Since I come from the audi world and still lurk around, i found a post from one of our awesome detail vendors who did a 4-day detail on a MINI =]
He works on high end p-cars, just did a gt3RS for example, etc etc. He used some crazy top end products which I'll never touch anytime soon haha its all listed in the thread, tons of pics.. check it out
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=264176

 

The end shots are good...but if he polished before he did the trim and everything, then he did NOT remove the swirls! They're very visible in the Black Wow demo shot...

 

Can definitely see them in the last of the BW photos, just look around the camera flash.

 

nice job but overall too wet looking for my tastes in the end.

 

Thats true, but (well first off its not my car), but it seems this car has never (or at least not in a VERY long time) been detailed. You can see bubbling in the paint around the wheel arches, so its definitely been through some aging and corroding... with that said, if you compare before and after paint correction shots...


there is a very noticeable difference between before and after.
My guess, if i were to take an educated one, is that previous and over time, damages done to the paint could have been deep scratch swirls, which sometimes are not able to be removed due to its depth and its corresponding clear coat depth remaining. You can only take off so much clear safely without harming the actual paint underneath. And seeing that this car's paint was not in the best condition beforehand, again, not knowing what its past treatment was (sponge baths from sponges on the ground with pebbles in it?? ::cringe:, etc.
But you are right, i definitely can see some swirls left in the final product.

but since I know his work, and his attention to detail, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't "accidently" leave some swirls uncorrected behind unless it really was a matter of not being able to take them out.
heres a GT3RS he detailed, http://forums.audiworld.com/detail/msgs/64158.phtml

just my .02

 

$1100 for wax? That reminds me of 5th gear's review of wax products. The one where they blasted it with sand, fire engine's high pressure water cannon and a flame thrower. Is rock whatever wax also the one where you can only apply by hand?

I would want to know what the fella paid for this full detail service though. And you're right, there's a limit to what kind of swirl removal a vehicle can tolerate. Too much and you'll clean out the clear coat.

 

i'll stick to my McGuire's 3 step deal.

 

Nice job, looks great in the pictures. The car is filthy, has issues in the paint $1100, maybe, but I'm happy I can do that kind of work, better probably, for way less.

Shiny pic, after 100k miles;


Mark

 

seriously 4 days work on one car?? how many hours that day?? AND still a little swirlage??

 

oh i stand corrected, forgot about those deep swirls, but 4 days on one car? seems ridiculous

 

dang... a wash and Hydro would have the same results in like 12min.