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 new Aston Martin DBS with around 2,000 miles on it. It had already been cleaned once or twice -- leaving some swirl marks -- and had some kind of protective coating on it that needed to be stripped before we could apply our own. Gary's assessment on arrival: "it doesn't look as glossy as it should."
This video was filmed with the original Fireball Dok Do formula. The product has since been significantly upgraded -- the current version is Fireball Dok Do Dual Titanium, a reformulated coating with a titanium compound added to the ceramic chemistry, giving improved hardness and deeper gloss than the original.
The Preparation
James machine-polished the car four times, wet-sanding a few areas where there were stone chips or deeper marks. The DBS has a very complex grille and a significant amount of exposed carbon fibre -- about 20 per cent of the visible car is carbon, including under the rear fluting, which is difficult to reach. Every surface got cleaned properly before the coating went on.
Once the polishing compound was removed and the whole car wiped down with alcohol, James applied three coats of ceramic. Paintwork, wheels, glass, the convertible roof (a different coating for the fabric), and the leather. The wheels on a DBS are complex -- it took a long time to coat them properly.
How Long Will It Last
The coating is rated to seven years. Gary's view: if it spends a lot of time garaged -- which a car like this likely will -- it will last significantly longer than that. In twenty or thirty years this car will still be a showpiece. Gary adds, for anyone watching in 2045: "the quality of the picture is pretty average. You'll have the iPhone 69 by then."
The Process Is the Same
At New Again we treat all cars equally. The process on a DBS is no different from a Datsun -- the same preparation, the same products, the same attention. The badge on the front does not change what the paintwork needs. It has to be said, though, that some cars are genuinely works of art and it is a pleasure to spend the day looking at them. Everybody had a smile on their face. Especially Gus -- this was his first day, helping with photos and video. See the photos Gus took on our Facebook page.
See the current Fireball Dok Do Dual Titanium coating and our full ceramic coating range.
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