1991 BMW 318is color change!

Justin M.

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I recently had a customer bring me this 1991 BMW 325is. He had just bought the car and as you can see from the pictures, the paint is oxidized and chalky looking from not being taken care of. His main goal was to get the paint looking better and have it protected for the winter. The wheels and trim had been spray painted in a lot of places, so those were of secondary concern for this detail job.

I have another full write-up of this on my website:
BMW 318is custom detail package

Products and Process used:
  • 2 bucket wash using grit guards, sheepskin mits, and CG Citrus Wash
  • Clayed during the wash process with soap for lubrication
  • Dried with MF waffle weave towels and Master Blaster
  • Masked with various 3M masking tapes
  • Polished with M205 and LC 5.5" white pads via Rupes 21ES and LC 3" white pads via PC 7424XP
  • Sealed with Blackfire Wet Diamond via LC 5.5" black pad and PC 7424XP
  • Trim dressed with CG Black on Black
  • Tires and other plastics dressed with Meg's Hyper Dressing

Some before pictures:
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Obligatory clay picture after decontaminating:
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I did 2 test spots using both M105 and M205 on white LC pads. The M105 removed more of the minor defects, of course, but I opted to use the M205. My reasoning being, I did not know the history of the paint and wanted to remove as little as possible, and the M205 still finished up very well.
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And here we go, huge difference!
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Working on the hood, I did not polish the raised edges with the machine, but by hand.
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Getting her sealed up:
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Finished product close ups:
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And the full car after shots:
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Thanks for looking!
 
Excellent work Justin. It feels good turning one like that around doesn't it?
 
Excellent work Justin. It feels good turning one like that around doesn't it?

Thanks all.

Yes indeed! It is always a great feeling when I am near the end of a detail, but especially so for this car with the huge difference the polishing made. The owner was amazed and felt like he had a new car :xyxthumbs:
 
WOW!! THIS EXACT thread is why I love these forums! Great post! Thank you for sharing!
 
great job. Might want to inform the owner how to clay and do work on paint and wheels, etc.
 
WOW!! THIS EXACT thread is why I love these forums! Great post! Thank you for sharing!

nice turn around!

Night and day! Amazing difference. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for the comments!

great job. Might want to inform the owner how to clay and do work on paint and wheels, etc.

Indeed, I always try to educate the owner's on proper maintenance and care of the car. All of the "dirty" work was done to the car by the previous owner, the new owner is well informed now of how to take care of the new finish :)
 
Awesome job!

And impressive decision on opting for M205 over M105. Most detailers (although they will tell you differently) are quick to grab the most aggressive product bc they KNOW it will get the job done. In my opinion your decision, although minor to some, would go a LONG way in me referring you to a new client.
 
Awesome job!

And impressive decision on opting for M205 over M105. Most detailers (although they will tell you differently) are quick to grab the most aggressive product bc they KNOW it will get the job done. In my opinion your decision, although minor to some, would go a LONG way in me referring you to a new client.

Thanks and I appreciate the additional comment on the decision making! I really try to apply the "use the least aggressive product to get the job done" approach, especially on older cars like this.

Looks great nice work!

Thanks buddy!
 
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