The owner of this sepang blue Audi RS3 was determined to protect his new purchase, so booked it in for our ultimate new car protection package which consists of our Gtechniq CS Black New Car Protection Detail combined with our Ultimate Paint Protection Film.

The owner asked for the supplying dealer not to wash or prepare the vehicle preferring we did all the work ourselves to eliminate any damage that may occur if they dealer had washed it incorrectly. The owner had also arranged to have the RS3 delivered to us on a enclosed transporter as didnt want to run the risk of picking up a stone chip driving the car to us before the PPF (Paint Protection Film) was applied.

The treatment began with the RS3 given a pre-clean using Valet Pro Advanced Neutral Snow Foam, a pre-wash solution which removes larger particles of dirt from the bodywork and loosens bonded road grime, thereby reducing the chances of incurring scratches and swirls during the wash process. The snow foam was rinsed off then the wheels were cleaned with a pH neutral, water-based wheel cleaner. The RS3 was then given a thorough wash using the Two Bucket Method.

To remove iron contamination, Britemax Iron Max Cleaner & Iron Remover was used.

The left side of the photo below shows the iron particles that were present before the use of Britemax Iron Max.

With the RS3 washed and decontaminated it was then brought inside and put onto a scissor lift, the wheels were removed so they could be thoroughly cleaned & protected.

The wheels, brake calipers and exhaust tailpipes were thoroughly coated with Gtechniq C5 Alloy Wheel Armour. This heat resistant nanotechnology-based coating bonds with the wheels surface to provide comprehensive protection from road grime and brake dust build-up. This feature makes cleaning easier and negates the requirement for strong acid or alkaline-based cleaners.

The paint was inspected for any defects and was in good order apart from some isolated scratches and swirls on a few panels.

Once the correction work was done the paint was given a further stage of machine polishing to refine the finish, this stage really brings out the clarity and gloss in the paintwork.

Paintwork now defect free and very glossy after a machine polish.

The glass was polished and then sealed with Gtechniq G1 ClearVision Smart Glass. This sealant forms a hydrophobic barrier which causes rain water to roll in to beads on contact which improves visibility in wet weather.

Audi RS3 Paint Protection

With the sepang blue paintwork now free of blemishes and swirls it was then time to apply some protection. This customer requested we protect the bonnet, bumper, front wings, side skirts and side mirrors with Xpel Ultimate paint protection film to protect these vulnerable areas from stone chips and other minor abrasions.

All patterns are computer cut in house using a Graphtec FC8600-160 cutting plotter. This top of the line 64″ plotter cuts the design pattern out of the paint protection film roll, once all cutting is finished we then remove any unnecessary excess film leaving a precision computer cut pattern.

All edges were given time to dry out before wrapping them around to give a seamless look.

The remaining paintwork was protected with Gtechniq CS Black. This innovative sealant offers the latest in nanotechnology advances, providing an effective barrier against extremes of pH. The coating forms a dual layer of protection: the base layer has a hardness of around 7h to provide flexibility; the top layer has a hardness of 9h. The combination of tough over coat with flexible under-layer contributes to the reduction of swirl induced hazing. Once cured Crystal Serum is virtually impervious to harsh wash chemicals, industrial and environmental fallout.

Crystal Serum is available only as a service through Gtechniq Accredited Detailers and comes with a 7 year guarantee.

Crystal Serum was then topped with EXO v2 (this was also applied on top of the paint protection film). This top layer sealant adds an extra level of slickness whilst increasing the hydrophobic properties of the final finish.