Brand New Nero Ferrari 458

This is probably my new favorite color to work on all said and done. Before it was Porsche Jet Black, and BMW Jerez Black, but this color is just simply amazing!

I was contacted by this client looking for a highly qualified paint correction specialist due to a referral from a top quality detailer in the OHIO area…I am sure you all know whom I am referring to, yes its Todd Cooperider of Esoteric Auto Detail. The owner called Todd off his notorious reputation for high quality work on Ferrari’s and said something to the tone of “Todd, I want someone to take care of my new car just as well as you take care of the ones in your possession…who would that be in the LA/OC area?” Many thanks go out to Todd for sending me this client!

I spoke with the client for about two weeks off and on about timing, scheduling, etc as to when the car would finally be ready to do the correct kind of “new car prep” on it. Amongst all the snags and readiness issues, I finally got the green light to do my thing on this stunning Ferrari 458.

After arriving at the dealership, I had to wait a couple hours while some last minute additions were made to the car. Once those were done, I was given the keys and it was full steam ahead for the next 7 hours. I was on a huge time crunch, so no stopping was the game plan. I let the managers tell me it was time to stop for the night; otherwise I would have continued working all night long!

Day one included the wash, clay bar treatment, compounding process to remove scratches and blemishes, and about ¾ of the second polishing step. The roof needed more work as there were some deeper scratches needing attention so I ended up doing 4 steps on the roof (one heavy compound, one light compound, and two light polishing rounds).

Day two got started with some worse complications with timing, but in the end, I was finally given the last 4 hours of the day to complete the car. This included the remaining ¼ of the second polishing round, as well as the third polishing round and sealant wax application, along with wheel cleaning (wipe down and dust removal), tire dressing application, exhaust tip cleanup, door jambs and windows. (The dealership took care of the interior thankfully as it would have added another 1-2 hours to the time that I simply didn’t have!)

Total time was 11 hours on this new car prep, one of the faster only due to the fact it didn’t come in the usual hacked up condition with tons of scratches and sanding scratches all over like this one that Todd did a great write up on:
Ferrari Detailing: Nero 458 Italia Major Paint Correction | Todd Cooperider Online. I only found one area with sanding scratches aside from the roof. Over all, job well done Ferrari on this one, unlike the last 430 that I did!

I knew I was on a time crunch, so I didn’t get as many before shots as I would like, nor was I able to capture any 50/50 shots, or direct before and after shots, but I am pretty sure you can assume and understand that through the process done, the car came out nothing less than stunning! In the words of the ecstatic manager “It’s so wet looking”, “like a mirror, or better yet a pool of paint”.

Before starting photos of how typical a new car comes from the factory: holograms, swirl marks, scratches…














And the after shots I took while the managers were trying to close the place. Didn’t have enough time to really stage the shots, so they are what they are…













Process as performed over 11 fast paced hours:
-Wash to remove anything protecting the paint/hiding defects (something was on there, holograms stood out like a sore thumb afterwards, but not before!)
-Blow dry with compressed air to limit toweling the car creating swirl marks
-Clay paint to remove debris that shouldn’t be on the car in order to store a smooth feel to the paint
-Compound to remove scratches and haze from paint
-Polish to remove compound haze
***could have stopped there, but I told the owner I wanted to create a jaw dropping wet look to the paint, he said “that’s why I chose you to do the car, that’s what I want!”)***
-Polish again to jewel the paint for max gloss and wetness
-Wipe down to remove polishing oils
-Sealant wax application
-Clean wheels and dress tires
-Wipe down door jambs
-Clean glass
-Congratulate owner on the purchase of a very fine automobile and urge him to drive the heck out of it!