# BMW E46 330i M-Sport Convertible - Shine on you crazy diamond (pic heavy)



## andymoss (Aug 9, 2007)

Hi DW,

This is my first post on the forum of my dream 330 convertible M-sport. Its done 54k now (36k when I got it) but its a tidy example. I'm a massive E46 fan so I knew a good one when I was looking for this. I have owned it for the last couple of years now and have always kept it clean so I have not taken any before images except for the arches. I don't have all the proper gear that the pro's have so for me this is basically a very thorough wash, clay and seal as you will see.

All the washing was done with Meguirs Gold Class. I really like this stuff as it foams up real nice. I also use Chemical Guys Citrus or Wash & Gloss which I find great also. Washing is with a Meguirs lambswool mit but I have recently tried a manmade waffle mit which I also think is pretty good...










I started off by cleaning all the arches as best I could





































The wheels were thoroughly cleaned and clayed with Bilt Hamber. I replaced the nearside wheels when I got the car as someone had put replicas on (presumably kerbed the originals) so they are nice and tidy. The offside are starting to corrode very slightly with age and I will get them refurbed at some point.



















I have just had a new set of Falken 452 tyres fitted all round. I have to say for the price they are a fabulous tyre and so I thought I would protect them with some Chemical Guys Trim Gel. This stuff goes on great and gives an amazing gloss and lasts forever on the tyres




























Next onto the engine bay and again I always keep this tidy so it was not much more than a quick wash over some of the key bits and then to gloss them over



















I moved onto the exterior now. I hosed the car down first and then a standard wash. Again there was not much muck on there so I can get away without needing any kind of deep cleanse snow foam stuff.










After drying with a waffle towel I went over the who car with the Bilt Hamber clay bar. I really like this one as I can just use normal water so it keeps things simple for me










before










after










I have got a vrey nasty chip on the bonnet and quite a bit of pepper spray across the front bumper on the car. Not sure what I can do about this other than a professional respray 










here there is a crack in the paint work right at the bottom. I think this has had some kind of previous patch work done. Its pretty easy to catch these bumpers on kerbs when parking...










I had cleaned the hood a couple of years ago with Renovo cleaner and conditioner. It is still good to this day so I just needed to use a Lint roller brush to get the hairs and fluff off the roof










I washed the car again after claying and then moved onto sealing the paintwork. I am a huge fan of Chemical Guys products and I have previously used JetSeal which I think is awesome. This time around I am trying M-Seal which I also think is pretty good but not quite as good as the Jetseal IMO. I did 2 coats of this leaving it for around 30 mins after application





































I pretty much left the outside after sealing it. I thought about some Carnuba P21 wax that I have got but wasen't sure. about putting in on over the sealant Perhaps some of you out with in DW land could advise?

here are some reflection shots after









































































I then spruced up the interior and seats. Again it was all tidy but I just gave the drivers seat a quick clean with the Gliptone























































Here are some afters on the car...



























































































Thanks all. The car is now under cover as it only gets used occasionally so let me know your thoughts on the stone chips/pepper spray damage and whether to put anything else on top of the M-Seal...


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## AtoDTEL (Dec 27, 2010)

I cant see any of the photos looking forward to seeing it though as i'm a huge BMW fan lastest one was a 330i m sport :thumb:


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## andymoss (Aug 9, 2007)

piccys sorted - I was using the wrong URLs...Doh!


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## AtoDTEL (Dec 27, 2010)

Pics working now looks lovely stone chips etc are so frustrating lovely car none the less :thumb:


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## SimonBash (Jun 7, 2010)

Lovely 330 mate, have a soft spot for the M Sport Coupe but your convertible looks very nice. Good detail there:thumb:


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Very nice looking..


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## paulgjohnston (Mar 28, 2011)

Fabulous job, well done!


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## Scrim-1- (Oct 8, 2008)

Very nice, tbh you wasted alot of clay, cut the bar into small pieces


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## Bungleaio (Jul 18, 2010)

Awesome car and great work. 

