BMW M3 Correction + Opti-Coat

[Gray_Panther]

Hey all,
I recently finished up a correction on my uncle's Jerez Black M3. This monster of a machine has around 35k miles on it. I say a monster of a machine because I am coming from a little 1er and driving this death-mobile for a couple days you really have to grab it by the neck with a vicious grip or it will tear you apart. I could never own one because it is too big for my taste, but what I can do is respect the engineering the M group put into this to make the car become the beast that it is.

My uncle went on a business trip and handed me the keys expecting some type of polish and wax job to be completed upon his return. I gave him a little more than that. I completed an 85-90% correction on his paint and then Opti-Coated it. I gave him the OC treatment because he does not have time usually to hand wash his car with family and work taking up his time. He usually takes it through the touchless car washes and OC would act as the perfect protection as the car washes would not strip the coating off as it would for waxes/sealants.

I knew his paint would be in bad shape, so I did not spend much time taking pictures documenting the paints condition.

Products Used:
Gilmours Foammaster II
Dawn APC mixed with Dodo Juice Basics of Bling Shampoo
Meg's Clay with ONR as clay lube
PC7424XP
Uber Cutting (Yellow) Pads
Sonax Fine Abrasive Paste 5/4
Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner
E-Z Detail Brush
Adam's APC for tires
Opti-Coat 2.0
Lexol Leather Cleaner
Lexol Leather Conditioner

We traded cars Sunday at noon and I drove it home to begin my work. Here is the condition of the car as I began my work:




Here you can see wax residue on the trim, this was my first clue that the previous owner had the car poorly detailed.



M3 marker not looking too bright


Typical BMW M brake dust





And after Sonax FE with agitation. I had to take an old MF towel and hand wipe away leftover residue to get the wheels clean. The extra effort was well worth it. These wheels have a lot of little crevices, BMW definitely did not think of the detailer when designing the wheels!


I then took Adam's APC and gave the tires a real good scrubbing. I was going nowhere, and decided to leave it to clean when he switches to his winter wheels. At which point I will opti-coat these wheels and clean the tires properly.


Somewhat better


After washing the car and claying it down, this is the finish I was left with.




I wish I captured the holograms all over the car but I was pressed for time. The hood had more holograms than a Pokemon card. It was nail on the coffin that made me believe a previous detailer took his rotary and went to town on the paint. Oh well...

After doing a test section with Sonax Fine Abrasive Paste and Uber cutting pad, I found that the clear coat is rather soft and easy to correct.
There were some RIDS (Random Isolated Deep Scratches) that were not worth chasing, not only because this was his DD, because the clear coat would have been leveled down too low for comfort. Overall, the paint came out looking great with a lot of scratches and swirls leveled out, also the holograms were nowhere to be seen.

Here some pictures after paint correction, prior to an alcohol wipe down.






I was satisfied with the condition of the paint, so I began my 50/50 alcohol wipe down and opti-coated the entire car. I even did the trim and the windows which will help the preserve their longevity, especially the shadow line trim.




Here are some pictures in the sun after the opti-coat had cured.








Thank you for reading my write up and have a great day!

[Zombie1]

Nice work car looks great

[pj.rodriguez]

Awesome. I wish I could meet up with you November 1 but I have the DAT exam the next day. (Applying to dental schools).

[pj.rodriguez]

Did you only do the one stage correction? How do you like the sonax polishes?

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by pj.rodriguez

Did you only do the one stage correction? How do you like the sonax polishes?

Hey thanks, yea it would have been nice to meet up, but school definitely is more important!

I did a one step just with Sonax Fine Abrasive Paste. It finishes out great by itself, but if I polished it with Nano Polish after it would have made a noticeable difference. The thing I like about the Sonax polishes is that they have a long working time, no dust and great finishing capabilities. Well worth the the money for me and I am glad my parents got it for me for Xmas.

My M105 dust just too much, great cutting capabilities but the dusting got really annoying.