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2009 BMW M3 – Paint Correction Detail

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Nearly 20 hours was spent on this turnaround.  I performed a two-stage paint correction (two polishing steps) on a white car and some interior work.  The owner had just purchased a 2009 BMW M3 from the dealership weeks prior, so this was a nice cleanup for a new car owner.

BMW-M3-Prior To Detailing

Evironmental-Debris-Bug-Guts

The bumper (above) received a pretreatment spray of P21S Total Auto Wash for about a minute prior to washing.  P21S Total Auto Wash is a high quality (mildly alkaline) all-purpose cleaner.  I wanted to loosen up the plethora of foreign objects stuck to the bumper prior to washing.  I would wash the car with Wolfgang Uber Rinseless wash.

The importance of Iron Removers!  Carpro Iron X was used (pictured below).

Iron-Remover-BMW-M3

From experience, vehicles with scrapes and chips bleed off the most ferrous metal.  This was no exception.  Although detailing clay can remove this as well, the clay bar might not remove all of it.  The number one reason a car has paint is to prevent corrosion (stop rust).  Iron removers are used on paint with the intention of preventing corrosion (damage that rust causes).  For a car in this condition, a product not commonly used by professionals, I consider it one of the kindest things to do to your paint.  The combination of using an iron remover and a clay bar on moderate to severely contaminated paint is also a more efficient process of removing contamination.

Iron-Remover-BMW M3

Iron-Remover-BMW-M3

I actually sprayed significantly less Iron X on the carbon fiber top.  I noticed it took me much longer to remove bonded contaminants from that area with a clay bar.

The clay bar pulled a severe level of contamination from this vehicle.  The owner said the dealership detailed the car.  This is something to be mindful of when you purchase a new or used car.

Carbon Fiber Top

ClayBar-Contamination

You can see in the right lighting the defects present.  Removing these defects can still bring additional improvements to the clarity of the paint.  These same abrasions in the paint would stand out much more on a black car.

Defects-In-White-Paint

A mild two-step paint correction with Menzerna polishes:  FG400 was used for the initial first (aggressive) polishing step.  This was followed by Super Finish 3500 for the less aggressive second step (refinement).  Rupes Duetto with the Rupes Green Medium Foam Pads and the Porter Cable with the Lake Country CCS Orange Pad was paired with the aggressive FG400.  I followed up with the Yellow Rupes Polishing Pad for the Duetto and the White CCS Pads with the Porter Cable with the refinement process.  Carpro Eraser was used to strip the paint of the polishing oils that the polish left behind.

I also performed some interior work removing quite a bit of dog hair.  There is nothing that compares to patience (time) and a very good dog hairbrush.  No fancy power tools used here.  This brush (pictured above) was used for most of the dog hair.  I used the nitrile gloves to create an electrostatic effect pulling hair from crevices that the brush could not reach.  Moving your hand back and forth rapidly (wearing the nitrile gloves) you can create a similar effect to a dog hairbrush.

DI Brushes Pet Hair Removal Brush

DI Accessories Nitrile Gloves Powder Free Black

dog-hair-pic-floormat

clean M3 floormat

Fabric cleaned and protected with Optimum Carpet & Fabric Clean & Protect.

Paint Protected with Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0.

Headlights were ceramic coated.

Post Detail M3

Interior BMW M3 Driver Side

M3 Passenger Side Beauty Shot Interior

M3 Side Panel Beauty Shot

M3 front hood beauty shot

Rodney Tatum
Mirror Reflections Auto Spa
Gainesville, Florida
MirrorReflectionsAutoSpa.com
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4 comments on 2009 BMW M3 – Paint Correction Detail

  1. Gabronn says:

    Very nice work. Dog hair is so annoying. What should be the charge range for a job like this? Mainly the paint correction portion.

    • Rodney Tatum says:

      That honestly is a difficult question to answer: as there are so many variables to this equation. I do not like to ‘should’ someone’s business profitability or ‘should’ a customer’s budget. But for both parties I will say these things. Detailing, what you see from me and the other blog writers is a luxury service. If it turns into a budget service you ultimately lose the ability to provide luxury results, especially in the long term.

      Your overhead plays a big role in pricing, your experience, and cost of products, misc expenses. You need to at least have a little idea of that. But also perhaps most overlooked, HOW LONG YOU TAKE. Paint correction and dog hair removal DONE AT A LUXURY LEVEL are two of some of the more time consuming activities a detail can take part in. I told a recent client the great irony the better I got the longer I take. That is probably the number 1 factor in different pricing.

      This car was somewhat a while back it was the equivalent of slightly over two full days pushing myself to the brink. Realistically it could spill into 3 days.

      https://mirrorreflectionsautospa.com/services

      My pricing above, which here would be a 2 stage minor and intensive interior. Today I would have charged more for moderate dog hair (this was severe). At the time I charged about 3x less than I would now, factoring in discounts from insecurity. It goes without saying I would not have an interest in continuing if the status quo of my own doing continued.

      So in your case (not a perfect science) evaluate how long it takes and your standing compared to other detailers. Then start with/just go with your gut.

  2. Gabronn says:

    That makes sense. I figured it would be best to go off of exp and how labor intensive.I really appreciate your reply. What separates your minor 2 step correction from your major?

    • Rodney Tatum says:

      You’re welcome. The minor can be quite significant still. But it is usually 2 to 3 steps of polishing; 1 to 2 attempts at compounding and then refinement. The major is going a little farther up to literally chasing perfection. Usually the range being what I can safely remove.

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