[Gray_Panther]

This BMW that was detailed is actually owned by me. I bought it brand new last June with 9 miles on the odometer. I was initially looking to own a black 1 series, however there weren't any that were optioned to my liking. When my dealer told me about a deep sea blue metallic 1 series it really made me dwell on it. There was something about the name of the colour that made me envision myself looking down into the deep, blue sea. So without looking at one in person, I of course shook his hand and sealed the deal!

When it was shipped over from Connecticut, the dealer of course gave it a wash down and especially gave it a good

ole'scrubbin' on the hood. I didn't mind too much, I just couldn't wait to drive it :bounce.

But now with spring cleaning fever, I managed to sneak in a full correction and opti-coat over the weekend. I have not

opti-coated the wheels because I will be installing a new suspension and figured I'll clean and opti-coat them then, one at

a time.

I actually did an experiment with this car prior to correction. I didn't wax it...Ever. All I did was a clay-job in the

beginning, and either a weekly foam wash or an ONR wash. I wanted to see how many swirls I could induce. After 5,000

miles I was pretty impressed. The car wasn't riddled with swirls or RID's. Of course there were the existing defects from

the dealer wash, but all in all it was in great shape.

Tools Used:
PC 7424XP
Meguiars' Cutting Pad
Meguiars' Polishing Pad
Extension Cables
MF Towels

Products Used:
Meg's Claybar
Meguiars' #105
Meguiars' #205
Opti-Coat 2.0
Optimum No Rinse Wash and Shine
ONR lube (1 cap to a full spray bottle of water)
IPA (For final wipedown)
Opti-Coat 2.0

Deep Sea Blue Metallic still suffers from BMW's soft clear. I found it easy to mar the paint after wiping away

compound/polish. Great care was taken to keep pads clean and used as little pressure to remove substances off the paint.

Heads up to my fellow detailers.

Ante, Onto the pictures after a wash and a clay:

1 minor defect


Nice scratch. This one required some wetsanding to get out. Given that this is my car and with only 5000 miles, I opted

not to wetsand but rather compound it out as best I could. It will be corrected later on during its life.


Some holograms that have been there since the beginning.



The taillights needed attention.


One of the 5 scratches on the hood. 4 of the RIDs extended almost all the way down the hood (Couldn't get a picture,

because, well, my camera stinks). Still trying the figure out how it only happened on the hood and nowhere else on the

car. :think:


Another defect.


Corrected! (Before Opti-Coat, after IPA wipedown)




Taillights perfected. I was really amazed by the design of these taillights. I literally spent 15 minutes looking into

them. They are clear so you can see the entire assembly including the bulbs. Fantastic design and they look great at

night too!


More paint perfection. (Before Opti-Coat, after IPA wipedown)





The sun was setting, but no worries I was able to get better sun-shots the next day after the Opti-Coat cured for 24 hours.









Some "Cyclops" pictures:




Added my own little touch, thanks to Grafixpressions. They made me a quality sticker.


Definitely going to make some little kid's day when he sees a "transformer" in front of him.

It took me 14 hours from start to finish. I would have taken me about an hour less if I didn't spend so much time gawking

at the paint after I finished polishing a section. This is my favourite colour bar none.

Gratitude for reading.

I detail by referral only.

[Who?]

nice, until i saw that sticker lol

[Puri1]

Originally Posted by newbmwuser

nice, until i saw that sticker lol

+1

[bavarianf30]

Lol. Transformer ftw. Lmfao

[bananachipz]

You did a good job.. .but that sticker? I'd rather be RIDDLED with scratches, oxidation, and RIDS than have a transformers sticker covering the Rondel.

[CLittle]

As I understand it, the transformer logo is a Megan fox magnet. Seriously though, great job on the paint correction/sealing! Do you have to claybar after opticoat every once in a while to maintain the smoothness of the paint?

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by CLittle

As I understand it, the transformer logo is a Megan fox magnet. Seriously though, great job on the paint correction/sealing! Do you have to claybar after opticoat every once in a while to maintain the smoothness of the paint?

Thank you! Yes, I hear that claybar-ing the car annually is good practice. I will most likely clay next spring after it comes out of hibernation to have it ready for the good driving months.

I am really glad I went the opti-coat route. It is significantly easier to clean the car, I don't have to worry about keeping it protected, and with my busy life, if I ever feel like waxing the car I can do so.

[CLittle]

I wonder what happens when you claybar a opticoated vehicle. I thought with regular wax, the claybar takes grime and the wax with it so you have to wax after the claybar process. But what happens with opticoat? I don't know about you guys but the few times I've claybarred, I drive around with the window rolled down and sneak a feel of the smooth door panel as discreetly as possible.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by CLittle

I wonder what happens when you claybar a opticoated vehicle. I thought with regular wax, the claybar takes grime and the wax with it so you have to wax after the claybar process. But what happens with opticoat? I don't know about you guys but the few times I've claybarred, I drive around with the window rolled down and sneak a feel of the smooth door panel as discreetly as possible.

Hahaha that's really funny to picture.

Opti-coat, and the two other big names, are permanent coatings. They wear away after some years (Depending on environment) but the claybar DOES NOT take away the coating. Think of it as another thin thin layer of clear coat that acts like a wax.

[bananachipz]

Originally Posted by CLittle

I wonder what happens when you claybar a opticoated vehicle. I thought with regular wax, the claybar takes grime and the wax with it so you have to wax after the claybar process. But what happens with opticoat? I don't know about you guys but the few times I've claybarred, I drive around with the window rolled down and sneak a feel of the smooth door panel as discreetly as possible.

LOL.. I totally do that..