Cleaning the 24K gold foil in a McLaren F1 supercar | Beyond the Details

Cleaning water spots off 24K gold heat shielding? Air-brushing blue paint back onto AN fittings? All in a days work for Tim McNair as he meticulously cleans this McLaren F1. Although these rare supercars are worth upwards of $20 Million, many are regularly driven by their owners. And when you drive a car, it gets dirty! Tim walks us through some of the finer details of what it takes to REALLY clean every nook and cranny in this legendary vehicle.
Welcome to Beyond The Details, hosted by Tim McNair of Grand Prix Concours. In this series, we’ll be following Tim as he travels America performing concours-level preparation to some of the rarest, most expensive and exclusive vehicles… in the world.
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Like what you see? Watch our other series including:
Redline Rebuilds | Time-lapse engine rebuilds from start to finish bit.ly/RedlineRebuild
Barn Find Hunter | Tom Cotter searches the country for abandoned cars bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter
Jason Cammisa on the Icons | The definitive car review
bit.ly/JasonCammisaICONS
Revelations | Untold Stories About Automotive Legends with Jason Cammisa
bit.ly/JasonCammisaRevelations
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[@davebarron5939]

Guys! love your stuff but PLEASE, turn down the background music, it is distracting to the spoken narrative which is by far the most important.

[@nvrndingsmmr]

Agreed

[@jamesengland7461]

it's AWFUL!

[@kennethhamburger9859]

Agree!!!

[@jordanphilip]

Horrid

[@Damien.D]

This car is both a work of art and an engineering marvel. It's way above many italian supercars. No expense have been spared on building this thing, it's more akin a jet fighter plane than a car. And maintaining it at this level is necessary, and like preserving a (in)valuable artwork.

[@bobdobbs69]

As an engineer, it's the first time I am seeing the trick stalling active aero diffuser that Gordon Murray designed for this car. Way ahead of his time with that little trick.

[@Cynderfan35]

And those who say that some bits should be replaced (like the rear light covers) I would want to keep everything as original as it was. Specially if its been raced at race like Le Mans 24h, which then would make it even higher in value.

[@IPlayKindred]

today I learned there's a job called "McLaren F1 technician", and now I have the sudden urge to learn vehicle mechanics.

[@rxwhat33]

McLaren technician aka mechanic that works in khakis and plays golf.

[@kevinhines1278]

@@rxwhat33 nope, I definitely don’t play golf.

[@nvrndingsmmr]

@@kevinhines1278 Hahaha hello Kevin! And thank you for your hard work!!

[@blakerh]

@@kevinhines1278 how does someone become a McLaren technician?

[@kevinhines1278]

@@blakerh Hi Blake, if you have some experience all you have to do is apply at a McLaren dealership and be good enough to get the job. Then you will periodically be sent to McLaren factory training to progress your skills with the product. The chances of working on an F1 are pretty slim but if you’re trustworthy enough, you never know…

[@nvrndingsmmr]

Thank you for letting us take a close look at all the details on this! The F1 is such a magnificent machine. Getting to see what the inside looks like and so close up is really special!

[@tony_n316]

Meanwhile, I just replaced my air filter and one of the two screws that hold down the cover fell into the engine abyss… One screw it is!!

[@ryanthomas2374]

Thats why they gave you two! Incase one goes bye bye!

[@IDontHaveAVideo]

Another awesome Haggerty video. Wiggins clamps are used in aviation. Airbus and Boeing use them for toilet and water lines. Among other uses.

[@poplaurentiu4148]

Above Curated indeed..

[@CrashCarson14]

Those red things?

[@RetroGamerr1991]

If you're curious, the degreaser he's using is Spartan SD-20 and the plastic polish is Plexus.

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

The fact they gold foiled the inside of the engine bay shows how no expense was spared. It’s built more like a space shuttle than a car.

[@istvanlorinczi2817]

Better heat dissipation, Saleen's S7R race car also uses that, and probably a lot of other race cars. F1 is still on another level of cool

[@ben94cobra]

you can also buy it from DEI or Summit and put it on your own car at home, if you like.

[@jamesstanley7263]

Lol, no expense spared? Have a guess where the rear lights come from…

[@marcryvon]

@@jamesstanley7263 Saying this, you don't know Gordon Murray ! 🙄

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

@@jamesstanley7263 TBH, if your gonna pick a car to steal parts off of, the Corrado is good choice. Also not to mention that the Corrado itself was a cost ballooning monster that Porsche hot-potatoed onto Volkswagen’s lap.

