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It's all in the details

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    It's all in the details

    Taken from Detailingworld.co.uk:

    Background

    This particular detail was a labour of love – It’s a car that I bought a few months back after chasing it for over a year.

    Around a year ago one of my customers and now good friend (Steve Kings from pcgb) were talking about cars after me completing a detail on his 993RSR. We got onto the subject of concourse and ‘barn find’ cars. He mentioned that his long time friend had an old E36 M3 stashed away in his Nan’s garage somewhere and it was possibly up for sale. I WANTED IT!! The problem was that the owner lived and worked in Switzerland, the car was close by in the UK and Steve was unsure of when he was coming home! After months of snatched international calls and text messages I did still nowhere near own the car. I gave up, bought a Lotus and forgot all about it.

    So around 2 months ago I got a call out of the blue from Steve saying that he had just collected his mate from the airport – He was in the UK and had a lot of things to sort out. One of those things was selling the M3

    The Car

    This car was the E36 2nd generation M3 – the successor to the E30 M3. As I chatted to the owner making arrangements to go and view the M3 it became apparent that his model was a bit tasty. T213 KHE was infact #19/50 of a model called the M3 EVO GT2 (EVO individual) it was produced in the twighlight years of the E36 and was offered in a fixed spec to 50 UK customers only. It is basically a 3.2 litre 321bhp EVO in a unique (at the time) colour called Imola Red. The additions over the ‘standard’ EVO were as follows:

    Anthracite interior trim with seat centre parts, door inserts and grab handles in Red Nappa Leather
    Seat side parts and headrests in Anthracite
    Sports steering wheel with air bag
    Clear Indicators
    GTII Spoiler
    Front bumper corner extensions
    Harmon Kardon Stereo
    Electric rear pop-out windows
    Side airbags

    The best bit was yet to come – the car had covered just 7 thousand miles from new!! The owner had bought the car new – drove it for a few months and clocked up 7230 miles. He returned in 2003 briefly – had a thorough Inspection II service completed at Hartwell BMW in Warrington and added 23 miles before retuning to his job in Switzerland.

    I must admit at the time before viewing it I was expecting an absolute mint box – when I went to view it for the first time I was very disappointed indeed.

    Upon arrival the car was hastily stashes in a rickety old garage partly covered in a blanket, foam padding over the tailgate and covered in boxes. The passenger side was parked close to the wall leaving enough space along the driver’s side to pack it garden furniture and a mountain bike. The front end had been left uncovered and had around 5mm of dust and grime and there was an honest smattering of rat footprints all over the front end. I managed to snatch a view of one side only as to unpack the garage just to view was out of the question really.

    After a lot of thought I decided to buy it and hope for the best.

    So I made arrangements to collect it. Having been stood so long I just couldn’t turn up, reverse it out and drive it away though. All the fluids – engine oil, diff oil, gearbox oil, PAS oil, coolant and fuel would have gone bad. Also all the belts would need to be changed along with the battery and anything else my mechanic could find. I arranged to have it towed away.

    I arrived at 0900hrs on a Saturday morning and unpacked the garage and managed to snatch a few pics


    Bonnet


    Front screen


    We had to manually roll the car out and down a very narrow driveway ready to winch it on the trailer


    I snatched a shot of the interior too – not the mould forming on the steering wheel



    As you can see it was raining at the time. Just great!

    In daylight I could get a better look at the car and found nothing major – apart from to N/S front wing had a small dent at the front where a brass lamp on a shelf had fallen and clipped the wing. As we offer Paintless dent removal as a service then I was sure it would come out. Phew I was relieved that the gamble on buying was so far a good idea! The car was dropped off and I hastily gave the car a quick wash (I remembered to take along two buckets etc and the garage hat a jet wash. I was so anxious to get rid of as must dust as possible as it was really eating away at me!


    After a few days I got the call from the garage I was waiting for (and hoping nothing more than I had anticipated had been found) the car was ready for collection.

