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.
