Bigpower

Happy New Year everyone

The first in a series of updates from me after a few weeks off

This car is owned by one of the guys on here, but in the spirit of confidentiality you'll have to work out whose it is if you're into that kind of thing I valeted it when it was first bought as a kind of initial inspection kind of thing and the owner has machine polished it since then (and done a very good job too it seems). Anyway, the owner was keen to get the arches and underside protected properly and booked me to do the work at the same time as getting some new coilovers fitted. APT were chosen for the fitting work and that dovetailed beautifully

Photos and notes below

Inspection showed that the numerous chassis braces were corroding and needed to be rubbed down and protected during the job


With all of the plastic arch trims removed it was easy to see the hidden mud and dirt that can lead to premature corrosion

This was the amount of bits removed from the M3 prior to cleaning, drying and preparing for paint! (All the plastic trim was cleaned and rinsed prior to refitting)

A before and after of the rear arches just to highlight the difference preparation makes


Masked up and ready to paint

All painted with three coats of 3M and panels refitted

Close up of one of the completed arches

An example of the treated chassis brace


So, after a day and a half of inspection, stripping down, cleaning, preparing, rubbing down, masking up, painting, drying, demasking, inspecting and double checking I was finished!

You guys invest a fortune in looking after and developing your cars. Spending a few quid on protection makes sense, and protecting the cars vulnerable areas is vital to retain maximum value from your cars and investment! OK, I am biased!

Protection underseal work starts from as little as

wow, now that is a proper job fella.

Thanks Ben

This was tough but rewarding

Good work

Having done mine with you mate, I can vouch for the graft and skill that goes into this. How's he enjoying it?

Thanks Billy

This was on a different level to yours Rob. The level of plastic covering, shields and trim was a massive difference between e36 and e46 (Refitting these took over 2 and a half hours on their own!)

I can only presume he's getting on well with it mate as he's invested in some coilovers and new bushes etc. He's not the kind of guy to keep something he's not happy with

That is some work, mate.

I know how much work must have gone into that, just by seeing the work that Alan puts into our car, and you're work is in a whole other league:thumbs:

Thanks Pablo Kind of you to say.

For all you boys that like the idea of a clear protective undercoat (owners of white cars and race cars have asked me) I can now offer this service. The products are made by Bilt-Hamber, a British firm, and they offer great protection whilst also allowing you to see the exact condition of your chassis and arches at all times. Their products are pricey but the quality is very, very good.

Please PM me for details; as soon as I have a car booked in with that service I'll document it all as normal, so you can see the process and finish for yourselves

Rob, Enjoying the m3 generally would like it to be quicker and I've had a few little issues but nothing to much.
How Stuart and ATP have worked together has been great, I honestly hold both in much higher regard now.
I expect the m3 will make way for a v8 merc at some point but this sort of work should be good for the car and maybe even a selling point.