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E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 7:41 pm
by Stuart
This car was like a partially obscured gem. Great specification, and in need of carefully preparation and enhancement. Everything needed cleaning and protection as it had been left to its own devices for some time. A brief overview of the work is as follows (the itemised job card ran to two A4 pages!!)
-the bodywork required decontamination both chemically & by clay. It then required two stage machine polishing before it could be sealed and protected
-the roof needed careful cleaning and waterproofing
-the leather seats needs gentle cleaning and conditioning to restore a supple and luxurious feel
-the alloys needed overspray removed, and embedded brake dust had to be taken off without damaging the powdercoat underneath
-the exhaust needed restoring to a stainless finish
-the engine bay needed thorough cleaning and protection

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This car has been comprehensively machine polished to really boost gloss and reflectivity, something that can sometimes be tricky on silver paint. The owner was delighted with the work that was completed and I have to say I was also very pleased. This car represents a lot of work and love, and to see the car live up to my expectations was a great buzz :) I came in £50 under the quoted price and I achieved this through careful job planning and hard graft. No nasty surprises with the bill here, and exceeding expectations rather than letting people down....just saying ;)

Re: E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2014 8:50 pm
by RX7
Fk mate, 12 hours !!!

The results certainly speak for themselves though. Great job !

Re: E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 8:12 am
by Stuart
Thanks Gareth :thumbs: Worth the time and effort to see the customer's face on completion.

Re: E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 12:19 pm
by BenTaylor
Did you get any before shots?

Looks fantastic, but what's with the missing bolts in the wheels??

Re: E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 12:42 pm
by Stuart
Sure Ben :)

The car had some recent paintwork to the front wings and bonnet (blown in) and I didn't think it was a very good job......at all. Anyway here goes with some before shots
Bad masking around the louvered section and various other areas. This will be returned to the bodyshop for rework
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Bird poop on the roof
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One unloved engine bay complete with slightly corroded K&N
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The paintwork was pretty flat which is typical of silver unless it's kept in really good order
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The stainless exhaust looked horrendous and I wasn't sure whether I would be able to get it back to a highly polished surface
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Fuel filler area before
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The interior was pretty minging. Dirt, leaves and mud everywhere with the leather seats also looking shiny and feeling hard.
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Green gunk lined all of the plastic and rubber trim pieces, so the anti-bacterial pre-wash I use will help keep this at bay in future
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There were tar spots all over the car and these would have to be carefully removed prior to polishing
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Overspray from the wing being blown in were found on the tyre and alloy!
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The alloys were refurbed last year so the bolts were taken out to do this, and not subsequently replaced. Hopefully these 'after' pics show how much had to be done in the time available. I usually upload them as well Ben, but lack of feedback on here has led to me making my posts a little more concise. Sorry for those of you that read and enjoy them :)

Re: E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:29 pm
by BenTaylor
It's always nice to see shiny cars, but I think the before/after makes the results look even more impressive :)

Re: E46 330ci (12 hour turnaround)

Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2014 3:40 pm
by Stuart
I agree Ben, so I'll go back to more of that kind of posting. As you know, I photo document the whole job (inspection, before's, during's and after's) so uploading the photos here is no real drama. I guess the sharing of recent work is as much about showing folks what I'm up to as it is about boosting awareness of A-G and how I can help people.

If I'm honest, the lack of posts in response to my detailing threads doesn't encourage me to go into detailed posting on here. Whilst the compliments are lovely, I don't need anyone patting me on the back saying 'great work' for the sake of it; my customer's feedback tells me all I need to know alongside the number of referrals I get and a five week waiting list ;)

If there is information or detail that you guys would be interested in that I am not providing, please let me know and I'll try and incoporate this into the updates :thumbs: