# SIM 180 vs BMW E46 320i Cabrio.......



## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Hello all.........:wave:

Well this detail was a tough one, before Jules and I even started the day we knew this would be a tough one for both of us, safe to say that when I agreed to help out with this detail I knew it was going to be a tough one........:doublesho

Basically I play football 2 or three times a week with people from the village we live in, they have been playing for around 20+ years at the same venue and with Jules working in our local pub it's safe to say we know most of the village now.........:thumb:

I have been talking to Ian for some time on and off the football pitch and he was keen to see what we could achieve on his wife's BMW E46 320i Cabrio that they had owned for many years now. Ian loves this motor and his work motor is a BMW E39 5 series but the E46 holds a special place on the drive as it's just a nice motor to drive around in with the roof down and let's face it the weather at the moment is just perfect for it.........:car:

So onto the detail, Jules and I agreed to pop around to Ian's for the day to work on the car and complete all we could in one day to try and make the BMW more respectable, this was the car upon arrival:














































The tailgate lamps are beyond detailing as the lens to housing weld has broken, a common problem but I will be fixing these for Ian at a later date replacing them with some neww units:










Not sure Jules can do anything with this:




























Looks like someone had already tried something on the roof:











































































































































































































































So as you can see a pretty grubby motor and I don't mean that in a nasty way just needs some TLC, being silver with a grey interior just makes the task that little bit more challenging but no time to waste so on with the detail...........:detailer:

*The Detail Process:*

First up I wanted to attack the wheels and knowing that they hadn't been off the car for a while I knew I would be up against it but also knew we could show some signs of improvement..........:thumb:

I had spoken to Ian about getting the wheel refurbished as you will see in the following pics they are kerbed and corroded but before he splashed out on doing that, I said I would clean them up so he could get an idea of the real damage and then go from there, so first up I got the jack out and removed a wheel:



















In the mean time it looked like we would have a friend for the day surveying our work:










Jules was making friends quickly although I am not sure the car was impressed:










The wheel looked as follows:



















First up I rinsed the wheel on the inside:










Megs Wheel Brightner applied:










Aggitated with the Wheel Schmitt:



















Cat still chilling at this point:










This was then rinsed:










Then out with some Iron Cut:



















While this worked in a while I flipped the wheel over and applied some Megs Wheel Brightner to the face of the alloy:










Aggitated with the Wheel Schmitt:










Then a Detailer Brush:










With a quick rinse it was then Jules turn to dry the wheel with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel - at this point you can notice the corrosion:










CG Jetseal 109 was then applied via an Applicator Pad:



















This was then buffed off........:thumb:

With the wheel off the hub I attended to the wheel arch:










Rinsing first:










Check out all the mud under the arch..........:doublesho










I knew it was silver under there:










Some serious dirt though:










Megs APC was then applied:










Then aggitated with a Megs Large Brush:










I used an AG Wheel Cleaner Brush for some of the smaller areas and a scourer on the exhaust:










Leaving the following:










Jules then cleaned one of the wheel centres with some Megs APC and a Microfibre cloth - Bottom Left one:










The wheel was then re-fitted and torqued up:










This was repeated on the other wheels and arches and while I was attending to the wheels and arches Jules was busy with Henry:


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Passenger Side Front Arch was interesting though - Before:










After a clean up, notice the chewing gum / sealant spread around the wheel arch liner:










No problem though after some aggitation with Megs APC and the Megs Large Brush the arch looked as follows:










Time for a break and something we are not used to, a nice breakfast bacon sarnie........:thumb:










While we stopped for 5 mins Jules noticed some naughty 'cleaning' items:










And one for all you 'Flip-Flop' haters out there:










Back to it and Jules worked with some Megs Quik Out and a Vikan Brush on the mats:


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At this point for me it was time to start washing the motor but I wanted to attend to the engine bay first so popped the bonnet and rinsed the engine bay thoroughly with the engine ticking over:










Safe to say there was also some dirt and moss in the tricky areas:



















On with the rinsing:



















Some Megs APC was then applied:










