# Defined Details – BMW Z4 M – Ruby Black



## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

*Defined Details - BMW Z4 M - Ruby Black.*








Scotland's Premier Vehicle refinishing & Detailing Specialists.
www.defineddetails.co.uk
I have tried to base this write up slightly different and hopefully it will benefit a few people as to what is involved on a typical paint correction detail.

I was contacted by the new owner of this lovely Bmw Z4 M, as he has just purchased it down south from a dealership. He in formed me that he had been loving for some time to find one in this colour and condition. Low mileage, with good service history. But unfortunately the paint work was in need of attention. Lacking clarity and a hazing to the finish.
After discussing what we could offer the owner decided on a high level of correction on the upper sections of the car and if a few makes where left on the lowers it would be hard to see anyway.
Car on Arrival



























And just a little insight to what lies ahead.









I started as normal with wheels and arches. Arches degreased and worked over with soft arch brush to agitate and remove built up dirt and grime. Moving on to the tyres. Treated with a degreaser and once more worked over and agitated with a brush to remove oils and built up grim.









Wheels treated with smartwheels at 1 to 10 and worked over with various brushes to remove all brake dust.



























And then fully rinsed off. Prior to being treated with Iron X and than Tardis. Before being rinsed once more.









Car was then treated to 2 snow foams to help release most of the road grim from the paint.









Before being rinsed off and then being hand washed with Maxolen Wax free Shampoo. No13.


















The shampoo is very stick and leaves nothing on the surface after washing. It also releases dirt very well with a very light wipe over.









But most importantly there was still plenty of suds left after the wash.









All forms of any Hydrophobic protection gone.


















After treating all external panels with tardis and Iron X. The car was rinsed off once more. Prior to being brought in doors to be clayed.









Not really a great deal to show.









The car was fully patted dry and all gaps blown out with the compressor. And paint assessments was then carried out.
After taking reading from the car. I had an idea of the average and consistency that the car showed.
I then proceeded to the bonnet and carried out various polishing sets. Starting with the least aggressive combination and working up. Varying pads speed of working and hand movement. Till I was happy with the level of correction I was achieving. While comparing this to the removal rates.
This is one of the most important factors when carrying out paint correction. Baring in mind that a swirl mark of RDS are already a missing piece of paint & and to reduce and remove these you are essentially removing good paint in the process.
I eventually settled on Scholl S17 and a Hexlogic orange pad. The pad itself has very little cut. Due to it being closed celled. But it had its advantages, as it is a dense pad where the lubrication and abrasives stay on the surface. It also has a good advantage when edging or digging out scratches. So no need to continually change pads when dealing with deeper marks. As will become clear later on.
Bonnet before




































As you can see the car in question had been machine at some point and the cloudy finish the owner mentioned was down to machine holograms. This would be easily cleared up and the gloss restored in no time.
50/50 after one short set. Under strip lighting.









You can clearly see the colour and clarity was restored on the Left where is was slightly milky on the right hand side.
But this is only one step of the process. Using all different light sources and focusing in on the paints surface. Not the light source. It becomes clear that gloss side shots do not tell the full story.
Deeper RDS lye under this hazing.

















These where removed by edging the pad with the same polish and pad combo. Removing the paint over the defect only and conserving paint over the full panel.









Few more marks present and dealt with in the same manner.


















Once the car had been corrected. It was later refined with menzera PO85RD on a 3M blue pads. 
After shots of the bonnet. Flake on this car I personally felt was stunning. Especially under sunlight.


























Flake really starting to show nice.









Happy with the level of correction I then moved on to the near side front wing. Once more mapped out paint thickness and took not of any areas that may cause concerns.
Wing before



























Defects shown under metal halide lighting.









After the initial correction set and wipe down. Still a few marks that require more localised correction. But a marked improvement in looks and finish.









After refinement.









Tiny small tail of a scratch remained. But unfortunately paint reading did not warrant this to be taken further.



























Near side door before & After. Under metal halide lamps. This panel where the paint reading where consistent with the car. Seamed and showed to be softer in nature & slightly more peel than on the rest of the car. I made a decision to move over onto the Meguiars DA mf system and work this at a slower pace. To carry out correction. But also to improve the slight peel.









Rough 50/50 shot after correction













































After shots













































Near side rear ¾.
Before During and afters.























































Rear end including tailgate.
Before, after & During.



























