Light Correction Detail - BMW Z3 3.0i Roadster - Swissvax Best of Show!!

[RussZS]

The owner of this car had seen my work on Detailing World and contacted me enquiring about a price for a detail to specifically concentrate on the paintwork of his Z3 3.0i Roadster, as the roof had already been protected so didn't require any attention.


The was in great condition, but like most darker coloured cars the swirls and defects were robbing the paint of its original gloss and overall appearance. We agreed on a single day Light Correction Detail to restore a bit of life back into the cars' paintwork.


On to the detail...

DSC07936 by RussZS, on Flickr


Deeper scratches visible in normal daylight.

DSC07935 by RussZS, on Flickr


The wheels, tyres and arches were dealt with first:

DSC07937 by RussZS, on Flickr


Wheel liberally covered in AS Smart Wheels cut 10:1:

DSC07938 by RussZS, on Flickr


This was worked with various brushes:

DSC07939 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07940 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07942 by RussZS, on Flickr


Then rinsed and treated to IronX, which lifted surprisingly little:

DSC07949 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07951 by RussZS, on Flickr


Meanwhile, the car was prerinsed with 10:1 Britemax Grime Out via pressure sprayed:

DSC07943 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07944 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07945 by RussZS, on Flickr


Whilst not as 'pretty' as snow foam, a degreaser such as Grime Out is far more effective at removing dirt/traffic film.


This was agitated with Swissvax Detail Brush where required:

DSC07947 by RussZS, on Flickr


Next the car was hand washed with Britemax Cleanmax, rinsed, treated to IronX and Tardis then moved inside for claying:

DSC07950 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07952 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07954 by RussZS, on Flickr


Next the car was thoroughly dried with Uber Drying Towels and Aeolus 901X blower:

DSC07953 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07955 by RussZS, on Flickr


Next the car was assessed with a paint thickness gauge to build up a view of if the car has been polished before, seen any paint and any areas of concern. The bootlid and bonnet had been polished relatively heavily before, which was also supported by the 'buffer trails' present in the paintwork:

DSC07964 by RussZS, on Flickr


Some general pics of the defects present:

DSC07956 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07965 by RussZS, on Flickr


After trialling a few combinations, I found that the paint to be surprisingly sticky!! The panel was getting very hot, very quickly using relatively low speeds and a medium cut combination (3M Yellow Pad and Megs 101), so decided to go down the DA route on this detail. After assessing a few options including Megs 101, Optimum MF pads, Optimum Hyper Compound etc, we settled on Meguiars D300 and their MF Cutting discs.

DSC07979 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07978 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07980 by RussZS, on Flickr


The product was worked around 4800OPM, which removed most of the defects but left a slight marring effect on the surprisingly soft paint:

DSC07990 by RussZS, on Flickr


Therefore the paint needed refining further (which is the case I always find with the MF system) so I used Meguiars 205 via Festool RAP150 Rotary and the new Menzerna Finishing pad, spreading on speed 1, working at speed 2.5-3 and refining on speed 1.

DSC07981 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07982 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07993 by RussZS, on Flickr


The finish was then assessed with CarPro Eraser to check that we weren't filling the defects:

DSC07995 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07996 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC07997 by RussZS, on Flickr


Much sharper!

DSC07998 by RussZS, on Flickr


The new Meguairs Pad Brush was also on test today, with pleasing results!

DSC07984 by RussZS, on Flickr


This combination was then used around the car, swapping out the 5" MF Disc for the 3" in more intricate places on the car.

DSC07976 by RussZS, on Flickr


Due to low paint readings, some defects remained on the bootlid:

DSC08008 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08012 by RussZS, on Flickr


After refining, the flake pop was superb:

DSC08032 by RussZS, on Flickr


Before:

DSC08033 by RussZS, on Flickr


After:

DSC08036 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08039 by RussZS, on Flickr


I finished up with:

DSC08042 by RussZS, on Flickr


and...

DSC08043 by RussZS, on Flickr


I've not used Best of Show for a long time and I'd forgotten just how nice to use it was and that it adds a lovely wet-shimmer to black paint. It was left on for 20-30 mins to cure, and removed effortlessly - big fan of this wax!


Finally, some afters:

DSC08047 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08048 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08051 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08053 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08055 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08056 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08057 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08062 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08069 by RussZS, on Flickr


Flake not muted at all from BOS:

DSC08070 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08076 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08078 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08081 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08082 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08085 by RussZS, on Flickr

DSC08089 by RussZS, on Flickr


Thanks for reading


Next up this week we have an Audi 3.2 V6 TT Roadster, black Range Rover Sport, Performance Blue Focus ST, BMW 335D Couple, Mini Cooper and I may just give my Golf some love!

