Ben's Subaru BRZ - detail and review

I was lucky enough to detail a brand new Subaru BRZ. And what's more, owner Ben was kind enough to let me take it out for a proper drive!

Its not fast by any means, and has to be over 4000rpm. But it has the best shifter of any car I've driven, the best response, the best steering, overall just an amazing drive. In comparison to the 2012 WRX I also had, the WRX had a CLUNKY shifter, but the interior, being a Club-Spec, was a tad nicer, and it has a lot more power and grip. But the BRZ was able to lose its rear end with so much grace and elegance and the driver aids pull you back in without being obtrusive, it makes you feel like a driving god!

Although its not fast, its a bit deceptive, as you dont think your going anywhere quickly and your doing 130km/h in 3rd! The lack of turbo lag makes it seems slower than it is..

That being said, I did feel the brake pedal on the BRZ was too high - you had to really mash it to be get it at the same height or close to the accelerator to heel toe properly, but could be because the car was brand new, literally only 100km on it.

The tyres it come with aren't that great but thats what make it fun. Stick some 245 or 255 tyres and you would have a grip machine, but less sideways action. The stock height and tyre size do look a bit dated, and Ben will be seeing our partners, Euro1Concept for some new wheels and tyres soon, and obviously Opti-coating them!

The interior is a lot nicer than what people would have you believe, and the seats are wonderful. Be warned if your too much over 100kgs, it will be a tight fit.

The rear seats are more useless than a Silvia, but we all knew that. The steering wheel has no buttons, which I like, as its a clean and simple design, and is nicely weighted and chunky.

Really really really fun car to drive, and handles beautifully, going round roundabouts is a blast! I want one, but second hand so I can afford to inject some more power into it!

Now some pics:

As it came in, pretty dirty:







Snowfoam!



The paint was not in perfect condition (as expected from a dealer) despite being 100km old!







Sticker lines from the dealer - at least it seems they didn't wash it!



After:



Shiny:





Doing the wheels:



Not forgetting the (full size) spare:



Jacking the car up also helps get to the lower areas of the car:



Some more finished snaps:











Which would you have? An ideal garage?



The BRZ/86 really is a tiny car:



Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned for an 86 and a BMW M5!

Leevone's MY12 WRX

Leevone just purchased this stunning WRX Club Spec and brought it straight to us for an Opti-Coat package. However being a black car, the dealer said they would have the car "buffed". This is a classic example of why you should not let the dealer wash or detail your car. Whilst looking good initially, closer inspection revealed the use of silicone based fillers, and the presence of buffer trails and fine marring. Fillers do a good job of making a car look swirl free, however give it a few washes and the fillers are gone, revealing the cars' true finish. Not good, especially on a black car. If a dealer ever offers to have your car 'detailed' politely decline. Detailers who do work for dealers work to a time frame, and cannot give your car the care and attention required to ensure perfect results.

As usual we began with a decontamination wash:







This allowed us to inspect the paint...



Which was full of swirls and buffer swirls from a high speed rotary left by the Dealers' "detailer":



More damage:





Left side not corrected, right side corrected:



Flawless:



Black Subaru paint is some of the softest I have encountered which makes it a challenge to correct. However once Opti-Coated, it will be much harder to scratch due to the hardness of the coating.

Some reflections:





Hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to contact us to discuss the best method to look after your car!

Opti-Coat on a Brand New Alfa-Romeo Guiletta

We have just detailed a brand new Alfa Romeo Giuletta. Having just purchased the car, the owner wanted the best possible protection, so he booked in with us for an Opti-Coat treatment and a full leather and interior protection package.

Despite being a new car, and telling the dealer to not wash it, we still managed to find some swirl marks and scratches:





The roof was especially bad being black:

The headlights also weren't looking great:

We started with a snow foam wash to completely strip the car of any remaining delivery wax and get the paint as clean as possible. Consisting of a mixture of shampoo and degreaser.

We then clayed the car. Despite being a new car, check the contamination on the clay bar after just two panels:

The wheels were taken off and washed inside and out:

The car was then completely machine polished. We used Meguiars M205 and a combination of Lake Country CSC Black pads, and Hyratech Cyan and Tangerine pads. After polishing the car already looks a lot cleaner and is beading water due to there being no contaminants on the surface:

We then foamed the car once more and gave it a good clean:

And then wiped the whole car with 15% Isopropyl Alcohol in preparation for the Opti-Coat:

Applying to an applicator with a syringe. A little goes a long way, and as it should. This stuff costs an absolute fortune!

Applying to the wheels:

Using a Torque Wrench to torque the wheels back up to spec. No rattle guns here!

This car had a glass roof, and we applied Opti-Coat to all exterior surfaces. Here you can see how reflective the glass gets after Opti-Coat application:

And some finished shots! It was a long day and we ran out of light, but luckily managed to catch a few shots with some flash:

Hope you enjoyed!