Le Mans Blue BMW M5 Paint Correction

RickRack · 06-09-08, 08:48

*Updated pictures on page 5 -7/27/2008

This beautiful blue BMW M5 belongs to a relative of one of my good customers, which is a member here on Autopia. The owner takes really great care of this car, but it was in need of a serious polishing due to minor paint imperfections and a moderate amount of swirl marks from washing, etc.. Not bad for a car that is 5 years old! The car has some minor performace mods which were tastefully chosen and really add to the car.

By looking at the car under the halogens, you can see that the swirls are very visible. Some of the imperfections were imbedded deep into the clearcoat and I knew that multiple passes would be necessary to fully remove them.

Below is what the car looked like after it had been washed and masked off.

RickRack · 06-09-08, 08:50

Paint thickness readings were taken as a guide to ensure that a safe amount of clearcoat was present before any heavy polishing was done. The readings ranged between 4.4 to 5.8 mils on most panels.

I started off by using the drivers side rear door as a test panel to find out what combination of products would yield the desired results. I started by using a few different products on a yellow foam cutting pad, but the clearcoat was extremely hard and did not want to cooperate. I decided to step up to a purple foamed wool pad for a little extra bite, which made a huge difference. I was amazed how rock-hard the clearcoat was and knew that It wasn’t going to be an easy detail.

After perfecting my test panel, it was time to start on the rest of the car. I decided to use Mark V Uno on a purple foamed wool pad for all of the heavy defect removal. It took me 3 – 4 sets of passes and a total of 18 hours to completely remove the heavier defects. The Uno left a really nice finish for a compound, but a middle step was needed before a finishing polish could be used. Menzerna SIP on a yellow Meguiar’s So1o foam pad was used for the middle step, which removed all of the compounding haze and left the paint ready for the final polish. I decided to use Menzerna 85rd on a blue CCS pad for the last step, which made a huge difference in depth, gloss, clarity and reflectivity.

After all of polishing was complete, I washed the entire car again to remove the excessive dust and compound / polishing residue from all of the cracks & crevices. After the wash, I wiped the entire car down with 91% alcohol to remove any oils or polishing residue thay may have been present to ensure a perfect foundation for the sealant to bond properly. I applied Werkstatt’s Prime by hand and let it cure overnight. The following morning, I applied a topcoat of Natty’s Blue which really added to the looks.

RickRack · 06-09-08, 08:51

The pollen was the worst I have ever seen, which you might be able to see in some the pictures. The car was covered in pollen not even five minutes after pulling it out of the garage. Here are pictures of the end result…

RickRack · 06-09-08, 08:52

The final process ended up being…

Washed

Extensive cleaning of tires, wheels and wheel wells

Cleaned engine compartment

Claybar treatment

Rewashed

Body solvent wipedown

Alcohol wipedown

Buffed complete exterior with Mark V Uno using a purple foamed wool pad 3 to 4 times until all heavy defects were removed

Buffed complete exterior with SIP using a yellow Meguiar’s So1o foam pad

Buffed complete exterior with 85rd using a blue CCS pad

Washed the entire car again to remove the excessive dust and polishing residue from all of the cracks & crevices

Alcohol wipedown

Clear-Seal followed by Z8 on the wheels and clear-bra protection film

Z6 & Z8 on plastic side moldings

Black Wow on front & rear bumper moldings

Deep-Alum on the exhaust tips

Dressed tires and wheel wells with Super Blue dressing

Hand application of Werkstatt’s Prime to the complete exterior (let cure over night)

Hand application of Natty’s Blue by hand

Pats300zx · 06-09-08, 09:18

Awesome job Rick !!!!

RickRack · 06-09-08, 09:26

Thanks Pat!

snowskate · 06-09-08, 09:35

Fantastic work Rick!!!!

We really appreciated the time and effort you put into this car.

I saw it again yesterday. The owner just wetted it down / foam gun'd it (Optimum Car Wash with a touch of ONR) / and rinse. No sponge, no mitt , no contact with the paint except for a blot dry with 2 WWMF's. just a good rinse to get all that DARN pollen off!!!!

Quite honestly, the owner is still kinda dumbfounded / letting it soak in on how great a turnaround it was!! He's still coming to terms with the fact that his car will look better than he could imagine for longer than he could imagine!!!!

I've sent him a detailed list on how to move forward with the right products and technique to ensure a mar free wash.

thanks again, i was anticipating this detail for quite a while now.

RickRack · 06-09-08, 09:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by snowskate

Fantastic work Rick!!!!

We really appreciated the time and effort you put into this car.

I saw it again yesterday. The owner just wetted it down / foam gun'd it (Optimum Car Wash with a touch of ONR) / and rinse. No sponge, no mitt , no contact with the paint except for a blot dry with 2 WWMF's. just a good rinse to get all that DARN pollen off!!!!

Quite honestly, the owner is still kinda dumbfounded / letting it soak in on how great a turnaround it was!! He's still coming to terms with the fact that his car will look better than he could imagine for longer than he could imagine!!!!

I've sent him a detailed list on how to move forward with the right products and technique to ensure a mar free wash.

thanks again, i was anticipating this detail for quite a while now.

Thanks again!

I'm glad he is happy with the way it came out. The car is absolutely gorgeous and I know how well he will keep it up now that it is perfect.

porta · 06-09-08, 09:44

Looks stunning! What do you think about UNO? I have not been able to test it but I love Mystique.

Jokeman · 06-09-08, 09:52

Nice job Rick. Pollen has been nasty in the last couple days!

RickRack · 06-09-08, 10:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by porta

Looks stunning! What do you think about UNO? I have not been able to test it but I love Mystique.

Thanks!
I was a little skeptical at first, but I did an entire panel with it and was pleasantly surprised after I wiped it down with 91% alcohol after. It actually cut better than 3M Extra Cut and left a much better finish. This paint was rock-hard and the Uno really worked great. I might have been able to go straight to a finishing polish after, but since I had used a woolpad, I didn't want to take any chances. SIP on a yellow pad cleaned up the compounding haze with no effort at all.

I can't wait to experiment a little more with it. I bought some MV350 and IP200 as well that I have yet to try. I'll be sure to let you know the more I work with it.

Jokeman-

Thanks! The pollen was unbelievable the other day! There were green clouds literally blowing through the air.

shine · 06-09-08, 10:26

Awesome work! That paint was hammered!