OneNineElevenGuy

I am entering my 1982 911SC in my first Concourse de Elegance. This is a local show that benefits C.P., and is a "wheel up" event. Meaning, the chassis and underside are not judged.

Are there any tips one could pass on to a brother to help me out with this?

I know a good wash and a mirror shine, clean windows, and carpet are a must. Some dash detailing is important too. Anything else?

2002M3Drew

Funny you should ask! I just got a tip from the PO who knew several active concours people with 911's, and they said the secret to making the Fuchs rims look good (and original) is plain old petroleum jelly (Vasoline). I posted another thread on "how to clean the Fuchs" as I am new to Porsche, and this is where the thread headed as well.

As far as waxing, especially on a white car, I'd go with a good clay bar treatment to begin with...it works wonders and makes polishing and waxing very easy. The clay bar process itself only takes 30 minutes...maybe less.

Then I'd apply a coast of Meguires Mirror Glaze #7, and then a coat of Zymol Creme, P21S, or the like.

For tires I like the gel you apply...not sprays. The sprays inevitably get on the paint and windows, forcing you to back-track.

Good luck!

Jay H

Here are a few tips that I've learned over the years (I'm a concours judge in our local region and have spent a small amount of time training with PCA National judges):

Depending on how in depth your show will go will determine how picky you have to be...

Rule #1: Throw out your Armor All and buy a specific vinyl treatment like Vinylex or other non silicone dressing. Judges hate greasy trim and interiors...

Exterior

Wash, polish and wax your car and then spend time removing all of the wax that has accumulated in, under and around the trim. There should be no wax buildup or residue around seams and around rubber body gaskets.

Touch up all major stone chips with touchup paint. Buff out any major scratches that you can (within reason). Touch up any chips in black trim paint with a black Sharpie marker.

Treat window seals and exterior rubber with vinyl treatment. Avoid making anything greasy or too shiney. Just get the finish even and not dull.

Fuch rims respond well to a bit of Vaseline buffed in. Dress tires with that same non silicone based product (I do this last, at the show, when the car is parked in it's final spot for judging).

Clean the underside of the fender, right where you can put a finger under the fender lip. Judges like to run their finger above that lip inside the fender...

Clean all of the door jams including the underside of the door. Pay special antention to the latch and hinge areas. Remove excess grease from hinges and latches. Open each door fully to access the area inside the fender that is directly below the windshield. Judges like to put their hands in this area (since it's easy to inspect) and people for get to clean this area you can't see all that well.

Interior

In addition to having all visible surfaces free of dust and having them treated with vinyl treatment (again don't use Armor All, just make stuff appear dressed and clean), clean all of the heat/aircon vents with a q-tip. Clean guage lenses. Clean BEHIND brake, clutch and gas pedals. Remove rubber pedal pads, clean those well and reinstall. (I have a spare, new set that go on right before judging and then get removed before driving the car again). Clean seat rails and remove excess grease.

Insure the under seat area is clean of dirt. Separate the padding on the base of the front seat (if there is a large seam - might not be on your SC seats) and vacuum dirt out of there. Vacuum the seat in the area where the back meets the base of the seat. There is always dirt there.

Remove floor mats and vacuum under those. Remove serious spots/stains in the carpets with common household carpet spot removers.

Before judging, remove EVERYTHING from the glovebox except your owners manuals. Remove everything from each door pocket and storage area.

Clean and dress leather (seats [if so equiped], steering wheel and shift boot/****).

Dust headliner and remove any lint, dirt, etc. If you display your car with the sunroof open, clean that inside area around the tracks and in the roof to remove dirt and excess grease.

I could go on...

Some of the biggest errors I see are the above mentioned wax in the trim, untouched stone chips and just not vacuuming enough. Don't worry too much about normal wear and tear. Just worry about dirt. Normal wear and tear on a car is expected and you shouldn't loose points for things like that.

Good luck!

Jay
90 964

lewis9113.2

Thanks Jay.

Good usefull tips.......

Our local Porsche Club of NZ chapter in Christchurch is doing an 'informal' Concours for a bit of fun so I will use your tips as a judging guide!!

Cheers
James

pwd72s

Toothbush...remove all wax residue...especially from the lettering of trim emblems, moulding in light lenses, etc...

Jay H

...tooth pick, rubber dental pick, fingernail, tiny paint brush...

OneNineElevenGuy

Thanks for all of the great tips.

Especially to Jay H.

I did know NOT to use the Armour All type stuff. Thanks anyway for the reminder.

2002M3DREW.
Washing and waxing are some of my favorite Porsche past times, next to driving it of course

What about a good window cleaner reccomendation?

I will let all know how I did after the show!

Jay H

I use One Grand's window cleaner and it gives very good results.

911 Guy: Good luck with your Concours. Post back and let us know how it went!

2002M3Drew

Jay H -

GREAT post. That should be an FAQ answer. I'm printing it for my garage...thanks, again.

Drew

Jay H

Drew: Thank you for the kind words! I'm not an expert by any means...just thought I'd share what I've learned and observed over the years doing regional stuff. Disclaimer: I geared my post above to just the local/regional exterior and interior type of show...more advanced concours prep gets pretty intense...

The last regional show I judged a few weeks ago had 8 cars in the class I was assigned to (I typically judge interiors). Two cars were exceptional and practically flawless. If the owners of the other 6 cars would have spent another hour vacuuming and another hour dressing trim and dusting, it would have been a toss up to which car would have won (based on their interiors). My class included a wide range of cars from a '67 911, '55 Speedster, '02 996 Cab to a '95 993 Cab... Pretty interesting.

Even if a person doesn't concours a car, an annual cleaning like we've all mentioned/talked about above helps maintain value in a car. Spending a few hours cleaning like mad before trading a car in or selling a car definitely helps add value.

Regards,

Jay
90 964

Jay Gratton

As a head judge for PCA on the national level, I will tell you my one secret for looking for dirt that almost always works. The underside of the wind shield wipers, if you dig you can almost always find bugs. I love this spot, make sure you give yours a look. Best wishes and if you ever have any questions drop me a PM. - Jay Gratton

Crimson Nape Racing

here's a real picky tip I remember from somewhere in the back of my brain - make sure the bottom of the crest on the center cap "points" to the valve stem cap. I have no idea if this is really a concours thing, but I heard once that was a tie breaker between two exceptional cars.

Jay H

I've heard too that the crest point should "point to" the wheel lock (locking lug nut if equiped) which should be in line with the valve stem...

Hugh R

I don't know a thing about judging pcars, but I judge Aston Martins. We take off for non-originality and over restoration, like polishing something that should be painted, or putting gloss black paint where there should be undercoating. Do the pcar concours judge the same way?

Jay H

Yes, on the National level, cars can be judged as you judge Astons. We have 3 catagories and judging criteria is different for each catagory. I think Jay Gratton might be able to speak about this better than myself...

On the local level, we tend to just look for dirt and go for the overall presentation of the car. Most judging staffs at this level aren't qualified or trained enough to know whether or not that particluar pully should be painted flat black or zinc plated and there usually is not enough time to judge that specifically in these short afternoon concours events.