Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX RS Detail and Paint Correction

I had a client contact me in August about detailing his Evo IX RS, however since me and v|nsan|ty are weekend warriors we were unable to do so until last weekend. I am sure glad we were able to because we instantly fell in love with the vehicle.

The Subject:



Here we have a 2006 Evo IX RS in Wicked White. The owner brought it up to Canada (all the way from California!) with 14k Miles on the clock.
A little bit of info for those unfamiliar with Evolutions:
The RS model is a stripped out, "race" version of the Lancer Evolution. Gone are power windows, power locks, a stereo, air conditioning, rear wiper, rear wing, trunk lining and sound insulation. The result is a weight savings of 80 lb (36 kg for the detailers south of the border).
In addition, this particular RS was extensively modified. Aside from the modifications to the suspension and drivetrain, the engine produced close to 500HP at the flywheel thanks to an extensive list of modifications and a proper tune.

The owner not only drives this vehicle on a daily basis, he also frequently tracks the vehicle and runs Nitto NT01; these competition compounds "fling" a lot of road grime onto the vehicle as you will later see in the pictures.

A quick look:

Heavy defects:






Plenty of road grime and brake dust on the lower door panels:


Window visors needs some TLC:


These gorgeous Volk Wheels were heavy coated with brake dust:


Tail lights need some work:



Lets begin:
We began with the wheels using AutoGlym's Custom Wheel Cleaner:


Raceglaze brushes for the inner barrels and Swissvax brushes for the lug-nuts and wheel face:




Can't forget about the Brembo Brake Calipers:


Cleaned:


Vince turned his attention to the exhaust tips, using Grime Reaper and 000 Steel Wool:







Next we foamed the vehicle using a cocktail of CG Maxi Suds II and Citrus Wash n Gloss:




Washed using a Zymol Sponge and of course, the two bucket method:


Filler cap was heavily soiled:



Next we took the car into the garage to be clayed, using Sonus Ultra-fine Detailing Clay and Glyde clay lube:




All taped up and ready for paint correction:


The Test:



This being the first Evo we have worked on, we had no idea what to expect in terms of paint hardness, so we worked our way up from M205 on a white pad, and stuck with Menzerna's Power Finish on a LC Orange Pad, and P085RD on a Black pad for the finishing stage. Panels with heavy defects were dealt with using Surbuf on M105.

50/50 of the hood:


Right front quarter panel before:


After:


Passenger door before:


After:


Before:


After:


50/50 of the driver side door:


50/50 of the rear door (these were exceptionally defect heavy):


Before:


After:


The trunk lid was one of those panels requiring the Surbuf+M105 combo:




Roof before:


After:


Vince did a fantastic job with the sunvisors:


The front bumper was 3M'd for a large portion of it's life, however the 3M failed to cover the entire bumper. As a result, there are areas of the bumper that was oxidized and heavily stained. I had to hand polish these areas using Sonus Paintwork Cleanser.

Before:


After:


You can tell were the 3M was... and were it wasn't:


After some elbow grease, the contrast was removed:


These side mirrors were plastic, and responded to polishing much better than I anticipated:


After:


Tails before:


After:


It was dark by 8PM (winter is fast approaching!), so we took out the spot lights and washed the vehicle after the paint correction was completed:


Menzerna Powerlock was used for the paint sealant:


Optimum Poli-seal was used for the rear diffusers:





The owner wanted a extremely durable wax to be used as the LSP, so he took the car home for the night to allow the sealant to cure. The next morning he stopped by my place and I applied Collinite No. 845:


And now a quick photoshoot:














Thanks for reading!

 

Evo 7 tails, JDM rear, TE37s, SE Lip, carbon Vortex gen... im diggin this car big time .

EXCELLENT WORK bringin this lovely thing back.

 

Great job bringing the Evo back!

 

another great write up adam and vince

 

Great job guys! What kind of pressure washer is that?

 

Excellent write-up like always Adam.

Thanks for the compliments guys. This car is a great example for a heavily swirled white car. Although it may not appear too bad on a day to day basis, under the proper lighting the defects are clearly visible. The white paint on this car truly pops now.

Yeah some of the panels on this car were nasty. The lower panels, rear bumper, and trunk all required a M105 + Surbuf combo followed by a finishing step. It took quite a bit of patience to get these areas corrected but it the end result is very much worth it.

@Socal Brian - That would be a generic 1400 PSI washer. I don't remember the make/model off the top of my head but it gets the job done. It doesn't look like we captured any pictures at night when we brought the car out to be rewashed prior to sealant, but I decided to add about 1 oz. of Einszett Blitz APC to the foam cannon. This resulted in some serious foam. I'm sure if I added a bit more CG MS II it would be as thick as shaving cream. It's an effective concoction of CG CW&G, CG MS II & Einszett APC. A dump load of soap but near shaving cream consistency.

 

Great work. It's amazing how much of a change you were able to make on a white car where defects are almost invisible to the everyday Joe. And the gloss and reflection you got out of it was insane too. Again, great job!

 

Looks like a Simoniz

 

Nice work. Some nice subtle changes on that car, and the condition of those Brembos prove it's driven as it was intended. :thumb:

 

great job!

 

wow my favorite evo of all time lol

 

one of my favorite cars, good work........ are those track tires, or just really bald street tires?

 

Those NT01's have definitely been heat cycled a few times.

 

Thanks all!

mike aesthetica: Spot on my friend! Haha

And yes the NT01 are competition R compounds, they have very little tread to begin with. The owner leaves them on for the street since they give him such fantastic grip. For obvious reasons he doesn't drive this car in the rain.

 

Great 50/50 shots! What a turnaround! Awesome work

 

nice write up again boys

 

Love the work done! Great job guys!!

 

awesome job! i wish a had them evo7 tail lights for my evo

 

Looks great! haha I recognize from EvoM

 

nice correction!