06 BMW 328 black-hammered- 2 step correction- Pinnacle Auto Detail-CT

[96GreenPSD]

This 2006 BMW 328i in solid black was brought to me over the winter by a wholesale client looking to revive the paint while staying on budget. Just an initial glance at the car under overhead fluorescent lights showed heavy washed induced marring, rotary swirls, deep scratches, waterspot etching, etc. To say this car had received years of neglect and even abuse at the hands of inexperienced detailers was an understatement, and given that this particular year and color combo in BMW paint is finicky I expected a challenge .


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Let`s take a look at the condition of the car upon arrival:


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Salt and grime all over the body, caked on brake dust coating the wheels:


159 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Here we can see lots of hazing in the finish caused by totally improper polishing technique with a rotary, plus lots of other light marring and deeper scratches:


163 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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The wheels had a heavy accumulation of brake dust which is commonly seen on neglected German cars:


161 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Heavy marring and rotary swirls completely ruin the color and reflection of the paint:


164 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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The damage continued like this over the entire body & was visible without harsh lighting:


168 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Horrific marring covered the trunk lid and some sort of chemical etching had occurred on the top of the passenger quarter panel:


355 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - 169 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrCT, on Flickr


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An LED inspection light further highlights the defects in the paint:


228 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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After seeing how extensive the damage was to the car I decided to go with a two step correction to remove approximately 80+ percent of the damage, keeping things within budget and leaving enough clear on the car given that the new owner might not be willing to care for it properly. This rate of correction would vastly improve the finish, removing the heavy rotary-induced damage and wash damage, while leaving behind some of the very deep RIDS (random isolated deep scratches) which would have required a more aggressive approach that wasn`t warranted given the circumstances.


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A test spot was taped off after a thorough wash and decontamination:


231 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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The Rupes 21 was used with Meguiars M101 mixed with D300 on an Optimum MF cutting pad, followed by HD polish on a black foam finishing pad. The finish greatly benefited from this combo:


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290 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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The tape was removed to further highlight the difference between the corrected and uncorrected finish


307 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr:


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Closeups under LED inspection lights:


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309 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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311 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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314 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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After photos:


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Notice how the once very visible marring is almost completely absent:


095 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Great gloss on the quarter panel:


095 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


102 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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The finish on the trunk lid has been completely transformed from its once dull and lifeless state. The water/chemical staining is also gone from the quarter panel. Note that some of the very deep marring in the trunk remains given the level of correction I was pursuing. 100% correction just wasn`t worth it in this case:


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107 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Quarter panel showing a huge reduction in damage, only deep RIDS remaining:


120 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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LED lighting showing the condition of the upper quarter panel:130 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Closeup of the trunk lid after correction, note the absence of swirls or marring:


137 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Reflection shot showing the black color nicely:


157 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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Deep scratches on the trunk lid still remained, otherwise the paint was transformed: 108 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr


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That`s it, thanks for looking. Like I said, this was a wholesale client so a full correction wasn`t the goal, however, the final result was drastically different from the starting point. Any comments or questions are welcomed. I also have to say that HD Polish finished out amazingly well on this color with the Rupes 21, it really was a pleasure to use. Thanks again!


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Mike Donoghue


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Pinnacle Auto Detail- CT


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[David Fermani]

Nice transformation. The paint was hammered.

[96GreenPSD]

Nice transformation. The paint was hammered.

Thanks David!

[jimmie jam]

Your client must be thrilled. You brought that finish back to life...no need for total perfection here.

[Zelfiris]

Very nice work!

[Scottwax]

Pretty incredible recovery in two steps!`

[96GreenPSD]

Thanks guys!

[DaGonz]

That was a Lazarus project.. nioce work!

[96GreenPSD]

That was a Lazarus project.. nioce work!

Much appreciated!


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This is one of those instances that really demonstrates how far the capabilities of DA polishers have progressed in the past few years (along with pad and abrasive tech). Five years ago this would have required some long hours with a rotary before finally touching a DA, the Rupes, MF pads and SMAT tech have really changed all of that.