[@ddgarage7025]

My favourite part about all this is no special flashy cleaners, no snake oil products, nothing super super special. Just pure skill, attention to detail, effort and knowing the right product for the task. I absolutely love using oddball products for certain things. When I was a camera repair technician, we used a non residue furniture polish and cut down paint brushes for cleaning the exterior of equipment.

[@DestroyAllWaves]

All I can hear is Weird Al’s “Foil” song playing in the background .

[@NoClassic]

Good to see zip ties are an approved attachment method even on the F1

[@s0nnyburnett]

German zip ties cost 10 bucks a piece, special glass fiber nylon mixture and a stainless locking pawl.

[@NoClassic]

@@s0nnyburnett ok

[@thepassionofthegoose5472]

You should see what they do with duct tape.

[@Jimbos_a_Zed]

@@thepassionofthegoose5472 would love to know!

[@d0rifto1]

love the vids, can you guys make a playlist of the "beyond the details"

[@bobdobbs69]

As an engineer, it's the first time I am seeing the trick stalling active aero diffuser that Gordon Murray designed for this car. Way ahead of his time with that little trick. Good job, Gordon!

[@thecalicreez]

Cleaned the lens screws better than I clean my belly button.

[@stevenl1046]

Always makes me laugh tail lights are from a Bova coach driving ambition just says from an Italian commercial source if I remember right love the F1 beautiful video love the details and learned a lot.

[@Damien.D]

I thought it was from a forklift of some sort. Lots of sports car use round tail lights that can be found on industrial vehicles, truck trailers, busses... It works and looks good as hell. Who cares from where it comes from.

[@mostlyhondas7256]

Those blue zip ties are pretty sweet!

[@MustangsTrainsMowers]

After the F1 was released I read articles on them whenever I could and I thought that not many years down the road that they would be going up in value like old Ferrari’s. A real estate investor in Minneapolis Minnesota had one that caught on fire in traffic in California. I don’t know if he still owns it. One of my life’s goals is to see one in person before I die. I’ve had an intense battle with chronic Lyme disease since about 2014.

[@bromero831]

I saw this McLaren and an f50 Mobing at carmel pebble Beach.

[@Brotherbear75]

Love these videos. Thank you

[@elishapile6461]

Thanks, Tim and Hagerty, for taking us beyond the details again. Fun videos. Enjoying every single one.

[@daddyganesh8958]

Quality content as always ✌️

[@ivegonemad]

I will never sleep at night not knowing the secret to cleaning 24k gold

[@danielbish8789]

Another fantastic episode. Could listen to Tim's narration of the details all day. Facinating.

[@todorgerzilov9180]

ph2 is better than pz2 screwdriver for those stoplight screws.

[@bmr1980]

Awesome detailing tips

[@jhb3711]

Just wow. Hagerty as always, some of the best content to be found on KZbin. 👌

[@robsmith323]

These have been great hopefully be adding some more of the Beyond the Details soon

[@Jimbos_a_Zed]

Incredible car. Simply Incredible. This guy's passion is just out of this world.

[@LawrenceTimme]

6:28 nice cable tie. My car uses loads of them too

[@Vertigo11]

I really enjoy this series

[@erivelle1]

This series is my favorite.

[@tgwkk9167]

I’m speechless - simply awesome…..

[@LARSENBISQUITS]

Do you have more episodes coming? These are so therapeutic and educational.

[@theglitch99]

I get it and truly enjoy detailing, (therapeutic) this is next level! 👌 Dude makes big money doing this. Time to reevaluate my career!! 🤔

[@yeahitskimmel]

That gold cleaner must be something absolutely horrifying and that's why he has to keep it a secret lol. Bet the stainless cleaner is Sheila Shine, seen it in a lot of kitchens

[@Damien.D]

The secret gold cleaner is just a soft, very very soft rag. Gold is a soft metal and doesn't permanently stain nor oxidize. Wipe it and it shines.

[@karenthomson9749]

@@Damien.D yep

[@justaformer11b95]

Rubbing alcohol is fantastic for cleaning stainless and is cheap. I haven’t found anything that works better. Not that cost is a thing for these kind of details. Haha

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

The fire dept uses a lot of gold foil on their signage. Might be a resource for cleaning and maintenance. The people that install their shields or build the trucks may have some advice.

