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OctaneGuy's Latest Restore Black 2003 330CI

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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 06:57 AM
  #1  
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OctaneGuy's Latest Restore Black 2003 330CI

Well, I got a PM from this BMW owner about working on his "once loved baby." I invited him down to my open house for an inspection last Saturday, and he told me the sad story that some construction workers had gotten concrete on the hood and they tried to wipe it off--scratching the paint. Then to fix it, the construction company had a friend with a body shop and he proceeded to wreck the finish even more by hologramming it to death. This is where he brings ME into the mix. Kevin, the owner, told me that he used to really be proud of his car, so he's hoping I can help bring that love back!













A mere 20+ hours later and I'm done!












Sun going down, getting a bit more diffuse lighting





All done! This was one of the longest restores I've ever done. Part of the problem had to do with the delicate nature of the paint, so steps had to be taken to ensure that I didn't rush the job. The paint isn't flawless, but it sure is significantly improved and best of all the customer was extremely pleased with the results, and is glad to have his "baby" back looking good as new!

See the full writeup HERE
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:18 AM
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WOW!!! that's just beautiful
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:30 AM
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Dude... "WOW" is right
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:32 AM
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Been missing your write-ups Richard. Looks great!
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:37 AM
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Heh heh, well summer is here, and getting busy detailing again. I will be posting another writeup shortly--on a black Silverado that was done using only Prima.

Richard

Originally Posted by Jeremy1026
Been missing your write-ups Richard. Looks great!
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:40 AM
  #6  
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Originally Posted by OctaneGuy
Heh heh, well summer is here, and getting busy detailing again. I will be posting another writeup shortly--on a black Silverado that was done using only Prima.

Richard
YAY FOR PRIMA! Did you Hydro (my best attempt at being like Ken )
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 08:25 AM
  #7  
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WOW...night and day!
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 09:13 AM
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very nicely done.

man, that paint was in TERRIBLE condition!
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 09:27 AM
  #9  
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Shwoo! I was so relieved to see the "after" photos! Not because I had any doubt of how it would turn out, but simply because the before photos were so painful to look at!

For those who perhaps don't realize it, black BMWs are notoriously one of the absolute worst. The paint is so soft and BMW paint is such a finicky pain in the rear that getting the finish perfect is extremely difficult! For most, even after 20 hours the finish is often not quite perfect... unless you're Richard that is!

Awesome work!

-Heather
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 12:51 PM
  #10  
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Holy mackerel that is an improvment! I imagine you charge more than $15/hr so that had to be a pricey job. Hopefully the construction co was paying.
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 01:11 PM
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Very nice work Richard, quite impressive.

Thanks for sharing, your passion for this is incredible.
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 01:53 PM
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Bloody brilliant work Richard!
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 06:15 PM
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Awesome job..
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:29 PM
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amazing...
 
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Old Jun 21, 2007 | 07:54 PM
  #15  
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Magic, bloody magic
 
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Old Jun 22, 2007 | 02:31 AM
  #16  
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Good work, very nice
 
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Old Jun 22, 2007 | 03:20 AM
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Richard, you work magic!! I think it's time for you to go on the road with your magic wand and help those of us who can only read and see pictures of your wonders. May I suggest central Georgia first???
 
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Old Jun 22, 2007 | 08:14 AM
  #18  
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Thanks everybody for the nice comments. Performing the "magic" is nothing really mysterious--I use the same techniques we discuss here in Detailing101. Wash, clay, polish, wax.

It's just the polishing stage is a bit more extreme to deal with the different paint conditions.

Richard

Originally Posted by Silverbullit
Richard, you work magic!! I think it's time for you to go on the road with your magic wand and help those of us who can only read and see pictures of your wonders. May I suggest central Georgia first???
 
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