A new client came to me with their Maserati 3200GT. After an initial inspection and discussion with the client, it was decided that I would strip any existing protection and get the Maserati prepped for a new layer of wax. The Maserati wasn’t used as a daily drive, only when the sun was out, so this Protection Detail was spread over a couple of days.

This is how it started.

One thing that I had immediately noticed when I first saw the vehicle some weeks earlier was the amount of polish residue left in the rubbers and trim. From talking to the client, the Maserati has only had service valets when the car had been at the main dealer. They obviously lacked the attention to detail.

Overspray on a window seal, later confirmed by slightly higher paint thickness readings in that area and confirmed by the client that bodyshop work had taken place a couple years previous at the main dealer.

First up the interior but I didn’t get any photos. This genuinely looked mint. The rear seats looked like they had never been sat in. The front seats and door cards were cleaned with LTT Auto Ultra Foam before being protected with Gtechniq L1. A light vacuum took care of the carpets and mats. All four mats received a coating of Gtechniq I1.

On to the exterior, which first got a Citrus Pre Wash to soften the dirt especially around the lower half…

…paying particular attention to the badges, lights and delicate trim. This was then fully rinsed.

The wheels got the usual Pro Reflect clean. First Bilberry Wheel Cleaner with a selection of brushes…

…a dedicated tar remover to remove all the little spots of tar…

…before all iron contaminants were safely removed with CarPro Iron-X.

A dedicated tar remover was applied to all panels paying particular attention to the lower half where there was a good build up of the black stuff which obviously hadn’t been removed in years. The Maserati was then rinsed and then CarPro Iron-X was then applied to panels to remove any iron contaminants. These two processes also removed any existing protection.

The Maserati was then washed with a Ultra Gloss Bodywash via the two bucket method. A thorough rinse followed and the car was pat dried with a microfibre drying towel.

The Maserati was then moved back into the garage for closer inspection. Paint depth readings were taken and the aforementioned bodyshop work found. The paintwork was in fairly good order. There were plenty of stone chips primarily at the front but this was to be expected for a 12 year old car. There were some slightly deeper scratches but mainly there were lots of minor swirls and haze from previous washing. As this wasn’t an Enhancement Detail, all paintwork received a single stage machine polish using Menzerna PO85RD. This removed all the minor swirls, cleaned and prepared the paint for waxing.

After polishing, the Maserati was moved back outside to check work in the remaining daylight. All polishing dust was removed from bonnet/door shuts and then the panels wiped twice with CarPro Eraser to remove any remaining polish, fingerprints etc.

At this stage, the exhausts and grille were polished with Gtechniq M1 before being sealed with Finish Kare 1000p high temp sealant.

Back into the garage, Finish Kare 1000p was applied to all paintwork, door shuts and wheels. CarPro Perl applied to the tyres and Gtechniq G5 applied to all exterior glass.

The finished results.