[@RobinDobbie]

Right because this video doesn't have any. Literally, "Im not telling you[what the title was about] lol

[@thereissomecoolstuff]

Did you see how he cleaned the gold foil. I like this guy because he is open minded about products and techniques in maintaining amazing cars clown. Giving him a suggestion on sourcing other ideas isn't a crime and worthy of your dumbass comment.

[@quackman]

@@RobinDobbie Yeah, i was disappointed w that, but more that he barely showed the gold foil... some shots of where all the foil is woulda been a nice non-secret. From the glimpses showing off every other part but them, it looked like there were a ton more parts w foil than I realized.

[@williamletts9487]

it's crazy looking at the underside of that f1 after I just got done fabricobbling an exhaust together for my Audi

[@chesspiece81]

I knew the F1 was an engineering marvel but I have a new respect for them now watching this video. I don't recall ever seeing a white F1 before but WOW it's absolutely gorgeous. The F1 LM or F1 high down force version in orange and now white are certainly on my list of desirable cars.

[@bobdobbs69]

As an engineer, it's the first time I am seeing the trick stalling active aero diffuser that Gordon Murray designed for this car. Way ahead of his time with that little trick.

[@chesspiece81]

@@bobdobbs69 I really like his new car the T50 I believe it is from an engineering standpoint, but visually I think it was too safe. It's too reserved for the price point it is at and to me the fan on the rear is way too prominent.

[@bobdobbs69]

@@chesspiece81 We'll soon see how it drives, but it's certainly the most innovative car that I can see on the horizon. A 12,000 RPM NA V12 is going to make some beautiful noises. The T.33 will come out later without the fan, but I agree that the styling is rather 'middle of the road.' Considering the rather anemic sounding turbo/hybrid motors on offer from other manufacturers, I think the T.50 might be one of the best road cars ever built. Soon we shall see. ;)

[@seanmccauley1446]

Am I the only one who still sees fine scratches in those tail light lenses? Still fun to watch get clean

[@superiordental]

I was thinking the same thing. Cleaning vs. restoration? I would have hit those w/ a final polish and ceramic coated them.

[@seanmccauley1446]

@@superiordental More of a cleaning and preservation in my opinion. I watched Ammo NYC restore a 918 spyder tail lights with scratching by using a wool pad then a fine polish before ceramic coating. Thats what I would want on my McLaren F1. Also I think I read the tail lights are from some cheap vehicle like a bus, maybe buy new ones? Just a random thought .

[@WagBarn]

Excellent video! I just feel I have to add that this is the Mclaren F1 LM which is SOOOO much rarer, cooler, and significant! Oh and of course, more expensive 😉

[@THunt689]

I need more!!!!

[@Stanislav7180]

top content !!!!!!!!

[@boowiebear]

True craftsman!

[@VasilisKavanozis]

Respect 🙏🔝

[@W0O0G]

Wiggins clamps are used extensively on aircraft waste systems still, can be a pain sometimes to make them sit nicely, but they are excellent clamp systems.

[@infxmhc]

I couldn't even muster a guess on how much a "detail" like this would cost. Truly a beautiful work of mechanical art.

[@superiordental]

That light blue aerosol can of foaming degreaser, I'd love to pick some up to help detail my LT5's. Anyone have a clue what brand is used here?

[@skeelo69]

i have used distilled water on gold foil, and it works.

[@adonisjenkins3930]

A couple dabs of Gentle jewelry cleaner on a really soft cloth cleans gold foil great

[@thomash457]

I can’t afford to feed myself and drive to work. Sick car

[@Paul_VanGo]

It's like giving a manicure to a cowboy. If this car could, it would scream out of agony to be allowed to race in earnest, instead of being pampered like this and afterwards getting pushed into an airconditioned shrine.

[@noahbates4333]

Dang, I could watch this for hours.

[@kalebringenberg6446]

"you're probably thinking this is stupid, we're cleaning screws to a taillight" if it were literally any other car than the F1, probably would think that

[@seanc6754]

Man Kevo 1 of only TWO technicians on the planet certified to work on the F1.. what a title to have. Anywhere I went I would be like "Hi I'm Kevin one of two people on the planet that's a certified McLaren F1 technician how ya doing"? Lmao

[@kevinhines1278]

Walk softly, carry large stick

[@bobdobbs69]

The supreme irony of this video is that the detailer spent more money with his work time polishing bus tallights than they are worth!

[@mgbrv8]

More F1 please!!!

[@lormo-2385]

I’m guessing the f1 technician makes BANK

[@F22dtmer]

The greatest car ever conceived and made by humankind.

[@phooesnax]

Looks like one cylinder running hotter.

