BMW X3 - Corrected using M205 - Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT

PinnacleAutoCT

PinnacleAutoCT

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This X3 was just bought by a client of mine who likes to trade cars frequently (this one he'll keep until winter is over) and wanted to get the car into presentable condition inside and out. The car came from Manheim's PA location and had received some prep before being sold; the carpets showed signs of extraction, the motor had been detailed and the wheels cleaned, but really it would need much more work to meet my client's expectations, even if he did only plan to keep it for nine months.

My initial inspection revealed an interior that wasn't in terrible shape; a little ground-in dirt in the driver's carpet, food and debris in the cup holders and some dog hair all around. The exterior was an entirely different story; in addition to the usual bonded contaminants this car showed numerous sap spots across the hood, roof and glass sunroofs. The passenger side fender and door showed heavy scratches (almost bordering on gouges), seemingly from hitting sometime at high speed which must have bounced off the door. Various RIDS were present across many of the body panels, and the amount of accumulated dirt & mold build-up in all of the body creases and gaps in conjunction with the moderate-heavy wash marring indicated that this vehicle probably saw the local scratch & swirl carwash exclusively.


Damage to the passenger fender and door:
DSC04908 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04918 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04905 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Moderate marring and rids present everywhere:
DSC04900 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04914 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04929 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04935 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04825 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04831 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Dried up sap speckled the hood:
DSC04836 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Dirt and mold in all the nooks and crannies:
DSC04848 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04849 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04851 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04850 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Gas filler door after preliminary cleaning via boar's hair brush and OPC @ 3:1:

DSC04872 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Sonax wheel cleaner plus dissolving some bakes on iron deposits:
DSC04863 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Interior before:
DSC04803 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04805 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04807 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04818 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Interior After:
DSC04878 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04875 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The carpet isn’t perfect, but definitely improved:
DSC04876 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04884 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04899 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04887 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04894 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04898 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
 
Onto the exterior:

We decided a two step correction was necessary in this case given the severity of the scratches all over the body, plus the moderate marring all around.Prior to polishing the body was washed, decon'd and all sap spots were removed with 70% IPA and mf towels. I chose Meguiar's 205 polish for the compounding and polishing steps, using an Optimum MF pad and an abundance of M205 for compounding and a Lake Country black foam finishing pad with a normal amount of M205 to remove the small amount of micromarring and hazing from the compounding step. Extra compounding was performed on areas exhibiting deeper scratches. All cracks & crevices were cleaned with OPC @ 3:1 dilution ratio, ONR at 8:1 (QD strength) and a boar's hair brush and mf towels. The LSP of choice was CarPro's Reload due to its reflective look and ability to shed dirt easily during the wash process (the new owner uses the 2-bucket method on his cars), since the owner will only be keeping this car for a short amount of time a coating was deemed unnecessary.

Bright reflections on the passenger side:
DSC04942 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The trim was dressed with 3D's thick dressing, the tires received 3D's ultra protectant and were still drying in these pics, hence the milky appearance (both dressings are GREAT, highly recommended):
DSC04943 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Passenger quarter panel scratches nearly gone:
DSC04944 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Metallic flake showing nicely:
DSC04946 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04949 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04950 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04951 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04980 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04974 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The gouges on the passenger fender were improved by about 80%+, the gouges in the door were deeper and would likely require painting to be fixed completely:
DSC04959 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04963 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
From a few feet away in less direct light the damage to the door was almost invisible
DSC04964 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Hood sans marring and tree sap:
DSC04965 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04967 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Passenger door reflection shot:
DSC04975 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04976 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
DSC04978 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!

Mike
Pinnacle Auto Detail
 
Great work ! That blue really pops ! I noticed that you used the 3D's ultra protectant on the tires. I have been thinking of trying this product myself. Does it completely dry tack free so that it doesn't sling or attract dust ? I am assuming that the finish it leaves is more of a "high gloss" than a matte ?
 
Thanks guys!

bswombaugh- Ultra dries pretty much tack free and it definitely doesn't sling. If you want more of a matte finish just cut it 1:1 with water. Hope that helps.

Mike
 
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