And aggitated with a Detailer Brush:




























This was then rinsed down and the engine left running for 5 mins longer:



















Next up I wanted to attend to the roof, now looking at this from the outset it was clear it had spent most of it's life parked under the tree on the drive, plenty of green moss and dirt was visible..........:doublesho

The roof was rinsed first:





































Then I applied some AG Fabric Roof Cleaner:










This was aggitated with the AG Sponge:










As it was sunny I only did one half and then rinsed this out:










Jules then did the other half of the roof:










As I said plenty of moss and dirt coming out of the roof:





































We then moved onto washing the rest of the car.........:car:

The car was washed using Powercraft Pressure Washer, Snow Foam with HD Elite Lance, 2BM consisting of Megs Hyper Wash, Megs Buckets and Gritguards and Lambswool Wash Mitts:










Rinsing first and attacking all the moss / grimey grooves:




































































































I then foamed the car:




























Jules and I then went around the car with some Megs APC and Detailer Brushes attending to the Petrol Cap, Door Shuts and boot shut:





































Then the car was rinsed and foamed again, into the wash bucket with a Lambswool Wash Mitt:










Washed a few panels:










Then into the rinse Bucket:










This was then repeated on the rest of the car followed by a rinse down:



















Safe to say that neither Jules nor I were happy with the roof so back out with the AG Cleaner and the Megs Large Brush this time:










Rinsed down again:










While we let the roof dry again, we clayed the car using some Megs Last Touch as lube and some Elite Yellow Fine Clay:










Fair amount of contaminents:










Quite a few bits and pieces on the lower panels so out with AS Tardis:










Doing it's thing:










It was however clear that someone hadn't approved of out work so far though:










Now this little 'smilie' does apply.........:detailer:

After the claying we rinsed again and then applied some Megs Last Touch all over the car:










This was dried with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel:










Next up we rectracted the roof but attended to the enclosure with some Megs APC and Microfibre's to clean the area up:




























With the roof down this allowed Jules easy access to get on with the interior, so off she set about working with some Megs APC, Megs Slide Lock Brush, a Microfibre Dusting Mitt and Henry:





































I then taped up the car:



















Time for me to break out the SIM 180, now the sun was flying high above and I took plenty of pics thiinking they would come out, however they didn't nothing but a mass of silver.............

Basically the paintwork was in a poor state, feeling smoother now after the claying but with plenty of deep swirls and scratches, I knew I wouldn't be able to get a lot of this out but adding some depth to the paintwork would help the overall finish. So working with the SIM 180 and a Megs Polishing Pad I used some 3M Ultra Fine with a small addition of 3M Fast Cut, this was followed by a 3M Polishing Pad and some Megs 205:



















This combination was used all over the paintwork...........:buffer:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Now back to Jules and this is something we haven't done before but it was too good a chance to miss, a nice 50/50 on the seats, so here is the before's:




























After:



















And one dirty cloth after some help from some Megs APC:










At this point we had another friend turn up:










Tough work for Jules but she was doing a cracking job in the sun:










Then onto her favourite part of the detail but in this instance the exhaust was beyond help, still she cleaned it up as best possible with some Autosol, Wirewool and a Microfibre - Before:



















During:










And I forgot to take an after pic............

At this point Jules had to go to work so I completed the detail on my own but she had worked super hard on the interior so it was just up to me now to take all the glory............:lol:

With the roof half back up I attended to the inside of the glass on the roof with some Megs Glass Cleaner and a Glass Cleaning Cloth:










Pretty grubby as you can see:










With the roof now back up, I snow foamed the car:










Rinsed:










After an application of some Megs Last Touch the car was dried with a Waffle Weave Drying Towel:










I then completed all the remaining windows with some Megs Glass Cleaner and a Glass Cleaning Cloth:










The engine bay was treated to some 303 Aerospace Protectant via an Applicator Pad:










Gliptone Leather Cleaner and then some Conditioner via Applicator Pads was used:










Followed by some CG Apple Scent for the interior:










The arches were dresses with some Megs Hyper Dressing:








.

