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      07-10-2015, 01:27 AM   #1
Manda Mew
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Smile Manda Mew Journal Thread

Please skip to thread revival on page 26 to skip a bunch of silly bantering
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...9#post20602229

Well, I just recently ticked off a long awaited box on my bucket list.
I have been obsessed with the M3 for an extremely long amount of time... Ever since it first came out actually. I remember seeing it as some sort of exotic, constantly taking pictures of ones I found sitting in the parking lot. It wasn't until 7 years later that I actually drove my first one! Well long story short I fell in love and my soon to be husband (RoshDawg, also a member on here) and I purchased a kick ass E92 M3 with DCT in AW.

But here's the long story!

The Hunt
I first test drove a high mileage E90 without EDC (which I feel is a must on crappy CA roads), and I was very intimidated. It was like driving a lion that I had to try hard to tame, and that made it extremely exciting. I felt as if it would be too exciting for a DD that will be gaining a lot of miles, and expanded my search to the following cars (ranked from best to worst): M235i, GLA 45, Macan S, C400, S4, Golf R, STi, Mustang GT. I did not drive the C400 or Golf R, but I'll make another post about my full comparison review on all those other cars at another time, including a comparison between my M3 and RoshDawg's 991 C2S (which seems to be the car most people here are jumping to). Although I initially dismissed the M3, it was the only car that I thought about after I had driven it. All those other cars seem to fade away as their sole purpose was to get you from point A to point B without any drama (except for the M235i, GLA and STi). But I'm a girl so obviously I like a little drama.
I went back and test drove a ZCP 6MT E92 and I knew I would never stop thinking about the M3, regardless of what vehicle I purchased. So I started a three month long search for the perfect M3 for my needs: DCT (for LA / OC traffic), ZCP (for the drop, EDC and wheels), coupe (no kids yet!), fox read or any two tone grey / black interior, 2011.75+ and >30,000 miles. Ideally I would have wanted a blue (any shade of blue) with cf top, but they were so far and few in between, not to mention their added prices, so I opened up my search and found an under warranty AW 2012 M3 with all the options at 24K miles for a ridiculously low price that I couldn't pass up on. The car was in insanely good condition and was owned by another girl judging by the paired phone's name (baby doll). No it doesn't have the cf roof, but it does have the M performance exhaust which I love hearing through my cracked moon roof!

The Prep
I noticed the car had some scuffs and chips in the front bumper, and I put it in the contract that the front bumper would have to be fully sanded and repainted. They did an excellent job and I promptly put a clear bra on it after repaint (+tint). The car has an extended service plan, and I noticed through the service records (which I carefully read in full before buying the car) that the car was due for a yearly oil change and full inspection). After oil change and inspection, they told me that the front brake pads were still the originals that came on the car with plenty of life, indicating that most of the miles were all highway! I then put in a techron (actually a few bottles in a row) and it runs, well exactly the same.

Making her new again
FYI some pics are indeed staged!
Although the paint quality and leather were in very good condition, I wanted to give it a very thorough detail. I decided I was going to do a full paint correction and opti coat. I'll probably give a full review on the products I use in the detailing section since this post is already getting really long. RoshDawg insisted on documenting the whole process (he's quite into photography) so at his request this post will be pic heavy!
The Wash
I used my foam gun with some run of the mill mothers gold car wash soap, and its not that great. I have since then switched to Chemical Guys soaps (different kinds for different situations) and its much better.

As you can see, not that foamy. CG is wayyy more foamy and slippery on the surface.


The Clay
I clay barred the entire car with Meguiars clay bar kit, and it SUCKED! Hardly removed anything. Rush ordered some medium strength clay bar from Chemical Guys and that definitely did the trick. Its definitely sticky on the fingers so you have to spray the side you touch with your detailer spray frequently. I do like Meguiars quick detailer spray though.


Paint Correction
I did a dawn dish soap wash to get off all the wax on the car prior to paint correction. Then I started off with V36 cutting polish from Chemical Guys and an orange pad on my Porter Cable DA, but I feel it did not have enough cutting power. If I had been more patient I would have ordered a true compound like CG V34, but I used some Meguiars ultimate compound instead and that mostly did the trick. Then I followed up with CG V38 on a white pad to get rid of the slight marring I saw and finish up any swirls I missed.



Opti Coat
After an IPA wash (the car was getting seriously clean at this point), I was ready for my Opti Coat 2.0. They discontinued this product since it was taking away from the professional only Opti Coat Pro services, but I managed to get a hold of a tube right before they stopped producing. This stuff is a permanent coating that adds onto the clear coat and locks in whatever is underneath (which was swirl free naked paint!). They say its not for someone who enjoys waxing and always putting stuff on their car since nothing can bond to it (wax or glaze comes off after a couple washes). Well good thing I'm okay with re-glazing and waxing my car after every wash!
I tried to be creative and used a bathing suit liner from one of my huge DD bikini tops () to not absorb too much of the product. It did decent and I covered the whole car, but I was skeptical on my coverage and did a second coat the next day with the supplied pad (should've just ordered a different, more expensive foam pad). Trick is to not be stingy at all with application. They said a couple drops per panel, hell I was squirting streams of that stuff on my applicator. Just had to make sure there was no high spots with a micro fiber and a flashlight.



