Sunday, March 24, 2013

the secret to a "show-car engine" revealed: step-by-step engine cleaning guide, the BeyondShine method

Hi folks

Do you want to know the secret to creating a "show-car engine"?


Most of us definitely would, but how many among us would ever try

 it or be too afraid to do it? 



It's said that if the heart is fine, the other parts will be fine as well. The engine is very much the heart of a vehicle. A clean engine runs better, lasts longer, makes you proud of your ride.



We get many requests for engine bay detailing.. so, we wanted to have something special for our fans and car lovers.... 

Empower them to do it on their own, with a little and a lot of care and passion, for their ride and for the environment.


Rinseless Engine Clean... the BeyondShine way




What you need?

No pressure washer, no hose, only a few soft paintbrushes, a toothbrush or two, a handful of old rag towels, an engine cleaner and  dressings of your choice... that's all you'll need if you care for and want to save the environment.





We'll be looking at a daily Japanese driver, a Toyota Corolla, a 12-year old baby that we detailed some 2 years back!


Here it is:









And we're gonna clean beneath it to... a "concours d'elegance"




Here we go

The test spot





Select a test spot, spray a mist or two of the the cleaner on the paintbrush and agitate. wipe off with a towel.


The result





Once you are satisfied, carry on with the work, or change the dilution ratio or still, reapply and re-agitate....



To the hard work






wipe every small section brushed/scrubbed, so that you know whether it's clean or not.







a 50-50 shot





Remember to thank Almighty at every stage as you are in for real hard work...











Goodbye to years of stained dirt 







Transformed you'd say!





More hard work







Tackling every part of the engine,  





One small section at a time






Meticulously yours... 





Fighting the enemy...





one soldier at a time...




Until victory is neither a dream...


Nor is it distant far...








It is at your doorstep...





Nearer still...






It is said that "victory is sweet" .... 






We say "victory is sweeter.... if the war is fought with passion, patience, prayers, without the least drop of blood.... in our case water






We are grateful to Almighty for having made this guide to help car lovers.


Hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed sharing.


Cheers


the BeyondShine team


Sunday, March 17, 2013

19 year old beater turns Two-Face (aka Harvey Dent)


This is a 18+ yr old ride. When you look at it, it seems much older: single-stage paint, faded, dull, no gloss, no shine, hiding all the paint defects,. Worse, its been used by its original owner, as a truck for his business, hence not only the look of neglect but real neglect...... period! 

"Has this car got a cure?"....... "NON pas pou capav faire narien sa ... bizin repeintiré".... meaning "can't do anything... needs respray"


"Mission Impossible" on the way, turning a piece of junk into a shiny jewel.... after finding a deal with the new owner, a buddy of mine and also the son-in-law of the previous owner, we wanted this to be a detailing project for 2 years and at the same time, be a master-piece, unique to our island, the DODO (juice) island.



The car on arrival









physical damage: dents and dings on the fender, doors have got their share too, >50% of rear bumper has no paint, and has got dents.

In the sun: 
no defects visible, all covered by the dullness of the paint



close-up of the initial state.... no defects visible due to dullness of the paintwork. 
the paint is a single-stage one. no clear coat, all protection eroded. 
The paint is dead! 



The roof and the boot lid:

lacking reflection, depth, no definition in the paint, simply flat and dull, no clear coat ( a single stage paint), there are scratches everywhere, pits and pores but most are hidden by the dullness of the paint!




the boot lid:


defects here are representative of what you are going to see elsewhere



The test spot and its importance in this case.





The real color of the paint was hidden by the dullness, and my buddy needed to have the dents repaired and spray painted. so, i restored part of the hood so that the bodyshop could have the color rightly matched......



**** but it didn't ***** 

fast forward a week, the BeyondShine team was called into action





Extreme close-up of the extent of paint damage:

The actual benefit of using detailing clay is actually trying it.


Claying removed the paint along with above-surface bonded contaminants.






after prepping the surface, the paint seemed to be destined for a respray.


We gave our best shot to restore the same and save my buddy  $$$$ (he's blessed with fatherhood again) and save the environment at the same time





Mission impossible on the way....


let the pictures speak... 


the uncorrected side:


can u see thru'?


the corrected side:



can u see now?


50-50 shot





all correction and finishing has been carried out with the Makita, our best mate.


Close-up of what used to be a dull, matte surface


But now plenty of gloss, shine and depth


Close up:



Can you see the difference?







depth n reflection brought back to the dying paintwork





a deep reflection on an almost impossible color



waiting for the sun





Sun Test:

Inspection of the work done.... 


Close-up




plain sunlight, no swirls, no holograms... ;)
When compared to the initial state, a world of difference!


Sun Test:



moving it again




Checking other areas 


Finally, the one and only.... 2-face ride in Mauritius...







the Harvey Dent of cars with a touch of BeyondShine...

Hope you enjoyed reading as we enjoyed sharing. Your thoughts and comments are most welcome

Cheers & regards

the BeyondShine Team