Detailing Projects: Ferrari 488 Pista #2 Paint Correction, Clear Bra, & Ceramic Coating

James Melfi

4 years ago

We are back with a Projects installment working on another Ferrari 488 Pista. This time in the stunning Rosso Scuderia color. Much like many new Ferraris, the Pista in particular seems to be coming out of the factory with what we would call pretty extreme defects. Heavy sanding marks, holograms, and swirls come as standard. It was our job to correct the paintwork and apply long term protection in the form of clear bra and a ceramic coating. Lets get to it.

The Pista arriving on day 1 via enclosed transport.

The Pista making its way into the wash bay – with some company of course.

Decontamination Stages

Wheel, Tire Cleaning: Gtechniq G Wash, Gtechniq W5 Citrus APC, Boars Hair Brush, EZ Detail Brush, Wheel Wash Mitt
Pretreatment: Gtechniq W4 Citrus Foam, MTM Hydro Foam Cannon, Boars Hair Brush
Wash: Gtechniq G Wash, Rag Company Edgeless 300 Towels
Decontamination: IronX, Clay Magic Fine Grade Clay Bar
Drying: Master Blaster Revolution, Rag Company Gauntlet Drying Towel
Pre-Correction Wipe Down: Gyeon Prep

We started the project off with our normal decontamination stages. First up a pre-treatment with Gtechniq W4 Citrus Foam. This removed any loose debris before the traditional wash.

Paint correction time! Meguiars Ultra Pro Speed M110 leveled the defects nicely when paired with a Meguiars Microfiber Cutting Pad and the Rupes 21mm Orbital Polisher. Some panels required multiple polishing cycles to fully remove all the defects.

Once the compounding step was complete, we refined the finish with Sonax Perfect Finish and 6in/4in Rupes Yellow Polishing Pads. With polishing work complete, the Pista went back into the wash bay for one final rinse.

Weslley installing a complex custom hood. We covered the full hood, fenders, front bumper, headlights and mirrors in LLumar Platinum paint protection film.