Quick machine polish - Clio 200 Front Diffuser

[RussZS]

I was asked to see what I could do regarding the condition of this gloss black front diffuser on his rather lovely Albi Blue Clio 200.

I hadn't seen any pictures before I arrived, but this is what I was working with:


DSC00787 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00786 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00785 by RussZS, on Flickr

It had certainly seen better days...

I machine polished with my 3M Rotary, Megs 205 and 3M Yellow Polishing Pad, for a few passes, until the desired level of correction was achieved. I decided to leave the deeper scratches until I have the appropriate equipment to read paint thickness on plastic (£2000 tool!), so concentrated on restoring the gloss and removing the worst of the defects:


DSC00788 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00789 by RussZS, on Flickr


DSC00791 by RussZS, on Flickr

Just a quick one, but if you have any certain areas which need attention, feel free to let me know

I was amazed at how soft the paint was on this diffuser... are they all like this?

Thanks,
Russ.

 

[ado]

It's incredibly soft. I haven't polished my rear diffuser yet but I have a feeling it's the same.

Did you do the airblade (or whatever you call it)?

 

[RussZS]

~I did that by hand as it was impossible to fit the machine into the space. It came up pretty well, but needed the mechanical action of the polisher ideally. I must invest in a Festool RAP80 for tighter areas..

 

[ado]

Mine bugged be so much I took it off to polish. I haven't seen the Festool but can it fit in the gap below the plate?

 

[DanT]

Looking good Tbf. How did it get that bad!

 

[RussZS]

A bug scourer I'd imagine.

 

[DanT]

A bug scourer I'd imagine.

Lol! Wouldn't catch such a thing near my front bumper!

 

[PB.200]

I had to machine a friends "black bit" as it has oxidised and gone greyish. The car was only 12months old. Polished back up ok though.

They need a lot of protecting and bugs and other much should be removed asap.

 

[james_h]

Hi Russ -

I have had a hectic 24 hours and this is the first chance I have had to get on the forum.

Firstly a massive thank you for coming with everything you have going on, and also coming so late.

I just need to get some time off work now so I can get the car out of the garage and view the huge improvement on the black gloss bumper.

A million times better than it was - as someone mentioned I wouldn't do this to a car but I guess the previous owner got a bit heavy handed with a bug shifter!.

I also need some recomendations on products and techniques Russ to look after this in the future, and polish out any future annoyances if they occur - will PM you if thats ok??

 

[Deako]

Jeez, were they washing it with a scourer? Excellent work Russ, James you must be happy.

 

[Graeme GTR]

the black bit is so soft, mine looks like someone been taking pot shots at it with a 12 gauge.

 

[PB.200]

the black bit is so soft, mine looks like someone been taking pot shots at it with a 12 gauge.

Giving a fresh coat of wax each wash helps.

Its not a 100% fix but mine compares well to others of similar age/mileage.

 

[james_h]

Jeez, were they washing it with a scourer? Excellent work Russ, James you must be happy.

You have to wonder...christ knows what they used... it's only covered 5000 miles so can't have been washed that many time!

Very VERY happy now - I can't wait to get the car back to Russ for more work :cloud9::cloud9::cloud9:

the black bit is so soft, mine looks like someone been taking pot shots at it with a 12 gauge.

I agree.. it must be soft as every little mark seems to show :thumbdown:

 

[RussZS]

Thanks James

Just replied to your email too

Russ.