Focus RS | XPEL Full Front End, Modesta BC-08, and BC-06

We received an inquiry via Facebook regarding how we can help the owner of this 2016 Focus RS protect his recent purchase. After discussing our options we created a package that was within his budget and focused on preservation. Once we knew how much time would be needed, we got it on the books. At this point I must say I was very excited to work on this car, because in my experience the people that buy this car are always very enthusiastic (often to the point of fanaticism).

Interior

Once the RS was handed over to us, we set to work on the interior first. We didn't get any documentation of this process, sadly. The interior was dry extracted (vacuumed) and the carpets/mats were steam cleaned. The hard surfaces were wiped down with Gtechniq Tri-Clean and the leather was cleaned and conditioned with Swissvax products.

Exterior

We were ready to begin the wash process. First the wheels were cleaned with Gtechniq Iron and General Remover, which was a waste of time because I forgot we would be removing (and cleaning them) one the car was on the scissor lift. We began the paint decon by applying a generous coat of Gtechniq Citrus Foam to the paint, which was allowed to dwell for 3 minutes to emulsify and break down the loose contamination.

The car was then pressure washed off, before another coat of Citrus Foam was applied to aid in lubricity while we washed the car with our favorite wash media (nicknamed the wookies fist... I will get a picture of this in the next post).

After the car was washed, it was time to begin removing the bonded contamination. First we applied an Iron Remover...

This was tricky because the surface cannot be in direct sunlight, so after doing the front portion, we had to move half the car inside to do the rear... *I cannot wait to be able to wash cars inside... maybe one day*.

The next step was to use a clay bar to remove the remaining contamination. If all bonded contaminants are not removed properly, the polishing process is inhibited and the coatings will not bond properly.

This wash process took two people approximately 2.5 hours. Once the car was decontaminated we begun the polishing process. This is where 95% of the aesthetics of the vehicle come from, and also take majority of the time when detailing a car.

After inspecting the condition of the paint we kept noticing debris in the paint. At first I thought it was bonded contaminant we missed it in the decon process, but after using more aggressive clay I realized the contamination was within the paint process. This is now the second Focus RS we have worked on that had factory paint flaws... Dear Ford, You suck... (but I still own a Ford truck so what does that make me)

I felt compelled to remove the debris in the areas that were going to be covered in XPEL Ultimate PPF (clear bra) or else they would have stuck out like a sore thumb... So out came my Rupes Denibber with 2500 grit sand paper (I don't get to use it very often so I was pretty excited). After the debris was removed I compounded out these affected areas...

Before the vehicle arrived the owner told me the front bumper was repainted. While inspecting the quality of the respray, I noticed some sanding marks that weren't tended to (presumably by the body shop). No big deal- it was taken care of...

Finally I was ready to get in the zone and start machine polishing. I recommend us go with a two stage machine polish because once the coating and clear bra is installed, theres no going back- All defects would be underneath... At first I thought I might be able to surprise the owner with the good news of saving him some money, but there were a few deeper scratches in almost every panel that I knew wouldn't come out with a one stage... Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the polishing process (however, there will be some footage in the video we are working on... oops, I let that one slip).

Once the paint was polished, I used Gtechniq Panel Wipe to remove all oils leftover from polishing, thereby showing the true condition of the paint. To my delight, there were no hidden swirls that I would have to re-attend to.

XPEL Ultimate Paint Protection Film

Now that the paint was perfect, we were ready to apply the clear bra to the front end...

I always recommend clients to do entire panels when dealing with film to hide the edges... Nothing bothers me more than the old yellowing clear bras that stop halfway up the hood. With XPEL and good application techniques we don't have to worry about yellowing or cracking, nor partially covered panels...

Modest BC-08 Neosilica Coating

BC-08 is an amazing product and is a dream to work with. The entire body was covered head to tow with the coating. After doing the exterior, we even had enough product leftover to do the door jambs and trunk jambs. Once the coating was applied we begun the Infrared Curing process...

Modesta BC-06 Wheel Coating

With the body of the car curing under the IR lamp, I begun cleaning the wheels (for the second time). I used Gtechniq W6 Iron and General Fallout Remover along with an assortment of brushes to clean the wheels, followed by Gtechniq W7 Tar and Glue Remover to remove tar deposits. After this I clay barred the wheels using an aggressive clay bar (I wasn't concerned about marring the wheels very much because of the matte finish). I gave them a quick spray off and then dried them using the Metro Master Blaster. Then they were wiped down with Gtechniq Panel Wipe in preparation for the coating. FINALLY, they were ready to be coated via airbrush with BC-06...

The calipers were also cleaned via steam, wiped down with Panel Wipe and coated with BC-06...

Once everything was coated, we could continue the IR curing process, which believe it or not is extremely boring. Each panel/surface has to be cured between 50-60° celsius for 10-15 minutes...

Finally we were nearing the end of a project that consisted of multiple 12 hour work days... Almost there. Almost there. I think I can. I think I can.

After the wheels were cured out they were then installed and torqued to spec (100lb/ft incase anyone is wondering)...

After doing everything we could possibly think of to kill time while the coating was curing, we noticed the license plates were still dirty as a result of their removal before the wash. If we're going to clean something, then we are going to CLEAN it. We had to clay bar the license plate also...

Finally, we were ready to apply our custom Modesta sticker... :)

Here are the final pics. I hope everyone has enjoyed reading this post! I used to do posts like this all the time, but stopped because of how much more time it added to my process... But recently we have brought on a couple new members of our team, so I can do things like this more often.

We have the M4 Smoke and M2 Blast (Modesta maintenance products) loaded in the passenger seat so we don't forget them! We are out of stock on M3 Fire, but we will have it back in stock when the customer comes back to get his one on one maintenance training we offer complimentary with every Modesta coating.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Please comment below if you have any questions or comments! Thanks for reading. Daniel