[@bobdobbs69]

Probably one bank on the start up runs hotter first, unless there are some engine problems.

[@TheBeardedMiracle]

the tail light lenses were still all full of fine scratches

[@timmcnair4424]

You’re right ! And three out of four have large molding scars. Not the best lenses to show a polishing method. But it shows one method of the process

[@bobdobbs69]

@@timmcnair4424 Gordon Murray was always miffed that McLaren didn't have the money to design custom headlights and taillights. Easily the cheapest part of the car. "The McLaren F1, despite its jaw-dropping performance and revolutionary handling, was in some ways a parts bin special. The rear lights on the F1 were sourced from a third-party manufacturer that also supplied lights to coaches. That means this 1987 Bova Futura has rear lights that would slot right in the back of the McLaren. It's certainly an association most F1 owners wouldn't be too happy with being reminded of."

[@farewell_to_normalcy9352]

Holy background music, Batman 😳

[@Rickyboy707]

I noticed you lined up the aerosol spray button with the line on the top of the can. I wonder how many people know that it the proper way to spray elements from a spray can.

[@marcryvon]

Not many !

[@Flashbang_Photo]

how does that work? Never noticed a difference!

[@marcryvon]

F1 Aero. Now 20 million bucks. Yes, as the owner, I would have the gold lining cleaned too. 🤗

[@Freezera86]

Time for some off-road action!

[@rivercloud33]

Did he reinstall the lens on wrong opposite sides ?

[@SMlFFY85]

Did I imagine this or did Gordon Murray say the gold turned out to be unnecessary for the purpose it was installed for?

[@bobdobbs69]

It was total overkill. Just Gordon being Gordon. Long term, it probably did protect the carbon from delaminating quite a bit (the epoxy back then would melt at 400 deg F, but the typical McLaren F1 owner probably doesn't track the car long enough for the engine bay to get stupendously hot, anyway. For the GTR and the cars that did see actually track use, I am sure that it helped with protecting the carbon fiber parts from excessive heat. In reality, it's probably just one of the main bragging points about the car and probably is one of the many reasons the car is special enough to have inflated in price so dramatically.

[@elcasho]

Whoa

[@seanc6754]

oh and I was a jewelry manufacturer for 12 years and to clean gold on a car since you can't take it out of the car and ultrasonic clean it, hand polish and ultrasonic cleaner it again just use a good jewelry cleaning cloth and a good cleaning/polish compound that doesn't leave a residue.. if it's real gold and Gordon Murray didn't engineer some crazy new one off version of gold you treat it just like a piece of jewelry.. the coolest and fastest piece of jewelry you have ever seen I might add lol

[@bobdobbs69]

It's just gold foil, rather easy to reapply it. At $2000/oz vs the $200/oz it was back in 1995, though it might cost quite a bit more to do the entire engine bay.

[@seanc6754]

@@bobdobbs69 well sure I get your point totally the point I was trying to make was that he said that cleaning gold was the one secret he would never tell and all I was saying was that if it's just gold like any other kind of gold I've ever worked with and not some special version that has extra alloys and all these different you know added materials to the gold itself it should be like cleaning gold jewelry I mean there's literally no difference if the gold in the F1 is the same kind of gold they use in rings depending of course on the kt which of course most people know that is just a purity rating

[@yugotime1598]

Only two people that work on them, then you have the guys at Jay Lenos who do the maintenance on his.

[@Andynath100]

Both guys mentioned in this video, Kevin and Pani fly to Jay’s garage to do major jobs like fuel cell replacements, engine work. Jay himself mentions that his guys only do ‘general maintenance’ like oil changes themselves. He namedrops Pani in the engine out video.

[@yugotime1598]

@@Andynath100 oh gotcha, I just remember Jay saying "we" when doing stuff to it.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Video Title that's clickable AF, no clickbait here :)

[@kphantom]

It doesn't look dirty, my dude.

[@rxwhat33]

When you run out of things to spend money on a 20k detail on a clean car is in order.

[@dontyouworryaboutit_]

@@rxwhat33 $20k detail on a 25m car lol

[@Brotherbear75]

Why did you stop making these?

[@froggystyle8270]

After the last video I just couldn’t.

[@graemecatty9921]

I'm hazarding a guess that the cleaning bill will run to four figures?

[@karenthomson9749]

FYI he uses windex on the gold foil...

[@timmcnair4424]

Nope.

