Videos: #car-polishing

New Tesla S: dealer wax removed, two-stage polish, graphene coating applied. Factory process doesn't include polishing: we make it shinier than when it left the showroom.

New Nissan Leaf with Matrix Black 8-year ceramic coating. A few scratches polished out first. Gary notes cars always look even better the morning after the coating cures overnight.

Mercedes AMG convertible: hood clean with drain flush and Krytox, paintwork correction on scuffs and scratches from storage. Machine polish removed most scratches: better result than expected.

This Fiesta came in leaking from two separate sources. While it was with us, the customer decided to go further: polish, ceramic coating, wheel treatment. The result looks better than new.

BMW X3 with paintwork correction on front and rear door scratches found after washing, then two-stage machine polish and Matrix Blue 3-year ceramic coating.

A nearly new Range Rover Sport with red paint spilled in the boot. James, Edward and Connor worked through it over two days: 20 hours in total, £1,650. The battery had to come out. Sound deadening had to be stripped. Cables were re-wrapped. The customer had tried to clean the bodywork with something abrasive and scratched through the paint on the passenger side.

BMW M3 machine polished to remove swirl marks, then ceramic paint protection applied. Deeper gloss, hydrophobic surface, paint stays newer for longer.

A Toyota C-HR Hybrid being prepped for sale: double buff, paint corrections, three-month wax. Gary spots bird etch that has gone right through the lacquer on the roof. No ceramic coating meant the paint had no protection. Honest caveat: the bonnet scratch will only see about 60 per cent improvement.

A brand new Volvo V90 covered in tree sap that had etched into the soft factory paintwork. Six-stage machine polish, dry sanding on the curved areas, Fireball Dok Do 7-year ceramic coating. Gary talks the customer through the options live: including the honest "95 percent is good enough for most people" conversation.

A Honda Stepwgn imported directly from Japan. The owner had a water leak sorted first, then brought it in for a seven-year ceramic coating: three coats. Gary explains the "pop" that the coating gives to metallic and pearlescent paint. A stripe specialist was also called in for the body stripes.

An Audi TT in for ceramic coating, but it has just had a new roof fitted for over £1,000, which Gary says could probably have been avoided with regular cleaning. She is taking it to France. A BMW Z3 with a dirty green roof is in the workshop at the same time as a cautionary comparison.

A new Aston Martin DBS with around 2,000 miles: stone chips, wash marks, and a previous coating that had to be stripped. Four-stage polish, three coats of Fireball Dok Do 7-year ceramic on the paintwork, wheels, glass, roof and leather. Gus's first day. "The process is no different on a DBS or a Datsun."

A BMW 3 Series 325 CI brought in for roof cleaning and ceramic coating. The owner's friend is seriously ill; once the car is done he plans to take him out in it: it might be his last summer. The bonnet had a previous respray that had gone flat; wet-sanded back and polished. Matrix Blue ceramic coating and a two-year roof nano-coat.

A 14-year-old BMW coupe: front bumper replaced, wing resprayed, four-stage buff, Fireball Dok Do ceramic coating. Gary's line: there is no substitute for doing a car properly. When you come back to it after filling up, you are getting back into a new car.

A Mercedes ML320 CDI at around 100,000 miles: bought from new, owner loves it, doesn't like the newer models. Swirl marks from a previous bad machine polish, a couple of smart repairs, four-stage buff, Fireball Dok Do ceramic coating, leather seat off to the trimmer, double deep clean interior.

A Ford Edge coated with Fireball ceramic protection: five years of coverage on paintwork and wheels. Gary is looking forward to the owner's reaction when they come to collect.

An Audi Q5 coated with Matrix Black: shinier than when it left the factory, staying that way for eight years. Gary explains the hydrophobic self-cleaning effect honestly, the scratch resistance, and the difference between a genuine ceramic coating and the wax-with-a-bit-of-ceramic products sold online.

The owner saw our Audi A6 video and booked his A4 in the same week. Five years old, kept from new, a scratch on the door that was treated cosmetically rather than a full respray. Four-stage buff, Matrix Blue applied, and yes, you can put Matrix Blue on a black car.

A black Range Rover Sport polished four stages and finished with Autoglym Ultra High Definition wax. The owner's boat car (not his main car) but he wanted it to look nice and glossy. Gary explains the four-stage polishing system and why even the finest wax cannot hide rough paintwork underneath.

A Porsche Boxster treated to Fireball Dok Do ceramic coating. Triple buff first, yellow headlights polished back, convertible roof cleaned and nano-coated, all rubbers treated, all wheels refurbished. Gary includes the workshop's long-term evidence on coating durability: including a polymer-coated car still looking good after 17 years.