Enhancement

BMW M135i

Enhancement Detail - Total Surface Protection

 The BMW M135i to most probably looks like a standard one series, it's not the most lary looking hot hatch but to the trained eye or any enthusiast it's certainly far from any normal one series. Under the bonnet is a three litre straight six engine with an additional twin scroll turbo which combined packs a punch of 320BHP. Not that normal little on series any more is it?

This particular M135i is owned by a soldier and it is his pride and joy. A little toy for the time he spends at home he wanted his pocket rocket looking its finest and booked it in with me after seeing my recent post about the Estoril Blue BMW 435D Gran Coupe I detailed a few months back. He wanted his to bounce with gloss and be rich in clarity as such booked it in with me to receive and Enhancement Detail along with my Total Surface Protection bolt on for the ultimate protection.

Over a 200 Mile round trip It was an early start, I travelled up to Oxford to Detail this little beauty leaving nice and early to get a good days work in. First up was a good deep clean, pulling cobwebs, dirt, leaves, grease and grime out of the engine bay, door and boot jams and then the arches. Meguiars Super Degreaser was the perfect product for the job breaking down the dirt and grime with ease. I then moved on to decontaminating the wheels. Bit Hamber Korrosol was applied liberally and let to soak. Using a variety of brushes and techniques this was agitated around the wheel to break down brake dust and fall out that had built up in the spokes and crevices of the alloy. The next step was to lay down a thick layer of snow foam, left to dwell and then rinsed. This ensures that the paintwork was free of loose dirt which helps prevent further damage when washing as I won't be dragging the loose dirt around the paint. Out came the trusty buckets and my nice big fluffy wash pad. Now the car had been safely washed it was time to decontaminate the paint. First up Bilt Hamber Korrosol was now applied to the paint and left to dwell then rinsed, then the exterior dried. Why dry it now? For tar remover to work effectively the paint needs to be dry, it does work wet but is 10x more effective when dry and quicker! Tar remover applied, dwelled and rinsed then finally the paint and glass were clayed using a clay mitt. 

Now the car is clean and decontaminated and safely dried its time to tape up and prepare for depth readings and inspection before the polishing stages. I work around the car methodically taking paint depth readings to ensure all panels have safe levels of paintwork on them to ensure the polishing can be performed safely. Readings taken and recorded I began testing on the bonnet trying a variety of pads and polishes to see which achieve the desired result. Taped up, Earphones in and Polisher on I worked around the car performing a single stage machine polish lifting light defects from the paint and restoring depth and clarity to the clear coat. After successfully lifting 90% of the defects from the clear coat leaving the odd RDS (Really Deep Scratch) behind due to it being an enhancement and not full correction. After the polishing stages were completed the paintwork was inspected using another pair of eyes (the mrs) and mine with a Sun Gun Torch which will pretty much find anything you can't.  

Happy with the results it was time to seal that finish in with the first part of my Total Surface Protection. Polish Angel Cosmic always looks stunning on German Paintwork so I decided this would suit best, the paintwork was prepped with Polish Angel Primer which contains compounds that are crucial to the bonding process of Cosmic and ensure it bonds properly to the surface of the paint. Now the paintwork was properly prepared I started applying the coating, once applied it was then layered to ensure optimum levels of protection and ensure durability. While these layers were curing I moved onto the wheels, applying two layers of Gtechniq C5 Alloy Wheel Armour and Gtechniq G1 to the glass. With the exterior coatings complete it was time to move onto the finer details. Firstly giving the exhaust a good polish to remove soot and coking, unfortunately the tips of these exhausts had perished so they were not immaculate but im sure you will agree a vast improvement was achieved. Once cleaned and polished the Tips were sealed with Gtechniq C5 which is also a heat resistant coating so can be used on the exhausts as well as the wheels. Next up is rubber and plastic trims, sealed with Gtechniq C4 and Tyres dressed with the only tyre shine that should be used, Meguiars Endurance Tyre Gel. 

The exterior complete it was time to move inside. Matts removed, hoovered and wet vac'd to remove stains and soiling, especially from the drivers matt. While they were drying I hoovered the interior lifting loose dirt in order to clean and coat all interior surfaces. Using Auto Finesse Leather cleaner and a leather brush I agitated the product to lift several years of embedded dirt from the leather pores. Once the leather was properly cleaned it was protected with Gtechniq L1 along with the Matts protected with Smart Fabric adding hydrophobic properties to the fabric. 

Onto the last part of the Total Surface protection, Sealing the engine bay. Trying out a new product on this M135i, Koch Chemie Nano Plast Care, This product forms a highly durable chemical bond with the surface and restores a satin black finish to the plastic and protects it form further deterioration. I was highly impressed with the product and it'll certainly be used again. 

The owner was blown away with the end result, commenting how he wasn't expecting such high levels of attention to detail, another transformation complete. Next!

BMW F80 M3

Enhancement Detail

A BMW Man through and through I'm always happy to have one through the doors. This stunning F80 M3 was no exception. This colour is exceptional, to look at the paint looks like solid blue, however under lighting and when the sun comes out it has a stunning metallic tint to it which I couldn't wait to fully extract through the polishing stages. 

