This weekend I got to work on a classy iteration of a BMW – An E46 M3 in Carbon Black :inlove:
This car, while being great mechanically was in need of all sorts of love when it came to the paintwork
Gareth (GA-M3) has taken the time and effort in getting his M3 back to optimum condition, so it was only right that he brought it in for a detail :bravo:
The car’s paint was not well looked after by the previous owner – swirls everywhere and the obligatory RIDS, or Randomly Isolated Deeper Scratches. Basically RIDS are what start out as swirls and get deeper as time goes on to create something that looks like a swirl, but sits A LOT deeper into the clear-coat. Needless to say, they are a b*tch to work with and more often than not, cannot be adequately removed – so in most cases they have to be filled out to give the paintwork a more uniform look.
This is what I was dealing with on first inspection:
Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me (excuse the pun) :fencelook:
A quick summary then on tools and products used:
Tools:
• Shield DAS-6 Pro
• Flex XC3401 VRG
• 1200 Lumen LED Floodlight
• 150 Lumen Coleman Headlamp
• Lake Country CCS Orange Pads
• Lake Country CCS White Pads
• Lake Country CCS Black Pads
• Auto Finesse Wax Mate Applicators
• Crazy Detailer Euro Foam Applicators
• Auto Glym Interior Cleaner Foam Sponges
• Daytona Jr Wheel Brush
• Auto Finesse Hog’s Hair Brush
• Mother’s Exterior Detail Brushes
• Various Microfibre Cloths
• Mother’s Lamb’s Wool Wash Mitt
Product:
• Cyclo De-Greasing Wash and APC
• Valet-Pro Billberry Wheel Cleaner
• Valet-Pro Dragon’s Breath
• Clay Magic Fine Clay Kit
• Glosswork Glass Cleaner
• Scholl S3 Gold
• Auto Finesse Tripple
• Poorboy’s Black Hole Show Glaze
• Auto Glym Tyre Dressing
• Black Fire Wet Diamond Paint Sealant
• Auto Finesse Spritz
• Auto Finesse Hide Cleaner
• Auto Finesse Hide Conditioner
• Auto Finesse Dressle
• Auto Glym Interior Deodorant
Wash and Prep:
The car was washed using the APC to strip off any initial dirt, contaminants and old product that was on the car. Once that was done, it was treated to some Dragon’s Breath too. The wheels were washed with APC, then given the once over with Bilberry before getting the Dragon’s Breath as well. Once the car was dried off, it went straight into the garage where the claying was done.
Dragon's Breath Application
Doing the work and turning purple
All the contaminants washed off
Nasty Clay Stuff
Interior:
The entire interior was cleaned and refreshed. AF Spritz was used to refresh the plastic trim to give them that matte OEM look, while AF Dressle was used on the hard black plastics, again to give them that lovely ‘Just out the factory’ look. The seats were cleaned using AF Hide Cleanser that stripped off all the dirt and grime stuck in the leather. Once cleaned properly, the leather was conditioned using AF Hide Conditioner. This stuff works well, giving the leather much needed nourishment and also doing well at softening up creases. I neglected to take shots of the interior though, having being pressed for time, but will update soon when I get a chance to take some pics :thumbs:
Polishing:
So this was the first time taking my Flex out for a walk – What a machine! This forced rotation machine worked like a boss!
Read more here:
http://www.autogeek.net/flex-orbital-polisher.html
I sourced this machine via Mo@CrazyRides, so give him a shout if you need one! :bravo:
Also, for those of you using Lake Country CCS Pads, here a short video of how I prime them before initial use:
[video=youtube]
First up was the compounding of this car, using the Orange CCS pad, with the Scholl S3, the swirls and light scratches were cut out with short work, using the Flex at speed 6. In terms of exterminating the RIDS, the machine was cutting and cutting but the RIDS still remained this was very frustrating and gave me the feeling of not having any progress on this car. Eventually I made peace with the fact that they were there to stay, though reluctantly. If I can describe this aptly:
Fine polishing was carried out using a White CCS pad on my DAS-6 and Auto Finesse Tripple. It was primarily chosen for the very fine finishing properties as well as its ability to fill some of the deeper stuff. Here’s what the car looked like post polishing, and before the glaze and sealant was applied:
Glazing and Sealing:
Once polished, the PB Black Hole was used, just to add some dark colour depth, to fill a bit more what the Tripple couldn’t get to and to add some gorgeous gloss. The glaze was applied at low speed, using the DAS-6 and a Black CCS pad. Next the Black Fire was applied, by hand, allowed to haze up, then buffed off to give off that amazing shine :inlove:
This car, while being great mechanically was in need of all sorts of love when it came to the paintwork
Gareth (GA-M3) has taken the time and effort in getting his M3 back to optimum condition, so it was only right that he brought it in for a detail :bravo:The car’s paint was not well looked after by the previous owner – swirls everywhere and the obligatory RIDS, or Randomly Isolated Deeper Scratches. Basically RIDS are what start out as swirls and get deeper as time goes on to create something that looks like a swirl, but sits A LOT deeper into the clear-coat. Needless to say, they are a b*tch to work with and more often than not, cannot be adequately removed – so in most cases they have to be filled out to give the paintwork a more uniform look.
