Over the past ten years 4x4 SUV vehicles have become a solid part of the automotive market. Originally designed for those cross-country adventures but have evolved into a breed of vehicles that will more regularly be seen prowling the streets of a more urban setting - dominating the roads rather than the ranges it seems. This evolution has brought the SUV market to produce vehicles that are now equipped with high quality leather upholstery, the latest technology and engines that can produce power and performance to worry some of the most respected sports cars. The Porsche Cayanne Turbo is a vehicle that does exactly that with a 4.8L V8 that produces 385bhp and 369ft-lbs of torque to propel it and its occupants 0-60 in around the 5 second mark. An array of figures that will worry the likes of the BMW M3's and sports saloons for sure. We were asked to perform an Enhancement Detail on this high-spec Cayanne Turbo by its recently new owner. Holograms, heavy swirling and a high amount of RDS were immediately present from the previous owners poor maintenance and negligence. The new owner also requested we perform an Engine Bay Detail and an Interior Detail to ensure the car looks as new as possible. We initiated the detail by opening up the bonnet of the Cayanne to reveal the 4.8L V8 engine. A light build up of dirt and dust was situated onto of the engine and a small area of oil residues to be taken care of, removing any covers and plastic trims first to gain access to areas out of sight, such as brake fluid reservoir and air intake piping. A diluted All-Purpose Cleaner (APC) was applied through a hand-pump sprayer and an Auto Finesse detailing brush was used to gently agitate dirt free. Some areas required various other brushes to gain access to smaller gaps and crevasses. A pressure rinse of all areas carries away all lifted dirt before the bonnet was closed down to continue the detail..
The wheels were misted with a dedicated fallout remover and left to dwell for approximately 5-6 minutes whilst the door and boot shut areas were cleansed, using APC and an Auto Finesse detailing brush to work any dirt free. Once the shuts were completed, the wheels were rinsed thoroughly with a pressure washer to carry the majority of brake dust away, Auto Finesse Imperial wheel cleaner was then misted through a foaming trigger head and agitated with an assortment of wheel brushes and wheel woollies to gain access to the rear of the spokes, calipers and rear barrels. Arch liners were also covered in a layer of APC and a long reach brush lifted road soiling before the arches and wheels were rinsed thoroughly..
The Cayanne was covered in general road soiling, build up from behind the rear registration plate and a heavy amount of tar present. The body was pressure rinsed to carry away any loose surface build up and a layer of foam pre-wash then followed in order to break down and soften heavier soiling, carrying it away in the process. The Cayanne was pressure rinsed once again after 3-5 minutes of the foam dwelling and breaking down surface dirt, a two bucket wash method then accompanied Auto Finesse Lather and a deep-pile synthetic wash mitt to gently but thoroughly cleanse the paint of any remaining build up prior to another rinse with a pressure washer.
With the shampoo suds and general road soiling rinsed away thoroughly, the next step was to remove a large amount of tar spotting from the sides and rear paneling with a dedicated tar removing agent. The tar remover was applied both directly onto the panels whilst a microfiber cloth, pre-sprayed with the same tar remover, was used to gently massage the product over the panel, lifting any tar spotting present. Stubborn spots were re-treated until they were removed. Metal fillings, more commonly referred to as 'fallout', were treated with a chemical designed to dissolve and remove these metal particles that bond to the vehicles paint through a chemical reaction. This chemical reaction will then turn a deep purple in colour to highlight the areas where ferrous particles are present. This fallout remover would be left to dwell for approximately 5-6 minutes before being thoroughly rinsed away using the pressure washer - extra attention was given to areas where the product could have collected such as body gaps and water trap areas. The final stage of the decontamination process would be to remove any remaining contamination that the two previous chemical decontamination stages couldn't quite remove. This final process is a physical one where a surface preparation towel, or clay towel (claybar alternative), would be worked across the panels using the fresh shampoo solution as a lubricant. Once the entire vehicle had undergone this stage, a secondary layer of foam was then blanketed over the car in order to lift and carry away all contamination that was now suspended above (rather than embedded on) the paint and other exterior surfaces. A final pressure rinse and the Porsche was moved indoors to be dried down using a combination of towels and warm filtered air, blowing standing water out of gaps and crevasses.