The owner had booked the car in mainly for the purposes of coatings. He knew about ceramic and glass coatings and was looking for the best possible protection from the british elements with good durability too. C-Quartz UK seemed like a great choice, always adding a silky gloss to solid colour cars I though it would suit this M3 perfectly. 

Upon arrival the car was showing signs of some neglect and good use, which dont get me wrong good use certainly isn't a bad thing. First things first was to go through all the decontamination stages prior to any paintwork work. So a nice thick layer of snow foam was applied, removing all surface dirt and contaminants. Whilst that dwelled I began working on the wheels. BMW wheels can be right nightmare if they haven't been looked after properly, Iron fallout builds up in the well that runs around the back of the wheel spokes and takes some time and dedication to remove. So after ensuring every last spec was removed from the wheels I jetted the car down and moved on. 

Time to get washing, two buckets of course with grit guards, and a good soft mitt is essential to the washing stages. A good thorough wash, she was rinsed off ready to apply TFR removers. Iron X removing the Iron Fall out and Tardis removing tar, both products make for easy decontamination in prep for clay. Now not everyones a fan of clay mitts but I must say on a newer car they are an utter time saver, this M3 hadn't seen too many months of use so out came the mitt and a good clay later she was rinsed down ready to be dried. 

Dried safely with a variety of towels and our handy little metro vac the car was taken inside and left to dry naturally to ensure that all the water ran out the cracks to make sure when we taped up the tape didn't peel back or bubble. Tape up, gloves on, machine out, STOP! Dont forget paint measurements. So step by step I walked around the car, taking measurements and recording them to ensure that every panel was machine safe, fortunately it was so lights on and I got down to business. I tried out a new single stage compound and polish to do this F80 M3 after a recommendation from a fellow detailer and I must say what a cracking product it is. The polishing went without a hitch on this lovely M3 and after around 20 Hours of polishing she was finally ready for IPA Wipe down and final inspection.

Ceramic Bolt on meant the customer had a few choices to make, he opted for Car Pro C Quartz UK for the paint, Gtechniq C5 for the Wheels and Carbon Collective Platinum for the glass. This stage must not be rushed, so several hours were spent applying various coats to the different parts of the car before leaving it to cure. Whilst curing I got on with the interior. By the time the coatings had cured, the interior was done and I had also done all the last few bits such as dressing the engine bay, polishing the exhausts and dressing the tyres. 

Two and Half days later she was finished, light swirling and a few minor defects removed by a single stage enhancement detail, followed by ceramic bolt ons to the paint glass and wheels. Lovely car, lovely finish and a pleasure to detail. 

Mercedes C63 AMG

Enhancement Detail

A personal favourite of mine it was a pleasure to have the opportunity to prepare this C63 for a wedding. The notoriously hard Mercedes paint had picked up its fare share of swirls during its life and my work was cut out to turn it around and return the gloss during the jeweling stages. First off was to prepare and decontaminate all surfaces. The exterior was washed, decontaminated and deep cleaned. The car was moved inside, readings taken and fully inspected. Via the Rupes BigFoot UHS system the paintwork was corrected to return the paint to better than factory condition and then enhanced to increase gloss levels. The paintwork was then sealed with Gtehcniq C2v3, Wheels with Auto Finesse Mint Rims. The interior was deep cleaned, leather wiped down and cleaned with DR Leather wipes then treated. The end results where incredible and the gloss levels achieved where beyond my expectations. Unfortunately I didn't get time to take photos of the decontamination stages however the rest of the photos speak for themselves.


Renault Sport Megane R26R

Enhancement Detail

This Renault Sport Megane had seen months of hard track use prior to arrival at Detail Driven. A pedigree track car, it has been used for what it was built for. The owner decided it was time to sell up and decided to let me turn back the clock and restore the life back into this tired looking car. Following a heavy decontamination process and deep cleanse, the car was taken inside for paint readings. Some signs of repair, it was a good job readings where taken as they varied throughout. The paintwork underwent a single stage correction via the Rupes Bigfoot system. The interior and engine bay were deep cleaned and enhanced prior to the exterior being sealed with G-Techniq C2v3. Wheels were sealed in Auto Finesse Mint Rims and engine bay, trims and tyres dressed. The outcome, a stunning R26R that deep down, I wish I could have bought myself.


Ferrari 458 Italia

Enhancement Detail

This Ferrari 458 Enhancement detail was a sales prep. The customer felt it was time to part with his pride and joy and wanted the paint in exceptional condition. Following full decontamination, Clay and meticulous removal of all the tar the car was taken inside for paint readings and inspection. Given the car it is the paintwork displayed minor swirling which was gently corrected out using lightly abrasive polishes and then refined. The paintwork was then sealed with Auto Finesse Illusion a show car wax to enhance the finish and appearance as much as possible. Wheels were sealed in Auto Finesse mint rims and the engine bay and exhausts fined and enhanced. A beautiful car looking absolutely stunning ready for its new life.