Very Glossy Silver BMW 545i

Totoland Mach

Totoland Mach

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Well, it's done and ready for a happy owner. This is the nicest silver I have every done! I did end up with one problem and that was some splatter of one of the products I used (either AIO, Meg's 21, or #83) that was a bear to find and remove. The owner said he like products that dry clear like #26 or similar because you spend a ton of time with rubber trim or product splatter.

Anyway....here's some pics. Enjoy!

Inside the shop with the garage door open (and some glaze left over on the rear fender panel...my bad)
BMW545i_Inside_SidePic.jpg


Fender Gloss Inside the Shop
BMW545i_FenderGloss.jpg


Down the side inside shot
BMW545i_Inside_GarageOpen.jpg


Outside shot down the side of the car
BMW545i_Outside_SidePanel.jpg


Overall shot outside
BMW545i_Finished_Outside.jpg


The car took approx. 15 hours to do including a complete interior shampoo and seat cleaning. The BMW has 60,000 miles and is 3 years old, with the majority of wear-n-tear on the font bumper and headlights.

Next up is another silver 540i 6 speed, then a 745i dark gray.

Toto
 
I don't know if you ever responded, but did you use anything after the XMT Glaze?
 
Whitethunder46 said:
I don't know if you ever responded, but did you use anything after the XMT Glaze?
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WhiteThunder46: yep, I responded in the previous thread about this car. I ended up using AIO, then Meguiar's #21 Synthetic Sealant. Somewhere along the process, I ended up with some very difficult to remove white splatter and I don't know which one the culprit was.

So, I'm going to take a step back and use Compound + Glaze (3M or XMT) + Meguiar's #26 (dries clear) and see what kind of results I get.

Toto
 
Wow toto that is a nice job you did there...if you don't mind me asking what did you use to shampoo the interior of the vehicle? The seats, where they leather? If so what did you use? What about the wood trim's, what did you use to clean them? I'm assuming that that particular BMW has wood trims.

I'm curious to see what certain individuals use ;) .
 
Nica: The interior leather gets a mild solution of dishwashing liquid soap mixed 10 to 1 in a warm water solution. If the seats are badly soiled, I use a leather cleaner instead of the water/soap method. I use a soft bristle natural boar's hair brush to scrub, a clean terry towel to wipe off, and most importantly, an air nozzle to blow the soapy solution out of the stitching and crevices.

For the plastic and other surfaces, I use all purposes cleaner diluted to 1/3 solution to 2/3'rds water. Again, soft bristle brush, wipe with terry cloth and air nozzle to dry and remove excess in cracks, switches, etc. The shop owner buys a bulk of old terry rags (I think they are motel bath mats cut in 3'rds.) and they really grab the soapy solution and dirt.

One of the things I learned is that shiny leather is dirty leather. Using this method, the BMW seats have a dull, new leather look and feel. Also, some of the BMW leather is sensitive to cleaning with too strong a solution and you can remove the dye...gray and tan are really touchy.

Toto
 
That was ONE shiny BMW, isnt silver a hard colour to get glossy? looks like you and the rotary made it shine, getting comfy with the rotary?

Going to send a link of these pics to my brother in law, he have a silver BMW, and constantly say its soooo hard to get shiny, maybe you get yourself a paid holliday in Norway;) :D
 
Truls said:
That was ONE shiny BMW, isnt silver a hard colour to get glossy? looks like you and the rotary made it shine, getting comfy with the rotary?

Going to send a link of these pics to my brother in law, he have a silver BMW, and constantly say its soooo hard to get shiny, maybe you get yourself a paid holliday in Norway;) :D
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Truls: yes, I'm getting used to the rotary power and weight. I still like the Rotex for small areas and places where I could burn the paint. I managed to burn one of the outside mirror housings using the rotary.

I'll take a paid holiday in Norway...but was thinking about a warmer climate unless .... oh well, mind in gutter today. :)

Toto
 
Very sweet job! And thanks for info on your process. Oh what a nice reflection. Wet!
 
Here's a small pic of the mirror burn. The problem with plastic housings is they are almost impossible to correct with touch-up paint. It usually takes an air brush to get a decent blend. I'm more upset about this than the shop owner!

Toto
 
Whitethunder: the shop owner said the problem with plastic is it can't take heat. The rotary will generate a lot of heat with compound where a pc does not really generate that kind of temperature. Still, a pc with a cutting pad and compound "might" do some damage in a thin area. I suspect the thickness of a mirror housing is thinner than a front bumper, hence the burn I did. I didn't have any problem with the rotary on the bumper after sanding and compounding.

Toto
 
Totoland Mach said:
Whitethunder: the shop owner said the problem with plastic is it can't take heat. The rotary will generate a lot of heat with compound where a pc does not really generate that kind of temperature. Still, a pc with a cutting pad and compound "might" do some damage in a thin area. I suspect the thickness of a mirror housing is thinner than a front bumper, hence the burn I did. I didn't have any problem with the rotary on the bumper after sanding and compounding.

Toto
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Can you believe I done something like that with my PC!
 
ive burned the bumper on the volvo with the rotary (i had to buy a new one anyhow), but its scary how fast you "burn" plastic parts with it.
 
boy, you're right about quickly burning a plastic part. I'm starting on a metallic gray 540 and pointed out to the shop owner that it already has a tiny burn mark on the driver's side mirror....my eyes are getting sharper about where to look for paint damage before I start the work.

Toto
 
while we are somewhat on the subject.

I've once heard you can not use compounds and polish on bumpers (I guess because they're plastic).

From reading the little bit here, I have a feeling that is a myth, but you should be very careful? Even if simply using a PC?
 
Totoland Mach said:
boy, you're right about quickly burning a plastic part. I'm starting on a metallic gray 540 and pointed out to the shop owner that it already has a tiny burn mark on the driver's side mirror....my eyes are getting sharper about where to look for paint damage before I start the work.

Toto
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Main difference between plastic and metal.....
Plastic absorbs heat and metall dissapates heat. I was trying to fix a scratch on the bumber of a Bug a couple of months ago and it just melted. I felt it and man, it just was holding a ton of heat in it. It was even gooey to a hard touch.

I'm getting a rotary and doubt I'll ever touch a bumper with it....well it will be a long time.
 
I started on another Bimmer tonight and did the lower portion of the car: bumpers, rocker panels...all plastic. Where there were scratches, I used Optimum compound and the rotary or the Festool in rotary mode (depended on working area) and kept the weight of the rotary off the painted plastic. It's a learning process and I would do a small area, wipe off the compound to check my work, and either stop or proceed to do more. Light pressure, light weight, and checking your progress often is the key to painted plastic.

I'll post some pics of this process tomorrow.

Toto
 
Totoland Mach said:
I'll post some pics of this process tomorrow.

Toto
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Toto you :righton: , I love it when someone posts pics and process I just absorbe it all up.....still new here :p
 
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