# Shine On: 1990 BMW E30 M3 Sport Evolution



## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

I haven't done many write up's for a while, so I thought I'd use this bad weather as an excuse to start getting some done.

I first met the owner of this stunning 1990 BMW M3 Sport Evo at the Pistonheads/Autosport show where it was to be displayed as part of the 'Iconic Cars' stand, as voted for by members of the Pistonheads forum. Swissvax had agreed to take part in the show and offer a detailing service to the cars being displayed. As soon as I heard about the idea I knew there had to be an E30 M3 amongst the cars and requested that it be mine to work on. Sure enough, the list was released and there was 'my' E30!

To cut a long story short, things didn't quite go according to plan at the show and we, as the Swissvax team, were rather compromised on what we could achieve due to a lack of time and manpower. However, the owner, Craig, spoke to me at length and whilst the car is generally in fabulous condition, the paint was one area that definitely had room for improvement. Once the show was finished, Craig got in touch and booked me for 2 days to lavish the car with some TLC.




























I arrived at the car's hiding place on a very cold and miserable rainy late January morning. Having not been used since driving back from the show a couple of weeks earlier, it was only wearing a very slight layer of grime that was quickly washed off before getting the car into the garage. Craig looks after the car very well, keeping it well waxed, and I myself had added a layer of Best Of Show whilst it was being displayed, so this was no chore.

Having discussed the aim of the detail with Craig at the show, to safely correct where possible and improve the paint as much as possible, I cracked on. The paint is straight black, the worst colour for showing every single little mark, of which there were plenty. A thorough inspection of the car with a paint depth gauge gave me a better picture of what I had to deal with. The picture to the left below shows the offside rear wing, the picture to the right shows the bootlid with the spoiler removed for access.



















To get a feel for the paint and run a test area, I placed some tape across the middle of the bootlid. Starting with a mild polish, I soon discovered it did little other than add gloss. The paint turned out to be exceptionally hard and need quite an aggressive approach using a hard compounding pad together with a heavy cutting compound. After a couple of attempts a big improvement was visible, and after a final buff with a fine finishing polish to restore the gloss, I was happy with what I had achieved.



















The rest of the car proved to be equally challenging, the weather only adding to the issue with cold, damp air negatively affecting the way the polish was working. So with slow progress, I worked my way around the car, although I didn't take too many pictures in the process.

Passenger door:



















Offside front wing:



















Returning for the second day, I still had some correction to complete, which I did first, then came the enjoyable bit. After a careful dust down of the whole car, the first job was to prepare the paint for wax. I applied Swissvax Cleaner Fluid panel by panel, buffing off as I went. This removes any remaining polishing oils or other contaminants that might adversely affect the way the wax adheres to the paint. The wax chosen for this detail was the flagship product, Swissvax Divine, known for it's luxurious depth of gloss and wetness, and outstanding durability.

Gently applied to the whole car, it was left to cure whilst I attended to other areas. The tail pipes were polished, all unpainted trim treated with Swissvax Protection Matt to give an 'as new' rich satin sheen, wheels painstakingly covered with Autobahn wheel wax (I have the same cross spoke wheels on my own E30 and knew only too well what a torture they'd be to wax!). The glass was cleaned inside and out, the interior thoroughly vacuumed and wiped down, the rubber door seals nourished with a special product designed to restore and maintain their flexability and finally the tyres dressed with Pneu to give a natural looking satin finish.

At last it was time to effortlessly buff of the wax using a spritz of Swissvax's own carnuba containing quick detailer, Quick Finish, before moving the car outside to take some photographs.

This is a car that would definitely be in my fantasy garage, and I enjoyed spending some time photographing it. However, it's no stranger to the modelling world, having already appeared in several high profile magazines such as Evo and Autocar, and even appearing on television! As such, it posed beautifully while I composed some shots.


















































































I'd like to thank Craig for letting me loose on this iconic piece of automotive metal.


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## -Kev- (Oct 30, 2007)

great work on a stunning car:argie:


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Wonderful, a fine job there on a true icon. I had a late 2.3 version for a few years and what a great time, deeply regret selling and would certainly consider getting another.


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Now that is a sweet car!! Lovely correction work mate. :thumb:


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## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

what a lovely car, spooky aswell I was just looking at these on piston heads 

Baz


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Stunning job there Reggie :thumb:

Lovely finish and some really nice after shots


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Superb write up and equally superb detail Paul, very enjoyable.:thumb:


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## Perfection Detailing (Nov 3, 2007)

Great work fella on a great car love them:thumb:


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## North east Car Care (Jan 14, 2008)

Cracking work Paul:thumb:


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## drive 'n' shine (Apr 22, 2006)

Porn!!!!!!!!

Knowing the hassle you had with it mate it looks spot on as usual


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

luuurvely 

very special and superb results


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## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

Cheers chaps. I would honestly give internal organs to own that car, it's a superb example. It was a shame that a few more of the deep scratches couldn't be removed, but at least their appearance was reduced.


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## glyn waxmaster (Dec 20, 2006)

Well done my famous friend, i will agree your work will have been cut out with this one after seeing it at PH show.
Great work Paul


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## david g (Dec 14, 2005)

Stunning Work :thumb:


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## cuprar amarillo (Jan 17, 2009)

well detailed for me the m3 e30sport evolution is better than BMW M3 is precious.:driver:


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## King Eric (Feb 27, 2006)

Ooooaaaawwwwwwh ME LIKES! 

Great turnaround as usual from the international t.v celebrity


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## uiuiuiui (Nov 2, 2008)

great work 

i love the old E30 M3... never drove or worked on one though


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Very nice.


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Nice one mate. I remember the guy saying that he was going to get you to detail it for him. I'd love to see how the lotus turns out, if you ever do it.


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## fezzy89 (Jan 24, 2009)

lovely job.. i personally love those cars.. one day i will own one.. and il get you to detail it for me lol


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## Offyourmarks (Jan 4, 2006)

excellent detail and ...what a car!!! just pure engineering porn.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Great work, on a great car...

I think it would look better without the red stripe to be honest... but I wouldn't turn it down!!

My old neighbour had an old grey one, kept in the garage with 4 flat tyres under loads of boxes/bikes/ junk etc etc...

He knew how good thecar was, just kept saying to me that he was going to keep it like that until he could afford a full restoration on it......

:thumb:


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## chris l (Mar 5, 2007)

Stunning mate looks awsome i love these:thumb:


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

nice work, that looks as good as new


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## evosport (Mar 27, 2008)

Paul, thanks mate for doing such a great job on the car.


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## Paul-T (Nov 2, 2006)

You're welcome Craig, anytime.


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## Deanvtec (Mar 3, 2008)

Brilliant work Paul, Really nice finish. :thumb:


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## DAVEE46M3 (Aug 23, 2008)

Great work....... looks great in the black, totaly gutted though I had one sold it a number of years back and still hate the ex wife for making me do it


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## mattsbmw (Jul 20, 2008)

What a stunning car


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## wookey (Jul 13, 2007)

One of my all time favourite cars, fantastic turn around Paul

Looked stunning at the show :argie:


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## mikist (Nov 10, 2008)

WOW 

awesome car


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## Bluetacker (Feb 6, 2009)

Great job. Looks amazing in the afters. :argie::thumb:


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