WyattH | E90 M3 ZCP

[HELROTM3]

Looks good!

[wyatth]

Earlier this month I gave the car it's annual protective and TLC treatment. In addition to getting the car detailed and clayed, I had it polished for its first time. I do not have space or lighting to do this part of the job properly myself in my condo garage. But then over a few weeks I gave gave it 3-4 coats of Griot's new ceramic sealant (incl. wheels and door jams), Gummipflege'd all rubber, dressed the interior, degreased and dressed the engine, Wurth HHS-K'd the hinges, 303'd all plastic and vinyl, etc. It was looking brand new, surely as good as it ever had under my ownership (especially with the brand new wheels, front bumper, and headlights!) ...

Well it stayed clean for all of about 10 minutes since I immediately drove to Los Angeles for a long Christmas weekend. It's so far from clean right now, but at least it's protected and a pressure wash away from looking great again! I took a favorite detour via HWY33 through Los Padres National Forest and Ojai, but instead of connecting to I-5, I took 166 to HWY101 for the rest which was a little prettier with a quicker pace even if more total miles. I took this route both ways so total for the weekend was about 1000 miles (240 of which were in M Mode!) or 10% of my total miles on the car, ha! It was also particularly fun because I last drove this route 2.5 years ago when I flew to LA to buy the car and drive it home. The car looks even more stock now than it did then, but sure goes a bit better. But really, the car was phenomenal as expected, eagerly covering ground and keeping things fun while still being extremely comfortable without skipping a beat... other than the small fuel tank and WOT/uphill mileage getting pretty scary out in BFNW!

[derbo]

Leave it to Wayit to detail a car painfully before a long trip.

[94jedi]

Great pics man!!! How do you like 303 for interior trim/plastics? Is your car already ceramic coated?

[wyatth]

Originally Posted by derbo

Leave it to Wayit to detail a car painfully before a long trip.

Originally Posted by 94jedi

Great pics man!!! How do you like 303 for interior trim/plastics? Is your car already ceramic coated?

303 overall seems pretty good, although it's pretty new to me. It's super easy to apply and leaves a matte, like-new finish with no residue left behind. I do a light layer like a dusting on the soft touch panels and consoles, and it's good around the edges, on high wear areas, shadowline and rubber trim, and as an engine bay "dressing." I think it'd be good nearly everywhere, it seems happy on most surfaces and doesn't leave a trace, and supposedly provides some good protection with a renewed finish. My interior is in great shape anyway so I can't say I've had a magical rejuvenating experience, I just believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I will say it's fine on rubber as well, but doesn't leave it nearly as rich as a true gummi.

I do not have a ceramic coating on this car. It boils down to performance/value and cost/DIY-ability. My E46 had a professional CeramicPro 9H job done and it was good, but I can't say it was much better than modern ceramic sealants in my limited experience (ymmv). I found the ease of washing tar, the hydrophobic properties, and the longevity of the sealants to be nearly as good as the 9H. Specifically I had been using Sonax Net Polymer Shield, but the new Griot's Ceramix Sealant is supposedly even better in every way. Sure, a true coating is going to last longer and be even stronger for tough stuff, but the car lives an easy life: Bay Area climate, underground garage, <3K/year, select errands (not a DD), and I overdo it anyway by making it an annual practice (I bet 4+ coats with my use would last 2+ years!). If things were different, I would be more interested in a true coating. And then cost: unfortunately I do not have the space/lighting to DIY a coating, but the sealants are foolproof and a total breeze to apply. So a coating would mean going to a pro and spending $2K+, and then still needing to "maintain" it every year or two, while the sealants are sufficiently good for me and I can spend a few hours every year on it.

[Johal E32]

Looks sharp Wayitt! Can't wait for our next croissant run

[wyatth]

Well there's no shortage of time to drive these days. Anybody else clocking more miles during the pandemic?

[Epoustouflant]

Looks like it rolled off the showroom floor yesterday.

100% with you on ceramic coatings. The DIY S02 sprays have been making incredible strides lately and it pushes the pro level products out of contention IMO.

[swagon]

Can also recommend Gyeon Can Coat on the. Recently put it on the M3. Very easy to apply. Does not seem to have messed with the existing couple-years-old Nanolex ceramic coating.

Probably an overkill to have a true ceramic coating, then this spray thingy and a LSP in the form of Beadmaker though

[wyatth]

[Johal E32]

M3 CS (Croissant Spec) is looking good, Wayitt!

[slcook54]

Great pics bud.

[M3_Legend]

Your car looks way better and cleaner with the Sliver ZCPs love it

[wyatth]

A few photos and minor updates just so I can clear out my phone.


Another full detail in/out. Unremarkable except I used Leatherique for the first time (previously been using Griot's and Sonax). It sure did the job of restoring the matte finish, but I am not sure it was worth the effort. I've heard that a magic eraser and diluted Simple Green is just as effective on modern top-coated leathers. But for a once-a-decade thing, whatever. Before, during, after:










Simple service at VT including an annual oil change with Castrol TWS.








New center caps, aligned as Derbo has instructed me (inside joke: https://jalopnik.com/porsche-has-a-v...-th-1838539888).




I was out for a drive and literally inhaled a small bird through the bumper intake duct. Poor fella! There were feathers sticking out of the hood vent until I was able to clean out the airbox and filter. Oddly I never found blood or the body, just feathers.




Why can’t everyday be pizza day? Oh wait, it is (that is, unless it's croissant day!). The man, the myth, the legend:




Recent meet up and cruise around Orinda with Johal_32, Slcook54, Akkando, and Davisca455. Not only are these cars sweet, but they tend to attract some good dudes as well!








Seeing a lot of G82s these days. You can probably guess which I was happy to be getting back into! I don’t care how fast they are, they're like that relative you're embarrassed to admit you're related to...




Finally, I've decided to sell the Eisenmann Sport:
https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1819653

[94jedi]

Love the pics man. You're one of the reason I was "ok" w/ AW this time around.

[wyatth]

Thanks man, really appreciate that! Especially with how mild and stock my car is/looks!

[Jive]

Originally Posted by wyatth

I used Leatherique for the first time (previously been using Griot's and Sonax). It sure did the job of restoring the matte finish, but I am not sure it was worth the effort.

10/10, would watch you scrub that leather in misery again.

[Space Fox]

Ha! I sucked up a bird w my passenger intake duct (DCT cooler) a while back with the same result - feathers and nothing else. Poor guys..

[wyatth]

Originally Posted by Jive

10/10, would watch you scrub that leather in misery again.

I still suspect @Jive added some tree sap to the Leatherique Rejuvenator before handing it to me. Motion to ban!

[wyatth]

Not much in the way of car updates but we recently moved and my first order of business was renovating the garage. Very happy with it how it came out. Some before and afters below. Electrical, lighting, lots of demo, insulation and drywall, paint, lots of cleaning, epoxy floor, new shelves and cabinets, tankless water heater.














Also met up with @slcook54 recently for croissants and train rides with our rugrats.

[Jive]

I’ll patiently wait for the day when J decides to wash your stupid cars with your stupid river rocks.

[wyatth]

Originally Posted by Jive

I’ll patiently wait for the day when J decides to wash your stupid cars with your stupid river rocks.

He's developing quite the arm, I'd have him show off his aim with your X7 as the target but it's always at the dealer. Maybe it'll be reliable enough to come by sometime and he can nail it with those gorgeous rocks.