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Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
30-05-2010, 10:27 PM
Post: #1
Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
After a short break from detailing due to other commitments, last weekend was time to get back into the swing of things. What better way to start than with one of my favourite modern sports coupe's, the E46 M3 Str8pimp

Righty then, 1st up the car as she arrived...
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The car was pretty dirty with alot of accumulated dirt and muck all over the place
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Some polish residue from previous valet/detail excursions...
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Tailpipes were nasty
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Wheels were in need of some attention as well
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As were the arches
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As usual I set about cleaning the wheels and arches 1st. Sonax was applied liberally and left to work...
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Sonax starting to work on the brake dust deposits
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Raceglaze XL wheel brush came in handy on these wheels. With the solid amount of dirt on the barrels the Ez-Detail brush just wasn't up to the task!
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Arches were cleaned with the mini toilet brush and worked a treat
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With the wheels and arches taken care of it was time to wash the rest of the car. All the odds and ends were cleaned with APC and various brushes...Only 1 pic of the shuts being cleaned (sorry for the lack of pics, due to the condition of the car I needed as much time as possible to complete the work)

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Tailpipes restored...
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I foamed the car twice with a strong solution of CG's CWC and APC to remove as much dirt as possible before washing using the 2BM, CWC and Raceglaze lambswool wash mitt...

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After washing the car was thoroughly rinsed before being clayed. Smartclay was the clay of choice and as you can see, the paintwork was filthy!

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With the clay process completed it was time for a final rinse before being dried and inspected.

You name it this paint had it. Swirls, RIDS, fine holograms, marring...
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Inside under the halogens and LED torch
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With the inspection completed it was time to tape up and start correcting the paintwork. In the end I wound up using Menzerna's new S100 compound on the really bad bits, with P203S taking care of the rest. Some of the deeper defect were not fully removed but I estimate around 85-90% correction was achieved over the entire vehicle Thumb

Before
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After
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Before
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After
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Some random afters...
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With the majority of the correction work completed it was time to call it a day. Day 2 started with me taking care of the interior...As with the exterior, the interior was in need of some TLC!

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The leather didn't come as clean as I would have liked but overall the interior was markedly improved

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With the final correction work finished I washed the car one last time before drying and applying the finishing touches.

LSP was a pre-production sample of a new wax from Raceglaze while the trim was treated to Werkstat's Satin Prot. Tyres got a helping of a new dressing I am testing (so far so good)

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Wheels looking much better, although they weren't perfect with some stubborn deposits that wouldn't budge!
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All finished
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Some reflection shots...
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And the final one...
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Overall this was a challenging detail which consumed almost all of 2 full days. With more time some of the worst affected areas (wheels and leather) could be further improved, but overall I was happy with the outcome.

Thanks for looking Thumb

David : 083 642 2118
www.mobileimage.co.za

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30-05-2010, 10:45 PM
Post: #2
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Awesome results !!!!
Bluebiggrin
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31-05-2010, 07:45 AM
Post: #3
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Wow, once again great results Dave!!! ClapClap

Awesome CAR!!!!!
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31-05-2010, 09:13 AM
Post: #4
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Stunning finish Carn! Goes without saying but we appreciate the detailed write ups with process pics.

Funny how it was almost a sin to saying anything negative about the EZ brush. Personally think they are good for well maintained wheels but you need a sturdy bristle brush for correction work. The Raceglaze brush looks the biz and the toilet brush is perfect for someone like you that works on a number of performance cars.

Now get back to updating the teaser thread.
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31-05-2010, 12:35 PM
Post: #5
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Icon_jaw

New_shocked

Clap

Awesome work and results as always!

Those tail pipes look like those of a brand new car!

Well done.
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31-05-2010, 07:31 PM
Post: #6
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Great work as always.
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31-05-2010, 07:50 PM
Post: #7
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Holy cow, that paint was in a bad way. Congratulations as usual.

How do you clean the insides of the pipes?
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31-05-2010, 09:26 PM
Post: #8
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Thanks guys Thumb

@ Siya. The Ez Detail brush is nice on lightly soiled wheels. Anything with a bit more brake dust needs something a bit stiffer. The only downside to the Ez in my experience has been the soft bristles and the weak shaft/handle joint. Other than that it is a great brush.

The Raceglaze XL brush is a bit different. The handle/shaft joint seems really sturdy and the short, stiff bristles do an excellent job of cleaning dirty barrels and getting into tight spots. It does however suffer from a little more back spray if you not carefull and doesn't give you the same coverage as the fatter Ez Thumb

@ Alastair, I use the abrasive pads to polish up the insides of the pipes. These pipes needed a fair amount of work with the most aggressive pads which took longer to refine than usual. Of the 6 pads in the set I would go so far as to say the most aggressive 2 are overkill for anything other than scrubbing off stubborn carbon deposits!

David : 083 642 2118
www.mobileimage.co.za

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31-05-2010, 10:35 PM
Post: #9
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Nice job Dave!!

I seriously dont know how you manage to do it in 2 days,If it was me it would have taken 2 weeks!

I cant wait to try the new brushes & abbrasive pads this weekend!!
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01-06-2010, 08:08 AM
Post: #10
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Wow New_shocked ...this car looks like show room condition Thumbsup2 .... especially liked your work on those nasty swirls and scratches...NC1
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01-06-2010, 09:08 AM
Post: #11
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Superb!

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01-06-2010, 07:41 PM
Post: #12
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Looking cool !
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03-06-2010, 07:04 PM
Post: #13
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Nice one Dave ,Car looks great!

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03-06-2010, 07:19 PM
Post: #14
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Thanks again gents Thumb

David : 083 642 2118
www.mobileimage.co.za

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08-06-2010, 08:15 AM
Post: #15
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Setting the bar once again Dave...
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24-06-2010, 08:00 PM
Post: #16
RE: Mobile-Image: M3_FTW
Thanks dude Thumb

David : 083 642 2118
www.mobileimage.co.za

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