Hi all! This is a full detail I did (minus polish... he wants to wait until the spring for that because the winters can get pretty nasty and salty here) on Saturday. Despite all the bad things I've heard about BMW's and their mechanical/electrical issues, I still dig this car... big, mean and sexy at the same time IMO... and I got to drive it! OK it was only about 30 meters total when I rotated the wheels and drove it into the garage when I was finished, but technically that's still "driving" so I'll claim it
! I didn't get the chance to take pix of the entire "during" process, as I work alone and toward the end of the detail it was getting rather close to "bowling/beer:30" so I wanted to finish up in time. Also, I know some of the pics aren't the clearest or best... I'm no photographer and there's been something screwy with my camera lately.
Method of attack and weapons of choice:
- Foamed with my "just a bit better than dog poo" quasi-foaming contraption with a mix of Organizone No-Touch foam (10%) and Organizone HD Extra (3%) and water to remove any waxes/other crud... my new lance is on the way!!!
- Left to dwell and then hit the engine with HD Extra (10%+H2O) and some various brushes. Hit the underside of the bonnet 2x because there was some stubborn, caked-on grease there.
- Rinsed
- Hit the wheels with Organizone G1 gel-based wheel cleaner and some brushes that don't have a fancy name on them, but are exactly the same as the others... just I paid about 1 Euro for a pack of 7 (various sizes too) at the supermarket
- 2BM,rinsed after each 1/2 panel, with Auto Magic cherry bubbles and my lamb's wool mit
- Rinsed again
- Clayed with using a constant stream of H2O
- Dried with MF towels
- Wax of choice: SW Concorso
- Sealant: 2x Opti Seal (I went 2x because you really can't see that Opti Seal is being applied... Bence told me that I just have to have faith that it's there. Sounds like another story I've heard before sometime in my life and I didn't really trust that one either so I took matters into my own hands and put another layer on to cover things.
There's no before pics here as I'm limited to 34 pics only so this is the brief version.
Polished with steel wool and some metal polish
Not too awful... I also clayed the inside of the wheel wells which were full of tar
Wiper blades cleaned with a MF and Riwax Moto-Quick APC (1:10)
All buttered up. The weather was perfect today. Not hot at all so the surface stayed cool therefore applying the wax outside was no biggie.
Had a bite to eat while the wax was curing (approx. 15 min.)
Topped the washer fluids with winter wash (-32)
Engine after being dried and dressed with Magic Dressing
Rims and shuts all treated with Porzelack Teflon wax
Cleaned and waxed behind the door when it's open
All rubber seals hit with Sonax rubber seal treatment (looks and feels like ChapStick... me likey) so they don't stick to the metal in winter
Popped in the laser cleaning disc to run its course while I cleaned the interior
Straightened the cigarette lighter
Duct tape is great for removing the lint from felt arm rests
Parts of the console and doors waxed with CG Hardcore XXX
Mats and interior carpets shampooed with Organizone BAC carpet cleaner (1% product 99% water for lightly soiled 3% for heavy... now that's concentrated!) and vacuumed
ENJOY THE AFTERS!!!
The leather was cleaned with AM vinyl and leather cleaner and treated with AM leather conditioner. Considering the owner's age, 20, (
), the type of music in his CD changer and the car itself, I decided to go with a glossy dressing on the black leather parts for a little "bling, bling". It also gave a lovely contrast to the car with the basketball-colored leather being matt.
Comments always welcome! Thanks for looking and for the Playboy subscribers thanks for reading
!
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