    I was really frustrated though – my diary stacked and me with a burning desire to rip into the M3 and get it done. I had to grab a day here and a Saturday there to get it done over a few months. As this wash the case the usual order of the detail was a little muddled, but for the purpose of the write up I have set it out in a regular procedure format.

    Once back at Off Your Marks I set about washing it properly

    Here is the equipment used



    I am currently using Autoglym acid free wheel cleaner and must admit to being mightily impressed with it – great action and very safe, especially important on the polished face EVO rims.



    I decided to remove the wheels after doing the first due to awkward tar spotting – plus I wanted the arches clean too. Heres a wheel clean sequence



    Misted with the AG and agitated with ***** Brush



    Next the wheels were treated with another AG product – Tar and Adhesive remover.



    At this point with the wheels rinsed and taken inside, the arches were assessed – not too bad really. I used the trusty Meguiars SDG and a good brush. It has to be noted that Daveb from DW played a major role here which allowed me to get on with a few other bits.

    Before



    After – note the arch area around the spring looks discoloured due to the fade out of the red paint from manufacture and the base is visible


    And the front before



    And After



    And a shot of arch – head inside looking at upper inner lip



    Meanwhile back indoors I cracked on with the alloys, firstly claying with my old favourite sonus mild



    And then HD cleanse
    ...petrolhead

    2007 E60 M5 Black Sapphire|Indianapolis Red

    #2
    I then coated the rims inside and out with Royale

    Back outside I then tackled the engine bay – already clean but suffering a little with transport wax and a little grime.



    All shuts, trim, badges, seals, sills were agitated by brush and a shot of APC to begin breaking down the grime and tickle away any product residue from the owners waxing sessions years ago!



    The next stage was to complete the pre wash – Hyper wash foaming and soaking


    After the pre wash soak then it was rinsed again with hyper wash and 45deg water.


    I then washed using natural sea sponge and the familiar two buckets.


    After washing I checked for any tar spots and removed with AG. After that the car was again pre washed and then I went on to clay – Meguiars Pro – soft.

    Nice clean piece


    Starting with the roof – just a small section


    Then after the small section – years of bonding removed


    After the claying was completed then I washed again and then rinsed with pure filtered water


    And brought the car inside to dry with the leaf blower


    Due to the time available in the rest of the day and me feeling tired – I decided to round off with the interior – generally it was in very clean condition.

    I removed the mats and vacuumed out the interior and cleansed all surfaces with APC and disinfectant (not seat though) to remove any bacteria that may have been present from the storage. I also use an air con cleaner that was let off from a canister inside the car and recalculated throughout – no pics of this though.

    I then went onto the mats, spraying with APC and scrubbing well


    And then wet extracting


    I also removed and wet extracted the engine compartment sound insulation!


    I also removed and cleaned the pedal rubbers


    And the driver’s seat mounted fire extinguisher


    The seats are a combination of red Nappa leather and suede – yep real suede not alcantara. After vacuuming the seats were lightly brushed


    As you will know – suede goes shiny with even moderate use. I was pleased to find that they are absolutely unworn


    With the interior done the next step was to rectify and cosmetic trim etc before correction detailing. A common problem with the E36 is the grommet ends of the rear window seals and side window grommets perish. In this case the N/S grommets on the aforementioned had done just that. I put this down to the N/S being parked close to the wall of the garage and also covered with the blanket thus providing poor airflow over the years.

    Heres a before to show what I mean
    ...petrolhead

    2007 E60 M5 Black Sapphire|Indianapolis Red

    Comment


      #3
      Then removed


      And then replaced with new seal



      The side pop out window was removed and then the offending trims taken away



      I replaced all seals for good measure and then built back up


      It was at this point I decided I really wanted to go well above and beyond the regular pre correction prep.

