Careful Car Washing. - The 2 Bucket Method.

After a trip recently along some very wet and muddy metal roads my work ute was left in a state showing more mud than paintwork. It was always going to be a bit of a mission to clean up again but it got me thinking about the best techniques for washing cars without causing extra damage to the paintwork.
A lot of the swirls and scratches that you see in paintwork are actually caused when the cars are being washed. They severely dull the paint finish and can take quite an effort to properly correct.

With this in mind we'd like to help our car loving customers with their ongoing paint protection by providing a quick run down of the very popular 2 Bucket method.

Basically it's one shampoo bucket and one rinse bucket, the rinse bucket allows your wash mitt (or car wash brush) to release all the grit and grime before picking up the next load of shampoo - Greatly reducing the risk of adding swirls and helping ensure a longer lasting protective shine.
I'll let one of the experts explain it in more detail below and see if I can source a few of the 'Grit-Guards' that he shows us.

Aston Martin

We had a call this week from one of our very good customers and they'd taken delivery of a brand spanking new vehicle that had arrived from the factory in quite a state. We're at a bit of a loss as to why such a premium vehicle might have such swirls and dull patches in the paint; we suspect it is to do with curing periods of new waterborne paint systems but we've really got no idea. We're just excited that we are the team that gets called to enhance the finish.

The swirls are quite dramatic, but not too serious, a high quality polish from a team that knows just what they're doing can bring things back to the way they should be.

I love the way this paint looks when it's properly polished. The black is so deep that you could drown it it and the metallic flakes seem suspended in space between the clear coat and the black beneath. By far my favorite colour.The finished vehicle, all ready for the showroom. Cars don't get much cooler than this.

Custom Painted Javelin

Recently we were asked to do a custom paintjob on a Javelin to be used for this years athletic season and hopefully to qualify for the upcoming Comonwealth games. It was a pretty fun project and we're pretty sure it will look the part flying through the air as it goes for gold.
We tried to hold it in keeping with Kiwi colours and emblems, there's some little silver ferns ghosted underneath the black towards the front that become visable in direct sunlight. I was pretty happy with the effect as it was the first time I'd attempted it.
This sot of thing's a lot of fun, I'm looking forward to developing some real skills in the future.


It came to us primed and basicaly ready to spray.

The spiral will hopefully help it climb a little higher as it spins.

The silver fern's NZ represent. Under the black are some more ferns that fade out further down the shaft.

New Final Touch Operator for Wellington.

2009 will not be remembered by many as the year that they launched into a new venture but We're stoked to be able to introduce a guy that is doing just that-
Mr Craig Dias has joined the team and will be developing and running the Final Touch operation in the Wellington region. Wellington has been needing a quality Final Touch operator for years and although Craig is quite new to the industry we are sure that his desire for quality and his attention to detail will ensure that he builds a very successful operation in the capitol city.
Craig can be contacted on 0212724430 or by email craig@finaltouch.co.nz We'd recommend getting in touch with him early so you can become one of his 'original' customers.

Wicked Ferrari F40

Sometimes we work on truly unique and rare vehicles; this one here is a particularly rare one and we were privileged to have the opportunity to work on such a vehicle today.

There's not much more to say about it really except perhaps that there has to be a certain irony with having two cars parked side by side in a garage, One an F40 Ferrari and the other... well you can see it in the photo down below :)

LHD rules

I heard a rumor recently that there are some possible/probable regulation changes in the review process for LHD importing, particularly with respect with the 90 day ownership rules.
It's exciting, and makes something like a Dodge Charger Super Bee a possibility for the family sedan sometime in the future, without the possibility of the change it would just be a pipe dream.

To find out more check the NZ mustang link - http://http//www.nzmustang.com/Thisthat/LHD-RHD-A.htm and keep those fingers crossed.

Perhaps a F150 Lightning is a possibility for a new work ute after all haha.

Now I cant condone this sort of driving outside of controlled conditions (TV driving as Mr Hammond puts it) but I can't wait till I see more of these sort of vehicles on Kiwi roads at realistic values

Buonjiorno Itialia

Recently I had the pleasure of jet-setting off to Italy to work with a company that has taken on the Final Touch Paint Repair System.

What an experience. My first trip to Europe and I really didn't know what to expect but it was a fantastic time. The Italians that I worked with were as passionate as I'd been prepared to expect and they had a genuine desire to ensure that they got the best results from the Final Touch (chip-fix as they called it) system. The standard set by the team was nothing short of excellence and they would ensure they didn't sign off until it was done properly.

This company http://www.daddario.it/ is pretty big with multiple dealerships, a massive staff and this big workshop near Taranto with something like 800 vehicles a month processed for sale handling everything from paint and panel, mechanical, interior and glass repairs, Final Touch and smart repairs through to valet and pre-delivery. Their paint prep area had 10 preparation bays and a spray booth that can paint three cars at a time. These guys are busy.

Aleaea and Angelo, our two new Final Touch expert technicians with a couple of Fiat's. I've never seen so many Fiats...

