2008 BMW 550i courtesy of jsatek & G35stilez

S

stilez

New member
Up for grabs this cold New England weekend is an '08 550i. Carbon Black with Natural Brown Leather, Navigation and Sport Package, this was a well optioned example. We didn't see the sticker, but are quite sure the owner ordered the "Granite Paint" option. Every pre-08 BMW I've worked on has had very soft, finicky paint...not this. We polished the car with 7 different combos, ultimately deciding on a 3-step polishing process plus sealer and wax. Once you see the swirls, you will laugh. I thought this was a Z-PC and polishing pad on the PC + Z5 Pro. I was way wrong :). Interior/Exterior/Engine took about 18 man hours...:sadwavey:





Interior was cake. Steam, Zaino Z10, and Opti-Seal for the wood. Looks great :).



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Engine was simply ONR to clean, some CG Silk Shine and QD.



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Exterior took 90% of the time. Etchings, key marks down the driver side, and some swirl marks took their toll on us. We played around with a few combos and ultimately went with the following:



- Optimum No Rinse Wash

- Zaino Z18 Clay with Z6 as lube



- Menzerna SIP and cutting pad @ 1500

- Zaino Z-PC and polishing pad @ 1200

- Zaino Z-PC and polishing pad @ 6 (to clean up light rotary haze)

- Zaino Z6 wipedown



- Zaino Z5 Pro (ZFX'd)

- Swissvax Concorso (user requested)

- FK1 425 final wipedown



- Zaino Z16 on tires

- CG Silk Shine in wells





Before

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Got etching?





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Justin at work



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Swissvax curing...





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Owner inspection :)



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All the best.
 
Holden_C04 said:
Does the cold affect polishing at all? If so, how do you counteract it?
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It can make the polish more difficult to break down, which can lead to a hazy finish. Use a heater.
 
Beautiful car, but is the left-rear directional tire mounted in the wrong direction or is it just my imagination?
 
Thanks for the compliments.



We had the garage at 65+ degrees, the polishes and sealants worked fine. I've had success with Menzerna in temperatures as low as 40-45.



Ill confirm the granite paint option, I haven't polished paint this hard in my life. Reminded me of polishing a marble floor. But what a pleasure, no worries of micromarring or hazing.



TurboJ- ill have to look closer at the tire, these are the winter wheels. Ill let the owner know.
 
Looks great guys!!



I am sure both of you are glad to have had another person to help or it would have been a 2-day detail.



Outstanding work!!
 
jsatek said:
Yes, ....killer clear.
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Ok, so it's not just me - my 550i must also have the granite-coat option.:hairpull



Great work on a fantastic looking BMW - love that Carbon Black color and the Natural Brown interior is stunning.



Wanna come to Chicago?
 
Awesome work fella's, what a great combination of some of the finest in the industry.



I think we are onto something with the teaming up structure, how did you guys HONESTLY feel working with another on a paying job? Or have you done this before?
 
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