justin_murphy
04-14-2007, 08:44 AM
This was a referral from a good friend of mine. His son and mine play on the same soccer team. This new customer is also his neighbor so I had to do an extremely good job or he'd hear about it everyday!
The car was bought used with only 9000 miles on it. It was in decent shape but had has seen nothing but drive-thru car washes for the last year. There was a few swirls but mainly a lot of contaminants on the paint's surface. Claying was a must here.
Here's the process.....
Engine Bay:
(ZEP Citrus Degreaser 1:1 & Armor All Tire Foam)
I sprayed the bay down liberally with ZEP and then let sit for about 10 minutes. It was pretty filthy from the gravel roads here where we live. I then pressure washed it off. While still wet, I foamed the complete bay with Armor All. I then shut the hood and started the motor. I let it run while I finished the car's washing.
Wheels, Tires, and Wells:
(ZEP Citrus Degreaser & DP Wheel Gel)
I now coated these areas with the ZEP mix. I also sprayed the front bumper and lower panels with it as a pre-wash. Worked really well. No harmful smells and my hands are not drying out. I now pressured washed thoroughly. Noticing that these Bimmer wheels needed more attention, I focused on one wheel at a time. I sprayed one wheel with DP Wheel Gel. I used a Meguiar's Boar's Hair (Small) detail brush to get into the tight spots. Here's a link to the brush I used.....Meg's Brush (http://www.autogeek.net/x1120.html). The tires were finally coated in Pinnacle's Black Onyx Tire Gel.
Wash Cycle:
(NXT Tech Wash & 1 Cup of ZEP Citrus)
I added the ZEP to really clean the paint. I've been doing it now for about a week and love it. Excellent for prepping for a full paint correction. This is not something I will do to maintain. Let's just make that clear now.
Paint Correction:
(Optimum's Hyper Compound with CYCLO and EDGE2K Green Pads)
I first clayed the surfaces with Pinnacle's Poly Clay. Pretty nasty, now on to compounding. I recently received a sample of this so I thought I'd give it a shot on this BMW paint. This compound is pretty amazing. Tough but if you take your time, it will finish out LSP ready. It with the CYCLO, cleaned and removed swirls..........even some major scratches. Pretty good stuff worth having around.
Paint Protection:
(Pinnacle's Souveran Paste Wax)
I applied this with a Wolfgang Foam Finger Pad. I like doing this since you don't have to focus on holding the pad. It also let's you get into tight areas. I did the whole car first then removed it. It was a little tougher than just doing one panel at a time but this is just what I'm used to doing. I've always questioned this 80.00 wax.....until now. Since using it recently on my truck and now this car, the depth and gloss it adds is simply in a class of it's own. It may not be for everyone and yes, you can get good results with others that are cheaper. I, personally, can tell then difference.....along with my customer.
Interior Cleaning & Protection:
The floor mats were spot treated with FOLEX then sprayed with ZEP Citrus 10:1. I let them soak while cleaning the rest of the interior. I wiped down every surface with the ZEP mix. It cleaned the plastic and leather thoroughly and safely. I then treated the rubber and vinyl areas with Pinnacle's Protectant. The leather got a liberal coating of Pinnacle's Leather Conditioner.
The glass was then cleaned with DP's Krystal vision.
Befores.......
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures018.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures017.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures002.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures001.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures007.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures008.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures011.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures012.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures014.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures015.jpg
The car was bought used with only 9000 miles on it. It was in decent shape but had has seen nothing but drive-thru car washes for the last year. There was a few swirls but mainly a lot of contaminants on the paint's surface. Claying was a must here.
Here's the process.....
Engine Bay:
(ZEP Citrus Degreaser 1:1 & Armor All Tire Foam)
I sprayed the bay down liberally with ZEP and then let sit for about 10 minutes. It was pretty filthy from the gravel roads here where we live. I then pressure washed it off. While still wet, I foamed the complete bay with Armor All. I then shut the hood and started the motor. I let it run while I finished the car's washing.
Wheels, Tires, and Wells:
(ZEP Citrus Degreaser & DP Wheel Gel)
I now coated these areas with the ZEP mix. I also sprayed the front bumper and lower panels with it as a pre-wash. Worked really well. No harmful smells and my hands are not drying out. I now pressured washed thoroughly. Noticing that these Bimmer wheels needed more attention, I focused on one wheel at a time. I sprayed one wheel with DP Wheel Gel. I used a Meguiar's Boar's Hair (Small) detail brush to get into the tight spots. Here's a link to the brush I used.....Meg's Brush (http://www.autogeek.net/x1120.html). The tires were finally coated in Pinnacle's Black Onyx Tire Gel.
Wash Cycle:
(NXT Tech Wash & 1 Cup of ZEP Citrus)
I added the ZEP to really clean the paint. I've been doing it now for about a week and love it. Excellent for prepping for a full paint correction. This is not something I will do to maintain. Let's just make that clear now.
Paint Correction:
(Optimum's Hyper Compound with CYCLO and EDGE2K Green Pads)
I first clayed the surfaces with Pinnacle's Poly Clay. Pretty nasty, now on to compounding. I recently received a sample of this so I thought I'd give it a shot on this BMW paint. This compound is pretty amazing. Tough but if you take your time, it will finish out LSP ready. It with the CYCLO, cleaned and removed swirls..........even some major scratches. Pretty good stuff worth having around.
Paint Protection:
(Pinnacle's Souveran Paste Wax)
I applied this with a Wolfgang Foam Finger Pad. I like doing this since you don't have to focus on holding the pad. It also let's you get into tight areas. I did the whole car first then removed it. It was a little tougher than just doing one panel at a time but this is just what I'm used to doing. I've always questioned this 80.00 wax.....until now. Since using it recently on my truck and now this car, the depth and gloss it adds is simply in a class of it's own. It may not be for everyone and yes, you can get good results with others that are cheaper. I, personally, can tell then difference.....along with my customer.
Interior Cleaning & Protection:
The floor mats were spot treated with FOLEX then sprayed with ZEP Citrus 10:1. I let them soak while cleaning the rest of the interior. I wiped down every surface with the ZEP mix. It cleaned the plastic and leather thoroughly and safely. I then treated the rubber and vinyl areas with Pinnacle's Protectant. The leather got a liberal coating of Pinnacle's Leather Conditioner.
The glass was then cleaned with DP's Krystal vision.
Befores.......
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures018.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures017.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures002.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures001.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures007.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures008.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures011.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures012.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures014.jpg
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a127/justin30513/2004%20BMW%20525i/Pictures015.jpg