This is what I was dealing with on first inspection:
Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me (excuse the pun) :fencelook:
A quick summary then on tools and products used:
Tools:
• Shield DAS-6 Pro
• Flex XC3401 VRG
• 1200 Lumen LED Floodlight
• 150 Lumen Coleman Headlamp
• Lake Country CCS Orange Pads
• Lake Country CCS White Pads
• Lake Country CCS Black Pads
• Auto Finesse Wax Mate Applicators
• Crazy Detailer Euro Foam Applicators
• Auto Glym Interior Cleaner Foam Sponges
• Daytona Jr Wheel Brush
• Auto Finesse Hog’s Hair Brush
• Mother’s Exterior Detail Brushes
• Various Microfibre Cloths
• Mother’s Lamb’s Wool Wash Mitt
Product:
• Cyclo De-Greasing Wash and APC
• Valet-Pro Billberry Wheel Cleaner
• Valet-Pro Dragon’s Breath
• Clay Magic Fine Clay Kit
• Glosswork Glass Cleaner
• Scholl S3 Gold
• Auto Finesse Tripple
• Poorboy’s Black Hole Show Glaze
• Auto Glym Tyre Dressing
• Black Fire Wet Diamond Paint Sealant
• Auto Finesse Spritz
• Auto Finesse Hide Cleaner
• Auto Finesse Hide Conditioner
• Auto Finesse Dressle
• Auto Glym Interior Deodorant
Wash and Prep:
The car was washed using the APC to strip off any initial dirt, contaminants and old product that was on the car. Once that was done, it was treated to some Dragon’s Breath too. The wheels were washed with APC, then given the once over with Bilberry before getting the Dragon’s Breath as well. Once the car was dried off, it went straight into the garage where the claying was done.
Dragon's Breath Application
Doing the work and turning purple
All the contaminants washed off
Nasty Clay Stuff
Interior:
The entire interior was cleaned and refreshed. AF Spritz was used to refresh the plastic trim to give them that matte OEM look, while AF Dressle was used on the hard black plastics, again to give them that lovely ‘Just out the factory’ look. The seats were cleaned using AF Hide Cleanser that stripped off all the dirt and grime stuck in the leather. Once cleaned properly, the leather was conditioned using AF Hide Conditioner. This stuff works well, giving the leather much needed nourishment and also doing well at softening up creases. I neglected to take shots of the interior though, having being pressed for time, but will update soon when I get a chance to take some pics :thumbs:
Polishing:
So this was the first time taking my Flex out for a walk – What a machine! This forced rotation machine worked like a boss!
Read more here:
http://www.autogeek.net/flex-orbital-polisher.html
I sourced this machine via Mo@CrazyRides, so give him a shout if you need one! :bravo:
Also, for those of you using Lake Country CCS Pads, here a short video of how I prime them before initial use:
[video=youtube]
First up was the compounding of this car, using the Orange CCS pad, with the Scholl S3, the swirls and light scratches were cut out with short work, using the Flex at speed 6. In terms of exterminating the RIDS, the machine was cutting and cutting but the RIDS still remained
this was very frustrating and gave me the feeling of not having any progress on this car. Eventually I made peace with the fact that they were there to stay, though reluctantly. If I can describe this aptly:
Fine polishing was carried out using a White CCS pad on my DAS-6 and Auto Finesse Tripple. It was primarily chosen for the very fine finishing properties as well as its ability to fill some of the deeper stuff. Here’s what the car looked like post polishing, and before the glaze and sealant was applied:
Glazing and Sealing:
Once polished, the PB Black Hole was used, just to add some dark colour depth, to fill a bit more what the Tripple couldn’t get to and to add some gorgeous gloss. The glaze was applied at low speed, using the DAS-6 and a Black CCS pad. Next the Black Fire was applied, by hand, allowed to haze up, then buffed off to give off that amazing shine :inlove:
