BMW E30 "318i"

Overview and Initial Analysis

Our client brought us his project e30; in true 'sleeper' form, Hello Kitty seat covers & all! Upon initial inspection, the paintwork showed heavy oxidisation and marring, and the exterior trims were badly faded and worn. There were obvious signs of surface rust developing in chips across much of the body, that will require attention. 

Initial Wash & Decontamination

After washdown, we inspected the vehicle for areas we need to address. The exterior surfaces were rough to the touch, and required a heavy claybar to remove much of the contamination. Many of the panels also had stonechips that had started developing rust. We used our rust extraction formula to cleanse these areas ready to fill with paint. 

Paintwork Restoration 

With the rust and contamination addressed & removed, the next step was to restore the paintwork. Our client had chosen a Stage 3 Light Restoration, which involves a single step polish of the painted surfaces. This package removes many of the light swirls, oxidisation and marks in the paint, however deeper marks will remain.

The vehicle showed considerable oxidisation, which is to be expected for this vintage of single stage paintwork. 

With a few sets we're starting to see a fair amount of difference. There is much more clarity in the paintwork, and the 'yellowing' so typical of single-stage oxidisation is no longer present.

Secondary Wash | Paint Touch Ups | Finals

Once the paintwork was polished, we snow-foamed and air-dried the vehicle. We undertake this step in all our polishing packages as best practice; there is simply no better way to remove the dust generated from machine polishing. The last thing we want after spending days on a car is to have dust and polishing residue left over in the crevices! 

Before wax application we paint-matched and applied touch up to the stone chips. This both helps prevent future rusting and takes your eye off the obvious stone chip in the paintwork. 

Some before/after comparison photos:

Finished Product

Once we had let the wax cure & removed the residue, we treated the bumpers & black trim to a restoration, detailed the interior & exterior glass & performed our final checks. We're pleased to say we have one happy client!