96GreenPSD
Member
This 2006 BMW 328i in solid black was brought to me over the winter by a wholesale client looking to revive the paint while staying on budget. Just an initial glance at the car under overhead fluorescent lights showed heavy washed induced marring, rotary swirls, deep scratches, waterspot etching, etc. To say this car had received years of neglect and even abuse at the hands of inexperienced detailers was an understatement, and given that this particular year and color combo in BMW paint is finicky I expected a challenge 
.
Let's take a look at the condition of the car upon arrival:
Salt and grime all over the body, caked on brake dust coating the wheels:
159 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Here we can see lots of hazing in the finish caused by totally improper polishing technique with a rotary, plus lots of other light marring and deeper scratches:
163 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The wheels had a heavy accumulation of brake dust which is commonly seen on neglected German cars:
161 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Heavy marring and rotary swirls completely ruin the color and reflection of the paint:
164 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The damage continued like this over the entire body & was visible without harsh lighting:
168 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Horrific marring covered the trunk lid and some sort of chemical etching had occurred on the top of the passenger quarter panel:
355 by Pinnacle Auto Detail -
169 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrCT, on Flickr
An LED inspection light further highlights the defects in the paint:
228 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
After seeing how extensive the damage was to the car I decided to go with a two step correction to remove approximately 80+ percent of the damage, keeping things within budget and leaving enough clear on the car given that the new owner might not be willing to care for it properly. This rate of correction would vastly improve the finish, removing the heavy rotary-induced damage and wash damage, while leaving behind some of the very deep RIDS (random isolated deep scratches) which would have required a more aggressive approach that wasn't warranted given the circumstances.
A test spot was taped off after a thorough wash and decontamination:
231 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The Rupes 21 was used with Meguiars M101 mixed with D300 on an Optimum MF cutting pad, followed by HD polish on a black foam finishing pad. The finish greatly benefited from this combo:
290 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The tape was removed to further highlight the difference between the corrected and uncorrected finish
307 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr:
Closeups under LED inspection lights:
309 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
311 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
314 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
After photos:
Notice how the once very visible marring is almost completely absent:
095 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Great gloss on the quarter panel:
095 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
102 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
The finish on the trunk lid has been completely transformed from its once dull and lifeless state. The water/chemical staining is also gone from the quarter panel. Note that some of the very deep marring in the trunk remains given the level of correction I was pursuing. 100% correction just wasn't worth it in this case:
107 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Quarter panel showing a huge reduction in damage, only deep RIDS remaining:
120 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
LED lighting showing the condition of the upper quarter panel:
130 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Closeup of the trunk lid after correction, note the absence of swirls or marring:
137 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Reflection shot showing the black color nicely:
157 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
Deep scratches on the trunk lid still remained, otherwise the paint was transformed:
108 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr
That's it, thanks for looking. Like I said, this was a wholesale client so a full correction wasn't the goal, however, the final result was drastically different from the starting point. Any comments or questions are welcomed. I also have to say that HD Polish finished out amazingly well on this color with the Rupes 21, it really was a pleasure to use. Thanks again!
Mike Donoghue
Pinnacle Auto Detail- CT
.Let's take a look at the condition of the car upon arrival:
Salt and grime all over the body, caked on brake dust coating the wheels:
159 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrHere we can see lots of hazing in the finish caused by totally improper polishing technique with a rotary, plus lots of other light marring and deeper scratches:
163 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrThe wheels had a heavy accumulation of brake dust which is commonly seen on neglected German cars:
161 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrHeavy marring and rotary swirls completely ruin the color and reflection of the paint:
164 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrThe damage continued like this over the entire body & was visible without harsh lighting:
168 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrHorrific marring covered the trunk lid and some sort of chemical etching had occurred on the top of the passenger quarter panel:
355 by Pinnacle Auto Detail -
An LED inspection light further highlights the defects in the paint:
228 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrAfter seeing how extensive the damage was to the car I decided to go with a two step correction to remove approximately 80+ percent of the damage, keeping things within budget and leaving enough clear on the car given that the new owner might not be willing to care for it properly. This rate of correction would vastly improve the finish, removing the heavy rotary-induced damage and wash damage, while leaving behind some of the very deep RIDS (random isolated deep scratches) which would have required a more aggressive approach that wasn't warranted given the circumstances.
A test spot was taped off after a thorough wash and decontamination:
231 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrThe Rupes 21 was used with Meguiars M101 mixed with D300 on an Optimum MF cutting pad, followed by HD polish on a black foam finishing pad. The finish greatly benefited from this combo:
290 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrThe tape was removed to further highlight the difference between the corrected and uncorrected finish
307 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr:Closeups under LED inspection lights:
309 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr311 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr314 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrAfter photos:
Notice how the once very visible marring is almost completely absent:
095 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrGreat gloss on the quarter panel:
095 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on Flickr102 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrThe finish on the trunk lid has been completely transformed from its once dull and lifeless state. The water/chemical staining is also gone from the quarter panel. Note that some of the very deep marring in the trunk remains given the level of correction I was pursuing. 100% correction just wasn't worth it in this case:
107 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrQuarter panel showing a huge reduction in damage, only deep RIDS remaining:
120 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrLED lighting showing the condition of the upper quarter panel:
130 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrCloseup of the trunk lid after correction, note the absence of swirls or marring:
137 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrReflection shot showing the black color nicely:
157 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrDeep scratches on the trunk lid still remained, otherwise the paint was transformed:
108 by Pinnacle Auto Detail - CT, on FlickrThat's it, thanks for looking. Like I said, this was a wholesale client so a full correction wasn't the goal, however, the final result was drastically different from the starting point. Any comments or questions are welcomed. I also have to say that HD Polish finished out amazingly well on this color with the Rupes 21, it really was a pleasure to use. Thanks again!
Mike Donoghue
Pinnacle Auto Detail- CT
