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      09-28-2013, 09:55 AM   #1
Gray_Panther
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BMW M3 Correction + Opti-Coat

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!
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      09-28-2013, 11:03 AM   #2
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Wow. That looks awsome. You did it all yourself? There's a shop in Orange County that wants to charge me a lot of money. How much would you charge?
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      09-28-2013, 11:43 AM   #3
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Looks good
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      09-28-2013, 01:28 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by CoronazonaM3 View Post
Wow. That looks awsome. You did it all yourself? There's a shop in Orange County that wants to charge me a lot of money. How much would you charge?
What's the name of the shop and how much did they want?
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      09-28-2013, 06:02 PM   #5
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I forgot the name of the shop. But it's in Orange County CA.
They do corrective paint and opti coat like $500 more. Total around $1500

I really don't know what opti coat does.

I too have a blk 2008 M3
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      09-28-2013, 07:52 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CoronazonaM3
I forgot the name of the shop. But it's in Orange County CA.
They do corrective paint and opti coat like $500 more. Total around $1500

I really don't know what opti coat does.

I too have a blk 2008 M3
Correcting the paint and opti coating is a fair price for 500. I would do some research and see if their work quality is to your liking.

Opti-Coat is a great product! It is a permanent coating that acts as an extra barrier for your paint. I would google some reviews. I have oc'd all my family member's cars. Well worth my time since we plan to keep these cars for many years.

But 1500 to correct and opticoat is absurd unless you want a flawless finish. For what I did I would charge someone (not family, they get a big discount haha) 350-400.
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      09-29-2013, 02:57 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray_Panther View Post
Correcting the paint and opti coating is a fair price for 500. I would do some research and see if their work quality is to your liking.

Opti-Coat is a great product! It is a permanent coating that acts as an extra barrier for your paint. I would google some reviews. I have oc'd all my family member's cars. Well worth my time since we plan to keep these cars for many years.

But 1500 to correct and opticoat is absurd unless you want a flawless finish. For what I did I would charge someone (not family, they get a big discount haha) 350-400.
1500 isn't absurd. It depends on how long the car is worked on and what the hourly rate is. Doing a one step polish isn't considered a full paint correction
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      09-30-2013, 12:33 AM   #8
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I'm amazed how bad some owners let their cars look. My anxiety to do a deep clean/paint correction would be through the roof!
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      09-30-2013, 12:38 AM   #9
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Great work buddy. Looks good.
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