The Carbon Black M3 - The Return (brief chat about lighting too)

Fuzz@tinyNET

///Member
Official Advertiser
Weekends seem to be a short lived affair when your hobby is detailing - many of the detailers on here can identify with that, though what makes this past-time extremely worthwhile is the look on a client's or friend's face when they see their pride and joy completely transformed :=):



This was the case when a friend Ashlin came through to pick up his beloved Carbon Schwarz M3 :chef:

DISCLAIMER: WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT TO SEE SHOULD BE TRIED AT HOME

Note-worthy Products:

Scholl S3 Gold XXL - AWESOME!!!
Auto Finesse Mercury Metal Polish - so easy to use, and gets spectacular results!
Auto Finesse Spritz - Smells amazing, gives the interior a lovely finish
Black Fire Sealant and Pre-Sealant Cleaner - Just amazing results on prepared paint finishes
Gyeon Prep - Very good post polish residue remover
PureX Savannah Drying Towels - A MUST HAVE!!!!

Taking delivery of the car on Saturday morning, 07:12 to be precise, and after having dropped Ashlin back at his new house (congratulations :clapper:) we set about getting this immaculate M3 back to its former glory. As a side note, this is one of the cleanest M3s around, just like Gareth's and Neesh's :blowheart:

So off we went with the wash - the car was in decent condition, except the previous owner had cats! We found lots of tufts of fur all around this car, and the bonnet was obviously used by said cats as a gladiator ring as it was by far the worst panel affected by the scratching and had a dull appearance. :blueCry:

Overall, the detail went pretty much straight forward and there were no real talking points :=):

Washing the car:



Inspecting the paint:



Post-Polish, Pre-LSP:



Pre- 50/50:



50/50 - Halogen: (using Scholl S3 Gold XXL, Scholl Concepts Spider Sandwich Pads and Flex VRG 3401)



50/50 - LED:




As per the above pictures, I'd like to chat about lighting when it comes to detailing. What lighting are you using? How does it benefit you? I've been playing with two different lighting solutions, which I got from Firoze_D which is a Halogen twin lamp and a single lamp LED stack (I will be posting reviews on these in the near future).

A legitimate issue I have while detailing is working under halogen lighting - halogens provide an amazing and bright light source, highlighting even the smallest paint defect with ease, though truth be told these lights generate massive heat, and I for one cannot work in a sealed space, without airconditioning under what becomes sweltering conditions, especially when it's 33 degrees outside. :RedNo:

My research brought me to LED lighting, while not as dispersed as the halogen unit, the direct light source is bright, and pure white, which works greatly for lighting up panels as you polish. These units have very, very low electricity consumption and run infinitely cooler than the halogen beasts - ie. LED lighting is definitely the greener approach to detailing, where saving resources has a great impact on the environment as well as the wallet :coolShake:
I use the halogen to inspect a panel after polishing, and use the LED while polishing :thumbs:
 

Fuzz@tinyNET

///Member
Official Advertiser
Enough talking though, let's check out the finished product :tiptoe::rollsmile:





























Watch this space next week when I apply Gyeon Wet Coat finish to the paint of this car, along with a review :cartel:

Thanks for the read :ty:
 

Ashlin

Member
I have a new appreciation of this car now, thanks to the efforts of fuzz and his team. I can safely it is The best it has been since the factory. Beside it being a hobby, it seems like a passion when you speak to Fuzz. He has an eye for detail with pun intended which made the end result so worth it.

thanks once again Fuzz.
 

Woodies

Well-known member
um WOW thats freken amazing!!!! :praise::clapper:

If anyone can recommend anyone in the Cape Town area that is half as good as this please let me know.

So nice to see people taking real pride in what they do.
 

Ga-3M

Active member
Awesome stuff Fuzz!!:praise::clapper:

Car is looking good as new!!


That red leather looks proper sweet as well!!:thumbs:
 

131GAV

///Member
Yoh fuzzy bear....


That is really amazing stuff.... And congrats ashlin on a fine example...


Honestly man these details get better and better,,,,:clapper::clapper::clapper:
 

Peter@AEW

BMWFanatics Advertiser
Official Advertiser
I know I have said it before BUT this is my all time favourite car.

Well done on some solid results
 
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