      Spoiler remove and split in two to allow thorough polishing on both sides


      Lights, indicators, plates and door trims removed


      This was also a good time to get our dent guy to remove the wing ding


      I removed the Kidney grilles and used Zymöl Metall to remove the light tarnishing


      I also removed the front bumper to inspect behind for cleanliness – it was very good as expected


      I cleaned it later with APC

      So finally I was ready to tackle the paintwork – swirling was very light and I did struggle to pick it up on the camera. That said there were a few scuffs from the storage factors – like the drivers door


      Paint thickness all over was healthy and original



      Machine polishing was initially dealt with using the Megs yellow polishing pad and 3M EFC leaving a good clarity under the scrutiny of the 3M sun gun and just a little polish hazing evident that would be picked up with the finishing polish later.


      I unleashed Dave and his kung-fu grip gorilla hands on the spoiler’s undersides


      And I carried on with the rest of the car



      I managed to get a decent shot of the typical paint condition. The owner had informed me I washed it regularly when he first got it – as he wash detailing unaware then the once common wash practice of bucket and sponge was no doubt responsible!
      ...petrolhead

      2007 E60 M5 Black Sapphire|Indianapolis Red

      Comment


        #4
        But it all came good


        Whilst on the ramp I removed an engine inspection cover to see if the ‘as new’ theme continued – I was delighted to find it did!



        Anyway, back onto the detail. On the bonnet I popped out the washer jets to allow me to get in there and provide the best correction possible. Here I am using a 3m mini waffle pad


        Generally the car was coming out perfect and I was a very happy bunny after the gamble I took on the purchase


        So once the car was corrected and finished I began the presentation. I re washed the car and then set about a thorough drying, firstly by leaf blower and then via compressed air and soft brush.



        Following this the car was carefully wiped with IPA and then HD cleansed


        When the car was LSP ready then I had to decide on what product to use. The choice was a simple one for me – Zymöl Royale Estate Glaze (this has recently gone up in price and now retails at £8118!!)




        I then conditioned the rubbers with Zymöl seal


        And extraneous plastics with Zymöl vinyl and exhaust with Metall


        Glass was cleaned with bohle glass cleaner and under the bonnet was left untouched. This is mainly due to the fact that the car will be entered in some concourse events and I need to due further work replacing any slightly tarnished bolts etc. Will probably do a write up of the engine bay detail when I do it. Looks pretty good for now though.


        After a while allowing for the wax sweat I buffed again using field glaze


        So that’s about it for now – future plans include the callipers and discs and then all the underside. But maybe that’s to be done over winter if the diary allows. Or I may sell it to a collector to enjoy further.

        Skipping back to the start of the purchase, I spoke to a few people including magazines to find more information on the car. One mag in particular expressed an interest in the work and the car and attended a couple of days ago for the feature shoot




        Looking forward to the issue of that!

        So heres a few final shots of the car

        This one is a nice one – the original tax disc holder with the original 12 month tax disc from new purchase


        This is the untouched spare wheel – last inspected in 2003 when the owner briefly returned home to the UK
        ...petrolhead

        2007 E60 M5 Black Sapphire|Indianapolis Red

        Comment


          #5
          The unopened first aid pack and cd magazine cover


          And heres a selection of random shots










          Thanks for reading

          Best Wishes

          Matt


          ... Simply Amazing
          ...petrolhead

          2007 E60 M5 Black Sapphire|Indianapolis Red

          Comment


            #6
            I want this done to all my cars :D
            Meskovic
            this is as far as i understand (correct me if i am wrong) a public forum, where people share ideas on how to make the bmw lifestyle better and more pleasurable and enjoyable..where we benefit from others mistakes and learn from our own ,share experiences..all in a common goal to make everything and everyone better, not the opposite.. do i need to remind everyone of all the laughs we had and how many times we shared food and shisha together..how many times we all stayed up late to fix anothers friend (brother) issues?? This is what makes a community, us, people..a common understanding and fellowship..respect

            Comment


              #7
              I haven't seen a better condition M3 in my entire life !!
              I bet BMW doesn't have one this good !
              sigpic5/94' E36 318iS 5-spd
              Bilstein PSS|SWIFT 070's|26/18mm sways|FCABS|Sphericals|Prospec/ACS bars|M plates+shims
              LTW FW+228mm SACHS|UUC EVOII|ATS Metal LSD|Solid mounts throughout
              P&P TB|3" box|COP|FDM|De'heater plated
              Recaro|OMP|Borbet/MK Motorsports|M DSII's|Custom lip

              Comment


                #8
                complete! complete pampering !!
                wow is she a lucky woman!
                scratch-less is an understatement !
                2008 325i coupe
                Stock

                Comment


                  #9
                  that's very very professional!

                  i need that done to my teeth!

