Fiat 500 detailed.

[Rick Hunter]

So yesterday they brought me this little Fiat 500 which was quite messy, as you can see from the following pictures:


Tons of swirls and rids all over the bodywork, like in this picture



Some scratches here and there (there where many others on the doors and rear quarter panels but I didn't take pictures, my bad)




Various contaminants and scratches on the lower portion of the car:




Scratches in the door handle recess...




Clay bar hard at work...



And now the pictures of the finished car:

[greg0303]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Great turnaround, Rick.

The 500 looks sweet after detailing. What was your process ?

What Abarth model is on the last picture ?

[Rick Hunter]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Thanks Greg, the Abarth in the back of the picture is my car, it's an Abarth Grande Punto, a zippy, fun-to-drive car. Mine is not stock anymore, has had some performance upgrades and different rims fitted.

My process on the 500 was as follows:
- wash with GC shampoo and MF wash mitt (2 buckets)
- wheels washed with D140 Wheel Brightener 4:1 and a wheel brush
- tires washed with D108 Super Degreaser 10:1 and a tire brush
- dry with water magnet, Last Touch 1:1 as a drying aid and a leaf blower for nook & crannies
- road tar removed using TarX (great stuff)
- clay with Last Touch 1:1 as a lubricant
- 2 to 3 passes of Ultimate Compound with a G220 V2 and Meg's yellow pad
- chrome parts polished with Meg's All Metal Polish
- 2 coats of NXT 2.0 paste wax
- windows cleaned with D120 Glass Cleaner 10:1
- black plastic trim treated with Ultimate Protectant
- tires treated with Insane Shine Tire Gel

[Marc08EX]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Great work Rick!! That car was just hammered especially for a white car. You made the car look flawless and the paint is now gleaming.

[Fast_Eddie]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Wow, that car was beat up pretty bad, nice working getting the Fiat all cleaned up.

[Rick Hunter]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

I actually could have made it even better (more glossy) by hitting it with M205 after the UC, but the customer didn't want to spend the extra money for that step. All in all the result is very good anyway.

[greg0303]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Thanks Greg, the Abarth in the back of the picture is my car, it's an Abarth Grande Punto, a zippy, fun-to-drive car. Mine is not stock anymore, has had some performance upgrades and different rims fitted.

My process on the 500 was as follows:
- wash with GC shampoo and MF wash mitt (2 buckets)
- wheels washed with D140 Wheel Brightener 4:1 and a wheel brush
- tires washed with D108 Super Degreaser 10:1 and a tire brush
- dry with water magnet, Last Touch 1:1 as a drying aid and a leaf blower for nook & crannies
- road tar removed using TarX (great stuff)
- clay with Last Touch 1:1 as a lubricant
- 2 to 3 passes of Ultimate Compound with a G220 V2 and Meg's yellow pad
- chrome parts polished with Meg's All Metal Polish
- 2 coats of NXT 2.0 paste wax
- windows cleaned with D120 Glass Cleaner 10:1
- black plastic trim treated with Ultimate Protectant
- tires treated with Insane Shine Tire Gel

Great product selection, Sir.

I like your Fiat Punto. They seem to be very popular in Europe. Of course your ride has Abarth booster.

[Murr1525]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

500's do seem fun.. not quite catching on here, bit of a shame.

Is that the TarX from CarPro?

[Rick Hunter]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

500's do seem fun.. not quite catching on here, bit of a shame.

Is that the TarX from CarPro?

Sorry Murr, I don't quite catch the meaning of your first phrase (I'm italian and English is not my first language)
Yes, it is the TarX from CarPro, great stuff, stronger than Meg's GC Bug & Tar remover and Meg's Body Solvent

[Murr1525]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

I picked up some IronX to try out... may have to look into the TarX next.

I was saying that the 500's seem like fun cars, and get good reviews... but they have been sold for about a year here, and are not very popular to buy.

[Rick Hunter]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Oh Murr, thanks for the explanation, now I get it.
I quite like the 500, its styling is fantastic, IMHO. Plus it is considerably cheaper than the MINI. The 500 Abarth and the 500 Abarth Esseesse are just gorgeous!

This particular model I detailed is the 1.2 liters 69 HP, 8 valves engine. It is the least powerful engine available for this car and, IMHO, it's TERRIBLE, very, very slow and unresponsive. But I guess that for an old person like its owner it fits the bill.
We are looking at a 0-60 time of about 14 seconds... Much too slow for me. At least its very economical both in sales price and in fuel consumption!

[Murr1525]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Looks like they start around 100 bhp here... still a bit low, but ok for commuting.

[Rick Hunter]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

The 500 here is offered with a choice of diesel engines of 75 and 90 hp.
Petrol engines are available in 69, 77, 85, 100, 135 (abarth) and 160 (abarth) hp

I personally think that anything below 85 hp is just too slow.

[Murr1525]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

I think 170 hp is my limit

Of course my car probably weighs twice as much...

[Rick Hunter]

Re: Fiat 500 detailed.

Great product selection, Sir.

I like your Fiat Punto. They seem to be very popular in Europe. Of course your ride has Abarth booster.

While the standard Grande Punto is a good car, there are a lot of different things between one of those and an Abarth Grande Punto... springs, shock absorbers, antiroll bars, rims, bigger, more performing tires, 4-piston brembo brake calipers and 305mm ventilated rotors, different interior trim, seats, dashboard, steering wheel, gear lever, roof lining, different bumpers, headlights, sideskirts, a flat underbody for aerodynamic purposes, a rear spoiler, tinted windows, and a bespoke 1,4 liters, 4 cilinders, 16 valves turbocharged petrol engine, developing 155 hp or 180 hp (esseesse version)