Passionate owner’s Porsche 997 4S Gets Dialed In

If there’s one sweet thing for me to hear it’s, “I have been dreaming of getting a [car of choice] my life and now that I have, I want you to make her amazing for me!”. It’s a genuine privilege to make someones pride and joy sing and this Porsche’s owner renewed my love of that phrase when he repeated it.

For this specific Porsche 997 911 4S, the owner was seeking paint correction, removal of the old protective film that neither looked good nor had adequate coverage and replace it with our performance clear bra wrap, remove the wheels for a legit detail and application of Modesta BC-06 (with an opulent topper layer of Modesta BC-08) and then top off the paint and film with a thick glass membrane of Modesta BC-04. ***While we used Modesta coatings for this project, a DIY’er could certainly take advantage of one of the fine coatings available here at Detailed Image which are formulated for those who are seeking a DIY solution.***

This service would serve to greatly enhance the gloss of the coated surfaces, protect them and make them easier to clean than would otherwise be possible. (the final product is featured in a video at the very end of this article)

Follow along with our images to get a window into how a project like this proceeds. I hope you enjoy!

• We began with a p21S Total Auto Wash pre-treat on the lowers so that while we clean the wheel areas, the build-up on the lowers can begin to break down.
• Followed by the wheels, wheel wells and tires being thoroughly cleaned.
• We come back to the paint, pre-treat all surfaces with P21S Total Auto Wash, agitate nooks and crannies with a soft boar’s hair brush to remove years of build-up, rinse the pre-treat away and then a hand wash.
• The paint is chemically decontaminated to break down oils, glazes and other residues that will mask the condition of the paint and which would affect the paint correction process.
• Painted surfaces are mechanically decontaminated with clay bar to remove bonded contaminants.

The clear bra that was originally installed on the car about 7 years prior had held up acceptably well. The clear bra had helped protect the surfaces from rock chips and other defects but it was definitely time to come off. In addition, the new clear bra installation would provide the owner with a more ideal coverage on the areas that are likely to take impacts and an installation that is more aesthetically pleasing. Front end film was removed along with the rear quarter/hip/fender-factory film. The performance wrap would look better and protect better across the board.

After removal of the older protective clear bra we began the paint correction process. It started with the removal of the rear badges (urgh…years of build up…this is the right way to do things!). All surfaces are buttoned up and the paint comes away from the process with truly world class gloss and luster.

But with paint correction comes a bazillion fine dust particles that would LOVE to find its way under our paint protection film installation. Another gentle hand wash is appropriate to flush the surfaces free of any particles that would affect our clear bra installation process.

The wheels were then removed and thoroughly detailed along with the wheel arches, calipers and suspension. Once ideally cleaned and decontaminated, we sprayed the wheels and calipers with Modesta BC-06, cured, then treated with Modesta BC-08 and cured again. It was a natural choice for our client to coat his wheels. He selected Modesta BC-06 with a layer of BC-08 as in the end, the wheels would be a dream to take care of and look incredible.

For a Porsche 997 911, headlights are to be removed to facilitate maximum coverage on the fenders and bumper. The mirrors, hood, fenders and front bumper are custom wrapped for beautiful fit and finish. Rocker panels are fully protected and are wrapped inside the door opening, rear fender opening and while reaching 2′ up between the door and rear fender opening. This coverage is far superior to the factory shark-fin protective film option. Protection is added behind the rear wheels and a 20-mil thick additional layer is added to the highest wear and tear areas inside the fender lips.

Once all film is installed, it is time for Modesta BC-04 to be applied to the exposed painted surfaces and the newly installed clear bra protective film. This will give the surface a thin and real layer of silica glass that is clear and hard. It adds a great shine and luster beyond even what paint correction can accomplish alone and with upwards of 10 years of protection with proper care, it will pay dividends for many years to come!

When all buttoned up, I would happily stack her up against another 997 4S in the wild!

And you MUST check out this brief walk-around video of how she looked when completed. Zero color editing! Just raw gloss, pop and protection for ze Germans inline-6!