# BMW 116i M-Sport New Car Detail



## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Hi Guys, - *UPDATE ON PAGE 4*

This Saturday saw me giving my Wife's new car the right treatment to make sure it's well protected from the start. Her old Mini had seen us through nearly 6 years and hadn't put a foot wrong, but it was 10 years old and with her needing to do more and more business miles with launching a new business, a new car was needed with all the new mod cons to make getting around easy.

She wanted something bigger than a Mini, must be Automatic and with a good media/navigation system. We decided on a BMW 116i M-Sport Auto and then went a bit wild with the options (oops!). It has...

- Mineral Grey with Oyster/Black Leather
- ZF 8-Speed Automatic Gearbox
- Professional Media Pack
- Xenon Headlight Pack
- Sun Protection Pack
- Heated Seats
- Heated Steering Wheel
- Reversing Camera
- Front & Rear Park Distance Control
- Driver Comfort Pack with Cruise Control
- All Inclusive Service Pack

We ordered the car on 6th June and it was ready for 1st September collection. I can't fault the service from Haliwell Jones BMW in Southport, the sales chap was brilliant from day one.

Out with the old...



And in with the new... and a Happy Wife! :thumb:



On to the detailing pics now. Number plates were removed and I started by giving the car a soak with Dodo Juice Ferrous Dueller. It had been dry since collection, and we'd only racked up 100 miles so it wasn't too dirty.















Ferrous Dueller hardly picking anything up on the paint, just highlighting a small amount of dirt that was picked up.



On to the wheels using Carbon Collective Wheel Wands/Angled Wheel Woolie...



Nice and clean... No tar spots anywhere to be seen...



Whilst I was at it, the tyres/arches and engine bay were sorted using Megs Super Degreaser and various brushes. Once these were rinsed I decided as the car had effectively been pre-washed using Ferrous Dueller, to skip right to the wash stage using Britemax CleanMAX and an Adams Wash Pad.

Once washed, the car was 'clayed' using a Carbon Collective Exfoli-Mitt, then rinsed and dried using a new Dodo Soft Touch towel, and the Aeolus Dryer.



Once dry I dressed the engine bay with Wax-Tec Mint Dress...



I then had the chance to fully inspect the paint under the lights. Grey was quite hard to photograph but other than a small mark on the offside rear quarter, it was pretty spot on to be fair to the dealer. I was very surprised after the state my Golf GTI turned up 6 months earlier!

I simply polished the whole car using Scholl S40 and a Black Dodo FIN Pad using a Gloss-It backing plate, and for the smaller areas I used a soft Flexipads backing plate and a CG Hex-Logic Black Spot Pad...





All panels were immediately wiped down using Gyeon Prep.



Once polished and wiped I took a break from the paint and sealed the wheels. I was planning to remove them but I didn't have the right tools such as the jacking pads which meant I didn't want to risk damaging the car. The wheel design meant that it was quite easy to access the full wheel whilst they were still fitted so after a full wipedown with Gyeon Prep, I used two different sealants... Carbon Collective Platinum Wheels on the nearside wheels, and CarPro DLUX on the offside wheels...



Whilst they were curing I took care of a couple of other jobs like removing some of the wraps BMW had kindly left for me...



After buffing the wheels, I dressed the tyres with Obsession Nero...





Back to the paint... A full wipedown with GTechniq Panel Wipe made sure the paint was perfectly clean which allows the sealants to bond correctly.



Paint looking nice and glossy!



I decided to do a sealant test on this one with 2 sealants that are totally new to me. Firstly, the majority of the car was going to be coated in a new sealant called 'SiRamik.' This sample was very kindly given to me by Steve from Wath so a big thanks goes out to him. I applied a good few dabs on to the applicator and started to spread into the paint on the bonnet...





I immediately noticed a couple of things... Firstly, the liquid was more viscous than other ceramic sealants I'd tried. It was almost like a thin gel rather than a liquid which I liked. This meant that it was easy to see where it had been applied and it also spread for miles. The amount on the applicator was enough to evenly cover half the bonnet and offside front wing.

Secondly, I noticed that there were no nasty smells or solvents that normally come with these sealants.

