MODELLO: BMW M3 E46ANNO: 2003COLORE: CARBONSCHWARZ META fantastic grumpy, a muscled Bmw M3 E46, perfect in its proportions.The color is CARBONSCHWARZ MET, apparently black, which turns to blue when illuminated (German school of blacks).
Day 1The car is very much lived, I have to do an accurate evaluation and then proceeding with an aesthetic restoration, so I decide to wash it deeply in order to identify critical points and weaknesses. Bathing done!The surprise, once measured the thickness, is the paint that seems to be original (never repainted) which is rare on cars like this. The thickness in fact shows values lower than the standard, and I understand that the car has been sanded, and don’t ask me why.Removing the so-called “orange peel” is one of the biggest bull**** that runs on the forums of the self-styled detailers, who demonize it as if it was Satan. Get over it, modern cars and some youngtimers have a “peel” paint job, so give it up!
Day 2Ok, I’m still trying to overcome the shock of that insane action.The situation is largely compromised because now the transparent layer is very thin and it will make my intervention very complicated.Never give up, Marci! I start to eliminate the most evident defects, the brushstrokes of color made on the marks of the stones and on the cravices of the transparent: like a punch in the eye.This car is becoming a rebus, prudence and reflection are a must! It’s an intervention that takes a lot of time, I have smoothed out every single “brushing” flaw with some weights and abrasive sheets. Now that they are much less visible they will get confused in the final brilliance once polished, but they will never go away because they are like real scars.Sometimes rather than compromise the entire paint job it is better to leave an imperfection that tells the life of the car.
Day 3After the hood and the roof, the car begins to look better. Now I start working on the sides, and here I put on a corrective polishing but above all gloss, because those pronounced ‘hips’ must be highlighted!Then it’s time of the engine compartment, now with the bodywork in order it looks even dirtier: for him haute treatment!No water, no chemistry and lots and lots of physics! Microfibers and a ton of patience, the compartment is not crowded, the layout is tidy but the pretty shabby. A lot of gold-colored mould and many pine needles.Sometimes I wonder if I had the mud analyzed, would I get to the exact geolocation of the place where the car has lived for years? Sorry, detailing stuff, don’t care about me.I must go on because the work is long. It will take 9 hours to complete the engine. And my eyes burn at the end of the day.
Day 4The fifth and last day is dedicated to the aesthetic restoration of the interior.I start as always from the vacuum, together with my beloved friends Light and Compressor.There’s a lot of the same golden earth even inside the hollow under the seat. NO DRAMA PLEASE!I then move on to the cleaning of the leather, and I see that some upper parts of the back seat are ‘burned’ by the sun. This work should be done by spreading the product directly with your hands.After cleaning fabrics and carpet I move on to detail work throughout the car.The interior detailing is almost finished and I understand it when I feel that the smell in the cockpit becomes faint and not as pungent as when it arrived. What a satisfaction!
Day 5The day of delivery has come.The car has been washed, polished, its engine compartment cleaned in every single detail. The cockpit restored.One last step is missing: the super finish. The car goes under a hyper illuminated tunnel and here I correct every little defect that may have remained, a single scratch or maybe a residue of polishing paste. Everything must be corrected for the delivery. I need three intense hours and I am concentated like a Russian chess player.
No nano-bullshit allowed here, but the dear old Old School.A fat and full-bodied wax that will make the bodywork protected for some time.Les jeux sont faits!XOXO Marci
