Manda Marza's Pictoral Journal Thread

[Manda Mew]

Hello everyone!

So, I want to start over again with a new journal thread instead of continuing my last one, since I’m only just now starting to modify my car and wanted to start fresh. If you do want to go through my last thread, you can find it here: http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1148799.
The main reason why I am making this thread is to share all the pics I’ve been posting on IG but in a different setting more focused on the M3. I can also do picture dumps from the same shoot without worrying about overposting and also ask more technical questions with answers from other people with the same car.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Amanda but most people call me 'Mew' after my little Chihuahua (that cutie in my profile pic). I am 26 years old and living in Southern California, and am currently attending my 2nd year of veterinary school. I am married to another member on here by the username of Rosh Dawg. I want to say pics are a group effort between us, I help decide how to frame and we both edit together, but more serious edits are by him on the computer whereas I only use Lightroom on the iPad.

Also, as requested by @aus, here is a story I submitted to BMW. About a few months ago they contacted me for pics and a little bio about my car and me. They ended up changing about 99% of it but it’s still worth a read if you guys have already read this far…

It wasn't until a little over a year ago that I became a BMW fan girl. I test drove over 15 sport coupes, both new and used before choosing the M3. I ending up driving just about every other car the M3's class and price range. That was definitely an eye opening few months as I really got to learn which cars I loved and which I didn't. I thought I was a Mustang girl for the longest time since my dad raised me to think Mustangs were the greatest thing since sliced bread – but after a test drive the 2015 Mustang GT wasn’t even in the running.
After I test drove an M3 for the first time, an older black E90 model, I could not stop thinking about how different it felt. I kept saying to myself “no I shouldn’t get that, it’s too extreme, there’s no way I can drive a car like that all the time”. But no other car I drove after made me keep thinking about it after I got home, and if you’re going to spend that much money on something, should you never stop thinking about it? Why spend $50,000 on a car that you don’t turn around every time you walk away? If I had gotten an S4 I know I probably wouldn’t even turn around when pressing the lock button. Whereas the M3 you have to stop and take a few iPhone pics before you can leave the parking lot.

Sure enough, the two finalists in my long journey of finding the perfect car was the E92 M3 and the M235i (the M2 was not even revealed at the time). Choosing between the two was immensely difficult, but at the end of the day the M3 put just a little more excitement and a hint of fear in my driving that I found myself craving all the time. The M3 felt more raw and visceral than any of the other cars I drove, reminding me at any speed that I was in a true M car, yet one that I could daily drive in traffic every day. Most other cars I drove were very capable and some were even faster than the M3; yet they felt more neutered and lacked the theater of the drive that I now know is synonymous with BMW's sports cars.
I now obsess over my BMW, and have become quite enveloped in the detailing world as I strive to have the cleanest M3 on the road. I probably have half a dozen layers of wax or sealants on my M3 at any given time!

I always said I would keep this car forever, and I just might. However, the temptation of the M2 may be too strong to resist...
FYI the 1 Series M is actually one of my favorite cars but there were none when we were looking for a car, if anyone knows someone with a 1 Series M that is willing to trade let me know

xoxo
Mew

[Manda Mew]

Some of you guys may have seen my IG that’s primarily based off of me reviewing different car products. I started my last journal with me polishing my car with a Porter Cable, Chemical Guys V line and Opti Coat 2.0. That paint correction was not the biggest success since I was never able to get all the swirls out (bc of both the products and my skills). Needless to say, I have gotten WAYYY better at detailing just by going along with my IG and continuously testing different products. I recently polished my M3 with a G15 and BOSS creams and coated it Essence and 2 layers of Cquartz TiO2. I am considering removing the coating with a finishing pad and polish (really that’s all it takes) and apply Ceramic Pro (I’m starting to get my hands on a lot of professional only products). I’m not going to make this journal a mirror of my IG but if you anyone has any detailing related questions, please ask away!

[Manda Mew]

One of the hardest decisions I’ve made (maybe harder than the car itself) was what wheels I would get. I finally settled on a set of forged Volk Racing G25 D-BK from Vivid Racing.

no, they didn’t all fit in the trunk of course… we took my husband’s truck
I met a higher up in Ceramic Pro recently and he hooked me up with a box of wheel and caliper coating (similar to their crazy expensive 9H paint coating but thicker and more focus on protection than clarity and optical performance) without needing the Ceramic Pro certification This stuff is good up to 1500F and lasts about a decade!
Applying it was definitely different than a non-professional coating, it gripped up SUPER fast and you had to be pretty precise with your application pattern to avoid messy blotches. And when it did grip up it would collect lint from your applicator and make a mess of things. I had a freak out moment but quickly got the hang of it when I realized exactly how much time I had to apply a layer of coating.