Tyres dressed with some AS Highstyle:










Now I didn't discuss what products to apply to the paintwork but I think that durability is the key here so I decided to use a combination I hadn't used before so the paintwork was treated to some Dodo Juice Lime Prime via an Applicator Pad:










This was followed by some FK1000P via an Applicator Pad - I have had this tin for around 6 months so thought I would give it a try:










As always this was followed finally by a Z8 Wipe Down:










*The Results:*

*Roof Up:*






































































































































































































































































*Roof Down:*


















































































And that's it...........:thumb:

I'd like to thank Jules for her support on this detail as she had worked like a trooper all day, having worked the night before and then in the evening, really couldn't have done it without you babe............:thumb:

For those of you that may have picked up a few things, I will be replacing the trunk lamps with new units in the future for Ian, we also applied no protector to the roof as I am not entirely happy with it after having cleaned it three times, so will revist this with some different products shortly........:thumb:

Apologies for all the pics but these sort of the details are the one's that I enjoy, all the smaller areas of the detail make the biggest impacts on the final result and I think with some refurbishment of the wheels it would be a great conditioned motor.........:car:

Comment's good or bad welcome as always........

*UPDATE:*

Now after noticing the broken weld on the Trunk Lamps, I suggested to Ian that I may be able to source some new unit's and fit them, after a random PM from pete330 on here he suggested he could help me out, a few days later I had some newer better conditioned lamps to fit so today I fitted them.......

Lamps before:










Removed:










Cleaned up with some Megs APC and a Microfibre:










Other lamp removed:










Forgot to take a cleaned pic.........

And finally the new lamps fitted:










Looking a lot better in my opinion...........:thumb:

Many thanks to pete330, thanks for getting in touch..........


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## Nuclear Tom (Aug 21, 2006)

Good stuff, as always Simon.


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## EthanCrawford (Jan 7, 2010)

Really good work you two and good write up. i did a golf the other day and i thought it was bad :lol:


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## liam99 (Dec 29, 2009)

Top work and good write-up.


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## ben toney (Jun 17, 2008)

Quality work there!!!


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## Tunero (Jun 4, 2008)

Good job, as always!


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## Summit Detailing (Oct 9, 2006)

Enjoyable read fella & I now know what you were talking about:lol:

Looks suitably silvery in the afters

Nice to see you making use of the hyper dressing


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## Guest (Jul 12, 2010)

was there a car there somewhere 




















great work


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## orienteer (Aug 17, 2009)

Brilliant job Mr B n Jules

I'm surprised you don't use something like 303 fabric cleaner rather than AG?

Can I ask what you dress e.g. the black mudflaps with? I'm tidying a Discovery at the mo and there's plenty of black trim 

FK1000P has many fans across the forum, is it similar to Jetseal 109? Easy to apply and remove?

Did the Iron Cut hammer the internal faces of the alloys first time? I've removed the wheels from my E46 before and was stuck with some glued on brake cack so they went back on not as detailed as I'd have hoped  !!!!

Best regards, Ian (No, not the same one as in the thread )


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## richard33dees (Feb 19, 2010)

nice work and great write up :thumb:

Does pressure washing the engine in that way not cause any trouble for the electrics or other parts?


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## bigbenstrikes (Sep 9, 2009)

What an excellent write up! Nice little helper you got there!  How on earth you manage to get the lady to help you.. my girlfriend has absolutely no interest in cleaning the car at all! whats your secret?

Oh and them rear lights can easily be taken off... taken apart, cleaned and resealed with silicone.. 

Tell him to get onto bimmerforums.co.uk as ive seen a how to on there.. :thumbsup


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## El_Cid (Jun 14, 2010)

realy realy good stuff !! Congratulations !!


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## ryand (Jul 18, 2008)

Great result, does look a tough one!


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## ash888 (Apr 29, 2010)

great thorough write-up as always! looked like hard work which definitely paid off.
top work guys!


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## PIT (Apr 22, 2010)

Good work and writeup as always.


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## HC1001 (May 27, 2007)

Hi Si,

This is one of your best IMO, the 320i was a dog at the start and now it looks like new thanks to you and Jules.

The first cat pic next to the bucket :lol: I thought it was Dodo's new wash mitt! :lol:

Keep up the good work fella (and Jules)

H

:thumb:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Chris_VRS said:


> Enjoyable read fella & I now know what you were talking about:lol:
> 
> Looks suitably silvery in the afters
> 
> Nice to see you making use of the hyper dressing


Told you it was in a bit of a state..........:doublesho

Another Chris recommendation that is working well mate, used it a lot on a Mini I detailed recently as well, seems to work well on exterior plastics, maybe now I will have that clear out after all..........



imolasport said:


> was there a car there somewhere
> 
> great work


Sure was mate..........



orienteer said:


> Brilliant job Mr B n Jules
> 
> I'm surprised you don't use something like 303 fabric cleaner rather than AG?
> 
> ...


Don't worry Ian, once I have used up the last of this AG Cleaner and Protector then it will be on order..........:thumb:

As spoke about up top mate with Chris, I am using Megs Hyper Dressing, you can dillute to your own ratio which will change it from being glossy to matt and so far I don't have any complaints, works really well on arches........:thumb:

FK1000p I would say it more like Collinte 476s but cheaper and you get a bigger tin so a bit of a no brainer, durability is pretty similar and it was easy enough to apply, have to say I still prefer a liquid to a wax LSP........:thumb:

The Iron Cut is a good product but as you have pointed out I did take a couple of hits and I found that Megs Wheel Brightner, Iron Cut and then Tardis was the best combination...........:thumb:



richard33dees said:


> nice work and great write up :thumb:
> 
> Does pressure washing the engine in that way not cause any trouble for the electrics or other parts?


I always ensure that I am not spraying directly onto such component but I also run the engine when cleaning under the bonnet to evaporate off any water as soon as possible........:car:



bigbenstrikes said:


> What an excellent write up! Nice little helper you got there!  How on earth you manage to get the lady to help you.. my girlfriend has absolutely no interest in cleaning the car at all! whats your secret?
> 
> Oh and them rear lights can easily be taken off... taken apart, cleaned and resealed with silicone..
> 
> Tell him to get onto bimmerforums.co.uk as ive seen a how to on there.. :thumbsup


No secret mate, just team work and as Jules used to have her own Cleaning Business a while ago I guess it still gives her some motivation to achieve an end product........:thumb:

Rear Lamp wise, I work in the Automotive Lighting Industry so know what your saying but for me that wouldn't be the route I would take, the internal components will be corroded and you will never get a proper effective seal, condensation will appear so it will be new unit replacement form my side.......



HC1001 said:


> Hi Si,
> 
> This is one of your best IMO, the 320i was a dog at the start and now it looks like new thanks to you and Jules.
> 
> ...


Certainly was a tough one mate and I think that if the wheels had been refurbed before it would have been a great final result.

Know what you mean about the cat, your not the only one to comment on that, had a similar comment on Brisky........:wave:


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## Baran35 (Jul 8, 2010)

Nice work great result 

But light grey cars dont show the fully mirror reflection after detailing


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Baran35 said:


> Nice work great result
> 
> But light grey cars dont show the fully mirror reflection after detailing


Not as much as more solid colours no but it is possible to gain some depth to the paintwork and obviously to the touch, I think that Z8 does wonder's to help achieve this.........:thumb:


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## Drysponge (Feb 12, 2008)

Morning Simon! :wave:

Top job there, Great write up, interesting read! Beautiful weather too!:doublesho

Great Detail as always from a great team!! :thumb:

No Craftsmanship issues on that car! Quite surprised the level of design detail on a car of that age especially!! Just the tailgate lamps that let it down! Can’t trust those Hella boys hey! :lol:

Cheers
Mart


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Drysponge said:


> Morning Simon! :wave:
> 
> Top job there, Great write up, interesting read! Beautiful weather too!:doublesho
> 
> ...


Cheers Mart and good to hear from you..........:wave:

It's pretty warm over here at the moment, you should come back.........:lol:

You will be pleased to know that the lamps are not made by Hella.........:thumb:


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## cheffi (Apr 12, 2008)

HC1001 said:


> Hi Si,
> 
> The first cat pic next to the bucket :lol: I thought it was Dodo's new wash mitt! :lol:
> 
> :thumb:


exactly my thoughts while "fast-scrolling" through, looks like a wookie 
(i just hope you guys didn't use poor wookie-cat for washing purposes


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

cheffi said:


> exactly my thoughts while "fast-scrolling" through, looks like a wookie
> (i just hope you guys didn't use poor wookie-cat for washing purposes


Nah mate, we wouldn't do that, we like cats.........:thumb:


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## Braz11 (Aug 28, 2009)

Hell of a turnaround! Great work and fantastic results!


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## Gaz_jones (Apr 24, 2009)

Great job. You don't notice just how dirty the leather was until you see a 50/50 shot!

When you replace the rear lights for him, you should try and convince him to go for LED rears that were fitted to later models (03 onwards iirc).


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## rangeroverman (Jun 8, 2008)

Thanks for the excellent write up, Brilliant turnaround :thumb:


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## hotwaxxx (Jul 12, 2007)

Brilliant turnaround - and great pics of the full process which was really imformative.

I am considering buying a E46 330ci Convertible so it was nice to see the inside of the car as well (although it seems a bit tight in the back).

Oh, and the roof looks brand new now. I think I need a 'Jules' as the wife has no interest at all in helping me wash my car.


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

hotwaxxx said:


> Brilliant turnaround - and great pics of the full process which was really imformative.
> 
> I am considering buying a E46 330ci Convertible so it was nice to see the inside of the car as well (although it seems a bit tight in the back).
> 
> Oh, and the roof looks brand new now. I think I need a 'Jules' as the wife has no interest at all in helping me wash my car.


Don't let our pics put a downer on rear leg room, we moved the seats a fair way back I think but I can't really say hand on heart there is loads of room in the back.........


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## Rowan83 (Aug 21, 2007)

Awesome work as always you 2! :thumb: Superb attention to detail.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Looking good mate... Nice looking car after all the hard work...

:thumb:


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## Matt. (Aug 26, 2007)

Looking good once again mate. 

What applicators did you use for Gliptone? Is that the Gloss-It Backing plate you have?

Keep um' coming with Jules:argie:


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## Will-S (Jun 5, 2007)

Nice work as usual Simon and Jules. Great turnaround on a car that really needed it.


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## Glenn_23 (May 30, 2010)

Great Turn around. Good Work.


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## Skodaw (Mar 19, 2006)

As usual a very clear and informative write-up - I know what you mean with silver cars - not always the easiest to show defects - but cracking job - the leather came up a treat thanks to Jules hardwork.


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## willskoda (Jun 7, 2010)

Baker21 said:


> At this point we had another friend turn up:


Love the new wash mitt! :lol:

Great work Simon :thumb:

Hopefully doing my mum's MY08 325 Cab on Friday - just hoping it doesn't rain!


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## sim L (Jan 3, 2010)

You both have done an excellent job there as usual! :thumb:

Also don't worry about the amount of pics, this is what it's all about, details!


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

mattastra said:


> Looking good once again mate.
> 
> What applicators did you use for Gliptone? Is that the Gloss-It Backing plate you have?
> 
> Keep um' coming with Jules:argie:


They applicators are ones that I purchasd while out in the USA, somewhere like Autozone or Pepboys, can't remember to be honest and it is the Gloss-It Backing Plates I am using, pretty good in my opinion but then I haven't tried any others............



willskoda said:


> Love the new wash mitt! :lol:
> 
> Great work Simon :thumb:
> 
> Hopefully doing my mum's MY08 325 Cab on Friday - just hoping it doesn't rain!


All the best on the weather front then mate.............:thumb:



sim L said:


> You both have done an excellent job there as usual! :thumb:
> 
> Also don't worry about the amount of pics, this is what it's all about, details!


