Last week during our rains here in SoCal, this 2008 BMW 335i was dropped off at my shop. Although the paint was dirty, I could see the poor condition of the paint. After it was cleaned up and the restoration process began, I discovered that the paint was ultra soft, softer than Jet Black typically is, and then I discovered the hood and passenger side had been repainted.

I used a variety of tools including my Makita rotary buffer, a 7424XP polisher, and a Flex VRG3401 DA.

Chemicals:
Clay: Megiuar's C2000 Clay and Prima Glide for lube
Exterior Polish/Wax: Prima Finish, Prima Epic, Prima Banana Gloss, Prima CosmoNot, Prima Clarity, Prima Slick.
Interior: Meguiar's Quik Interior Detailer, Prima Nero, Prima Nourish

Let's get started.









The drivers side window had some old decal on it


I brought it to the shop and began with a thorough Dawn Wash


The HRE's were pretty filthy




Using Meguiar's Tire Foam, I foamed the wheels and tires


I let the foam dwell for a bit


Using my EZ Brush, I cleaned the wheel spokes




And for the lips, used my soft flagged end brush


Rinse off, they looked much better




After the Dawn wash and ready to bring into the shop for claying


The interior needed work too








Claying the carbon fiber trunk


Lots of contamination pulled


Using my 3M Sun Gun to illuminate the swirls




I did a test spot





Pretty significant improvement




While I worked the exterior, my assistant Stephanie talked the interior by using our hot water extractor




Interior was looking much better








Two coats of Epic were applied, then two coats of Banana Gloss.








The rain subsided so I took it outside for some shots but due to the clouds, the pictures weren't spectacular












It started to rain again, so I brought the car back inside and proceeded to look at the wheels. I thought they could use some improvement too.



So I polished them using Prima Epic (yes the polymer wax) and my Metabo SXE400 3" orbital


Huge improvement, so I kept polishing




I polished the lips too


Finished up the face of the wheels










So two days have gone by, and the detailing began


Polished the exhaust tips


Couldn't forget the underside of the hood either


The yellow latch was cleaned with CosmoNot




The next day the sun came out!














All done!! But sadly it rained the day the customer picked up the car, so I told him to bring it back when the rain stops and I would wash the paint for free! It's part of my guarantee if it rains the week of or after a detail.

 

That was excellent. I love process posts. An impressive shave and haircut as well. 1000% improvement.

+1 points for Stephanie and her ink.

 

That looks awesome, I wish you were here in Houston, I emailed Scott hopefully I get a reply back from him.

 

That BMW Looks Spectacular........huge difference ! I was at a family function just lastnight where a black 07' 335i had the same exact paint condition. I clued owner in on a much needed claybar and PC work. He was "old school" in that regard needing some help.

BTW: I think your MINI is getting little fresh with your assistant

 

Sick!!!!! I wish I had those skills.

 

I saw these on your facebook. Looks so good. I wish i had the patience to do what you do. maybe one of these days i will try and learn.

 

Thanks everybody for the kind words!!! I gave Scott a heads up, so he should reply.

Richard

 

EXCELLENT JOB!!! i like reading your write ups at work

 

Just curious, and I don't mean to be tacky, but how much does a company charge for something this good?

I just bought my used MINI about a month ago, and I am thinking about starting fresh with a good, professional, DEEP detail (like this job), by someone who is more OCD than me.

 

Thanks Richard, actually Scott replied and recommended somone here in Houston, now I have to wait and see when he is going to reply back

 

Prices depend on initial condition of the paint and some other factors, but in general for this car, an SCD Complete ranges from $400-$700. There are others that charge a lot more and others that charge a lot less. I position myself in the midrange though I do high end work. The quote for this car was on the lower side of that range, even though I did spend about 3 days on it mainly because I had the time...it was raining.

My special MINI prices for a Complete are $300 and $225 for an Express. They both feature the same services and results are similar but the Complete strives for paint perfection and takes more time. I can do an Express in one day in about 6 hours with my helper and a Complete takes about 10-12 hours and is recommended to be picked up the following day while the sun is shining bright.

If you are not in the SoCal area, then this info is meaningless as it's specific to me and my shop.

Great! Good luck!

 

Well, I was just trying to get a general idea. But I'm in The Valley, so maybe I will stop by sometime.

 

Cool I understand. My point was that my prices may not be relevant to someone who is in New Jersey or Alaska, lol.

Plus I got more than just detailing...I carry the full line of Prima and can show you what it can do for your paint through a mini 1 on 1 clinic.

Richard

 

I'd be in if I were in LA for sure! That's competitive pricing with detailers here in the SF Bay Area, but above that, the MINI-specific experience is nice!