I only applied Ceramic Pro on the barrels of the wheels since I knew I would not always be able to reach the barrels (especially when I put on a BBK) and want protection from both heated up brake dust and water spots from washing and not properly drying.
I wanted maximum gloss on the spokes for pics, so I decided on not using CP on the spokes and using Swissvax Autobahn wheel carnauba wax with non-stick-PTFE (Teflon). This stuff only lasts 3 months but I don’t have any problem reapplying this every month or two since the spokes are easy to get to.


(such a cool pic in my opinion)
I then took the wheels to America’s Tire and had them mount them VERY carefully mount my old PSS and onto my M3. The tires are a bit stretched but I’m waiting a little bit until I install thicker PS4S tires.


Here is after 2 weeks of daily driving about 23 miles each way – there is some noticeable dust but still maintains a nice gloss. I used brake cleaner and a pressure washer and got all the dust off of the spokes and barrels (btw how fast the water shoots off of the sides of the barrels looks pretty cool, you can tell how hydrophobic the CP is even without being completely clean).

But, I didn’t dry it after my experiment and I got REALLY nasty water spots. I was happy when a light brush with my towel the next day VERY easily removed all water spots. I highly, HIGHLY recommend getting your wheels protected. My old ZCP wheels look like sh** and I’m going to definitely have to sand and repaint.
I love the wheels, and they definitely look wayyyy better than they did in online pics when I was researching them. I love the finish and they weigh a lot less than my ZCP wheels. Only thing I don’t like is that I was not expecting the little red accent decal to be a decal. I thought it was painted into the wheel. And it doesn’t come preinstalled and there’s no clear place to install the decal. I will probably remove my decals since I didn’t install them perfectly, and the decals look worse in person than in pics. The color itself though is what makes the D-BK edition worth it in my opinion.

Stay tuned for posts on exhaust, tune and some carbon fiber trim! Or maybe some more detailing related posts if you guys are interested…

[yidgyi]

Wheels look nice.

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by yidgyi

Wheels look nice.

Thank you!

[Rat3d ///M]

Nice to see you are still enjoying the M3. That detailing supply shelf is absurd.

Great idea on the Ceramic Pro as well. Just got my wheels powdercoated so I may pick some up and apply this winter (brakes as well).

I started following you on IG. Follow me back if you don't mind (Rat3d_M)

[PandaM3]

Wheels look great!!! I like your choice (I have the same rim but in the prism finish)

I know that discount tire... I used to go to that one when I lived in that area

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by Rat3d ///M

Nice to see you are still enjoying the M3. That detailing supply shelf is absurd.

Great idea on the Ceramic Pro as well. Just got my wheels powdercoated so I may pick some up and apply this winter (brakes as well).

I started following you on IG. Follow me back if you don't mind (Rat3d_M)

Haha cleaver name, followed back! I like your dark blue sedan

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by PandaM3

Wheels look great!!! I like your choice (I have the same rim but in the prism finish)

I know that discount tire... I used to go to that one when I lived in that area

I was considering the prism but couldnt find anywhere that had it in person! Have you posted pics on here of them? Did you get the black or silver prism?

[PandaM3]

Originally Posted by Manda Marza

I was considering the prism but couldnt find anywhere that had it in person! Have you posted pics on here of them? Did you get the black or silver prism?

I've posted pictures but I can't seem to find it with a search. I should start a build thread.

It's the black prism. Depending on the light it can be gunmetal, black, silver, or sparkly

Here's some quick pictures from my phone.

[Simmeaux]

Hi Manda,

I love the look of your M3. Your car has been a real inspiration for the look i am trying to achieve on my AW E92 M3. You've inspired me to get a gloss black roof wrap, which i was debating whether i should do given i have a sunroof, but having seen how yours blended in i was sold and will get it done. Also i love your black mirrors, which im also keen to do soon. Next on my list is a gloss black rear M3 badge from IND (ordered) and most likely a carbon front lip and rear spoiler, oh and some new wheels. Im keen on Vorsteiner V-FF 101's in gloss black at the moment but not sure i can get them in 20" unfortunately. Otherwise my next choice are BBS CI-R's Id love a set of forged HRE 101's but they are just too expensive so trying to find similar designs.

Keep up the good work

[New2Roundel]

Clean car! The next mod should be black side gills as the stock chrome really sticks out. Looking forward to more detailing shots!