After giving it 2-3 mins cure time, I buffed with a clean MF cloth, followed by a second buffing with a separate MF cloth to a high gloss. It was an absolute doddle to remove which made the sealant very very easy to apply.

I applied SiRamik to the whole of the offside of the car, the full rear end and the front bumper. The remaining panels were coated in GTechniq C1 which was loaned to me by my good mate Joe. I also have EXO V2 which will be applied at a later date as I didn't have a spare 3 hours required for C1 to cure.



Glass coated in CC Platinum Glass..



Engine Bay buffed...



The interior was pretty spotless so the mats were removed and hoovered followed by spraying with GTechniq I1, then the leather was wiped down and coated with Gyeon Leather Coat.



Dash was wiped down and dressed with Wolf's Silk Milk



After a final buff of the paint with yet another new cloth, the car was taken outside for some after shots in the sun...



















Mega gloss from SiRamik!



Mats were left out of the car for I1 to bond...













A final touch, the pressed plates were fitted...



The car was then left overnight in our warehouse to allow the sealants to properly bond to the surfaces. It looked pretty stunning yesterday when I took it out!

Huge thanks to Joe Lee and Steve Kelly, and thanks to you for reading.

All the Best
Jon


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## polac5397 (Apr 16, 2014)

really nice car well done,


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## ocdetailer (Apr 9, 2014)

Congratulations, looks absolutely stunning, how all new cars should be treated (if only)


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## Alfieharley1 (Jun 8, 2014)

Very good Job & nice car. 
I have however got to give credit to this BMW dealership as that BMW looks clean with no marks at all which is suprising. Normally some new cars are in real bad shape.


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## Monchus (Jun 28, 2014)

Perfect Job!, good treatment.

Enjoy the car many, many miles!


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## tricky tree (Apr 15, 2013)

Now that's a 'new car detail'!

Fantastic work and a lovely car


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## Nico1970 (May 15, 2014)

Great work and a fantastic write-up!

Good luck with the new wheels too... :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Alfieharley1 said:


> Very good Job & nice car.
> I have however got to give credit to this BMW dealership as that BMW looks clean with no marks at all which is suprising. Normally some new cars are in real bad shape.


Thanks guys. Yes you're right, there was a little wash marring but certainly nothing to get worried about. It was the best 'new' car I'd seen to be honest. My Golf GTI which I picked up 6th months ago was in a horrendous state.


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## Short1e (Apr 5, 2009)

Great write up Jon :thumb:

Car looks stunning


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

Great work as always Jon and gorgeous new car for the other half!

No wonder shes so happy! defo be giving you a shout when the vxr comes to the end of its life and a new motor is needed due to works car scheme regulations


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Jonny_R said:


> Great work as always Jon and gorgeous new car for the other half!
> 
> No wonder shes so happy! defo be giving you a shout when the vxr comes to the end of its life and a new motor is needed due to works car scheme regulations


Cheers Jonny. Absolutely, well worth giving it the treatment from day one! Always welcome to come down and use the place here mate.


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## DuncanB (Oct 5, 2009)

Looks great! Can I ask, why did you swap the dealership plates for pressed plates?


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

DuncanB said:


> Looks great! Can I ask, why did you swap the dealership plates for pressed plates?


Thanks! Of course! When I get a new car I always like to do a couple of things to put my finishing touches on it and round it off. The little things make a difference IMO so I a) change the plates as I don't like screwed on plates with dealer info on them and I think the pressed plates look ace. Stuck on, they look a lot tidier. b) get a nice keyring/case for it, c) get some branded dust caps and d) get a nice branded tax disc holder (not that it's needed from 1st Oct).

I also remove all trace of dealership stickers in the rear window to make it look tidier.

Thanks!


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## 20vKarlos (Aug 8, 2009)

Lovely mate!


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Nice job and very nice finish achieved:thumb:


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## Jord (Apr 3, 2012)

Great work, can't beat that new car feeling!


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## stumpy90 (May 13, 2014)

Well impressed!!! 

The car looks good too. 


Love the curves on the new beemers. Seem like they have a top notch paint job too


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

stumpy90 said:


> Well impressed!!!
> 
> The car looks good too.
> 
> Love the curves on the new beemers. Seem like they have a top notch paint job too


Haha thanks! Yes I'm really pleased with the paint, its a lovely colour and there is nowhere near as much orangepeel as the beemers of 5 years ago.


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## MadOnVaux! (Jun 2, 2008)

Fantastic work, it looks newer than new 

Very nice other half too


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## gibbo555 (May 3, 2011)

Lovely car, great colour combination.


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## Radish293 (Mar 16, 2012)

Love the colour I was so pleased I choose it. Really shows the curves up. 
As the previous comment I was really pleased with its delivery condition BMW Park Lane did a really good preparation. Mind you 18 months on its even better.!!!
Good work.


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## WP-UK (Apr 24, 2011)

Looking mint! Hope she enjoys it!!


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## bigslippy (Sep 19, 2010)

Great write up and finish Jon .... hope the Mrs rewarded you appropriately


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## rtjc (Apr 19, 2009)

Superb Jon, Instagram doesn't do your work justice. Amazing new car prep there!


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## BenSouthport (Sep 7, 2014)

Jon, car looks great. Do you have your own detailing business? I'm located in Southport and my black vrs is covered in the worst swirls and holograms I've ever seen. 
Thanks, Ben


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

bigslippy said:


> Great write up and finish Jon .... hope the Mrs rewarded you appropriately


Well, she made my tea if that's what you mean?!


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

BenSouthport said:


> Jon, car looks great. Do you have your own detailing business? I'm located in Southport and my black vrs is covered in the worst swirls and holograms I've ever seen.
> Thanks, Ben


Hi Ben, no I don't have my own detailing business but I know someone who does and is a supporter of this site. I'll drop you a PM with a phone number tomorrow.

Jon


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## BenSouthport (Sep 7, 2014)

Brilliant, thanks Jon


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## VW Golf-Fan (Aug 3, 2010)

What a lovely car.

You can tell you have taken great time & care to get that car looking neat!

Am I correct in saying you have a Golf GTI?


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Nice car, detail, write-up and photos Jon! :thumb:

Best wishes to your wife for the for the new business venture and may she enjoy her new BMW! :driver:

Alan W


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Great Detail, car looks great with a top spec..heated steering wheel!

What engine does it have 116i? look like it has a small blower?


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## Serkie (Dec 8, 2007)

Enjoyed that. Nice thread, superb work and great results.

Thanks for sharing.


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> What a lovely car.
> 
> You can tell you have taken great time & care to get that car looking neat!
> 
> Am I correct in saying you have a Golf GTI?


Yeah mate he's got a red mk7 gti, full new car write up on that somewhere too


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

VW Golf-Fan said:


> What a lovely car.
> 
> You can tell you have taken great time & care to get that car looking neat!
> 
> Am I correct in saying you have a Golf GTI?


I do indeed - http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=333149

The Golf is my car and this 1-er is my Wife's, however we share both cars really. It's been very interesting to see the comparison between VW and BMW (engine aside! :lol. Things I like about both to be honest!



Alan W said:


> Nice car, detail, write-up and photos Jon! :thumb:
> 
> Best wishes to your wife for the for the new business venture and may she enjoy her new BMW! :driver:
> 
> Alan W


Many thanks Alan.



robertdon777 said:


> Great Detail, car looks great with a top spec..heated steering wheel!
> 
> What engine does it have 116i? look like it has a small blower?


Yes correct, it does have a small 'twin-scroll' turbo. 134bhp and 162ft lb of torque. It's certainly not a fast car, but it's quite nippy and enough to cope with real world driving. A car of this size wouldn't cope with any less to be honest.

Regarding the spec, we had the option to do it one of two ways, either a 125i M-Sport in basic trim, or a fully loaded 116i and we decided that the latter was the preferred option. For my wife, the important things are the media/bluetooth/nav system and heated seats are a must with leather IMO. The heated steering wheel was only £120 after discount so it added hardly anything to the monthly payment. It's a lovely car!


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## blacksta500 (Aug 19, 2014)

How much did all these products cost? Thanks


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

blacksta500 said:


> How much did all these products cost? Thanks


Quite a lot! I was given the SiRamik as a sample and a friend let me use his bottle of C1 but I bought the rest over the space of a few months. Well worth shelling out for decent products for a new car in my opinion.


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

Jon

nice concise write up

glad you liked using the SiRamik, the gloss it adds is insane, would and does look good on red

like you say so easy to use, no nasty solvents etc

its spreads so easy as well

looking forward to some update pics of water behaviuor


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

steve from wath said:


> Jon
> 
> nice concise write up
> 
> ...


Thanks Steve,

Yes I'll be posting beading pics on Social Media platforms over the coming months. Away on holiday for 2 weeks as of Thursday but I'll be regularly posting when I get back!

JB


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Hi Guys,

Bit of an update on the sealants that I applied when the car was new back at the beginning of the month. After leaving the car indoors for 48 hours, the sealants had the chance to fully cure and as coincidence would have it, it didn't rain for another week. By which time we went away on holiday and left the car in the warehouse while we were gone so the car didn't see any rain for 2 weeks after application which should ensure the sealants were properly hardened.

So, when we got back and it rained, I couldn't wait to see the beading. The first picture below showing GTechniq C1 on the right, and SiRamik Surface Coat on the left... (excuse the pretty poor definition of the line, not really half and half is it?!)



As you can see, the C1 is beading nicely with flatter, larger, rounder beads whereas the SiRamik is producing incredibly tight, smaller beads which just shoot off the surface as soon as there is a gust of wind or any movement. It's quite stunning actually!

More SiRamik beading...













Beading from C1...







Overall I'm impressed with both sealants, but more so by SiRamik. I've not actually washed the car since applying the sealants as it's not that dirty but I'll get some pictures up when I do so (hopefully this weekend if I have time).

In short, I'm that impressed with SiRamik that I'll be ordering a full bottle and also a bottle of their Nano Prime polish which lays down a base for the sealant. I've got a couple of family cars to protect for winter which will be getting this combo.

Thanks again to Steve from Wath for introducing me to the product!

JB


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## SarahAnn (Apr 6, 2011)

Nice car Jon. I love the light seats 

Enjoy reading your write ups.


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## Kash-Jnr (Mar 24, 2013)

Looking good JB!


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## steve from wath (Dec 12, 2008)

it really is a game changer for me

the low low solvents , means no nasty smells, they do a spray as well and that is amazing on its own but couple with the glasscaot and its the best 

glad its getting the recognition it deserves and is being used on everyday cars that munch the miles as well as some exotic motors , that i know is coated in it


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## Jonny_R (Oct 23, 2012)

The difference in the beading is night and day! No need for an explanation that there are 2 diff coatings on it, it's obvious! 

Looking great Jon


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## Streeto (Apr 3, 2008)

Nice car & a fit mrs...can't moan


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## T.C (Sep 1, 2014)

Lovely car. Interior is stunning on new bmw's


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Streeto said:


> Nice car & a fit mrs...can't moan


:lol::lol: :thumb:


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## ROMEYR32 (Mar 27, 2011)

I`ve been keeping a beady eye on SiRamik on Russ`s page on Facebook, it does look bloody good. I`m hoping to try it on my company VRS, is it imperative that it cures for 48 hours indoors?


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

ROMEYR32 said:


> I`ve been keeping a beady eye on SiRamik on Russ`s page on Facebook, it does look bloody good. I`m hoping to try it on my company VRS, is it imperative that it cures for 48 hours indoors?


I'm well impressed with it Dan, it's a brilliant product and I'll be having a full bottle as soon as Russ gets me a price.

It doesn't need 48hrs, but it does need 12 I think. It was just a coincidence that I left it in there from a logistical point of view.

You'd be more than welcome to come down to the unit one Saturday and leave it inside overnight to cure if you're struggling for garage space, no worries at all.


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## ted11 (Jul 8, 2011)

great write up mate, excellent pictures showing the difference in beading.


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## MDC250 (Jan 4, 2014)

Dogs danglies, lovely car and superb colour.

Great job 👍


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