Detailing an e30

[itsabimmerthing]

I will be detailing an BMW e30 325 sunday, and will be really doing the works on it. I am going to do some before/after pics in this thread. The purpose is to show the difference made by taking time, and using good products like clay and such. Figured I would post it up so some of the newbies can see why its pays off to do it right.
Pictures comming, any advice is accepted too.

[Highboosted]

Take lots of pics during each step and do a step-by-step detailing write-up!

[Defacto]

Definitely a great idea! A step by step, detailed pic process, maybe even with videos of how to do each action would be AWESOME!

[itsabimmerthing]

I will defintely take lots of pics, and a detailed step by step, but unfortunely cannot do the vid because I have no film. But I will give very good details and such. This will be converted325i's car (my brother) and we will post some pics.

[converted325I]

I just bought some clay and other supplies should turn out very well we will give a list of what was used.

[mtechnik]

Ahhh.. looking foward

[itsabimmerthing]

Well guys, we did it! The results are simply mind boggling. Just for an intro:
We took the car, washed it in sections, then rewashed it.... You would think all dirt was gone? FUCK no, the clay was so covered in dirt, we re-kneeded it 10 times over the whole car. Then, we proceeded to waxing the car, after drying and washing/claying. It started to rain, so unfortunely we couldnt get to the interior, wheels/tires/chrome.... Thats for tommorow!

[mtechnik]

Yeah, claying is like a detox!!!! You THINK it's all good and well from the naked eye and then..

[Defacto]

Awesome! Got any teasers?

[itsabimmerthing]

Pics comming here soon, about 1 hour, got to attend to a matter. Also, a nice writeup, and restoring luster to an e30....

[itsabimmerthing]

Finally! Pics are here! Pics were taken with a Nikon Coolpix L1.
Products used:
Meguiars clay bar, meguiars speed shine, meguiars cleaner wax, griots garage car wash, mrclean system with pure water and soap dispenser. Microfiber for wax removal, drying of car..... Wheels and tires will be done tomorrow, along with the interior.
First:
The car was dirty, shit on by birds, and a great candidate for a nice detailing. Its my brothers car, he is converted325i on here.... I did the detail for him in return, he is helping me buy an e30. Anyhow, enough, its time!
Before pics:








As you can see, not too clean..... The car is in desperate need! Now, for a brief description of the car. It is my brothers first bimmer, has a tad bit of rust on the rocker, as you can see, and a few small imperfections. I think its real nice for what he gave for it, and his first bimmer. Its a damn nice car in my opinion. 87 325es, 5 spd.
Well, we got out the Griots garage car wash, turned the mr clean to high pressure, pure watered it, and dried it, and got this.









Not too bad for just a wash. BUT, I want to point out that we did wash the car TWICE! I wish I would have thought to take pics of the stuff on the clay, but it was stomach turning lol. If you love your paint, you need to clay it. I was a little bit weary about trying it, and thought it was gimmicky. But we wanted to try it. I thought the car was damn clean. I have never been so wrong ever!
The product:

And this is how the clay needs to look:

Spray lube on the clay, and on the hood. Do not go light on lube, there is not too much to use lol. I personally think this is the single best thing to do to your paint, and I know your wax will bond better after claying. This is my first time ever doing it! Its easy guys! It is not hard at all. Just apply little to no pressure, up and down strokes. You can really hear and feel the stuff coming off the paint! Its almost enough to make a guy pissed when he sees how much dirt his hiding on his ride!
Some pics of the hood after using clay:



Notice how the hood has more depth, and the BMW badge has almost quadruple the sheen, and clarity. This is not waxed, and it is so slick its scary!
Some more:







Day became dusk, as we proceeded to the last step mother nature permitted us to do. The rain was coming.... We stepped into our meguiars cleaner wax, and went to work.
Pics:



Adding flash to the mix:







Just a few of the products we used:

There will definitely be more for you guys tomorrow. These are most of what we did. You can certainly see a difference, and the paint really feels like new. I will be hitting the chrome trim, wheels, tires, interior.... Tomorrow. Pics will be up. Tell us what you think!

[converted325I]

just look at his shadow on the hood with just the wash then look after the clay, there is way more shine! I know its a tad hard to see off of pics but I was in shock how much better the combo of clay then wax looks then a simple wash then wax! I love the car and I am glad it came so clean no I just have to fix two rust spots and I am gonna be super happy!

[mtechnik]

progres!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[itsabimmerthing]

Sorry guys, ran out of time to take pics, but I will tell you what I did to make the e30 interior 100000 times better!
Seats and carpet:
They were not too awful bad, had some small stains. So I took some jakswax (Porsche/Jag dealer of Columbus products they recommend) carpet cleaner, and turtle wax oxy magic. I sprayed the jaks carpet cleaner over all of it, let it set, wiped it with a towel. Shopvacd, and proceeded to use the turtle wax. It has a scrubbing head, can be bought at autozone or advance auto, in a yellow and red can. I sprayed it, scrubbed, vacuumed off. INSANE difference. No more stains, colors were brighter, just incredible!
Dash, shift knob, boot:
I hate armor-all. So, turtlewax nano protector is my favorite as of now. I sprayed 3 coats on the dash, wiped.... Looks very shiny and clean. Did the same for the console and glovebox, doorskins..... I used meguiars leather cleaner for the m3 knob and boot. Looks great!
Vents:
Vents had coffee spilled in them. So I took some black magic interior detail brushes, sprayed one with nano, and wiped them down. Took the felt brush, got the gunk out, and the finishing brush to obviously finish the job.
Overall, it looks as if it was done professionally. Only I know what was done, and what wasn't. I prefer it that way..... About 3 total hours, and his car looked like brand new, compared to when he got it. So, anyone thinking about doing this job, don't be scared. Its fun actually, and you feel alot of pride when you are done. Its a good thing, and it pays to work hard.
What to avoid when detailing, and products:
Avoid waxes, detailers.... Anything that will touch your paint should be silicone free. Silicone is not a good product lol. Especially if your paint is new. Avoid cheap wax, car wash..... And such that may be abrasive to your paint.
Avoid armor all, it has been known to do lots of dash damage.
Avoid dumping your wash water all over your car in the end, like many people do. Common sense will tell you those grits and such you pulled off, are now back on your paint.
Do:
wash your cloth/ sponge periodically to avoid contaminants, and dragging them over your paint.
Clean your sponge if you drop it
Discard your clay, or re-kneed it if you drop it
make sure you apply wax in the shade
Hope this helps!

[polg0003]

dude,...thats very helpful, thank you.