Hello guys and gals. Here's another great example of a super car from our friends in Italy. I've gotta say, the Ferrari California looks even better in real life. The fit and finish on this car was second-to-none; which is expected from Ferrari. However, as a detailer, there were many areas on the exterior that left things to be desired.

Our client wanted a detail and he heard of us from one of our business contacts. Needless to say, our reputation gets the clients of this caliber through the door and allows us to do what we do best; resurrect even brand new cars. The client was skeptical of the scope of work needed, but left everything to our discretion. This is where a leap-of-faith comes in and we don't take that lightly.

As you'll see from the pictorial below, the level of work that went into this Ferrari California is something that years of experience and a passion for perfection can only accomplish. There are many great detailers around the world that are sharing the same passion and can relate to the hard work and hours of effort that took us from start to finish.

I hope this is an enjoyable thread as well as educational. Those that are fortunate enough to own cars of this caliber should pay close attention. Not anyone is qualified to work on these cars and you should search for the most qualified detailing technician in your area that specializes in these vehicles. Details of this caliber aren't inexpensive, then again, neither are mistakes made by Madison Avenue detailers. The amount of effort and expertise that went into making cars like this shouldn't end at the final assembly point. At Glistening Perfection we strive to carry the torch and pay respect to how these cars were made and enhance the ownership experience by the value we provide to our clients. So much work goes on behind the scenes and we hope threads like this outline what goes into a proper detail. Enjoy!

Initial Condition









Engine Bay Cleaned - 15 Minutes









Door jams cleaned - 10 Minutes





Tires, Wheel Well, and Wheels Cleaned - 20 Minutes











Initial Rinse, Wash, and Rinse - 15 Minutes







After each panel, the mitt and panel are washed before putting wash mitt back into soap bucket. This further minimized dragging the dirt picked up by wash mitt back into clean soap bucket.











Dry vehicle with microdrying cloth and blow dry - 15 Minutes





Decontaminate paint and glass surface - 15 Minutes

 

Assess overall exterior condition - 15 Minutes























Tape areas to prep for paint correction - 10 Minutes





Measure Paint Surfaces to ensure paint integrity - 5 Minutes





No reading on non-metal panels



Remove emblems when applicable to gain greater access to paint surface - 45 Minutes









Paint Correction Stage 1 - 300 Minutes
Paint Correction Stage 2 - 180 Minutes
Paint Correction Stage 3 - 90 Minutes









The scuffs and scratches on the clear bra are removed. This is a factory piece to prevent scratching of the paint when top is up.



Post paint correction. A lot of dust from various polishes breaking down.









Rinse and Wash Vehicle after Paint Correction - 15 Minutes

Dry vehicle - 15 Minutes

Hand Polish - 30 Minutes



Hand Wax using Carnauba Wax - 20 Minutes

 

Polish Wheels and Calipers - 40 Minutes























Wax Wheels using polymer sealant - 20 Minutes



Clean and condition tyres - 20 Minutes







You can see a satin sheen and the lettering on the tyre is more visible. This is due to the removal of the original solvent-based dressing which tends to leave a film on the tire which allows brake dust to adhere more. We use a water-based conditioner that doesn't attract as much dirt and dust.





Polish and Wax Door Jams - 25 Minutes
Re-install emblems - 15 Minutes









Clean and condition all trim pieces - 30 Minutes

Vacuum interior, boot, and bonnet area - 30 Minutes

Clean interior surfaces - 45 Minutes











Condition interior surfaces - 90 Minutes


Final inspect interior - 10 Minutes

Clean and polish glass surfaces - 15 Minutes

Final Inspect entire vehicle - 20 Minutes

Final Results

 

Thanks for taking the time to check out this thread. Some may say this is a bit over the top and unnecessary; if you demand perfection in a car that's already a work of art, this level of attention is nothing short of necessary. Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Ciao!

 

Moe you're amazing! Now get some sleep, writing threads at 4am.
I've watched Moe @ work, he put's more care, effort, attention to detail and passion into his work than even this fine documentation describes. Another great job Moe.

 

Wow , What a great turn around.

 

Thanks for the kind words Gary....appreciate you taking the time to check out this thread.

 

Thanks...that's the coolest part about our service....before/after transformation. Great immediate gratification....we'll, after a few days

 

Great work.

 

Thanks.

 

Moe: Looks great!

Can you tell me more about this Lumiere Organic Car Soap? It isn't listed on your site.

Do you remember the bolt size to remove the Ferrari emblems?

 

Wow, looks amazing. I'm interested in getting a nice detail done to my Jeep. Too bad you're not in the area. If you have time maybe you could PM me and let me know what I should be asking a detailer to do. Taking off badges etc is excessive for my needs but I'd be interested in what should be done to get rid of most of the swirl marks.

A side note, that nav unit looks EXACTLY like the mygig in my Jeep (except it's silver and not black).

 

amazing job!!

 

Wow, that's some superb work Moe.
Just a quick question if you don't mind; What do you find gives better results when drying the car from a fresh wash, chamois leather or microfibre cloth?

 

as a detailer i'm kind of questioning why you aren't washing the dirt off with a power washer as you are making more work for yourself with the orbital doing scratches dragging a dirty hand mit across a ferrari. NO offense, everyone doesn't things differently and the dirt could have been extremely deep, but I doubt a powerwasher on the second to lowest setting at average strength pw would be sufficient in getting all the dirt off.