[DSilk]

Manda, your wheels look great. I can strongly second your suggestion to protect painted wheels, since the paint can be damaged far too easily. I have Boston alloys on my M3 and they are pained black, so I know from experience.

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by DSilk

Manda, your wheels look great. I can strongly second your suggestion to protect painted wheels, since the paint can be damaged far too easily. I have Boston alloys on my M3 and they are pained black, so I know from experience.

Thank you! Yes painted wheels are definitely the worst. My black paint on my ZCP wheels has permanently turned a weird brown bubbly color. If only the previous owner put protection it would've saved me so much work making my old wheels look new. Not sure what I want to repaint them as though..
What do you have yours protected with?

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by Simmeaux

Hi Manda,

I love the look of your M3. Your car has been a real inspiration for the look i am trying to achieve on my AW E92 M3. You've inspired me to get a gloss black roof wrap, which i was debating whether i should do given i have a sunroof, but having seen how yours blended in i was sold and will get it done. Also i love your black mirrors, which im also keen to do soon. Next on my list is a gloss black rear M3 badge from IND (ordered) and most likely a carbon front lip and rear spoiler, oh and some new wheels. Im keen on Vorsteiner V-FF 101's in gloss black at the moment but not sure i can get them in 20" unfortunately. Otherwise my next choice are BBS CI-R's Id love a set of forged HRE 101's but they are just too expensive so trying to find similar designs.

Keep up the good work

Nice! Make sure you have them black out the antenna and the roof rail rack things, normally they don't. And good call on getting a nice quality emblem. I got mine from some random place and it's too big if you noticed. I always wanted a custom painted one from IND.
I too am looking for a carbon fiber front lip and spoiler. But hard to find a good quality one if you're not going OEM. Mode carbon and Autotecknic are really good. I think I'm going to go with Autotecknic since they're a bit easier on the wallet.
Ohhh HRE 101 looks really good!! But V-FF 101 are also good for the money. I was considering them but you can get fully forged Volk's for a pretty good price. But there is still that minimum $1k jump to go from flow formed to fully forged.
I'm just glad I finally picked a set after debating since we first bought the car. Saves me time now and my desktop isn't cluttered with icons of pics of wheels..

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by PandaM3

I've posted pictures but I can't seem to find it with a search. I should start a build thread.

It's the black prism. Depending on the light it can be gunmetal, black, silver, or sparkly

Here's some quick pictures from my phone.

Ohhhh nice brakes!!! I like the prism.
And you should start a journal. That's my favorite part of the forum.

[RickP]

Nice write up, Manda! Love those wheels.

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

The S65 is a gem! Enjoy in good health! I miss mine every single day!

[The Automotive Enthusiast]

P.S. Use Wolfgang wheel cleaner. It's magical.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Originally Posted by Mo@BMWofFairfax

P.S. Use Wolfgang wheel cleaner. It's magical.

Yep , and I have the "Wolfgang Auto Bathe" as well and I'm very happy with the result .

=> http://www.autogeek.net/wg1000.html

[Simmeaux]

Originally Posted by Manda Marza

Nice! Make sure you have them black out the antenna and the roof rail rack things, normally they don't. And good call on getting a nice quality emblem. I got mine from some random place and it's too big if you noticed. I always wanted a custom painted one from IND.
I too am looking for a carbon fiber front lip and spoiler. But hard to find a good quality one if you're not going OEM. Mode carbon and Autotecknic are really good. I think I'm going to go with Autotecknic since they're a bit easier on the wallet.
Ohhh HRE 101 looks really good!! But V-FF 101 are also good for the money. I was considering them but you can get fully forged Volk's for a pretty good price. But there is still that minimum $1k jump to go from flow formed to fully forged.
I'm just glad I finally picked a set after debating since we first bought the car. Saves me time now and my desktop isn't cluttered with icons of pics of wheels..

Yep i am getting the rails and antenna wrapped gloss black also, like yours. Not sure i can justify paying for forged wheels right now so flowform is where its at. Everything is crazy expensive down here in Australia too so it makes it even harder. Did you get the gloss black mirror caps for yours or are they wrapped?

[Manda Mew]

Originally Posted by Simmeaux

Yep i am getting the rails and antenna wrapped gloss black also, like yours. Not sure i can justify paying for forged wheels right now so flowform is where its at. Everything is crazy expensive down here in Australia too so it makes it even harder. Did you get the gloss black mirror caps for yours or are they wrapped?

No they're carbon fiber!
I recommend getting them from AutoTecknic
http://www.autotecknic.com/product-p/bm-0152.htm

I also had them wrapped in clear bra