After correction and no refinement. Still a few slightly deeper marks left. But once more reading did not warrant attempted removal.




































Tailgate under metal halide lamps


















Offside rear ¾
Before, After & During


















Someone has obviously had a dirty pad at some point and left their own signature.




































Offside door Before, After and During.








































































Front Wing































































At this point I started the final prep and all the finish touches. Glass clean with Clear view glass cleaner. Tyres cleaned and dressed with Maxolen Tyre & Rubber No40.

















Window rubbers dressed with Rubber care.


















Plastic trims with Plasto Shine. No47









Wheels Sealed with 1000P and arches dressed with all seasons. Paint work was protected with Cg Ezyme paste wax.
Thanks for taking the time to read this detail. I hope you found it as beneficial as I did carrying out the work on the BM. I will leave you with some after shots.
Gordon.







































































































































































































The car was then moved back inside the unit to await the client and complete the final once over.






































































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## alx_chung (Aug 13, 2006)

Great job and its a cracking colour!
Alex


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

Great write up Gordon and top work as normal


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## AaronGTi (Nov 2, 2010)

What a finish :thumb:

Love the #13 Maxolen shampoo, smells great too; very manly :lol:


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## Steve220 (May 11, 2010)

Very nice! Shame the owner isn't selling as that's exactly what I'm after!


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## paulmc08 (Feb 3, 2009)

Cracking work Gordon

what a transformation in the colour/clarity :thumb:


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## DMH-01 (Mar 29, 2011)

Great job mate :thumb:


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Stunning as always Gordon


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Stunning finish Gordon, beautiful work indeed sir :thumb:


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## nortonski (Jul 10, 2007)

Looks stunning fella! Well done, loving your work :thumb:


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## JBirchy (Oct 9, 2010)

Stunning work Gordon, as always. Amazing colour really brough back to it's best!


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## Clyde (Feb 15, 2012)

Love the colour, great write up and work!


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## Jordan (Dec 22, 2008)

Another top notch detail Gordon,

Glad you are also getting on with the products also :thumb:

Jordan


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## deni2 (May 4, 2011)

Wow. Top work on bimmer, :thumb:.


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## Spudey (Jun 13, 2011)

Nice work. Love the car.


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## dickyt (Jun 1, 2010)

Stunning work & a very detailed/informative write up. I love that colour, beats my Sapphire Black any day - it almost has a "purple haze" to it.

Incredible finish on a gorgeous car - always been a fan of the ZM's and would love to trade up my Z3 3.0i Roadster for a Z4M Roadster, but I am a big fan of the less common Coupe as well & this one in Ruby Black is a real stunner.


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## Zetec-al (Feb 28, 2011)

Nice work on a lovely motor!


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## tonyy (Jul 26, 2008)

Stunning finish:thumb:


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## Soul Hudson (Jul 5, 2011)

Some great work and a interesting write up, a pleasure to read. Nice to see some different products been used a well. May have to splash out on the shampoo as it looks useful.


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## Dellboi (Feb 26, 2012)

Love the colour


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## leemckenna (Oct 11, 2011)

great job gordan


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Thank s for all the great coments and feedback. Really appreciated as always. :thumb:



Jordan said:


> Another top notch detail Gordon,
> 
> Glad you are also getting on with the products also :thumb:
> 
> Jordan


Thanks Jordan

Any word on when the products will be available in the retail range Jordan.
Especially Plasto shine & No 10. Also get in touch as I need a few prices on some of your wares :lol:

Gordon.


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## Patrickm (May 27, 2011)

caledonia said:


> Thank s for all the great coments and feedback. Really appreciated as always. :thumb:
> 
> Thanks Jordan
> 
> ...


Great work as always Gordon all will be revealed towards the end of next week some really interesting products due to be released its been hard trying to keep jordon quiet about it :lol:

I have a couple of newbies for you to try aswell so will be dropping by at some point over the next week for a catch up :thumb:


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## Beau Technique (Jun 21, 2010)

Well documented Gordon. Best colour for these imo. Last one I worked on was tough as granite so know all too well how tough these are to correct. Stunning finish and nice to see some driect sun shots after all the gloomy weather of late.


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## amiller (Jan 1, 2009)

Some genuinely useful information in that post, so thanks for taken the extra time and effort to elaborate at times. :thumb:

That colour is sensational! 

