Restoring some shine to my white e30

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

Moderator: martauto

User avatar
dalbye30
E30 Zone Newbie
E30 Zone Newbie
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:00 pm

Post Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:12 pm

i bought my little 316i in alpine white as a little project, the paint is very dull as it has been stood for a good while. any idea's how to get beck a nice shiny finish????
User avatar
Kos
E30 Zone Team Member
E30 Zone Team Member
Posts: 15448
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: London / Cyprus

Post Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:37 pm

maching polishing and polish it , using a good cutting compound like 3 fast cut plus, but you can use AG super resin polish and get good results
kam325itouring
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 692
Joined: Sun Apr 02, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: london

Post Sat Jan 23, 2010 12:57 am

maguires stage 1 then stage 2 then stage 3 did mine last year then keep it reg polished to keep the shine!!! :D
All Car Audio - Approved Alarms - HID Kits - Custom Boot Installs - All jobs considered
mattsbmw
E30 Zone Regular
E30 Zone Regular
Posts: 447
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: Heanor, Derbyshire

Post Sat Jan 23, 2010 9:41 pm

Best start would be a good wash, then clay (megiaurs quik clay is available in halfords) then polish with Autoglym Super resin polish, really work it in, then apply some Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.

That lot should see the car shining for a good 6 months with just regular washing required :)
Image
Alex
Married to the E30 Zone
Married to the E30 Zone
Posts: 22665
Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2005 11:00 pm
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Post Sat Jan 23, 2010 11:39 pm

Clay bar, polish and Wax

Use some decent products like chemical guys its worth it
User avatar
BEERBOY123
E30 Zone Squatter
E30 Zone Squatter
Posts: 1537
Joined: Sat Jun 06, 2009 11:00 pm

Post Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:48 pm

And a quick whizz around with some Demon Shine and an microfibre pad is the final touch for me, and I've a Alpineweiss II iS. Adds a bit more shine on the top of the Extragloss Autoglym and takes literally five minutes to do all the panels.

About a fiver from Tesco, and my bottle has lasted about three months now and it barely looks like any has been used. As it says in the side, use sparingly for best results.
Two headblenders, couple of bags of MC Hammer, 5 litres of FFF, a 48ft bastard, a box of jumped-up custard and some soggy chimps
George
E30 Zone Addict
E30 Zone Addict
Posts: 2153
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 11:00 pm
Location: Landarn

Post Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:00 am

mattsbmw wrote:Best start would be a good wash, then clay (megiaurs quik clay is available in halfords) then polish with Autoglym Super resin polish, really work it in, then apply some Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection.

That lot should see the car shining for a good 6 months with just regular washing required :)
Agree with the above. I've always been a Meguiar's fan myself, but after giving the Autoglym a go, I'm v impressed.

Before SRP I do use Megs Stage 1 paint cleaner.
Image

Sold: 1986 E30 325i Cabriolet, Alpine White :(
pac1982
Engaged to the E30 Zone
Engaged to the E30 Zone
Posts: 5330
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 11:00 pm
Location: isle of wight

Post Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:15 am

Nothing beats a good machine polisher as it actually cuts through the paint giving you an almost new surface to work with.

Finish off with auto glym super resin polish and your whip will look as shiny as a new 20p

If you’re not very handy with things like this then take your time if using a machine polisher as you can burn through the paint or leave nasty swirl marks
Image

1991 BMW E30 318i Neon Design Convertible (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 325i Touring (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 318IS (Sold)
1990 BMW E30 316i (RIP)