Yeah we got a little carried away on the photo front on this one but I think most shots tell a story of some description.........:thumb:


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## StuaR32t (Jun 6, 2009)

Well done. Pretty mammoth write up there. Like it!!!


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## -tom- (Jan 27, 2009)

very nice work si


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## srmtor (Jul 12, 2008)

Great work and write up as always..


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## kenny_boon (Feb 27, 2008)

Car looks great. so does the roof in the pics mate


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## Planet Man (Apr 12, 2008)

Another top detail by both of you:thumb:


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## John TDF 03 (Jul 9, 2010)

*Cracking write up!*

:wave:Just joined up recently and picked up loads of good tips/advice from yr write ups:thumb:
thanks both, keep 'em coming! Any more plans to do anymore Golfs? Got a mk5 in silver so looking at gaining some advice on machine polishing it, polish/pad combos e.t.c.:buffer:


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## tamiris (Jun 25, 2010)

Baker21 said:


> And one for all you 'Flip-Flop' haters out there:


As I always suspected!
I'm from Brazil, and I love Havaianas.

This may have been your best datailer, congrats!
I'm your big fan


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

John TDF 03 said:


> :wave:Just joined up recently and picked up loads of good tips/advice from yr write ups:thumb:
> thanks both, keep 'em coming! Any more plans to do anymore Golfs? Got a mk5 in silver so looking at gaining some advice on machine polishing it, polish/pad combos e.t.c.:buffer:


Welcome to DW and hope that my threads are some use to you............:thumb:

As for any more Golf MK5's in silver, have you seen the following:

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=101055

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=1994384

No correction work but may be of some help in other areas?



tamiris said:


> As I always suspected!
> I'm from Brazil, and I love Havaianas.
> 
> This may have been your best datailer, congrats!
> I'm your big fan


Hello to Brazil.............:wave:

Is that a fan of me or of Jules...............:lol:


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## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Great work as normal, some serious work needed :thumb:

Cheers

PaulN


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## bilout48 (Apr 10, 2008)

Du beau boulot! bravo a vous deux! ;-) comment peut on imaginer de laisser une voiture de cet état la pfff :-(


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

bilout48 said:


> Du beau boulot! bravo a vous deux! ;-) comment peut on imaginer de laisser une voiture de cet état la pfff :-(


Merci et ce qui peuvent j'indiquer, la propriétaire de femme ......


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## John TDF 03 (Jul 9, 2010)

Welcome to DW and hope that my threads are some use to you............

Thanks mate, they are, had a peek at the links v. Useful, same colour as mine too (silver).
Thanks for the welcome!


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

New Rear Lamps now fitted..........original post edited..............:thumb:


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## pete330 (Apr 18, 2006)

Baker21 said:


> New Rear Lamps now fitted..........original post edited..............:thumb:


Looks much fresher
Glad i could help out:thumb:


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## RandomlySet (Jul 10, 2007)

Nice pair there you work....

I mean, Nice work there you pair

BTW:










Side Boob FTW!


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

-Mat- said:


> Nice pair there you work....
> 
> I mean, Nice work there you pair
> 
> ...


:lol:

Thought someone would have spotted that by now...........:thumb:


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## Wardy (Jan 16, 2006)

Impressive, looking pretty epic for an 8yr old car now. Top work.

Steve


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## Alex S (May 16, 2007)

I like how everyone is trying to stay on topic. Nice work, old car, excuses, blah. Forget the detailing, the girl is über hot. I'm sure Mr Baker knows and won't mind compliments from fellow members.

*If you like shots of beautiful Jules with them shoulder straps down, vote this post up.* :thumb:


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## Baker21 (Aug 7, 2007)

Alex S said:


> I like how everyone is trying to stay on topic. Nice work, old car, excuses, blah. Forget the detailing, the girl is über hot. I'm sure Mr Baker knows and won't mind compliments from fellow members.
> 
> *If you like shots of beautiful Jules with them shoulder straps down, vote this post up.* :thumb:


:lol:

You wouldn't be the first to try and get me to post up more pics, I have had PM's and everything...........good job she isn't registered on here.........:doublesho


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