Andy


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## Spirit Detailing (Mar 29, 2007)

Great write-up, Gordon. Car looks better than new. :thumb:


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## Dream Detail (Feb 22, 2012)

lovely write up. great car, great results and wow to the flake. scrollng up to re read and look at pics again


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## Guest (Jul 8, 2012)

Fantastic effort and excellent work. Nicely done.:thumb:

Nice car but nicer colour. One of my favourite colours :argie:


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## fishbonezken (Apr 17, 2010)

Excellent write-up and work, Gordon!

How many hours/days did this took you?


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## Deeper Detail (Oct 31, 2010)

Really good write up there Gordon, great points put across on removing as little paint as possible whilst still achieving correction. The way I like to work also. :thumb:


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## Griffiths Detailing (Mar 29, 2011)

Top work mate!!!



Chris


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

Maxolen UK said:


> Great work as always Gordon all will be revealed towards the end of next week some really interesting products due to be released its been hard trying to keep jordon quiet about it :lol:
> 
> I have a couple of newbies for you to try aswell so will be dropping by at some point over the next week for a catch up :thumb:


Look forward to it. But got a hectic couple of week a head. So time might be limited also. :thumb:



fishbonezken said:


> Excellent write-up and work, Gordon!
> 
> How many hours/days did this took you?


If I remember correctly the car was in for 3 day. Took a good few hours to get all the dealers prep off the car. Prior to machining.



Deeper Detail said:


> Really good write up there Gordon, great points put across on removing as little paint as possible whilst still achieving correction. The way I like to work also. :thumb:


Glad to hear this m8.  
To many people just pick up the most aggressive product. With belated disregard to removal rate. Just because it fast and achieves the results quicker. But the main question is. At what cost to the car paint.
It is not so much as in time. But more so conserving the clear coat and the car for later in its life. Unfortunately this is getting lost and possibly down to the current economical climate more than anything. But it is a worrying tread, none the less.

Thanks for all the great comments and they are appreciated as ever.
Gordon


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Wow, that looks stunning Gordon!! Really do like that colour. :thumb:


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

Stunning finish Gordon


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## Deeper Detail (Oct 31, 2010)

> Glad to hear this m8.
> To many people just pick up the most aggressive product. With belated disregard to removal rate. Just because it fast and achieves the results quicker. But the main question is. At what cost to the car paint.
> It is not so much as in time. But more so conserving the clear coat and the car for later in its life. Unfortunately this is getting lost and possibly down to the current economical climate more than anything. But it is a worrying tread, none the less.


It is worrying for anyone who has had their car done via the 'quick hit' methods mentioned, especialy if the owner is going to keep the car for a long time and may want work doing in the future. 
With your method and philosophy (and mine) at least you have a lot more to work with in the future.
Great job again and it is making me want to get a BMW in that colour! :thumb:


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## Mango (Jan 16, 2011)

Thanks for a great write-up and a reminder of the basic steps needed for a safe correction and long lasting finish. Beautiful results.


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## Titanium Htail (Mar 24, 2012)

A fine example and explanation, where the integrity of the paint for the future has been enhanced, getting that balance between an end result and also projecting that knowledgeable concept forward. Time constraints perhaps encourage that trend you mention of necessitating a quicker, rather than preferable method.

It was nice to see this car getting what it needed together with the differential between how a similar look can be achieved with thoughtful alternative products and beneficial strategy. A well presented informative write up and that flake looks good, premier products used with passion. 

I learned many things here; you are generous with your knowledge and skills, thank-you.

Great job, John


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## R88ORY RXP (Dec 15, 2011)

I love that finish on the tyres, whats the durability like???

Cracking job, love those cars.


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## craig3.0 (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi Gordon,
great write up,and excellent job.

I was trying to pm u ,but cant(as not really posted on here).
I was reading about your d/a and rotary polishing beginner coures.
When are you next having one of these at your Glasgow premises?


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## caledonia (Sep 13, 2008)

craig3.0 said:


> Hi Gordon,
> great write up,and excellent job.
> 
> I was trying to pm u ,but cant(as not really posted on here).
> ...


Thanks for the comments and please find a link below for the next lot of classes

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=3598082#post3598082
Gordon.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Beautiful colour and stunning finish Gordon! 

Alan W


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## Socal Brian (Dec 4, 2011)

Great writeup and results Gordon!


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## Rgk Detailing (Dec 6, 2006)

Top work as always Gordon,

very sharp finish! :thumb:

Richard


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## colarado red (Jun 5, 2008)

Top work


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