BMW 328 Quick Clean Up - TLC Auto Detail

[Flannigan]

Got a quickie today, generally I wouldn’t do a write up for this, but I really enjoyed the color of this vehicle, and wanted to play around with a new lens I got for my camera.

The vehicle is a 2009 BMW 328x and the color is Blue Water Metallic. It’s a very light blue, to the point that it looks grey in the shade. This vehicle was booked for a wash and wax plus some paint touch up. When it arrived it wasn’t in terrible shape, but did need some attention.



As always I started with the wheels. They were in great shape considering it was a BMW, but what dirt was there, was baked on. I used Autoglym Custom Wheel Cleaner on the wheels, and Blackfire APC on the tires and wheel wells. The wheels were sealed with BFWD, the tires dressed with the OG Blackfire Tire Gel, and the wheel wells dressed with CG Bare Bones.

Before:


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/wheelbefore.jpg

After:


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/wheelafter.jpg

The rest of the vehicle wasn’t in bad shape, but it was pretty dirty, and had some light water spots that needed to be taken care of. Here is how it looked when dropped off.


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/dirty001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/dirty002.jpg

As usual I first foamed the vehicle with a mix of Blackfire soap and Blackfire APC to remove as much dirt and debris as possible before putting mitt to paint. While the foam was dwelling I also used a brush to agitate the emblems, gas door area, and all the seams and trim on the vehicle.


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/foam001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/foam002.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/foam003.jpg


The vehicle paint was then decontaminated with Wolfs Decon Gel, and finally clayed with Ricardo fine Clay using CG Luber as lube. It was then rinsed again and dried with various WW towels.

There were still a few light water spots so I decided to us Pinnacle Paint Cleaner to remove them, and prepare the paint for the LSP of choice. The paint cleaner was applied on a green BS pad with a PCXP. Once all the paint was squeaky clean two coats of Pinnacle Signature Series II wax was applied. This is one of my favorite waxes (a very close second to BFMS). It’s easy to apply, easy to remove, smells great, and looks amazing. Here are some reflection pictures.


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/reflec001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/reflec002.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/reflec003.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/reflec004.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/reflec005.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/reflec006.jpg


A few other notes, all the metal was polished and protected with Swissvax Metal polish, the trim was dress with Sonus Bumper and Tire Dressing, and the glass was cleaned with Meguiars Glass Cleaner. Here are the final pictures.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/after001.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/after002.jpg


http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n81/twistedframe/Ellen%20Hughes%20BMW%20328/after003.jpg

This was just a quick job that I enjoyed very much. The color was unique, at least to me, so I wanted to get some pictures of it. Thanks for looking!

[john b]

you really do some nice work

[lokerola]

Agreed, very nice work. The photos you take are outstanding as well.

[vet]

Nice work!

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

Nice work Flannigan.

One thing I have noticed is that the new 3 series (LCI or Life Cycle Impulse) dont shed nearly as much brake dust as before. My 11 is like a normal vehicle while my 07 has the typical front BMW brake dusting.

[Flannigan]

you really do some nice work
Thank you John!

Agreed, very nice work. The photos you take are outstanding as well. Thanks man! I enjoy taking pictures, and am really happy with the new lens I got.


Nice work!
Thanks!

Nice work Flannigan.

One thing I have noticed is that the new 3 series (LCI or Life Cycle Impulse) dont shed nearly as much brake dust as before. My 11 is like a normal vehicle while my 07 has the typical front BMW brake dusting.
Thank man. That is some good info that I didn't know about. Thank you for sharing! :dblthumb2:

[Robert8194]

Great job as usual. Beautiful car.

[Danube]

Very nice.

[Flash Gordon]

Nice job as always Dave!

You need to go get yourself a manicure

[Detail_Dude]

Beautiful work!

Regarding wolf's decon gel, I thought it was for wheels only. Guess not... So, if you don't mind telling, what was your procedure for application and removal of it?

Also, how do you manage to keep that nice driveway clean of chemical stains (cleaners and dressings)?

[Bunky]

Nice looking ride.

What was the dilution of soap/apc in the foamer?

[Flannigan]

Great job as usual. Beautiful car.
Thank you!

Very nice.
Thanks man!

Nice job as always Dave!

You need to go get yourself a manicure
LOL, thanks Flash! Maybe I will tag along with my wife the next time she goes....Im the MAN

Beautiful work!

Regarding wolf's decon gel, I thought it was for wheels only. Guess not... So, if you don't mind telling, what was your procedure for application and removal of it?

Also, how do you manage to keep that nice driveway clean of chemical stains (cleaners and dressings)?
Thanks man. Decon Gel was developed for wheels, and then people realized it worked just like Iron X to remove embedded iron particles from paint. It's cheaper, clings better, and you can let it dry on anything for hours and there are no ill effects. I usually spray it on, let it dwell for a while, agitate it with a plush MF, then let it dwell for a little longer, and finally rinse it off.

As for the driveway there are some stains a little further up, but the real trick is that I apply tire dressing and wheel well dressing in the road...lol.

Nice looking ride.

What was the dilution of soap/apc in the foamer?
Thanks Al! In the foamer it's 2oz of soap, 4oz of APC, and the rest water. :dblthumb2:

[Marc08EX]

That came out beautifully! Great job Flannigan!

[Flannigan]

That came out beautifully! Great job Flannigan!
Thanks Marc! :dblthumb2:

[Detail_Dude]

Those are pretty tight/narrow wells (unlike, say, a big truck). If you don't mind saying, how do you dress those ~ spray and spread with an old MF (to the degree you can readh) or just spray and walk away? On the same topic, what if anything did you put on the non-plastic (fabric) part of the rear wells?

Btw, thanks for the feedback on Wolf's de-con gel - appreciated that!