When the weathers like it is at the minute I really miss having a convertible.


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## billyp (Jul 24, 2010)

nice job mate i have the exact same model in black and i see you have the wind deflector it has to be the best accessory for the verts apart from a hardtop which i got to protect it for the winter even though like yours it spends all week in the garage and gets used weekend only Great cars but i'm biased :thumb:


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## david_h (Sep 19, 2006)

That's a great finish on a silver car, they can be quite unrewarding to detail, but you've done a great job.

Did you remember to pressure wash inside the lip of the rear arch, the dirt catches and sits here easily on the E46 coupes and eventually leads to corrosion. Also on the front arches it's worth removing the arch liner and washing the inside lip for the same reason, a design fault means all the dirt and rubbish just sits in the lip and corrodes.


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## littlejack (Jun 11, 2008)

Nice looking BMW you got there mate. I'm also a big fan of the E46 shape beemers...
As far the stone chips go you could try chipex heared its good stuff.. But if they're that bad im affraid the only way is have bumper resprayed


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## Ninja59 (Feb 17, 2009)

hope you did not use the whole BH clay for one claying session! cut it into pieces, i have not used m seal before but looks abit thick to me try and use thin costs apart from that excellent job


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Nice clean motor, well done fella :thumb: 

Falken 452 are a nice tyre, a good compromise. Unfortunately I only managed 8500 out of my last set. Im trying to treat this set with a little more respect :lol:

Wax over M Seal should be absolutely fine. Make sure its cured 100%, personally I would leave the seal over night and apply P21s the following morning (thats belt and braces, if you were in a hurry and hour or two would probably be ok)

HTH :wave:


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## Dizzle77 (Mar 27, 2010)

You've done well there mate. your car looks in great condition.


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## andymoss (Aug 9, 2007)

Thanks all for your comments. A couple of follow-up responses:

I actually used a lot of the clay bar as there was a lot of contaminates and some small bits of grit on there so I had to turn it inside out quite a few times as I didn't want to scratch the paint. I never thought of cutting it up though so I know for next time.

david_h - Top tip on washing out the cubbyholes in the arches. I got some of the muck out from the rear lip but its difficult area to work around. Unfortunately I wasn't aware of the front arche covers so I will have to see if it is something I can do on another weekend or possibly when I get the last 2 wheels refurbed.

Thanks for the ChipEx idea. I might check that out. If I do I will let you know how it goes. The only thing is that I understand that Silver is the worst colour for touching up as it is not really a colour as such - more just a metallic coat that gives it the depth. Not sure how accurate that is though...

billyp - I couldn't have a vert without a deflector. It should be standard kit IMO with the difference they make.

E46 are great cars once you have fixed all the shoddy BMW mechaincals - £1.5k bills in 2 years and counting. IMO the E46 i soo much nicer than the latest 3-series both inside and out. Sitting behind the wheel is one nice place to be...


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## mislavto (Jul 3, 2010)

remember when you were young, you shone like the sun 
I like this bmw


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## Tricky Red (Mar 3, 2007)

Great finish but on the sealant you could have used much less. The residue that you have wiped off is just wasted product. Apply thinly and evenly and you will get the same finish but your bottle will last longer. :thumb:


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## uzi-blue (Mar 16, 2011)

Great cra, amazing job.


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## andymoss (Aug 9, 2007)

mislavto said:


> remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
> I like this bmw


glad you picked up on the Pink Floyd link...:thumb:


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## ADR Superstar (Aug 5, 2009)

Good job and nice motor


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## DetailMe (Jan 13, 2011)

Nice car and work Andy! Try a little tardis on the wheel arches as the tar lets your nice arch clean down! one other little tip, dont use all your clay bar at once, its a waste really, cut it into thirds etc, will last a lot longer!
Other than that looking nice mate
Chris


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