Glaze and Wax
After letting the car cure in the garage for 10 days straight (went on vacation), I put Chemical Guys Blacklight on with my DA and a black finishing pad. This smoothed out the Opti-Coat (without actually removing it) and added an awesome shine. Then I put Optimum Car Wax (spray) as a coating over the Blacklight


The car is just beaming clean, and after driving for awhile, it still looks so damn clean. Every time I walk up to the car it looks like I just had it washed! If you guys have any questions on any of these processes or products let me know! I've gotten pretty obsessed with car detailing lately.

Last edited by Manda Mew; 09-22-2016 at 05:11 PM..
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      07-10-2015, 01:34 AM   #2
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LUX Angel Eyes

Like many others, I chose to upgrade those dull angel eyes. Who else better to choose than LUX?? I got the H8 160 model and couldn't be happier. I'll let the pics speak for themselves (again taken by RoshDawg!). Stock on passenger side of course.



I absolutely love these lights. My car looks so much more modern now! Nice and bright, and in my opinion better looking than the stock white angel eyes on other newer BMW models. If I could buy these again I would.
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      07-10-2015, 01:38 AM   #3
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Last but not least, I put on some JB Speed mirror replacement caps, hood vents and front grills (still need to get side gills) all in carbon fiber. At first I thought I was going to regret the cf as it might look odd, but having an ordinary white car I needed something a little extra. I am extremely happy with the look and love how the front grills definitely looks aftermarket (I want the car to stand out a bit compared to ordinary stock cars). Looks nice and aggressive and the weave pattern is just about perfect. The vents stand out more and make the hood look more aggressive, and it feels like walking up to an exotic as I open the door and see the cf mirror caps.

First pic has weird reflection on the weave, but in actuality the weave is nice and uniform!




Last edited by Manda Mew; 07-10-2015 at 02:04 AM..
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      07-10-2015, 01:48 AM   #4
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Okay, last addition to this thread for now. Just one more picture!



Man I love this car. I love spending every moment in it, even during rush hour traffic. No need to give a review of the car since all you guys very well know your own M3 inside out!
Hope to see you guys on the road, and I'll be waving!
xoxo Manda

Last edited by Manda Mew; 07-10-2015 at 11:26 AM..
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      07-10-2015, 02:34 AM   #5
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Congrats and welcome to the family, your M3 looks like candy!

Oh and can I marry you?? haha
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      07-10-2015, 06:33 AM   #6
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This thread is will become a "sticky" in less than 24 hours.

Welcome to the fam!

Last edited by obe100; 07-10-2015 at 06:39 AM..
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      07-10-2015, 07:03 AM   #7
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Impressive by all accounts. Congrats on the M3 and welcome to the fam! She/he? (And i mean the car) looks great.
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      07-10-2015, 07:09 AM   #8
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some serious cleaning !!! Car looks super good !!!
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      07-10-2015, 07:21 AM   #9
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Car? what car? I didn't see any.
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      07-10-2015, 07:21 AM   #10
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Great job on the detailing.
Welcome aboard
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      07-10-2015, 07:26 AM   #11
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Nicely done. Car looks great. Welcome aboard.
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      07-10-2015, 07:39 AM   #12
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Congrats and welcome. Take care of the car and it'll reward you for many many years to come.

I never plan on selling mine.
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      07-10-2015, 08:25 AM   #13
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Is this Nick S car? Are you Nick's GF? I swear I just saw this car this weekend at OC cars and coffee in Aliso. Nick just bought it in SF and drove it down to the OC. it's an exact color/options match including M perf exhaust and was owned by a girl. Sorry if mistaken but kinda coincidental.
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      07-10-2015, 08:27 AM   #14
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Nice find! Just picked up a M3 too and need to do the full board detail job as well.

Didn't know German Shepherd Pups made good assistance!

Congrats and enjoy!
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      07-10-2015, 08:36 AM   #15
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Is this post for real? I am sure it is.......if so, we need more diversity in M3 ownership! Nothing like a careful job of clay work to get AW to pop, kudos to you for being brave enough to tackle the OptiCoat process, I had my detailer do that.
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      07-10-2015, 08:54 AM   #16
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When you say smoothed out the opticoat, did you let it cure for a long time before hand? I just bought a 20cc tube, so I was gonna ask you how long you let it sit for before you needed to buff the high points in the coating.

Edit: Nevermind, I saw you let the car sit for 10 days. How hard was it to buff out the high points after 10 days of cure time?
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      07-10-2015, 09:16 AM   #17
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Looks exactly like mine, but with black ZCP wheels instead, AW love!

How about some interior shots?
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      07-10-2015, 09:32 AM   #18
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Nice pics! This will be a 10 page thread...
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      07-10-2015, 09:42 AM   #19
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I call b.s.
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      07-10-2015, 09:42 AM   #20
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What car ? I see only the blonde Manda...
Pics are worth Playboy/Cars-Magazine !
Manda for a girl ...Your detail work is just "stunning" , I never saw that before for a girl !
So congrats & welcome girl , and thanks for sharing .
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      07-10-2015, 09:56 AM   #21
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Wow, absolutely beautiful.

oh yea, nice car too, btw.
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      07-10-2015, 09:57 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by okusa
I call b.s.
Me too, but it's fun to dream.....
I can't even get my wife to entertain my 6 year old while I detail the car let alone have her do it.
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