JLs Detailing: BMW Z3

[JLs Detailing]

Ok this was the second car that I was contacted to do on the recommendation from FMINUS. The lady that owned the 545i that I did had an aunt that this car belonged to. Well this car has been very neglected. The owners told me that it had 24,000 on the clock and was on its 3rd set of tires because they have dry rotted from lack of use. The poor car just sits outside under some trees exposed to all the elements. Mice were also a problem as there were mice droppings in the passenger floor mat and under the hood some of the foam had been eaten away. Also under the hood there were enough leaves to start a freakin' forest! The convertible top was in such bad shape that it had mold on it.:yikes:

Needless to say this car was in dire need of a good detailing and my wife's uncle and I were up to it. We were not to do paint correction as there were some clearcoat issues already on the bumper and one spot on the hood. The owner just wanted us to make it look respectable again. Well I think we did a little better than that and I was really pleased with the way it turned out. Well here's what I did.

Tires/Wheels/Wells: Wheels got Megs Wheel Brightener with various brushes and such. I used the EZ Detail Brush, Black Magic wheel brush bent 90 degrees for getting behind the spokes, lug nut brush and foam finger pocket. The tires and wells got Majestic Solutions Super Green Stuff and a black Shmitt. When it was time to dress the tires and wells I used Megs Hyper Dressing @ 3:1 as a base coat with a CGs tire applicator. Then before turning the keys back over to the owner I applied a coat of CGs Natural Look via another tire applicator. The wells got Adams Undercarriage Spray. You will see that the car is so neglected that it was even missing some of the BMW badges on wheels and such.

Engine: First I took the leaf blower and got rid of all the leaves under the hood, then I gave the engine a quick rinse with the CR Spotless system and sprayed it down with MS SGS. There was a lot of dirt in just about every crevice there was so I agitated it and re-rinsed. I dried most of the water with a leaf blower and then sprayed the engine bay down with Megs HD @ 3:1. I cranked the engine and let it run for about 20 minutes and it turned out great.

Exhaust: I used Megs Wheel Brightner first on the exhaust with some 0000 steel wool and that took care of all the grime. It was like a film over the pipes that made them look gray. The pipes looked so good I really didn't need to but, I then polished them with Autosol. This was a great combo and gave a nice look to the exhaust.

Wash: Well I was sure there wasn't any type of LSP on the car but I went with a strong wash anyway because of how rough the paint felt. I wanted this car clean before any polishing took place so I started by pre-soaking the entire car with P21s TAW. I rinsed this off and I went with the foam cannon with 2 oz of CGs Citrus Wash Clear and 1 oz of CGs Strong Wash. I used the Zymol Sponge to wash and I also had a rinse bucket with a grit guard. The bugs got CGs Strong Wash @ 4:1 (I was using @ 3:1 but 4:1 works just as good) and a Majestic Solutions bug sponge. Well this combo as usual knocked the bugs out with no problem. It makes the job so much easier. The entire wash including wheels were done with the CR Spotless System.

The door jambs got a mixture of CGs Green Clean Total Interior/Exterior, MS SGS, and demin water in a 1 gallon sprayer. Ever part of the door jambs was scrubbed with a Swissvax brush. This thing is so awesome that my wife's uncle tried several times during the weekend to steal it from me, LOL. I then rinsed with the CR Spotless and dried with a MF.

Convertible Top: The top got CGs Strong Wash @ 4:1 and a Majestic Solutions bug sponge. After scrubbing it and rinsing it, it was presoaked with P21s TAW like the rest of the car. Then it was washed with the rest of the car during the wash stage. Afterwards it was protected with 303 Protectant.

Clay: For clay I used the Bilt-Hamber Auto Clay the Soft version. I was a little surprised that this clay could remove the contaminats on this car and leave no marring. I really love the fact that you only need water for lube with the Bilt-Hamber and you don't have to worry about getting out a clay lube just grab the spray nozzle from the CR and clay away. The Bilt-Hamber did a great job on the paint and left it silky smooth. This is my new go to clay and I will not be without it.

Glass: Glass inside and out got Stoners Invisible Glass via a glass MF and dried with a WW MF.

Interior: First up the interior got a good vacuum with the Shop Vac. The interior was then done with CGs Silk Shine and a MF mitt. The leather was done with 1Z Leather Care Lederpflege. As neglected as this car was I was really surprised that the interior wasn't in just horrible shape. Just like the 545i, when my helper was through with the interior it looked better than new!

Paint: Ok paint was in really rough shape and was really lifeless. I figured I would do a one stepper and decided on Megs 151 Paint Reconditioning Cream. This stuff did a great job for what it is. It doesn't do much on correction but it does a little and makes the paint just shine like new money! I used the Metabo with a Scholl Concepts backing pad and 3M 5.5" white polishing pad. I ran the Metabo @ 1200 rpms.

Protection: I used Jetseal since I was going to be topping with a nuba and nothing looks better than Jetseal topped with a top line nuba. Not to mention that I only took two waxes with me and both look great over Jetseal. I was using one of my most favorite waxes and would have nothing else under that wax but Jetseal. It was applied with a CGs Stage 3 Applicator and buffed off with a 530xl MF.

LSP: For wax I broke out my favorite ~ Rubbish Boys OE. I applied with a 4" LC CCS pad and polishing pal using my hair dryer method to pre-heat the pad. I let the OE cure for about a half hour and buffed it off to a magnificent shine with a CGs Edgeless MF. After about another hour I wiped it down with Clearkote Quick Shine and a 530xl MF.

Well the owner of the 545i told me she was really embarrassed for me to see the Z3 but that now it looked incredible! I didn't get to meet the owner but I hope she was just as happy. Well here are the before and after pics:

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Couple of Random shots: