# 1974 BMW 3.0 CSL Homologation Gloss Enhancement



## Prestige Detail (Aug 27, 2012)

Anyone who likes their BMWs will know this is an absolute classic. Built specifically to allows BMW to race in the Touring Cars this CSL goes like the clappers.

The customer lives locally to Luton and he's had this car for around 30 years. He's loved it too and looked after it really well. Fair to say there were a few swirls but considering the age of it - and the two-pack paint - it was in remarkably good condition. I should also say the customer had specifically requested a Swissvax detail.










So the first step was Bilt-Hamber Korrosol to remove the iron contamination, followed by a helping for Autosmart Tardis to take off the tar and the road grime. The wheels were cleaned with a solution of Swissvax Wheel Concentrate. Then, out came the Ultimate Snow Foam for the final pre-wash clean before the car was given a thorough and careful wash using Swissvax Car Bath and a Waschpudel (and the Two Bucket method of course!). Once the car was dry it was time to have a good look at the paint. You can see the swirls:



















The bonnet and the boot had been resprayed at some point and there was some overspray to take care of. I used the FLEX Rotary PE14-2-150 with the 3M Yellow Polishing Pad and PolishAngel Master Compound. As there's no clearcoat on this paint it's a lot softer than the paint found on modern BMWs, so I wanted a mild-ish combination to ensure I didn't hologram the paint. Master Compound works well on softer paints. To refine it I switched to the RUPES BigFoot LHR15ES on the lowest speed setting, with the 3M Black Glossing Pad and Menzerna PF4000. This combination worked a treat - no heat build up, just perfect glossy results.



















I finished the paintwork with a layer of Swissvax Crystal Rock - the red paintwork looked absolutely amazing - carnauba wax really brings out the warmth in pigments.










The rubber bumpers and door seals were treated with Swissvax Seal Feed to re-plump and recondition, keeping the rubber supple so it doesn't dry out and crack. Seal Feed is specifically formulated for rubber, which is natural. Plastics don't need the same type of care as they're synthetic.










The metal strips and exhaust tips were polished with Swissvax Metal Polish. The wheels were protected with Swissvax Autobahn Wheel Wax with PTFE. This is highly temperature resistant so it won't break down when the car is being driven. The PTFE will help to inhibit brake dust from sticking to it and the hydrophobic properties of the wax will encourage rain water to sheet away. All in all, the wheels will be easier to keep clean from now on. To complete the detail I applied Swissvax Pneu to the tyres to give them a natural, satin sheen.



















The customer was very happy and said he couldn't remember seeing the car looking so amazing. It's going to be great to see this whizzing around town!










Thanks for looking.

There's a full write up with more pictures on the blog on my website.

If you want more pictures, including before and after shots have a look here.

If you would like to see pictures of more cars I've detailed they're all in my portfolio.


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## yetizone (Jun 25, 2008)

Exquisite ! What a truly gorgeous vehicle - stunning finish too, the paint glows now


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## Luke M (Jul 1, 2013)

I want one soo badly.
You're not helping.


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## ted11 (Jul 8, 2011)

Stunning work on a true classic.


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## gibbo555 (May 3, 2011)

Oh my that is just perfect


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## Joee (Jun 7, 2014)

Very very cool car great job pal


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## Vossman (Aug 5, 2010)

Now that is a car - a real car, I love classic beemers and that stands out from the crowd, I would be proud to own such a beast, you have done a fantastic job on that paint too - well done.


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## zippo (Mar 26, 2008)

An absolute Bavarian masterpiece. Detail's not too shabby either, Equal to the subject at the least. Alpina wheels as well .What a work of art, even if you don't like BMW's its a car of beauty .Probably not as stunning to the beholder at the Italian exotics of the time but at least the BMW didn't break down and suffer from fuel vapour problems .Love to see more pictures if you have the time to post them :thumb:
Daz
Didn't see the  _There's a full write up with more pictures on the blog on my __website__._


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## Bill58 (Jul 5, 2010)

That's a superb result on a beautiful classic.


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## SystemClenz (Oct 31, 2008)

Just wow!


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## DJBAILEY (May 7, 2011)

Thank you for sharing. That really looks special.