                  BMW history:
                  07 Z4MC | 01 330ci | 99 Z3R | 93 325ic

                  Comment


                    #10
                    DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMNNNNN!!!! talk about meticulous!

                    WOW! absolutely beautiful
                    sigpic

                    Something EVIL is brewing... :///M:

                    Cry havoc... and let slip the dogs of WAR!!!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      :bow: :bow: :bow: :bow:

                      2008 E92 335i Space Grey / Coral Red
                      Mods: Front Aero Lip | Hartge Rear Spoiler | JB+ Performance Chip | AA bov | AA full exhaust system | Air Scoops

                      www.moenajati.com

                      Comment


                        #12
                        " Mitfaygeen walla " lool i wont pay 7000 £ for polish
                        Drive To The Satisfaction... A Dreamer's Pursuit

                        2013 F10 M5 - M Drivers Package
                        Alpine White / Sakhir Orange

                        Mods: ZCP Kidney Grilles

                        2009 E92 M3 - M Drivers Package
                        Melbourne Red / Imola Red [Manual] (SOLD)

                        Mods: Full Catless AlphaMale Performance Valvetronic Exhaust | Macht Schnell Stage 2 Air Intake | H&R Lowering Springs | ECS Tuning Spacers | Carbon Fiber Front Splitters | Glossy Black Kidney Grilles | Plasti-Dipped Fender Grilles | LCI Tail Lights | Carbon Fiber H-Style Diffuser | Stage 2 Tune (Simon MotorSport) | Macht Schnell Pulleys | Carbon Fiber LowKick Trunk Spoiler

                        2003 E46 M3 - Carbon Black / Imola Red (BLOWN)
                        Mods: Rear Smoked LEDs | Front Smoked Corner Lights | 4300K Phillips 85122+ Bulbs | BMC Drop-In Panel | Matt Black Kidney Grilles | 7500K CCFL | Matt Black Side Grilles | FOX SS Muffler | VIEZU Remap | CSL Carbon Fiber Splitters | EvoSport Under Drive Pulley Kit | K&N Cold Air Intake | K&N Scoops | Hawk Carbon-Ceramic Brake Pads | R1Concepts Zinc-Coated Cross-Drilled Rotors | Agency Power Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines | Hyper Black M3 Competition Rims | FXR Bi-Xenon Projectors w/ Clear Lenses | 70% 3M Tinting
                        1997 E39 528i - Champagne Beige / Sand Beige (SOLD)
                        Mods: Front & Rear OEM Facelift | K&N Cold Air Intake | Straight Pipes | MAF Delete | Custom Made Air Intake Elbow | 3.15 LSD Differential | SplitFire Spark Plugs | E36-7 Z3 OEM 17" Rims | 50% 3M Tinting

                        Need Assistance?
                        eMail:
                        Rafik@bmwclubuae.com


                        @Rafik_Jabbour (Link)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          "When the car was LSP ready then I had to decide on what product to use. The choice was a simple one for me – Zymöl Royale Estate Glaze (this has recently gone up in price and now retails at £8118!!)"


                          i would rather sell my left nut before buying polish material for £8118...


                          i admire the work and the outcome though.

                          seriously wtf!

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Zymol products are one of the best products for car detailing, ive read in various forums where people used Zymol and have appreciated them alot. I dont think any car detailing shop here uses Zymol products..

                            Comment


                              #15
                              i really can't justify paying over 56k aed for polishing my car... will you?

                              Comment

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