Once all water had been cleared from the Cayanne, delicate areas such as window seals and plastic trims were masked up to prevent any polishing damage whilst removing defects with a machine. A paint thickness gauge was used alongside artificial lighting to highlight defects such as swirls, RDS and also any areas that have undergone previous polishing or paintwork..
With the panels inspected, the polishing was then initiated with Koch Chemie F5 polish and a polishing pad worked onto the paintwork. Two sets of 6-8 slow passes removed a large amount of the heavy swirling. Gloss, depth and clarity were restored to the paint by removing a minor percentage of the top layer of clear coat - once this damaged surface is removed it reveals fresh, unblemished paint that becomes the new top layer (any scratches that may still be visible will be deeper than this new surface layer and would need further correction if necessary). Once the polishing stage was completed and the desired finish had been achieved each panel was carefully removed of any remaining polishing oils and residues using IPA. Removing any residues allows the true finish to be revealed as there is a possibility that residues hide any minor defects, creating the appearance of perfect paint.
As you can see, a substantial difference made just from the first polishing stage. The second stage has considerably less cutting ability than the first, although the gloss levels that can be achieved are greater than that of a higher cutting ability. The refinement stage also removed any minor defects that have the potential to be imparted during the polishing stage, especially on softer paint finishes. Once both polishing stages had been completed, it was time to move onto the protection stages of the Porsche's Enhancement Detail where Auto Finesse Desire wax would be topped with a layer of Illusion in order to gain both high levels of gloss without compromising the durability. The upgraded alloy wheels were protected with a layer of Auto Finesse Mint Rims in order to aid future maintenance and the tyres were dressed with Auto Finesse Satin for a subtle 'as new' appearance. Any plastic trim, such as lower bumper sections, was dressed and protected with Auto Finesse Revive - other plastics such as arch liners and air ducts were misted with Dressle and left to dry to a factory finish naturally. Exterior glass surfaces were misted with Crystal glass cleaner and a dedicated glass cloth buffed dust, water spotting and polish residues away to leave a perfectly streak free finish, flipping the cloth to remove any hazing. With the exterior completed (minus the final buff with quick detailer) attention was then turned to the Interior Detail where dust was vacuumed thoroughly whilst a soft bristle interior detailing brush lifted dirt from buttons and air vents. An interior cleaner was used to carefully clean the leather dashboard upholstery by misting the product into the microfiber and wiping the surface. Any lifted dirt would be collected in the microfiber and excess product would be prevented from being sprayed onto other surfaces unnecessarily. Carpets and floor mats were also misted with an interior cleaner and a stiff bristle upholstery brush was used to agitate the product into the carpet fibers, lifting any embedded dirt that may have built up. a fresh, clean and dry microfiber was then vigorously rubbed into the carpet to collect any moisture and dirt that had been lifted from the carpets pile. The brown leather seats ere heavily soiled, the hide looking glossy and dark whereas it should look matte and full of colour. Using steam to open up the leather pores, Auto Finesse Hide cleanser was misted liberally onto the leather itself. Much like our skin there are many little pores that trap dirt. Sometimes these pores don't get cleaned due to them being closed - this means that the leather will have a minor improvement. Steaming the leather opens up these pores and allows the leather cleaner to gain access to the dirt. A soft bristle leather brush then worked the cleaner into the leather in order to gently free the dirt trapped before a clean microfiber cloth wiped away excess product (as well as the dirt of course). Once the leather had dried out completely, Gliptone leather conditioner was massaged thoroughly into the seats, dashboard and door trim leather to ensure every surface was kept soft and subtle, prolonging its life and ensuring that gorgeous leather smell was restored to the interior of the Cayanne to further aid the vehicles as-new image once the detail was completed. All interior glass was cleaned free of general build up with Auto Finesse Crystal alongside any plastic interior trim being treated with Dressle for its natural finish. (*Excuse the lesser quality of these mobile device photographs*)
To complete the Enhancement Detail of this Porsche the engine compartment was dresses with a combination of Auto Finesse Revive and Dressle to ensure all plastic covers, piping and other components were restored to a high-satin 'as new' look. We loved how the Engine Bay Detail of this vehicle really complimented the rest of the appearance, ensuring all areas were made to look just as great no matter what angle! A final misting of Auto Finesse Finale quick detailer to ensure all wax residues were removed, the Cayanne was buffed to a high gloss with a clean microfiber cloth and the labour intensive 4 day service was completed ready to be handed back to a very eagerly awaiting client...
