I have a 1994 XJS Conv which I have owned since new. The car is 100% original and is quite presentable but when you shine the light of truth on her and get up close, the last 19 years have taken a toll. There are a lot of swirls, some scratches and various water/tree sap stains that have etched into the clearcoat. I have a concours coming up in 3 weeks and decided I wanted to give the old girl a makeover

She has never had anything more than a wash and wax so now I’m planning a full detail with paint correction for the blemishes. Fittingly perhaps I have never undertaken this kind of task so we are both paint correction virgins

I have purchased tools and supplies and swotted up on detailing techniques etc. so its’ off to the races!! I plan to document the project in this thread. I hope you enjoy the ride (Sorry for the long post.)

The patient


The medical kit


The doctor


Here is my workflow plan. I realize some of my steps might be overkill but I’m retired and have the time and the inclination to do as thorough a job as I can. Please let me know what you think, any suggestions or tips would be most welcome.

Phase One - Interior *Estimate 6-8 hours? (may decide to do this last)
Vacuum and brush headliner, spot clean if necessary.
Clean dash, vents, wheel, door panels etc. with APC+
Clean inside windshield and side windows with Invisible Glass
Remove front seats, clean and treat using Gliptone cleaner and conditioner.
Clean inside rear windows
Clean and treat rear seats and other leather trim.
Polish and seal all wood trim with Scratch-X 2.0 and M21
Polish all interior chrome
Dress interior trim
Treat carpets with Folex, agitate, tamp dry, then vacuum
Refit front seats
Clean and polish door jambs and treadplates

Phase Two - Exterior Wash and Prep * Estimate 8 hours?
Foam car with Chemical Guys Citrus Wash, let dwell for 5 mins then rinse.
Wash wheelwells and tires, 2 bucket method with CGCW then rinse
Clean convertible top with Raggtopp cleaner then rinse
Wash car body with 2 bucket method (new buckets) using CGCW then rinse and dry
Apply Iron-X to paint. Agitate and let dwell 5 mins then rinse and dry thoroughly
Move car inside, put car on jackstands and remove wheels
Spray wheels (both sides) with Rim 7 and let dwell 5 minutes then rinse
Spray wheels with Iron-X agitate then rinse
Wash wheels with CGCW completely clean then rinse
Clay wheels then wipe off with eraser.
Polish wheels with Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0
Wipe off polish and apply Wolfgang Deep Gloss Sealant let dry for one hour
Return to car and thoroughly clean wheelwells with APC+
Clay body paint and windshield with nano skin and QD as lubricant
Wipe car down with Eraser oil and polish remover
Inspect paint for smoothness with baggie test and repeat clay step if necessary.
Buff off wheels with Motherball and store to cure
Tape off all trim and badges and cover convertible top, wheelwells, windows and lights.
Select suitable area for test spot and tape off 2' x 2' section
Apply Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover to test spot with GG6 using white or orange pads
Wipe off and inspect, repeat if necessary until surface is satisfactory.
Apply WGFG 3.0 with GG6 using white or green pads
Wipe off then clean test spot with eraser and inspect.
Apply WGDGS with GG6 using blue or red pads
Let dry 1 hour
Buff off sealant using D/A with MF bonnet
Final wipe and Inspection

Phase three - Paint Correction and Sealer *Estimate 8-20 hours?
Wipe down with Eraser and baggie test
Perform same process as for test spot on the rest of the car
WGTSR 3.0
WGFG 3.0
Eraser
WGDGS
Let cure overnight

Phase four - LSP and Trim Finishing *Estimate 6-8 hours?
Wipe down car with QD to remove any dust
Apply Pinnacle Souveran Paste Wax using red pads
Buff off with microfiber cloth after each panel
Remove tape and covers
Polish head and tail lights with WGFG 3.0, wipe off and apply sealant, buff
Polish all chrome with Wolfgang Metalwerk, wipe off then apply WGDGS, buff
Dress rubber trim
Clean windows and windshield
Inspect car and remove any leftover wax deposits
Re-install wheels, dress tires with Megs Endurance Gel and lower car from stands
Final wipe

Go have a drink!!

What do you think?

Cheers,

Allan

 

Beautiful car. How many miles does your XJ-S have?

 

Thanks!! I'm up to 35,000 miles now, I put on 6,000 just this year!!! Retirement has it's perks

Cheers,

Allan

 

Here are some of the typical defects I have at the moment.

