2008 BMW E90 M3 - First Customer in New State

RevitalizeAutoSpa

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2014
Messages
360
Reaction score
0
This was my first customer since moving locations from OK to GA. The owner had bought this beautiful '08 BMW E90 M3 in Silverstone II a few weeks ago, and is planning on taking it to Bimmerfest in Baltimore in August. He wanted a single stage polish and some pretty serious acid rain removal. He had already taken care of the interior and engine compartment, and did a pretty good job.

The paint overall was in pretty good condition - either the previous owner was careful, or the dealership he bought it from had a decent detailer. There were some RIDS, but no swirling or holograms. The trim and glass were a different story - the trim was HAMMERED, and the amount of acid rain was seriously impressive.

Excuse the photos - the wife has the good camera\tripod in MN with her. :wall

When I have some serious glass work to do, I start with that so I know I get all the residue off the surrounding paint with the wash. I started with some Glass Science Glass Scrub and a Lake Country Yellow Cutting Pad.

DSCN1394_zpsd8b76894.jpg


I thought it was working pretty well. We'll get back to that one later...

Next up, wheels. And tires. The barrels and lugs were pretty rough.

Products:
CarPro Iron-X
Meguiar’s D108 Super Degreaser
Stoner Tarminator
DI Brushes EZ Detail Brush
Tuf Shine Tire Brush
Q-Tips. Lots of Q-Tips.
Tire Treatment: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Wheel Treatment: CarPro Reload

DSCN1407_zps9a3bcbdc.jpg


Iron-X doing its thing. Love the stuff - in spite of the godawful smell.
DSCN1402_zps47169127.jpg


DSCN1399_zps72d03530.jpg


All done. Much better.
DSCN1398_zps5915d28f.jpg


After the wheels and tires were done, it was time for a bath. A mixture of Chemical Guys HoneyDew Snow Foam and Dawn was in the Gilmour Foam Gun.

DSCN1413_zpsa365a1ac.jpg


Two bucket method with Grid Guards, Chemical Guys Extreme Maxi Suds II, and the Lake Country Wash Wedge going to work.

DSCN1414_zps1cae3d6b.jpg


There was a decent amount of rail dust, especially on the passenger side.
DSCN1408_zpsf15ea043.jpg


He told me not to bother with the exhaust tips since he was getting a new system put in, but I at least hit them with some Meguiar's D108 Super Degreaser and the DI EZ Detail Brush.

DSCN1390_zps4a378a01.jpg


Some beauty shots of the interior (he did a pretty decent job):

DSCN1391_zpsf69b9165.jpg


DSCN1383_zpsf2ecd568.jpg


DSCN1384_zps1955fc69.jpg


DSCN1385_zps7a0d80ae.jpg


Like I said, the pillars were trashed.

Before.
DSCN1393_zps4ab1ffcb.jpg


50/50, left side has been hit with M105 on a Lake Country Orange Cutting Pad.
DSCN1435_zps395a7188.jpg


After, the M105 was followed with Menzerna SF4500 on a Lake Country Black Finishing Pad.
DSCN1426_zpsb2b199c2.jpg


Taillights were in rough shape.
DSCN1428_zps5988b3d5.jpg


M105 on an Orange Pad again.
DSCN1430_zps96813bc5.jpg


It might dust like a son of a gun, but man I love the M105.

Capturing the RIDS on this paint was difficult, but here are a few attempts. For polish I tried a few test spots:

Meguiar's D300 on Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Disc
Meguiar's D302 on Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Disc
Meguiar's M205 on Lake Country Orange Cutting Disc

I ended up settling on the M205\LC Orange combo for most of it, with the D300\Cutting Disc for a few places that needed some more attention.

Before:
DSCN1418_zps237e4e46.jpg


After:
DSCN1420_zpsd0038305.jpg


Before:
DSCN1422_zps488d6824.jpg


After:
DSCN1423_zpsc0839775.jpg


Hard work is hard work, hard work work...
DSCN1417_zpse728d7a4.jpg


20140705_212443_zpsd30843c9.jpg


DSCN1388_zpsdf8a251d.jpg


I don't have any photos, but I ended up fighting with the glass for another two hours. The Glass Science Glass Scrub didn't do CRAP to the acid rain, and I ended up trying pretty much every compound\pad I had. Finally I ended up with an M105\D300 mix on the Lake Country Yellow Cutting Pad, and that took care of most of it. What was bizarre was that the driver's side window was by FAR the worst. I was able to knock it off the other three windows, but that one was just stupidly wrecked. Definitely wish I had a rotary\Flex\Bigfoot at that point. Ug. My arms are nuked.

After about eight hours, the finished product. It was topped with Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant, cured overnight, and then a layer of Menzerna Color Lock Carnauba on top of it (both applied with Lake Country Black Finishing Pads). I absolutely LOVE the blue fleck in the Silverstone II, it makes it almost a light glacier color:

20140705_165658_zps384a2ff4.jpg


20140705_165706_zpsd3da4388.jpg


20140705_165649_zps39682afc.jpg


DSCN1386_zpsb6624114.jpg
 
You did all that with a PC? Much respect. I used to do all my correction with the Griots twins. Since upgrading to Flex 3401, haven't looked back.
 
