Had the M3 Detailed!

[S70T5Chris]

Found myself a local detailer (Pro Reflect) as I wanted to get the cars paint corrected and detailed professionally. I did buy all the gear myself, but in reality I don't have the expertise, time or space to do it properly.

First up was the M3. Ben from Pro Reflect had 3 12 hour days on it, and according to him the paint work was in pretty bad condition! Shows how much I know, I knew it had the usual swirls, but I thought it was pretty good! This is lifted from his website, not sure what products he used:

: Alloy wheels are thoroughly cleaned (inside and behind spokes where possible).
: The vehicle is first given a Citrus PreWash to soften flies and other contaminants.
: The vehicle is rinsed and then washed using a pH neutral shampoo via the 2 bucket method and a lambswool wash mitt.
: The vehicle is then given a thorough rinse.
: The remaining bonded contaminates are removed with a clay bar treatment leaving the paint as smooth as glass.
: The vehicle is blown dry with warm filtered air which allows for a safer touch less drying method.
: Delicate areas are taped up or removed (if possible) to help with the machine polishing stage.
: Paint Thickness Gauge used to measure the total thickness of the paint.
: Light swirls and scratches removed by machine polishing.
: Second stage machine polish to refine paintwork finish.
: The vehicle may be rewashed to remove dust buildup from the polishing stages and blown dry.
: Paintwork wiped with a paintwork cleanser to ensure no polishing oils and fingerprints remain leaving a perfect base for the protection to adhere to.
: A layer of premium grade wax completes the detail.
: **I also opted for a glass coating**
: Plus an engine bay detail
: Plus an interior valet

To say I'm happy would be a huge understatement! I'm pretty crap a taking a snap, and they really don't do it justice, but here are the piccys

[S70T5Chris]

[S70T5Chris]

[S70T5Chris]

[WOODY T5]

wow very nice mate

[martin_r_smith]

Looks really nice bud.

[t5 pete]

Awesome work looks great

[martybelfastt5]

truly amazing the results some detailers can achieve that looks awsome!

[MIKESC70T5]

Looks good, but I would of asked him to apply a ceramic coating before applying a wax especially on a dark coloured car. Prevents any chance of swirl marks in the future. 36 hours to do the work, is taking the pee in my opinion. He doesn't even take the wheels off. Do you know what wax he used?

[The Flying Moose]

Photo's dont do it justice... well it must look immaculate in the flesh then as it looks near as damn perfect there by my crappy eyes

[Biff]

Got to be said that is the best looking m3 I've seen in a long time. Those brakes aren't shy at all!
I'm not one for ocd cleaning but the shine looks spot on.
As for methods & the finish I think if your happy with the results & price then who cares?
I certainly wouldn't have the patience to detail for 36 hours. lol

[S70T5Chris]

Looks good, but I would of asked him to apply a ceramic coating before applying a wax especially on a dark coloured car. Prevents any chance of swirl marks in the future. 36 hours to do the work, is taking the pee in my opinion. He doesn't even take the wheels off. Do you know what wax he used?

I don't understand your point? It took him a bit longer than he said it would as the paint needed a lot of work. It's was a set price, so it didn't matter if it took 3 days or 5. But still fail to see how it's taking the piss?

The glass coating is the final step afaik. He will be maintaining the car in the future, so there will be no chance of me ruining the paint work.

I don't know what products he used, as I said above, it makes no odds to me. Whilst I do get a degree of satisfaction from spending a day cleaning the car, I do not have the knowledge or patience to get these results.

[S70T5Chris]

Got to be said that is the best looking m3 I've seen in a long time. Those brakes aren't shy at all!
I'm not one for ocd cleaning but the shine looks spot on.
As for methods & the finish I think if your happy with the results & price then who cares?
I certainly wouldn't have the patience to detail for 36 hours. lol

I could never achieve the results he has.

Despite the crazy claims manufacturers make about the ceramic coating lasting 5 or 10 years, Ben said the glass coat averagely lasts 18-24 months. So in theory every time he come round to do a maintenance detail, the car should come back to this standard. Time will tell I guess.

I'm keeping him busy though, he's got the S60 to do next week!

[Soulboy]

Trouble is, I wouldn't wanna take it anywhere now, just admire it from the living room window.

Nice job

[MaxTS]

I really want to hate BMW M3's but this is just stunning! Good work.

[stribo]

I don't understand your point? It took him a bit longer than he said it would as the paint needed a lot of work. It's was a set price, so it didn't matter if it took 3 days or 5. But still fail to see how it's taking the piss?

The glass coating is the final step afaik. He will be maintaining the car in the future, so there will be no chance of me ruining the paint work.

I don't know what products he used, as I said above, it makes no odds to me. Whilst I do get a degree of satisfaction from spending a day cleaning the car, I do not have the knowledge or patience to get these results.

Well, I think 36 hours to wash a car is taking the piss, it only takes the east Europeans 10 minutes to do mine.

[kmb]

Well, I think 36 hours to wash a car is taking the piss, it only takes the east Europeans 10 minutes to do mine.

Looks very nice.

I know the above quote is meant in jest, but 36h in my mind is also a bit of a 'Swisswax' moment, however as long as you're happy with the results, then it's your money and choice.

[abdul]

How much did it cost

[S70T5Chris]

How much did it cost

Paint correction detail was £350
Glass coating was £100
Engine bay/Interior was £50

[MIKESC70T5]

O

I don't understand your point? It took him a bit longer than he said it would as the paint needed a lot of work. It's was a set price, so it didn't matter if it took 3 days or 5. But still fail to see how it's taking the piss?

The glass coating is the final step afaik. He will be maintaining the car in the future, so there will be no chance of me ruining the paint work.

I don't know what products he used, as I said above, it makes no odds to me. Whilst I do get a degree of satisfaction from spending a day cleaning the car, I do not have the knowledge or patience to get these results.

My point was, the work he has done wouldn't take 36 hours to do and in the list of things he says he does, it doesn't even include taking the wheels off and waxing them, that's why I think it's taking the piss. 24 hours max.

I could never achieve the results he has.

Despite the crazy claims manufacturers make about the ceramic coating lasting 5 or 10 years, Ben said the glass coat averagely lasts 18-24 months. So in theory every time he come round to do a maintenance detail, the car should come back to this standard. Time will tell I guess.

I'm keeping him busy though, he's got the S60 to do next week!

What manufacturer says a ceramic coating lasts 5-10 years. It costs around £40 a kit and lasts upto 18 months. Your detailer could of included this in his £350 but this would of meant your next bill would of been less because he would need to do a lot less work, so not in his best interests.

Mike