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## ocdetailer (Apr 9, 2014)

Gorgeous car and a stunning transformation, looks mint


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## Gavla (Apr 10, 2014)

Speechless!


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## Demetrios72 (Jun 27, 2011)

Stunning motor :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Stunning :argie:


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## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Great results on a great Car


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## matt_83 (Apr 28, 2009)

Really really good work!!!!


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## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

I shall hide this thread from Mrs 20vKarlos! She loves these things, and its red too! Her favourite colour!

This is very nice! top work!


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## woodym3 (Aug 30, 2009)

Fantastic job on a true work of art.


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## Kirkyworld (Jan 12, 2014)

Stunning simply stunning


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## neilb62 (Jul 30, 2007)

Oh wow... Just WOW.... :argie::argie:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Wow, that's a bit special! Nice work. :argie:


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## dubb (Aug 27, 2009)

Now that's a motor. A real privilege to have a go at that. Awesome results.


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Looks amazing:thumb:


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## RefinedDetails (Dec 17, 2006)

Looks amazing mate - always had a soft spot for the classic BMWs!


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## Spotless Detailing (Oct 17, 2011)

now that is love.


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## ibiza55 (Feb 22, 2008)

If its good its lovely jubbly, this just has to be a WOW


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## unique detail (Jan 26, 2012)

Stunner Derek, great work as always:thumb:


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## Thommy (Nov 23, 2014)

Really perfect work and a beautiful car :thumb:

Love this SW products :wave:


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## cocos (Dec 28, 2010)

Wow great results on lovly classic.. Awsome work!
Do you use Led flodlight?


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## Ed_VeeDub (Sep 22, 2008)

that is stunning!


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Thats a lovely looking thing.


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## Neno330 (Dec 19, 2013)

Amazing!


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## Prestige Detail (Aug 27, 2012)

cocos said:


> Wow great results on lovly classic.. Awsome work!
> Do you use Led flodlight?


Cocos, I use a mixture of led and halide , but I do prefer the led, not quite as intense as the halide


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## Kabel88 (Feb 16, 2014)

Lovely car and great work on it!


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## delz0r (Mar 5, 2014)

Awesome car, looks stunning


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## M4TT17 (Feb 3, 2013)

Just goes to show....you keep looking on this website, eventually you will stumble upon a gem of a thread like this one! Absolutely beautiful transformation. Im always stunned by the finish achieved by you professionals. Bravo!


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## Losirob (Apr 20, 2014)

Totally stunning


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## chongo (Jun 7, 2014)

This is my type of a detail, love the colour red, would Scholl S20 black work well on this kind of paint?? Cheers.


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## Klasu81 (Dec 2, 2009)

Stunning BMW! Really nice transformation.


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## President Swirl (Oct 23, 2011)

Now that's what I'm God-damn talking about!


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## taz007 (Dec 31, 2007)

That is an ace car there just a shame about all the chrome from back in the day


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## chefy (May 9, 2011)

Stunning work :thumb: an automotive design masterpiece which you have made look even better, I will look at the rest of your pics later.
I just love these cars, only ever seen 1 other in red, usually in silver or light blue, but this one looks just gorgeous, for me, (being a wee bit old(er)) there are 3 automotive design icons, they are - Jaguar E-Type, Lamborghini Miura and the BMW E9, not necessarily in that order - but for me they are 3 of the most gorgeous cars ever made, and I'm gona buy 1 of each with my £33m lottery win


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## Southy1978 (Dec 11, 2014)

Absolutely stunning!!


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## Willows-dad (Jul 12, 2012)

Gorgeous car, and great work. Saw a silver csl with batmobile kit the other day. Excuse the rubbish pic.


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## Prestige Detail (Aug 27, 2012)

chongo said:


> This is my type of a detail, love the colour red, would Scholl S20 black work well on this kind of paint?? Cheers.


Chongo, S20 will work, prob with cars of this age is that you'll rarely find an example with original paint, if you're lucky you'll find one like this one that's had a complete re spray, if you're unlucky then .......:doublesho


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## justina3 (Jan 11, 2008)

amazing job and great write up covering the materials you used ect 

big thumbs up


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