DSC08090 by RussZS, on Flickr


Russ.

 

[Gorms]

Love it! Stunning finish!

What do you think of the Meguiars D300 and the MF kit? Im thinking about putting and order in. Have you used the D301 or worth giving that a miss?

 

[RussZS]

Its good on the right paint, but will make a mess of softer paints so it depends on the car really. 301 is poor IMO and leaves a very average finish. The biggest issue with D300 and MF Discs is the micro marring they induce in the clearcoat which isn't always apparent upon initial inspecion, so I ALWAYS follow and refine with a rotary to bring out the colour, gloss and flake.

It has its place but needs following up, ideally with a rotary.

 

[Gorms]

Its good on the right paint, but will make a mess of softer paints so it depends on the car really. 301 is poor IMO and leaves a very average finish. The biggest issue with D300 and MF Discs is the micro marring they induce in the clearcoat which isn't always apparent upon initial inspecion, so I ALWAYS follow and refine with a rotary to bring out the colour, gloss and flake.

It has its place but needs following up, ideally with a rotary.

Cheers Russ, you just saved me the best part of £70. Guess i better keep looking around at whats out there for me and my DA.

 

[RussZS]

Please don't not buy it, as it will speed up DA correction, but be sure to refine it properly afterwards with Megs 205 and foam pad, just not use D301.

 

[Gorms]

Please don't not buy it, as it will speed up DA correction, but be sure to refine it properly afterwards with Megs 205 and foam pad, just not use D301.

Ok will still give the D300 a go but will drop the D301 from my list. Just one more question, out of 10 what would you score the D300 for cutting? Hard to find a definitive answer anywhere else so best ask someone who has used it.

Thanks again.

 

[RussZS]

Ok will still give the D300 a go but will drop the D301 from my list. Just one more question, out of 10 what would you score the D300 for cutting? Hard to find a definitive answer anywhere else so best ask someone who has used it.

Thanks again.

Depends on so many factors, but with right technique it matches wool on a rotary on some paints...

You can swap out D300 for other compounds too btw to get more cut. The disc is the key part, not the polish.

 

[Gally]

Fantastic work Russ. Bos pwns Black. Always. It's poor on durability but it's oils make it hard to be on finish.

TT V6 would be good as it's my next car! Write up please!

 

[RussZS]

Fantastic work Russ. Bos pwns Black. Always. It's poor on durability but it's oils make it hard to be on finish.

TT V6 would be good as it's my next car! Write up please!

Agree mate. Just going to keep this, get Vintage and another under £50 I think. Most customers want sealants or coating now!!

The TT Roadster is black and battered... will be a good one

 

[Gally]

Excited about the V6!

Vintage is special! I'm hoping to have Royale on my future TT! Friend's.

Zaino is still a hard to beat system.

Ceramic wise they're in a league of their own. I'll be using Cquartz as my base on the next car.

 

[RussZS]

Why CQuartz out of interest mate? Opti Coat has impressed me the most...

Zaino is great for the money, but it has etching issues. Nothing 'does it all' for me yet still...

 

[Slammed172]

Another brilliant write up and detail. Yours always impress and never lack enthusiasm in the write up stage.

 

[Bluebeard]

Wow! Never seen a BMW with that much glitter.

Great turnaround.

 

[Gally]

Why CQuartz out of interest mate? Opti Coat has impressed me the most...

Zaino is great for the money, but it has etching issues. Nothing 'does it all' for me yet still...

Sorry missed this first time around. Simply opti-coat isn't ceramic as such.

It may add microns etc but after having old C1 on my car for 8 months now, it's hard to see past Ceramic sealants to protect paintwork or even used as a base product for other products.

Although as a standalone product old C1 is pretty much the best product i've used since I started detailing. Ut blew my mind.

New Cquartz (not finest) is due out soon. Until then i'll be mixing and matching!

 

[Wick]

Bump and a half.

Stunning Russ. Just browsing some old threads and found this. Gorgeous finish on that.

This is an awesome shot.

 

[Rob]

How I'd never seen this I do not know, god damn love that car and the difference is amazing.

It makes me want mine doing, just for the 50/50's, literally just to have those photos and know how epic it looked when you'd finished.

 

[RussZS]

Cheers Gents.

I'd not read that write up in a while - I really enjoyed that car! The owners wife screamed when she saw it, which was a first!

 

[Rubicon_]

Awesome work Russ as per. Would love to put my car in if i wasn't so far away

 

[butler2.8i]

Cracking work Russ