[@karenthomson9749]

@@timmcnair4424 yep I use it to polish my gold bars (srs)

[@timmcnair4424]

@@karenthomson9749 unfortunately Windex has an abrasive quality to it. The foil used in the F1 is extremely thin. Slightest abrasion removes it from the Mylar? backing. Really strange material.

[@karenthomson9749]

@@timmcnair4424 yes it’s a very mild abrasive perfect in this situation to remove any dirt or carbon buildup.

[@christianeichler4089]

Using the wrong Screwdriver, a PZ2 on a PH2 Screw is not the level of detail i would expect on a "$20.000.000+" car. 11:25 Except that - great knowledge and a fantastic video. Thank you!

[@paul--b]

Does it actually matter in low torque scenarios?

[@bobdobbs69]

@@paul--b No. If the detailer had put any torque into that screw the taillight would have shattered long before the screw stripped out.

[@taelorwatson9822]

20 million that's ridiculous my Dad paid a million for ours

[@devjipatel5333]

I wonder how much whole car wash cost?

[@jamesclarke6861]

no sharpy. noted.

[@kamuaku4845]

Ex-brunei?

[@jakevalent6180]

Id rather watch the guy that makes vehicle renderings if I had to choose

[@benjaminshelton885]

The title to this video alone is giving me anxiety 😅

[@RobinDobbie]

Another otherwise amazing video where one has to keep the volume control on-screen to mitigate unpredictable acoustic assaults from someone's definition of "music"

[@JkbFkn]

Sorry but for me detailing feels like washing my pants only from the visible side. Even magnus walker said, dirt does not slow you down ))

[@user-ql4dr5rn1d]

Ok. Now this guy, literally, makes a massage to a car. My face had less care than this particular f1 in a lifetime.

[@jordankopp7671]

As a journeyman auto tech that worked for GM over a decade, I wonder what the only F1 tech in North America makes???

[@michaelmaas5544]

Not as much as you think I bet. I know one’s that work as race mechanics make $80-100,000 before any bonuses they might get.

[@bobdobbs69]

Personally, I think the hardest part of his job is probably customer relations. Those wealthy snobs who know nothing about cars are probably anal retentive and clueless, and would probably drive me fucking nuts.

[@BetioBastardDoc]

He uses Windex on the Gold Foil ……secret is out now

[@paulelliott682]

No pressure men, just act like you detail a 24K GOLD McLaren F1 every work week of your lifetimes. LOL

[@steveshoemaker6347]

It is 18K on the McLaren and to clean it wit a little bit of salt and baking power...

[@moham1287]

The car is impressive as ever but this detailing is pretty dull. He just rubs it all gently with a towel and uses mild products, big wow. Also he used a pozidrive on philips screws, that is surely £5k of damage.

[@MrTacoma]

Do all Mclaren F1 have that flat undercarriage?

[@bobdobbs69]

Aerodynamic downforce, so the car sticks to the road at high speed instead of taking off like an airplane.

[@mohammadsattar5488]

It's an insult to the professionals by playing music in the background whilst they talk.

[@erictheviking7646]

All that time spent cleaning the tail lenses, polishing the screw heads and they still have scratches in them. Why not take the extra 10 minutes , use some elbow grease and polish to make them look flawless. Also, the title of the video is cleaning the gold foil and then you tell us absolutely nothing about it? I would have thought Hagerty was above click bait title's, but I guess not.

[@paul--b]

Yeah so frustrating! How am I ever going to clean the gold foil on my car now.

[@quackman]

I just wish they showed more shots of the gold foil instead of just in the montage and other glimpses. The gold part showed basically just the big parts there are plenty of pics of already. I loved all the other detail shots of everything else, though.

[@grenmastermike]

"I can now clean the gold foil in a normal way" just doesn't seem like a normal thing to say...

[@stevetrepanier4351]

It's all entertainment, but its a little frustrating the title of the video is the only part he specifically said he would not disclose

[@1bluensx]

I’m just curious…..how much would this detail cost. I get it….it’s a 20 million dollar car, but for shits and giggles….how much?

[@RedBandanaGarage]

Use white vinegar or a diluted solution of baking soda and water. Don’t use anything but a microfiber towel, except maybe a nylon or soft brush like a tooth brush. Do not use toothpaste. There. His secret is out.

[@cut--]

I onoly subbed to this channel bc of Barnfinder years ago but he rarely seems to be on that much.

[@samhianblackmoon]

👍🏽🔥

[@abitoutofsorts]

😍

[@LaKuan]

Ill give him 300 bucks for the “detailing”.