Very Glossy Silver BMW 545i

[Totoland Mach]

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)


Fender Gloss Inside the Shop


Down the side inside shot


Outside shot down the side of the car


Overall shot outside


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

[ryandamartini]

very nice! B)

[Whitethunder46]

I don't know if you ever responded, but did you use anything after the XMT Glaze?

[Totoland Mach]

Originally Posted by Whitethunder46

I don't know if you ever responded, but did you use anything after the XMT Glaze?

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

[Avengeance]

Looks great my friend... nice work!

[Nica]

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 .

[Totoland Mach]

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

[Truls]

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

[Totoland Mach]

Originally Posted by Truls

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

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

[sparkie]

Very sweet job! And thanks for info on your process. Oh what a nice reflection. Wet!