharing the same passion and can relate to the hard work and hours of effort that took us from start to finish.

I hope this is an enjoyable thread as well as educational. Those that are fortunate enough to own cars of this caliber should pay close attention. Not anyone is qualified to work on these cars and you should search for the most qualified detailing technician in your area that specializes in these vehicles. Details of this caliber aren't inexpensive, then again, neither are mistakes made by Madison Avenue detailers. The amount of effort and expertise that went into making cars like this shouldn't end at the final assembly point. At Glistening Perfection we strive to carry the torch and pay respect to how these cars were made and enhance the ownership experience by the value we provide to our clients. So much work goes on behind the scenes and we hope threads like this outline what goes into a proper detail. Enjoy!

Initial Condition









Engine Bay Cleaned - 15 Minutes









Door jams cleaned - 10 Minutes





Tires, Wheel Well, and Wheels Cleaned - 20 Minutes











Initial Rinse, Wash, and Rinse - 15 Minutes







After each panel, the mitt and panel are washed before putting wash mitt back into soap bucket. This further minimized dragging the dirt picked up by wash mitt back into clean soap bucket.











Dry vehicle with microdrying cloth and blow dry - 15 Minutes





Decontaminate paint and glass surface - 15 Minutes

 

Assess overall exterior condition - 15 Minutes























Tape areas to prep for paint correction - 10 Minutes





Measure Paint Surfaces to ensure paint integrity - 5 Minutes





No reading on non-metal panels



Remove emblems when applicable to gain greater access to paint surface - 45 Minutes









Paint Correction Stage 1 - 300 Minutes
Paint Correction Stage 2 - 180 Minutes
Paint Correction Stage 3 - 90 Minutes









The scuffs and scratches on the clear bra are removed. This is a factory piece to prevent scratching of the paint when top is up.



Post paint correction. A lot of dust from various polishes breaking down.









Rinse and Wash Vehicle after Paint Correction - 15 Minutes

Dry vehicle - 15 Minutes

Hand Polish - 30 Minutes



Hand Wax using Carnauba Wax - 20 Minutes

 

Polish Wheels and Calipers - 40 Minutes























Wax Wheels using polymer sealant - 20 Minutes



Clean and condition tyres - 20 Minutes







You can see a satin sheen and the lettering on the tyre is more visible. This is due to the removal of the original solvent-based dressing which tends to leave a film on the tire which allows brake dust to adhere more. We use a water-based conditioner that doesn't attract as much dirt and dust.





Polish and Wax Door Jams - 25 Minutes
Re-install emblems - 15 Minutes









Clean and condition all trim pieces - 30 Minutes

Vacuum interior, boot, and bonnet area - 30 Minutes

Clean interior surfaces - 45 Minutes











Condition interior surfaces - 90 Minutes


Final inspect interior - 10 Minutes

Clean and polish glass surfaces - 15 Minutes

Final Inspect entire vehicle - 20 Minutes

Final Results

 

Thanks for taking the time to check out this thread. Some may say this is a bit over the top and unnecessary; if you demand perfection in a car that's already a work of art, this level of attention is nothing short of necessary. Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Ciao!

 

looks good moe

 

Fantastic work Moe.

 

Thanks

 

Thanks John. It was a lot of fun to work on. It took me a while to figure out how to get to the emblems, but that's part of the journey. It's great FYI stiff and comes in handy for other F-car Californias we'll do. Putting it back together was the easy part

 

Amazing detail work and attention to detail! I thought I saw some dirt on the final product, but it was on my monitor.

 

Moe: Great work, as usual! Some irony here from the dealer provided paper mat:

 

Thanks for checking it out Mike.

 

I got as kick out of that too. I guess their heart was in the right place.

 

Nice, Moe! Your paint correction work is awesome. May I ask what process/products you use to de-swirl clear bra?

 

Thanks Anthony.

I believe on this one we did:

Menzerna SIP/GP Purple Wool/Makita Rotary
Menzerna SIP/GP Orange CCS Pad/FLEX XC3401
Menzerna Super Finish/GP White CCS Pad/FLEX XC3401
Menzerna Power Lock by hand
Swissvax Mystery by hand

Hope this answers your question.

 

Excellent -- thanks a lot for the info, Moe.