BMW 320D 2 Stage Paint Correction Detail - Gleam the Beemer!

jonjay

50 Years of 911
Jun 27, 2005
5,843
1
Essex
BMW 320D 2008

BEEMER ON THE DEVILS FUEL
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It’s great having good friends like lm_gauci because his uncle changes car every couple of months. His latest car is a lovely 08 320D BMW in blue fully specced out with the M Sport package.

When I was asked to do this 2 stage paint correction detail lots of things ran through my head such as:
- The dreaded hard paint of the BMW
- long work time to get the light swirls out
- What polish to use, what pad?
- it’s a big car compared to a family hatch which will mean a very long day
- It’s a BMW! Better do a good job!


I then thought this was a perfect opportunity to see how far I have come now a full year has gone since I detailed my first car. The overall aim of the detail was to get the car looking in tip top shape so he gets as much money as possible when he trades it in for a new Focus RS.


Here is how the car was in the morning.

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Plan with the end in mind is the sentence that’s been running through my head all this month at work. This carries over to everything I do so I carefully chose my weapons of choice. Taking no risks this time and sticking to what I know 100% works.


PRODUCTS
Wash n Drying
Meguairs NXT Tech Shampoo
Chemical Guys Orange Degreaser
Autosmart Tardis
Bilberry Wheel Cleaner
Valet Pro Snow Foam
Meguairs All Purpose Cleaner
Super Plush drying towel
Chemical Guys, Cleanyourcar Plush and Megs microfibres

Body Work
Sonus Ultra fine Detailing Clay
CleanYouCar Fine Poly Clay
Menzerna Power Finish (106FA)
Dodo Juice Lime Prime
Autosol Metal Polish

Glazes, Sealants and Waxes
Chemical Guys Blitz

Plastics, Rubbers and Glass
Chemical Guys New Look Trim Gel
Autoglym Vinyl & Rubber Care
Lusso Glass Polish
WD40

Tools
Meguiars G220 mk2 machine polisher
Karcher Pressure washer
Sonus German foam applicator
Menzerna Polish Pad (Orange)
Sonus Green Polishing Pad
Swissvax Detail Brush
Meguiars Wheel Spoke Brush
Vikan Brushes
3M 3434 Masking Tape


WHEELS

The wheels were in good condition (no curbing) however on each wheel there was break dust and bonded contaminants that would not come off without claying. The wheels being soaked in Bilberry Wheel Cleaner for the fronts and Megs APC on the rear wheels. The bilberry was worked in scrubbed with soft vikan brush.

Chemicals pressured washed off and then clayed (CleanYourCar Fine Poly Clay) which left the wheel spotless.

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CLEAN STAGE

Car was snow foamed with Valet Pro and left to soak for 6-7 minutes to get the big chunks of dirt off. The car was then pressure washed off and then refoamed so the surface was very well lubricated and then washed with a lambs wool mitt.

Car rinsed off and there was evidence of some sort of protection applied by BMW as the water was sheeting albeit very slowly.

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jonjay

50 Years of 911
Jun 27, 2005
5,843
1
Essex
Claying with Sonus Ultra Fine clay I found the car although needed claying wasn’t that bad.

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The car was then washed again and dried off. Car was already looking gleaming and ready for the correction stage.

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CORRECTION STAGE

I remembered a detail recently by another detailer whereby from experience, he assumed that a certain paint would be soft and wasn’t. I decided to tackle this with no assumptions. I tested several combinations of different cutting compounds and pads until I settled with 106FA and Menz heavy Polishing Pad. This gave me nearly 95% or more correction on my test areas on one pass.

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jonjay

50 Years of 911
Jun 27, 2005
5,843
1
Essex
Right Arch
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Here are the results from the first stage of correction. The colour of the car changed quite literally.

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Second Stage and you guess it Lime Prime!

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jonjay

50 Years of 911
Jun 27, 2005
5,843
1
Essex
RESULTS

Unfortunately this time of year the light was running out fast so no pictures of the other stages of cleaning. The car was treated with Chemical Guys Blitz to give a nice deep wet look and it worked a charm on this blue colour.

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Chemical Guys Blitzs Applied
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Results from the CG Blitz - a bit dark now sorry

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jonjay

50 Years of 911
Jun 27, 2005
5,843
1
Essex
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Oh and I did dress the wheels…in the dark lol!
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Hope you enjoyed the detail as much as I did, thanks! Bring on the Focus RS Liam and Jason!
 
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