1988 bmw m3 - 16 pads!

tdekany · 04-28-06, 08:17

I did many steps to make sure that the oxidation was gone. The hood was CC (repaint) but looked almost worse then the rest of the car.

Terrible after picture. Sorry.

before

all taped up

during

after

BigAl3 · 04-28-06, 08:35

very nice outcome, what was your process?

Setec Astronomy · 04-28-06, 08:44

Were you able to bring that spoiler back?

Scottwax · 04-29-06, 07:26

What steps/products did you do/use? Did you slap the owner for letting it get that bad?

Horror show before, show car after.

mrecktid · 04-29-06, 08:08

Moar Pics!!

LucentTeg · 04-30-06, 07:46

It looks good, lets see more pics

ritchic · 04-30-06, 09:02

holy oxidation nice work!

tdekany · 05-01-06, 07:36

Thanks guys - sorry no more after pix, but I have to do some touch up work for the guy soon. Claims I missed some spots.

the wing/trunk came out excellent. Not sure how long it will last on the wing though.

wash
ssr2.5
aio
dp Mild swirl remover
dp final polish
op
ohc
some ssr1

these were the polishes I used throughout.
rotary/pc

Sealed with FK1 #2180

He bought a new set of wheels so I didn't touched the old wheels.

brwill2005 · 05-01-06, 07:41

Thomas- Very nice. Funny how people will let their car get so bad, and then complain when somebody makes it look great.

InTheAir · 05-02-06, 04:25

Are you kidding me? He complained? I hope you smacked him with your PC!

Nice job.

gmercoleza · 05-12-06, 10:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdekany

wash
ssr2.5
aio
dp Mild swirl remover
dp final polish
op
ohc
some ssr1
Sealed with FK1 #2180

OK, newbie alert: Can someone please explain all these acronyms to me? I'm looking at detailing a recently acquired 1985 Mercedes 380SE this weekend (pics attached). It's light silver with clear coat, and is actually still fairly shiny, but the roof and trunk lid are rough to the touch and very dull. They appear to have some kind of whitish haze. I'm guessing this is oxidation?

I have never used a buffer, instead I apply stuff by hand. I have Zymol HD Cleanse and Vintage which I use on my other Mercedes but due to the hazy nature of the paint on this one I'm guessing it will need much more. Anyway, I was going to first wash the car with dish liquid, then clay it and rewash. Then I was going to try a damp rag with some generic polishing compound I have on hand, it is white and comes in a tub. Afterwards I was going to use the HD Cleanse followed by the Vintage.

Does this seem like a decent approach? Can doing this by hand produce good results, or do I need to pick up a Porter Cable random orbital? Are there any over-the-counter products available at Autozone or Pep Boys that you would recommend instead of the generic polishing compound?

Thanks in advance!

Here's my other car: