# E90 BMW 335i Touring- Gleammachine.



## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Had this E90 335i Touring in for some TLC ready for my customers wedding tomorrow.
Booked in for hub & caliper refurbishment and an enhancement, which soon turned into a correction detail, from start to finish 25 man hours spent, but well worth the effort IMO.

















The results of scrimping on the paint,










Firstly the alloys were removed and placed on a protective foam mat,
All arch wells and suspension areas cleaned and de-greased,




























Surface rust then removed using a stiff wire brush and 1200 grit,



















Whilst drying out, the wheel bolts were given 2 coats of black and 2 coats of laquer,



















2 coats of primer,










2 coats of Aluminium base, 2 coats of heat resistent Aluminium to the calipers,










In between stages brought on with the heatgun, both calipers & hubs then given 2 coats of laquer,
Whilst the alloys were of they were given a thorough clean and de-tar and old balancing weight adhesive removed, this was followed by a coat of Nanolex sealant,










New centre badges replaced and looking a whole lot better,










Vehicle then washed, clayed and de-tarred, then put away for the evening.(sorry no pics of these stages)

*Day 2.*

After testing various combinations, it was clear an aggressive approach would be needed, Fastcut+ and a drop of LP on a Megs cutting pad with 2-3 hits per panel,










Comparisons prior to refining,



















































Typical dusty finish from the above,










Rinsed down and dried,




























Paintwork then refined using Megs 205 on a Megs finishing pad, this was followed by an IPA wipedown and paintwork treated to HD-cleanse,










Alloys, hubs and calipers sealed using Opti-seal,
Tyres dressed with Zaino Z-16,




























1st layer of [email protected] Concourse applied to entire vehicle and removed,










9pm and time to call it a night.

*Day 3.*

Firstly dusted and re-buffed the paintwork before applying the 2nd coat of Concourse,










Arches, engine bay and plastic mesh dressed using AG rubber & vinyl,



















Exhaust tailpipes and backboxes polished with Britemax easy cut & final shine,










Plastic trim dressed using Blackfire gel, glass cleaned and polished throughout, wipedown to the paintwork with [email protected] field glaze and finished.

*Results.*






















































































































Thanks for looking and comments welcome.:thumb:


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## Elliott19864 (May 11, 2008)

That looks stunning. Great work.


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## Envy Car Care (Aug 17, 2006)

Well done indeed Rob, very thorough and no doubt rewarding now its finished.
Sorry for bending your ear when you were trying to crack on.
Looks amazing.


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Envy Valeting said:


> Well done indeed Rob, very thorough and no doubt rewarding now its finished.
> Sorry for bending your ear when you were trying to crack on.
> Looks amazing.


Thanks matey, no problem whatsoever and it breaks up the day.:thumb:


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## Schizophonic (Jun 8, 2006)

thats a stunnign car


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## Jim W (Feb 3, 2007)

A special car for a special day - they must be well chuffed. 

Stunning work


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

Nice work there Rob - those wheels certainly add to the finish.

Did you spray all of the caliper or did you tape over/cover the retaining spring etc.?

thanks


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## chris l (Mar 5, 2007)

great job.massive difference with the spraying of the brakes and love the black grille


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## LJB (Dec 28, 2008)

What a really fantastic job, I always enjoy reading your threads and am so empressed with your work.

Never mind eyeing up the bride or her mother! I think every one will be eyeing up the bmw.

Fantastic I take my hat of to you sir --


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## scott508 (Aug 23, 2007)

that's the one! Beautiful pic, great work


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## Nanolex (Jun 8, 2008)

Outstanding work and attention to the detail Rob! These hubs make a huge difference, and top job on the paintwork!


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## Auto Detox (Dec 22, 2007)

Another great job Rob 

Baz


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## Evil Twin (Jun 15, 2008)

WOW !!!!!:doublesho


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## magic919 (Mar 11, 2007)

Lovely job, Rob. Amazed at the speed you buff those tail pipes


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## "SkY" (Apr 21, 2009)

it looks great


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## detailersdomain (Sep 13, 2006)

great car, great write up, great pic, well done!


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## Kris1986 (May 19, 2008)

Stunning work!


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## Perfection Detailing (Nov 3, 2007)

Lovely work Rob:thumb:


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## MIKEYBMW1 (Apr 13, 2009)

awaesome mate , one Day I may be half as good as you.


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## ads2k (Jul 12, 2006)

Fantastic Rob :Thumb:

Nice to see a wax having a run out for a change , looks super glossy and wet and a very nice hub/caliper detail to go with the rest of the car.


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## Bluetacker (Feb 6, 2009)

That looks absolutely great. Well worth all your effort and hard work.

Nice job. :thumb:


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## hmi1750 (Apr 23, 2006)

love it!


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

Stunning work Rob:thumb:


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

magic919 said:


> Lovely job, Rob. Amazed at the speed you buff those tail pipes


Hi Tony, long time no see, hope you & yours are well, Numatic arms or dodgy camera skills?:lol:



MIKEYBMW1 said:


> awaesome mate , one Day I may be half as good as you.


Thank you very much, very complimentary and welcome to the forum.:thumb:



LJB said:


> What a really fantastic job, I always enjoy reading your threads and am so empressed with your work.
> 
> Never mind eyeing up the bride or her mother! I think every one will be eyeing up the bmw.
> Fantastic I take my hat of to you sir --


Thanks mate, much appreciated and thanks for taking time to read and reply.



cheekeemonkey said:


> Nice work there Rob - those wheels certainly add to the finish.
> Did you spray all of the caliper or did you tape over/cover the retaining spring etc.?
> 
> thanks


Thanks mate, all the discs and components were masked to save on any extra work later, think I missed one bit on the outer side of the pad which got a bit of silver.


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## Mr Face (Jan 22, 2009)

Hi Rob, truly stunning :thumb: an absolutely gorgous finish. Lets just hope it was used with the respect it deserved the following day:thumb: 

Think I may have left it at home and claimed it was out of juice


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## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Great work there mate - looks good and nice pics :thumb:


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## PK001 (May 8, 2008)

Admiration to your detailng ! :thumb:
Also nice photo's! (How did you get the depth of field on the photo's?)

PK


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

PK001 said:


> Admiration to your detailng ! :thumb:
> Also nice photo's! (How did you get the depth of field on the photo's?)
> 
> PK


Thanks PK, recently bought a DSLR camera and a 50mm f1/8 lense which does produce quality pics and has the ability to tone down the areas out of focus, would like to say it's my photography skill, but that would be a lie.


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## RenesisEvo (Nov 25, 2006)

Very nice! Have to ask - are those rear lights non-standard?


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

Lovely work Rob as ever on a proper car with a proper engine. 

How popular do you find your hub restoration service? They look so much better.

Gav


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

RenesisEvo said:


> Very nice! Have to ask - are those rear lights non-standard?


Thanks, as far as I know the car is completely standard, the rear lights have been polished as part of the detail.



Detail Ecosse said:


> Lovely work Rob as ever on a proper car with a proper engine.
> 
> How popular do you find your hub restoration service? They look so much better.
> 
> Gav


Thanks Gav, the hub service is proving very popular as so many car manufacturers scrimp on the paint in this area and they soon rust within a few months from new.
Did some on a RR sport the other week with 22" wheels, nearly caused me a mischief trying to move them.:lol:
A godsend having a RAC guy across the road though with all the data for jacking procedures for cars with air suspension.
Also worthwhile having a disclaimer in place for wheels to be re-torqued after 100 miles.:thumb:


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## DE 1981 (Aug 17, 2007)

Yeh i can imagine how heavy a 22" wheel must be thankfully ive never lifted one. Its one of those jobs that must give huge satisfaction as rusty hubs look aweful.


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## PK001 (May 8, 2008)

Gleammachine said:


> Thanks PK, recently bought a DSLR camera and a 50mm f1/8 lense which does produce quality pics and has the ability to tone down the areas out of focus, would like to say it's my photography skill, but that would be a lie.


