# Wax-It: BMW E46 M3 Full Correction



## Wax-IT.be (Feb 3, 2011)

This lovely E46 M3 is another one we did a few weeks back and of course we'd like to share this with you!

We add smaller pictures in the thread for ease of reading but you can see the full size images by clicking them.

*For those only looking at pictures or looking for more pictures can view the slideshow here: (Click)
*

*The write-up in Dutch on our website (click).*

Slow but certain the E46 is becoming another M3 drivers icon. As prices are still dropping it gets harder and harder to find a very decent one. Some are repainted, others have very high mileage and some have a very weird history,... A lot of things can make the difference between a nice and solid car or one you'd better walk away from!

This particular owner went for a long drive to look at this one in Germany. The car was in a very good condition, not repainted, good looking interior, very low mileage (66.000km) and fully original. The owner was a pistonhead who spent every cent he needed to keep the car perfect .

One year after buying the car the current owner had some things he wanted sorted out. The car was full of swirls and had a lot of random depth scratches, the interior needed a thorough clean up too!

  

We started of with the typical pre-wash. The foam loosens the bigger dirt particles which avoids scratching the paint when washing the car. After washing we continued claying the car with Blackfire Poly II Clay. The paint had a quite a lot of contamination, probably because of the lack of proper paint care during it's life.

  

After claying we cleaned the exhaust to achieve a bright and new looking exhaust pipe instead of the dirty black exhaust. Steel wool will leave fine scratches so we cleaned the outside without it. Using Briliant Metal Restorer this looked perfect again. The exhaust's inside was done with ultra fine steel wool combined with Blackfire Fine Cut Metal Polish. This took on the hard black layer, finishing this with Briliant and a Dremel left a very nice exhaust!

  

Before tackling the exterior with the paint correction we choose to clean and protect the interior. After many years of usage the dirt is worked in to the nice soft Nappaleather and this "polishes" the leather to a cheap shine. Some people still keep saying that you can't see dirt on a black interior, the pictures prove them wrong!
Before cleaning the leather was looking shiny and cheap, after cleaning the leather received the matt look it should have and it was all supple again! This was done with Gloss-it Leather Cleaner on a Gloss-it Interior Sponge. Feeding and protecting the leather with Gloss-it Leather Polish made sure the leather will stay like this for a long time...

  

  

We cleaned all the plastics using Blackfire Interior Cleaner and protected this with Blackfire Interior Protectant, this left a nice satin finish. De carpets were done with our George extractor and Eimann Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner because dirt was deep inside the soft carpet. Finishing all this work with 303 Fabric Guard.

  

Finally we could start correcting the paint. The hood had some very deep scratches but especially the sides were very dull! The previous owner didn't know what kind of damage a carwash could do. The brushes used for cleaning the rims are harder and keep working and this damages the lower parts. This left very deep scratches and a dull paint.

  

  

This is a typical thing we see a lot on cars using carwash on a regular basis. To remove these scratches on this hard BMW paint we used the Menzerna polishes. These polishes are designed to work on the hard German paint. Correcting the paint in 3 to 4 steps we achieved the result we and the customer wanted. This removed the dullness, scratches, swirls and other paint defects. The beautiful carbon black paint looked deep blueblack as it should! The color is deeper, glossier and the metal particles are clearly visible.

  

  

The wheels were cleaned with Werkstät Prime Strong after washing them. Protection and gloss was achieved with Poorboy's Wheel Sealant. Gloss-it TRV was used to dress all the rubbers and the engine was dressed with 303 Aerospace Protectant. For the tires we love using the TRV too, followed with a layer of Signature Tire Gloss. This is very durable and not too shiny! The paint received the Blackfire All Finish Paint Protection sealant for a long and durable protection.

  

After all the work the car was looking brand new and perfect. A real car for a real carnut, the owner couldn't stop thanking us because of the amazing result.

  

  

  

Thanks for reading!

The Wax-it crew


----------



## horned yo (Feb 10, 2009)

I really like your write ups. Does the leather cleaner leave a sheen or matt finish? Excellent work again


----------



## himpe (Apr 20, 2006)

horned yo said:


> I really like your write ups. Does the leather cleaner leave a sheen or matt finish? Excellent work again


The leather cleaner leases this finish.


----------



## himpe (Apr 20, 2006)

I mean "leaves" and it's the one on the left


----------



## Rusty Nail (Feb 6, 2011)

Just watched the slide show, what a great looking car and finish.:buffer:


----------



## Wax-IT.be (Feb 3, 2011)

Rusty Nail said:


> Just watched the slide show, what a great looking car and finish.:buffer:


Thanks a lot! We'll have some more nice details in the future


----------



## Jesse74 (Jul 19, 2008)

Looks great guys! I just did one of these the same color 2 weeks ago !


----------



## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Superb :thumb:

Your write ups are some of the best for pictures and presentation on the whole of DW, I enjoy reading them.


----------



## Wax-IT.be (Feb 3, 2011)

ads2k said:


> Superb :thumb:
> 
> Your write ups are some of the best for pictures and presentation on the whole of DW, I enjoy reading them.


Thank you very much !

We joined DW to get our detailing and writeup level even higher, so any input or advice on our work is highly appreciated !


----------



## Eurogloss (Jan 22, 2008)

Top job and write up guys :thumb:


----------



## Wax-IT.be (Feb 3, 2011)

Thanks a lot


----------



## WHIZZER (Oct 25, 2005)

Looks good


----------