The region we were in was pretty coastal and ironically we travelled to the other side of the world to stay at a hotel called "Eden Park Hotel". I was fortunate enough to be welcomed as a football star amongst the locals as Mr Daddario also owns the local football team. I was pretty quick to dispel the myth unless they tried to entice me to kick a ball or something and found me out. Must say I was pretty chuffed by the suggestion however. Beckham eat your heart out.

Eden Park Hotel

Italian food is as we all know, delicious, the local Primetivo wine is superb (and surprisingly cheap @ about $4 Euro for a bottle) and although the locals are very welcoming and friendly they don't speak a lot of English. It helps to know someone in the area that can speak both languages as no matter how many times one might repaeat himself in english, the other guy won't gain extra understanding. The reverse is also true.

Rome, just before getting lost

I could go on more about the trip, Taranto at night, the effects of too much local wine and Limoncello, long long working days, Personal Drivers/bodyguards and interesting trips home as well as getting lost in Rome during a late afternoon walk about. It is best to say however that I hope that I get to go back some time, it was experience that i never thought I'd have this year and I'm very thankful for the opportunity. Viva Italia

SpeedShow Update BMW M3

So Sunday came around and we were right back into it again...

Another very generous Car owner (Riaan) had kindly lent us his BMW M3 for the day,


Riaans BMW was in very good condition but it had quite a few stonechips across the front and around the wheel arches etc... (those tyres throw up a few stones on a vehicle designed for speed and handling- heck, it's Speedshow after all) so it was the perfect vehicle to showcase our spray and wipe Paint touch up system.

Jessie was kept busy throughout the day explaining our Paint Repair process to interested onlookers

There were a couple gaps in traffic when some of the outside entertainment was in full swing that allowed us a moment or two to get a shot away of the cars without people standing in front.

All finished as the day drew to a close, looking pretty darned smart.

Thanks a lot Riaan for lending us your fine motor vehicle for the day, We hope you were as stoked with the result as were were to have the use of such a performance motor vehicle.

Now all Jokes aside, Just how serious were you when you were running through the impressive specs of the New Kia Cerato. Nice car definitely but no BMW M3 ;)

Speedshow 2009 Update F150 Lightning

Bright and early Saturday morning I joined the throng of exhibitors outside the showgrounds, the burble of conversations all along the lines of hopes and expectations for the weekend, weather predictions and the like.

Our work was going to be cut out for us this weekend with my Dream Pickup, a F150 Lightning on the stand for a bit of Final Touch Makeover Treatment and a really nice and tidy (but quite stonechipped) BMW M3 lined up for Sunday's treatment. We'd put a lot of effort into putting the stand together and while it wasn't the most bling looking display it was definitely going to be one with plenty of action taking place.

This F150 just so happened to have been kindly loaned to us for the weekend by an owner who uses it as a daily driver in the concrete and construction industry so it was well and truly ready for a Final Touch treatment. We were hoping for a before/after result that would really test us and I think we got it.

On Arrival-
Craig (the generous owner of the Lightning) had asked if he needed to clean it before dropping it off for the weekend, we'd said no...

We decided a 1/2 and 1/2 before and after of the front end was on the cards with a vehicle like this

Well and truly underway now.

Front end Before and 'almost' after, with a few remaining chips filled and ready to wipe. From Smokey black to Stunning Black in just a few hours.

Orbital Polishing with a special Microfibre polishing bonnet to remove the Meguiars wax and give a brilliant, swirl free shine. Tiho (pictured on the polisher) did a fantastic job of detailing the truck, including a waterless engine bay and interior detail

Grant hard at work fixing the stonechips etc... Grant also hard at work touching up Stonechips and scratches.

It looked positively stunning when it was completed, the guy from the stand reflected in the side panels was pretty impressed.

Another angle,

Outside in the sun, swirl free polish with Stonechips touched upI've got to admit I was a bit nervous about giving it back to Craig, because I wasn't too sure what he'd be expecting but He was stoked, even made the comment that 'it was so shiny that he wasn't sure that he wanted to drive it to work anymore' which was just what we were wanting to hear...

Definitely a project vehicle but we got a great result and a lot of positive feedback so we were stoked.

Thanks a lot Craig for the loan of such a great vehicle for the weekend, we hope your enjoying driving the Lightning even more now. Your truck has got me trying to figure out ways to import one for myself now.

SpeedShow 2009 19-20th September

Come and see us at SpeedShow 2009.

Yep we'll be there showing the fantastic Final Touch system to the motoring public at the ASB Showgrounds on the 19th and 20th of September.

Speedshow promises to be a great weekend with all sorts of fantastic things to see and do, The Worlds Fastest NASCAR will be there before attempting a new NZ land speed record. The Batmobile from the first Michael Keaton movie is will be there and even Roary the Racing Car will be there in the children's area for the kids. My wife is bringing a group of children down for one of the days and I know they are amping to get amongst it. Our Mr 7 is a huge fan of motor racing, especially NASCAR's so he can't wait to arrive.

We'll be on stand #70 which is just behind the main display area in the main hall. We'd love to see you there and have a good chat about how our services might be of benefit on your vehicle.

It needs to be confirmed but at this stage it's looking like we have a great project F150 Lightning to work on and a BMW M3 as well so there will be some great vehicles to see as we do our thing.

We look forward to seeing you there.