Swirls everywhere!!


Lots of scratches


Some nasty water spots


The project starts tomorrow!!

Cheers,

Allan

 

Looks like you have done your homework. You have an outstanding work flow and supply of products. I'm looking forward to reading about your progress and seeing some photographs too.

 

An we're off!! Got cracking on my little project today, though a bit later than I had planned. Managed to get through the cleaning process and clayed the car before calling it a day. Spent a LOT of time on the wheels. The brake dust, tar and grime was heavily baked on the inside surfaces and a real bear to get clean. Got them part way there and will finish tomorrow. here's how the day went.

First a nice foam bath


Then after a rinse, cleaned the top with Raggtop


Then a nice two bucket wash with CGCW


After another rinse it was time to spray on the Iron-X. Cool watching it do it's thing.


A final sheet rinse


And dab dry with the monster waffle weave towel.


A little blow dry for all the nooks and crannies


Squeaky clean!!


Time to attack these dirty wheels!!


Applying Rim7


Let it sit


Some improvement but a ways to go.


After claying the body


Back at it tomorrow

Allan

 

A little update. Sure and steady progress was made yesterday. The wheels were a real nightmare to get clean. Although the outsides were easy, 19 years of baked on tar, brake dust, grime etc inside the wheels were stuck like glue!! I applied Rim7 wheel cleaner three times, Iron-X once and literally hours of had scrubbing with APC+ 4:1. Still not perfect but much better.

Before


After


Nice and clean!




Then it was back to the car and the job of covering and taping up the top and trim. My first time at this and I probably went overboard but I got everything covered. Took ages!!!



Marked out my test spot and got to work with GG6 D/A



After starting with less aggressive pads, I ended up using a CCS yellow pad with my swirl remover and then a white pad with my finishing polish. I then applied my sealant and buffed out. Pics below. Not too bad for my first ever crack at this, if I do say so myself. I'm sure I will improve as I work around the car







More anon,

Allan

 

That looks fantastic! The test spot versus the untouched area is like night and day in the photos. I'm certain it's more dramatic in person. Jacking up the car was a great idea. Easier access to those lower panels and less bending and kneeing down too.

Perhaps you already thought of this but have you considered using a glaze to minimize the defects you could not correct?

 

Thanks!! It's been lot's of fun

my fine polish is called a finishing glaze but I think it's really a polish. I might use a paint cleaner which has a little filler after polishing and before I put on the sealant. It's Pinnacle Paint Cleaning lotion. Or might try applying the finishing glaze again but using a gray pad?

Yes having the car on stands does make it easier. I can get to the lower panels by just rolling along on my stool or on the creeper for the sills etc.

It's actually a lot easier than I thought. Having never used a D/A before I was a bit nervous but it's really very simple.

Cheers,

Allan

 

Allan,
Nice work! Let me know when you're coming to Asheville to do my car.

 

Total side note, the wife and I just celebrated our 5yr anniversary in Asheville and loved it! Very nice area.

 

How many passes are you having to do to get the correction with each polish? Are you happy with the products and how bad is the dusting?

 

Allan, WOW man looking fantastic! Where is this concours show that you mentioned? I just may have to take a quick road trip.

Thanks for taking the time post up the pics.

 

Thanks! Why you're just down the road, love Asheville

 

My swirl remover was not quite aggressive enough so I switched to Megs Ultimate Compound. I'm finding that I need to do each section about three times with 6 passes per section. Dusting was quite heavy with the Wolfgang but less so with the Megs. Boy am I glad i taped everything up!!!

Almost finished the compounding step today, will get cracking on the polishing tomorrow and will post some more pics.

Cheers,

Allan

 

Thanks!!

It's the Smoky Mountain Jaguar Club Concours in Greeneville, TN. It is the weekend of Sept 7th. Come on up!!

Cheers,

Allan

 

Allan,

Looks superb. I'm exhausted just following your workflow plan, let alone doing it!

Graham

 

Cheers Graham!

I've been at it for 5 long days and am absolutely knackered but I am having fun

Hopefully will be done in a couple of days or so.

 

Allan,

It'll be interesting to see the final 'actual' times against your 'estimates' for the four phases detailed in post #1. Also if the experience would make you change the order of work for any reason.

Graham

 

Graham,

I will definitely post pics and a full report when finished. I have been keeping a pretty good log of work times so stay tuned

Cheers,

Allan