This delivery mileage Yaris GR4 was booked in for a protection detail, as the car will live outside and be used for trackdays, as well as (very) fast road duties.  The paintwork, in pearl white, was in great order with just a few blemishes around the door handles. The same could not be said for the gloss black painted and acrylic trim.  These soft substrates mark really easily and looked worse for wear, even within 200 odd miles.  The wheels were pretty clean, as was the exhaust, all thanks to the owner's cleaning of the vehicle before I arrived.

The paintwork was thoroughly checked for bonded contaminants like tar, tree-sap and iron fallout.  These were removed with the relevant chemical product and then the paint was given a rinseless wash, and a thorough degrease to remove all traces of cleaning products from the paint, trim, glass and wheels.  With the car fundamentally clean, all sensitive trim was masked up, and the paint assessment report was completed.  For this purpose I use the NexDiag professional PT gauge backed up with a secondary paint thickness gauge.  These two tools allow me to gain a real insight into overall paint thickness, ensuring that my approach is informed and aware of any aftermarket paintwork.  This report is provided to the client via PDF for both of our records.

Typically Toyota paint is quite soft, and researching other detailing jobs with other professionals led to no conclusive insight so I decided to use the Rupes Yellow polishing liquid alongside their polishing pads.  The test spot was selected as the worst affected area of the car, namely the driver's door handle surround.  I used the Rupes LHR 75 machine with a 3" soft yellow pad and ran the DA at machine pressure only, speed 3 for two passes in total, ensuring that the thin polishing liquid turned from white and viscous to thin and clear.  This product is superb for removing defects without sacrificing too much clearcoat.  (The gallery shows just how thin some of this paint was!)  Once the polishing test area was completed, I degreased the panel to ensure the results were genuine, and that the paint was finished to an acceptable standard.  Having passed the test, the combination of pad and polishing liquid was used around the car simply switching between 1", 3" and 6" pads as required by the shape of the car panel I was working on.  Once the polishing was completed, the whole car was double checked for standard, degreased, checked again and then all masking tape was removed from the sensitive trim, ready for ceramic coating,

Ceramic coatings vary massively, but they have one common goal. To form a bond with the clearcoat/lacquer of the car, providing a semi-permanent protective barrier against dirt and contaminants whilst simultaneously boosting gloss levels and making future washing far easier.  My preferred ceramic protection product at this price point is Pyramid Car Care's Premium coating.  It boasts a 2 year life span and has been tested vigorously by myself prior to using it on clients cars.  The coating itself is slick, very glossy and washes up beautifully with a really hydrophobic reaction to water.  I applied the coating one half panel at a time, ensuring that the reaction of the solvent evaporating was visible, before levelling and then a final buff.  This process was carried out for the panel, gloss black painted and acrylic trim, wheels, exhausts, lights and matte black grilles.  For the glass I used the specific glass coating, once again from Pyramid Car Care, Carbon Glass.  This has a different chemical make-up to the paint version, and as such has a different application and removal process.  The wiperless rear screen of the Yaris GR will definitely benefit from the water repellence, as will the mirrors, side and front screen glass.  

Once the ceramic protection was complete, it was time to turn to the tyre treatment in the form of CarPro Perl and then onto sills and door surrounds for protection.  In order to make sure that the Yaris was ready for the weather, I applied a coat of PCC Ceramic wax to the paintwork and trim.  This provides an instant hydrophobic barrier whilst the underlying ceramic continues to cure. 

The final walkaround with the client led to smiles all around, as this muscular Yaris was ready for the elements.

If you would like your vehicle detailed please get in touch using email or phone.

Thanks
​S.