MISSION: BMW Alpina B7 MISSION: BMW Alpina B7, wet sand and SHINE!

[Joe@Superior Shine]

My MISSION, if I choose to accept it, was to transform an already very nice vehicle into to an extremely nice vehicle solely by detailing it.

Yea, I think I can handle that -

The vehicle in question is a BMW Alpina B7 with a hair over 12K miles on the odometer. It was very well cared for and looked pretty good -BUT, pretty good isn't good enough for Superior Shine.

Upon inspection I found that it had minor micro-marring and a slight "orange peel" texture to the paint.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

To take this vehicle to the extreme in shine, a leveling of the finish by color sanding (also known as wet sanding) was in order.

I was armed with a nice supply of tools and equipment to facilitate this process.

After the vehicle had been thoroughly washed, I masked off areas on the vehicle I wanted to keep clean and/or to protect from getting damaged in the sanding and polishing procedures.

Then I proceeded to sand the surface with an air sander and Meguiars 1500 grit sanding disc.

After I sanded a few panels I decided to switch the sanding duties to my trusty G110v2. The G110v2 had a slightly more aggressive nature to it that abraded the finish quicker. I also didn't have to hear my air compressor run on for most of the day as it tried to keep up with the air demanded by the air tools..

Not all areas were machine sanded. Areas that were prone to damage by the machine sander were sanded by hand.

The air powered mini dual action sander/polisher tool and 3 inch sanding discs that are included in the Meguiars headlight repair kit made it very easy to thoroughly sand small or hard to access areas. Here I am using the air DA with Meguiars 1500 3 inch sanding disc.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

These next few photos will help to demonstrate what I am attempting to accomplish by sanding. The flatter the surface the more light it will reflect evenly. As you see in the photos the finish isn't very level.

Here is a panel that has had a light sanding. You can clearly see the "peaks" dulled by sanding and the "valleys" still glossy.

Here is a comparison of the untouched factory finish as it transitions to a thoroughly sanded panel.

The yellow X in this photo marks an area that has been properly sanded. The blue X marks an area that still requires more sanding. The red arrow points to the edge of the panel that will require more sanding as well. I will sand the edges by hand.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

After I completed sanding with 1500 grit I sanded over all the areas with 3000 grit sanding discs to further refine the finish.

Here you can see that a slight shine is starting to come back only by sanding with the 3000 grit disc.

Here is what a properly color (wet) sanded finish should look like when completed. In this photo the area indicated by the red arrow will still need a bit more sanding.

In this photo notice all the white on the ground. That is sand off clear coat.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

Now the fun begins!! I used my DW849 with a Meguiars W5000 wool pad and Meguiars #105 to do the bulk of the compounding.

To really see every imperfection in the clear coat I prefer to "dark room" polish. This is were only one concentrated light source is used to illuminate the area being polished. Too much light and the light will wash out what you can see. Too little light and it will be too dark to see imperfections. A fine balance of light and dark will give you the perfect condition to see and thus buff out the finish until it is absolutely perfect as seen by your eye.

There is something magical about being in a mostly dark room and with a perfect brilliant deep wet shine as the focal point.

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

The end result of over 50 hours of detailing is dramatic. Even after 25+ years polishing paint I still get all giddy inside when I look at a perfect finish!

What thread about an Alpina B7 would be complete without a pic of the heart and soul of the car?????

 

[c5z06camaro]

WOW! what an awesome job!:applause::applause:

 

[ChrisGT]

That is stunning! Looks like an intense process. Great job.

 

[Grizzlee72]

INSANE, DRAMATIC, BEATIFUL! :dblthumb2:

Now that is what I call PRO!

Weren't you worried about going through the clearcoat??? Do you have a paint thickness meter??

 

[DetailedByPrecision]

That is stunning! Looks like an intense process. Great job.

x2. you worked your ass off on this one. well done

 

[GaDetailDoc]

Well done...It looks awesome...Certainly a lot of work.:xyxthumbs:

 

[Showroom Shine]

TERRIFIC! Awesome job on the Alpina.
My dentist has a black 2 seater that I maintain. I have told him it needs this. I have learned something here. Thanks for the pics and explanation!

 

[SeaJay's]

Great job! That car looks mint now!

 

[Joe@Superior Shine]

WOW! what an awesome job!:applause::applause:

That is stunning! Looks like an intense process. Great job.

INSANE, DRAMATIC, BEATIFUL! :dblthumb2:

Now that is what I call PRO!

Weren't you worried about going through the clearcoat??? Do you have a paint thickness meter??

Thanks fellas.

x2. you worked your ass off on this one. well done

I hair over 50 hours!

Well done...It looks awesome...Certainly a lot of work.:xyxthumbs:

Thank you.

TERRIFIC! Awesome job on the Alpina.
My dentist has a black 2 seater that I maintain. I have told him it needs this. I have learned something here. Thanks for the pics and explanation!

What number? I took car of Alpina Z8 Roadster #118 for years.

Great job! That car looks mint now!

Thanks for the compliment.

 

[Mazda.Mark]

and u rock

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Nice work Joe!

Working in the dark can be a challenge, but after honing your skills over your lifetime gives you the skills to adjust to any environment...

I did something similar back around 2000 when I had to sand and buff the Titanic in a parking garage only Unigrit Sanding Discs weren't around back then and so I hand sanded the 20"+ long 1956 Lincoln Premier...

:xyxthumbs:

 

[ESSO]

Good job

 

[reality33]

Very nice job! Its such a treat to see a car of this caliber brought to its ultimate look. Fantastic, and a job well done!

 

[TheGLL]

Very nice job! Its such a treat to see a car of this caliber brought to its ultimate look. Fantastic, and a job well done!

x2
Really impressive! :xyxthumbs:

 

[mchess1]

Great job on a fantastic car.

Gotta love the Bimmers!