Products used:

Wheels and Tires
  • CarPro Iron-X (removes iron contaminants\brake dust)
  • Meguiar’s D108 Super Degreaser
  • Stoner Tarminator (removes tar deposits)
  • DI Brushes EZ Detail Brush
  • Tuf Shine Tire Brush
  • Q-Tips. Lots of Q-Tips.
  • Tire Treatment: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
  • Wheel Treatment: CarPro Reload (spray silica sealant)
Wash
  • Gilmour Foamaster II Foam Gun
  • Chemical Guys HoneyDew Snow Foam\Dawn mix (strip previous wax\sealants)
  • Chemical Guys Extreme Maxi Suds II
  • Grid Guards (2)
  • Lake Country Wash Wedge
  • Tuf Shine Scrub-All No Scratch Sponge
  • CarPro Iron-X
  • Stoner Tarminator
Dry
  • Forced air
  • DI Microfiber Waffle Weave

Buffer: Porter Cable 7424XP

Glass\Pillars & Trim\Headlights & Taillights
  • Glass Scrub
  • Lake Country Orange Light Cutting Pad with Meguiar’s M105
  • Lake Country Black Finishing Pad with Menzerna SF4500 (pillars)
Polish
  • Meguiar’s Microfiber Xtra Cutting Disc with Meguiar’s D300
  • Meguiar’s Microfiber Cutting Disc with Meguiar’s D300
  • Lake Country Orange Light Cutting Pad with Meguiar's M105
  • Lake Country Orange Light Cutting Pad with Meguiar’s M205
Protectant
  • Lake Country White Polishing Pad with Blackfire Wet Diamond Paint Sealant
  • Lake Country White Polishing Pad with Menzerna Color Lock Carnauba Wax
 
You did all that with a PC? Much respect. I used to do all my correction with the Griots twins. Since upgrading to Flex 3401, haven't looked back.

Thanks - my arms are just blasted. Was really wishing for Flex or Rupes last night!
 
Where from OK are you?

Car looks great!

Thanks! I was stationed at Fort Sill for a year and a half. Every few years we get to pick up and move - makes keeping a word of mouth based business going a little tricky. :D

Great job! Car looks new again.

Thanks! It definitely fit the definition of "detailing" - while the paint was pretty good, it was all the little things that were detracting from it (trim, wheels, glass).
 
Amazing my friend! Totally professional, awesome (HARD) work.

You definitively deserves a Flex 3401. No, it's not to throw your PC in the thrash, take a look of what you just did with it!

Fact is, a talented guy like you must have more tools to keep doing this beautiful work, and a Flex 3401 will help you get there, 'Better, Faster, Stronger'...

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing.

Kind Regards.
 
Amazing my friend! Totally professional, awesome (HARD) work.

You definitively deserves a Flex 3401. No, it's not to throw your PC in the thrash, take a look of what you just did with it!

Fact is, a talented guy like you must have more tools to keep doing this beautiful work, and a Flex 3401 will help you get there, 'Better, Faster, Stronger'...

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing.

Kind Regards.

Thanks brother! Once I get a Rupes or Flex I'll definitely convert the PC to a purely 3" trim piece. It's a great machine (especially for the price!), just doesn't have the cutting power I'd like.
 
Thanks for the review and pictures. I just bought virtually the same vehicle, a 2008 BMW M3 E90 in Silverstone II except with black Novillo leather.

If i read correctly, M205 was sufficient to blast most defects and it finished nice enough to not require a finishing polish? Am i correct to assume the clear isn't too hard? I was originally thinking about using FG400 and SF4500 (because i was assuming the clear would be rock hard like my Alpine White M3) but i may change my game plan to PF2500 and SF4500 or PF2500 alone. What did you use to clean and dress/protect the rubber around the side windows?
 
Thanks for the review and pictures. I just bought virtually the same vehicle, a 2008 BMW M3 E90 in Silverstone II except with black Novillo leather.

If i read correctly, M205 was sufficient to blast most defects and it finished nice enough to not require a finishing polish? Am i correct to assume the clear isn't too hard? I was originally thinking about using FG400 and SF4500 (because i was assuming the clear would be rock hard like my Alpine White M3) but i may change my game plan to PF2500 and SF4500 or PF2500 alone. What did you use to clean and dress/protect the rubber around the side windows?

The client was only looking for a single stage job, so as with all things, it's a compromise. The clear was fairly hard, but not the hardest I've run into (mid 2000s Infiniti paint takes the cake on that one). The M205/LC Orange Pads took care of most of the problems, and definitely finished down well. That being said, if time/money were no constraint, I would definitely start with M105 or FG400 on LC Yellow or Orange pads, and finish with M205, PF2500, or FF3000 on LC Black, Pink, or HydroTech Cyan pads. There were still some defects the M205 was leaving behind that a more aggressive combination probably would have taken care of, but the M105 was leaving some haze behind that I wasn't comfortable with.

I cleaned the trim with an IPA\water mix, some CarPro Eraser, and dressed it with Meguiar's D161 Silicone Free Dressing. It was in pretty good condition (other than being very dirty), otherwise it would have gotten some Solution Finish action.
 
Back
Top