Correction for an M3, Protection for an ML
I was contacted by the owner of these two lovely machines to deal with some dealer inflicted damage on his new Jerez Black BMW M3. Very highly specified, and in beautiful condition in every other respect, Andy felt the paint was letting it down. Where it should have been rich and glossy, the finish was flat and lifeless, and upon closer inspection the many little scratches causing it were clearly visible.
Following a discussion, he also decided that whilst I was visiting he’d like me to spend some time on his other car, a monster of a machine in the form of a Mercedes ML 63 AMG. Being Silver in colour, and fastidiously maintained by Andy from day one, we decided a Protection Detail was ideal. Wanting only the best for both vehicles, Swissvax Divine was to be the wax used to finish. We agreed dates for me to carry out the work at Andy’s home in Derbyshire , and I booked a local B&B to stay over at.
Following a very early start on the first day, upon arrival I was greeted by Andy with a strong coffee and the keys to the M3. After getting it out of the garage I got straight to work removing a light layer of road grime before I could inspect the paint.
The usual routine was followed. A good pre-soak with a citrus based detergent, including wheel arches and door shuts, followed by a rinse. Wheels were cleaned first using an acid-free cleaner and a variety of brushes to clean the inside areas and between the fiddly spokes. Then back to the bodywork, using Swissvax pH neutral shampoo the whole outside was carefully cleaned using a lambswool washmit, rinsed, then whilst still wet contaminants bonded to the paint were removed using a clay bar. A final rinse removed any residue before finally drying the car with a very soft microfibre towel.
I took this opportunity to inspect the paintwork for any signs of thin paint, or repairs, using my ultrasonic Positector paint thickness gauge. This helps me to build up a ‘map’ of the car, highlighting any areas that might be of concern or needing different treatment. In this case, a healthy amount of paint (or to be more specific, clearcoat) was present all over, with no areas of concern.
At this point it became obvious the car would need more correction than I first believed, so on this overcast grey day I set up a halogen site light to work buy, and embarked on a two stage polishing process to first cut the clearcoat back, removing the deeper scratches, then polishing again with a refining polish to really bring out the gloss and leave it perfect. In the picture below, you can see the swirls quite clearly, although the deeper marks were harder to capture. This is what was making the paint look quite dull.
After carrying out some test area’s to establish a suitable working combination of polishes, I worked my way around the car. Due to time constraints, photography at this point became rather lacking! However, I was able to capture this example of a panel, before and after polishing.
With Andy keeping me stocked with coffee, I worked my way around the car, first cutting then refining, until the paintwork was flawless. This colour was easier to work with than some other BMW colours, Carbon Black for example, which are usually ridiculously hard work. With the sun having set some time ago, I was able to capture these pictures. At this point no wax had been applied, this is just polished to perfecting. Notice how the gold and blue metallic flakes in the paint glows in the halogen light, making it appear quite purple, and in the garage it looked deep and reflective.
With the car garaged, I was able to apply the Swissvax Divine wax. Used all over the car, including the beautiful carbon fibre roof, it was left to cure while I treated the alloy wheels with Swissvax Autobahn, a dedicated wheel wax. At the same time, I dressed the tyres with Pneu to give a rich satin finish, leaving them dry to the touch and looking ‘brand new’. I buffed off the wax before attending to the final job of the day, polishing the four stainless steel tips of the seductively made Miltek exhaust system just poking out from under the rear valance. With that completed, I retired to my hotel for a well deserved rest.
Andy had been kind enough to let me leave my van at his house for security, and ferried me to and from the hotel. Arriving back at the M3, it was once again moved out of the garage so that I could continue the finish touches, and deal with the interior.
The outside was given a quick wipe down with Quick Finish quick detailing spray, to remove any dust that might have settled overnight, before a second layer of Divine wax was applied. While this was curing, I set about attending to cleaning the glass inside and out then dusting down and waxing the door jambs. Inside, the carpets were thoroughly vacuumed, trim wiped down with Swissvax Plastic Wash before being treated with Matt Protection, and the leather upholstery cleaned with Leather Cleaner, which was followed up by Leather Milk. It was all pretty clean, so this didn’t take long (Andy showing me the amazing BMW Performance multi function steering wheel took longer!). Turning my attention back to the outside, the wax layer was buffed to a brilliant shine, and here is the result. Sadly no sunshine was present, but even on that grey day, the gloss and depth of the paint was quite breathtaking.
BMW finished, it was tucked away back in the garage.
With two thirds of the day left, next up was the outrageous looking Mercedes, known fondly in the household as the ‘Battle Bus’. Having been in Andy’s care for 2 years, it was already in outstanding condition, so little work was needed in preparation. A quick wash was followed by a session with the clay bar, removing the obvious contaminants on the paint like tree sap and tar. Once rinsed and dried, I used a Swissvax Cleaner Fluid with a light abrasive in it to both clean and burnish the paint in one step, allowing me to treat this large vehicle in a time efficient manner.
That done, back out with the Divine wax, and after applying a coat to the whole vehicle I applied Autobahn to the alloy wheels, Pneu to the tyres, cleaned the glass and polished the exhaust tips. The wax was buffed off and the whole thing given a final dust down. Whilst quick to type, that took me until late afternoon!
Here is how it looked upon completion.
Andy had asked me about providing some products to help him continue maintaining the vehicles, in between getting me back once a year or so, so I explained a good routine to follow and how to get the best from the products.
I have to say, the ML is an astounding machine. With huge road presence thanks to it’s imposing size and subtly aggressive looks, the performance on tap from the handbuilt 6.3 litre AMG V8 engine is just staggering. It sounds like a NASCAR racer, and once on the move completely disguised it’s bulk with startling performance and very impressive ride quality and body control. Talk about a ‘do anything’ motorcar. It left more of an impression on me than most supercars I’ve worked on!
I had a couple of very enjoyable days, and I’m pleased to say Andy has submitted a testimonial regarding his experience of Shine On, of which I’m very proud. You can read it by clicking here.
Testimonials
“I would definitely recommend anyone to use Shine On regardless of marque, Paul is a genuinely nice bloke who has the rare attributes of actually loving his job and doing it to the best of his ability (bordering on OCD). I personally plan to use this service at least every 8months to keep the cars looking at their best.
And to top it all off…..even my wife commented on how and I quote ‘amazing’ it looked, that testimony alone is worth its weight in gold!
Andy (M3 and Battle Bus!)”
