Bigpower

I'm fortunate enough to look after the APT cars, and their 330d was due its quarterly freshen up. To make matters a bit more challenging, it had picked up a pretty impressive amount of tree sap, brake dust and just about everything else that could spoil the finish...........here's how it started the day


Not bad from 15ft away but the paint was lifeless and here's why

This thick and still sticky tree sap was everywhere



Add to that some greasy hand prints from the freshly fitted Advan tyres

Some soot from the 250bhp diesel engine

and more sap, and this had the makings of being a long old day. The main issue with any bonded contaminant is that they can and do etch the top coat, so all of those bugs, bird bombs, tree sap marks, lumps of tar and metal fallout..........ultimately they all kill your top coat which in turn kills your paint finish. Fortunately Gary called me quite quickly when he realised how bad it was, and I was able to get out to see him ASAP

Np pics of the wash phase so I carried out;
-A pre-wash on the tyres, alloys and arches followed by a rinse.
-I then rinsed again with higher pressure to rid the car of loose contaminants
-A two bucket wash, and a low pressure rinse.
-At this stage most of the crud had come off of the paint (probably thanks to previous good quality protection and Gary not leaving it too long before getting me out)
-Full clay bar session on all paintwork
-Two bucket wash and final rinse
-Pat dried with towels

Preparation for polishing next

So, with the car fundamentally clean and 100g of clay wrecked (about twice what I usually use on a car) it was time to assess any areas of the car that may required attention



Fortunately these scratches were the only ones on the car that required heavier compounding, so I used my normal medium grade polish for those areas and then went over the whole car with a glaze specifically designed for dark cars.........with great results


The flecks you can see in the next photo is the metallic!

The finished article at this half way point

With the glaze applied, and the paint finish looking really good it was time to protect it so that the maintenance will be easier for the rest of the Summer.

This sealant was chosen as it is very durable which will suit Gary as he's so busy, and it also really helps the metallic flake come out as you can see


So with the polishing and sealant applied, it was time to attend to the rest of a long list of jobs.......

I'd been asked to do a quick comparison test of my usual metal cleaner polish and Kleers. Gary's exhausts weren't too bad but at least I could see a side by side.

Using the same procedures and work time of the two products, Kleers walked it. It was easier to use, produced a cleaner, brighter finish and even removed some more tarring that Peek couldn't shift
(It is worth pointing out that Kleers is easily 4 times the price )
So with the tyres treated, alloys and arches cleaned, headlights thoroughly cleaned, exhausts polished and all shuts and panel gaps cleaned it was time to move the car back into the shade for the rest of the work.

Engine bay cleaned and treated



Thorough interior valet including vacuum carpets and mats after shampoo, leather seats and panels were cleaned and treated, leather steering wheel was cleaned and all switch gear was cleaned using a detail brush, microfibre cloths and a special interior cleaner.




With the whole car finished, it was time to get some photos whilst the sun was out...






So there we are, an enjoyable and successful days work. This 330d is up for sale at the moment for what I consider to be a great price. If you're interested in buying it check here for details and call Gary at APT for more info. If you would like me to prepare your car prior to sale, either to make selling it easier or to maximise how much you get, please get in touch

Nice work Stu.

Quick question though........why not use Autosol for the chrome stuff as that is well known and has good results.

Too abrasive for my liking and not flexible enough in terms of what you can use it on. Peek is less aggressive and now I have Kleers, I have all bases covered. That's not to say I won't keep on experimenting

Nice stripes on the carpets Stu! Full Detailer spec!

Everyone loves stripes Logan It's almost worth getting carpets for your 7 just to get some stripes

Thanks again Stu....car looks great

Mental work.