Jonesy1968's BMW E30 320i Convertible Corrected & Protec

The place to pick up tips on bringing that showroom shine back to your E30.

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Ad-E30
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:44 pm

I'm not sure if this is breaking the forum rules but as it was a members vehicle I thought you'd like me to share the two day correction and protection on Jonesy1968's BMW E30 Convertible I completed this weekend.

The vehicle was in a lovely mauritius blue and was already a real credit to its owner.

On Arrival

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As you can see it is stunning, there was barely a spot of dirt on the entire vehicle.

First up was the alloy wheels:

Before

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The alloys were new and only had some dirt so they were treated with an all purpose cleaner using various brushes. Later in the detail the alloys were protected with a sealant and the tyres were dressed.

After

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Regardless of the vehicle's spotless condition it was treated to a precautionary snow foam.

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with general grime catching areas agitated with a soft bristled detailing brush:

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The vehicle was then rinsed and then washed with the 2 bucket method.

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The next step was to remove any bonded contaminants from the paintwork to provide a perfectly clean surface to begin machine polishing.

This is the worst amount of contamination picked up and this was from the entire bonnet!

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The car was then masked up ready for machine polishing:
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Once under harsher lighting it was apparent that there was some work needed.

Bonnet Before

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A mixture of swirls and patchy holograms to be removed here.

As well as some "brillo pad-esque" hazing on the drivers side of the bonnet!:

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Bonnet After

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Top of the Bootlid Before

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Inspected more closely:
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A few swirls to contend with as well as some scratches:
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Top of the Bootlid During

The scratches were wet sanded back:
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Top of the Bootlid After

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Rear of the Bootlid Before

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Rear of the Bootlid After

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Plus some lovely flake pop in macro:
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Passenger Side Wing Before

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Passenger Side Wing After

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Passenger 3/4 Panel Before

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Passenger 3/4 Panel After

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Passenger Side After

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Once all the correction was completed the car was protected with Valentines Concours Wax, the plastics/rubbers were dressed and the glass was treated with a rain repellent glass cleaner.

The Results

Mostly with the hood down of course!

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The obligatory thumbs up in the drivers door:
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and flake in the bonnet:
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Thank you for looking and reading...
Ian1971
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:56 pm

Awsome car mate, got a 320 chromie convertible in alpine white but needs major work done to the paintwork. Since I've seen yours I know what to aim for!
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ImysE30
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:31 pm

Awesome work, stunning :cool:

How much would this set you back?
Current Fleet:

E30 335i Turbo M3 Convertible Replica
cliffybabe
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:37 pm

What rims r they on it?? Cabby looks :cool:
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Considering Selling the Cabby, looks like its gonna go
Alex
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 11:37 pm

very nice, thats what i call cleaning your car 8)
Jonesy1968
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Thu Aug 27, 2009 4:47 pm

Cliffy they are Ronal LS. Car has come up well - finally got rid of most of my swirls.
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toby
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Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:13 pm

Even I can tell the improvement from just photos. Nice work! How long does something like that take, half a day, a day?
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lukescott
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Thu Sep 03, 2009 11:06 pm

What a great job. I have a 1993 cab with 27,000 miles and it suffers from the foggy headlights this one suffers from as well. I wonder if you have an idea for fixing it ? Also why does it happen ?
SeymourCake
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:33 am

^ I would guess that there is condensation occuring. There must be a gap where water gets in.


O/P : where abouts are you located? and how much do you charge for a full detail/paint correction? I have really bad swirls which need removing. If you can PM the info I would appreciate it.
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lukescott
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:10 am

SeymourCake wrote:^ I would guess that there is condensation occuring. There must be a gap where water gets in.

Not moisture. My car has not been out in rain for over three and a half years. Its the glass in the lights that seem to have gone dirty. Someone elso told me to take out the lights and swirl some white spirit around inside. Anyone else notice this in their high beam lights ?
SeymourCake
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:47 pm

Oh right! The same thing has happened to the drivers side main beam headlamp. Very dirty inside. I'm not sure how easy it is to remove the lens though...
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Ad-E30
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 4:41 pm

toby wrote:Even I can tell the improvement from just photos. Nice work! How long does something like that take, half a day, a day?
This particular detail due to the extent of the swirls plus the renowned hard BMW paint it took a total of 16 hours over 2 days. Machine polishing is something which cannot be rushed if you want the best finish possible.

SeymourCake you have a pm.

Thanks for the great feedback guys & gals, I'm still on the hunt for an E30 garage queen!
Adam
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lukescott
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Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:30 pm

Ad-E30 wrote:
toby wrote: I'm still on the hunt for an E30 garage queen!
I have a 1993 318i garage queen. 27,000 miles on it, all UK history & mot certs. Indigo leather & working electric roof. Interested ?
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Ad-E30
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Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:03 am

I could be very interested. PM sent.
Adam
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Alpina99
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Sun Oct 04, 2009 1:21 pm

8O 8O 8O
Can't think of much more to say other than that gives a goal to aim for !!
Gone, but not forgotten !!
e30den
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Sun Oct 04, 2009 7:45 pm

cracking job there matey
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