SierraGlow's Blue Flame product from Japan being applied on the Perodua Alza.
How would you like your car done, sir?” asked SierraGlow operations director KF Choong.
For a split-second, “medium-rare, thanks!” was almost my reply, because it’s all about a unique application that’s meant to detail your ride and not about steak tartar, fillet mignons or a juicy rib eye.
Known as SierraGlow’s Blue Flame, the application is by itself a new way to preserve the longevity of your vehicle’s paintwork.
“It’s all about protecting the original paint of your car with the use of our non-toxic inorganic substances that are not susceptible to oxidation,” said Choong.
The company has been detailing cars since 2007 and Choong says they were the first to utilise silica-based products from Japan.
The most unique thing about the Blue Flame application, lies in the way it is applied – think secondary school days and science classes with a blue-flamed Bunsen burner.
This is the type of flame that’s going to “brush” the surface of the vehicle – which doesn’t just include the metal panels, but also the headlights and wheels (tyres not included).
The assurance came when Choong showed us that the heat wasn’t that intense when he brushed the flames on this hand.
“The flame is hot, but it’s not hot enough to melt any part of the vehicle instantly,” he assured.
He added that there’s nothing special about the flame, other than it being blue and its contents – which is used to bond with the surface and act as a primer for the glass coating to adhere to.
Choong detailing the Perodua Alza.
For those unfamiliar with detailing, let’s equate this to a full-body spa session that will practically take up the whole day, so do make sure there’s nothing important that needs to be done.
Our vehicular test subject was a four-year-old Perodua Alza with a solid white paint job that’s been plagued by stubborn dark greyish cloudy coating.
Why the coating?
The car in mention belongs to our very own Star photographer, Raymond Ooi, who shyly acknowledged that it had been “a while” since its last wash – a year or so was his estimate.
After picking up our jaws off the ground, Choong outlined the process that was to come – shampoo, cabin steam cleaning, a claybar session, a polishing compound, compound removal, final wash, Blue Flame application and lastly the Nano-glass coating.
After a quick “shampoo”, the Alza’s “true colours” were exposed – heavily oxidised and rough.
Instinctively, the thought of a good wax application would seem ideal to bring that paint back up from the depths of its dirty complexion.
“Actually, waxing can cause more damage than you’d imagine. It’s petroleum-based which can retain a lot of heat to make that top layer more porous and all that’s going to make the dirt sink in deeper,” explained Choong.
He indicated that waxes trap dirt quite easily and wiping it from the paint’s surface simply causes micro-scratches (swirls) to appear – like very fine spider-webs, when seen under bright conditions.
A polisher compound working its way into the embedded dirt.
Heavily oxidised, it seemed that the dirt has managed to penetrate deeply – imagine not taking a shower for more than a year, causing a layer of dark tint to form onto the body with large areas of dark blotchy patches.
The next step in detailing the Alza was a claybar session, which is meant to pick up stubborn left over stains and minute particles, but in the case it had to be forgone due to the severe degradation of the paintwork’s top layer.
What was required was a good “cleansing” compound to be applied that would help “exfoliate” the dirt off the paint.
The compound used on the surface of the paintwork is a tad abrasive, which is required for the “exfoliation” process to help expose the “healthier” paintwork and remove/reduce the fine swirl marks left from previous washes or waxing sessions.
Again, due to the severity of the paintwork, this process had to be repeated a few more times before the showroom colour (or close to it) could be seen.
A quick run through the body work with a different compound to remove the “cleanser” from the Alza’s surface and it was off for a final and thorough steam wash before the Blue Flame was applied.
As previously mentioned, not only does it act like a primer on top of the original lacquer (or what’s left of it), it also helps to even out the top layer of paint before the Nano Glass coat gets applied.
In total, what was supposed to take an average of five hours to complete the Blue Flame package turned into a nine-hour ordeal, but it has to be mentioned that it was well worth the wait to see how an extremely neglected four-year-old car was returned to its prime.
Truthfully, the Alza’s solid white paint cannot be said to be absolutely perfect, but it can be said to be at least 95% close to showroom perfection.
Almost like showroom condition after the Blue Flame treatment.
Cost wise, the Blue Flame package starts from RM1,300 onwards – this will depend on the size and condition of the vehicle to begin with and includes a five-year warranty that guarantees the original paint from deterioration due to environmental or ultra-violet damage.
If other services are required, SierraGlow does provide a grooming package for a nominal fee to help return the car back to shine, especially after the Blue Flame application, which helps to remove minor scratches sustained from other washes.
SierraGlow also includes fabric/leather interior steam cleaning services as well.
For more information, log on to www.sierraglow.com or call +603-8081 3732.