Well the camera certainly is showing it's qualities through the photographs.
Cheers for the reply


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## Jace (Oct 26, 2005)

That is superb :thumb: & just how mine would look, with a derv engine in though


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## Max M4X WW (Sep 19, 2006)

RenesisEvo said:


> Very nice! Have to ask - are those rear lights non-standard?


They are not standard, But genuine BMW parts as far as I know. Love them!


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## RenesisEvo (Nov 25, 2006)

Max M4X WW said:


> They are not standard, But genuine BMW parts as far as I know. Love them!


Just that all the 3-series tourings I've seen don't have two clear upper parts, and the face-lift model everything is red, with a strange step between the two clusters (wing and tailgate). Look real nice - I was asking in a futile attempt at seeing where they come from (have always liked E91).


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

lovelly job, well done, do fancy one of these


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Cracking efforts, well rewarded there, the results are lovely


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## Max M4X WW (Sep 19, 2006)

RenesisEvo said:


> I was asking in a futile attempt at seeing where they come from (have always liked E91).


Will be available on-line somewhere! Blackline or something they are called!


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## paddy328 (Mar 4, 2007)

Looks brand new now mate. Oh, i've lifted range rover wheels a few times and they are bloody heavy.


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## Ali (Apr 5, 2006)

Lovely.


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## firebod (Mar 25, 2009)

RenesisEvo said:


> Just that all the 3-series tourings I've seen don't have two clear upper parts, and the face-lift model everything is red, with a strange step between the two clusters (wing and tailgate). Look real nice - I was asking in a futile attempt at seeing where they come from (have always liked E91).


just for your info, these are genuine BMW blackline lights, i think they are only available for pre-facelift models at the moment. I have just got some for my carbon black E91.hope this helps

well done gleammachine, a stunning job on the touring!


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## carrera2s (Jun 28, 2009)

Top job on a top car the happy couple must have been chuffed!:thumb:


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## StuaR32t (Jun 6, 2009)

Makes a world of difference that paint on the discs... looks ace with the blacked out grill too!!


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

Holy thread revival Batman.:lol:

Cheers for the comments guys and good to relive the detail again, enjoyed that one.:thumb:


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## Exclusive Car Care (Jan 14, 2007)

that does look nice Rob,


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## Racer (Oct 27, 2005)

Superb work :thumb:


Your meguiars pads endure how much details??


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## duffy02 (Mar 6, 2009)

great work.. i have to do my wheels and calipers over Christmas!


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## ntynan528 (Aug 20, 2009)

car looks great love the painted bits


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## fatbenm3 (Aug 20, 2007)

Like the new BMW Centre caps, They look better than the old ones.


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## SuperchargedLlama (Apr 25, 2008)

That's a brilliant finish - it's definitely made the car look like the money it costs


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## Jorge (Oct 12, 2009)

One more "Gleamed" ! :thumb:

That "black" is Shining .... :argie:

Great fotos 

Best regards,

Jorge


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## ALANSHR (Jun 29, 2007)

Nice job, its the attention to detail that marks your work out for me, wheels off, weights done, calipers, hubs, nuts etc really make a difference when it comes to full detailing so congratulations and keep up the good work.

Really like the touring shape as well on these, really good aggressive stance but could do with a change of wheels imo.


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## dohc-vtec (Mar 19, 2010)

When you were doing the calipers and hubs, after you primered them did you sand the primer with 400-600 grit before paint or did you just spray the paint right over the non-sanded primer?


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## Gleammachine (Sep 8, 2007)

dohc-vtec said:


> When you were doing the calipers and hubs, after you primered them did you sand the primer with 400-600 grit before paint or did you just spray the paint right over the non-sanded primer?


No didn't flatten the primer, there was no need to as the application was smooth.


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## HeavenlyDetail (Sep 22, 2006)

Normal high quality finish as always , may aswell just copy and paste my replies to your work really.


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

cracking work as always mate :thumb:


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## slrestoration (Nov 11, 2009)

Nice Work Rob!!


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