This owner found me through the forums and wanted an Exterior Detail, which only includes a polish. The car is silver, so it hides most the swirls/scratches. I hit it with the polish, but wanted to really bring out the cars potential, so I upgraded him to a Light Correction. Just 1 pass with M105/MF Cutting disc. I love this combo. Side note, something I always do for my customers: FREE paint readings. You NEVER know what could have happened. Asked the guy if it had ever been repainted, and of course nothing is on the Carfax. So either BMW sprayed a TON of paint in this one area, or...work has been done to it. The paint looked good, but they didn't blend the door at all (according to my readings). First time I've seen that. On to the detail! I do abide by San Diego County rules and reclaim all my water using the Water Mat I bought from Chemical Guys. It folds/unfolds nicely and literally only adds 5 minutes to each detail (I've actually timed the set up/break down). It only takes up a little extra space in the wagon, unlike a separate reclaim system that wouldn't fit! I also use a rinseless (ONR) or waterless (Optima) wash for all my details, unless specifically requested not to (which I then charge more for). I also use the Nomad Pressure Sprayer to clean wheels. Rinseless/Waterless washes do NOT work as effectively as traditional washing, it's the one thing I refuse to switchover to entirely. The Nomad has enough pressure to rinse the wheels and 1 full tank (3 gallons), gets me through all 4 wheels/tires. The low volume it sprays makes reclaiming a breeze; a must when you detail out of a wagon and not a large truck/van! Side benefit: I get so many people complimenting me, especially in the beach communities of San Diego. I hand out more business cards when it's out than any other time. Great marketing tool! These "shadow" chrome wheels are toast, so no after close up after shots. It took 3 degreasing scrubs to get all the old tire dressing off. I used Optimum Opti-Bond to recoat them. First time using it and I must say I love this stuff so far. I will be washing this M5 every two weeks for the time being, so I'll see how long it lasts. It is very hard to capture swirls/dirt on a silver car in the daylight. I did this entire detail outside in the sun (I'm not as lucky/successful as some detailers yet). But, you get the idea. I tried taking a bunch of shots off all the scratches on the car. I hit them twice, which removed almost all of them. However, this is the only picture that ended up coming out where you could actually see what I was pointing at! All Gone! Exhaust Tips 50/50: After: All Done! Owner was "very impressed" with the job. I picked up a potential Mercedes E-Class and possibly my first Porsche while detailing this car. Oh, if I could be so lucky . PS. That's my "detailing vehicle" in the back.
great job. what did you use to bring back the finish for the exhaust. I have used 0000 wool and managed to clean the gunk on mine but how do u get it to be so clean and shiny? This is coming from a noob.
They weren't in horrible condition, so I just used Mother's Aluminum Polish. Cheap, you can find it everywhere and it does a great job. I always forget to order polish when I pick up other products, so it's literally the only polish I have ever used in my entire detailing career. Aside from some Brasso, but that's a Marine Corps habit, lol. Oh, and I always use cheap Terry towels to do the polishing. I've found that using microfiber doesn't seem to work as well. I got this HUGE pack from Home Depot one day, it's lasting me years!
Nice work and very resourceful of you So what doyou do with the reclaimed water? Does it have to be filtered or something before being dumped? Also, what method have you found efficient to remove the water from the mat?
Thanks! The two methods recommended by San Diego County are disposal through the sanitary waste system (toilet) or ground filtration (pour it in the grass). Since I use less than 3-5 gallons per wash, I just pull out the filter in my shop vac, stick it in a bag and then suck it up into the vac. If it's a lot, I put it in one of my Home Depot buckets with a Gamma lid. I then take it home and dump it in my backyard (no grass, tons of weeds) or I put it down the toilet. You can always do it at a customer's home if you ask, but that just seems weird to me and I never do more than 1 car a day. Also, while I'm finishing the car, I constantly move the water around the mat. The black mat in the hot sun helps evaporate a lot of the liquid, leaving me less to transport. It works better when the car is on flat ground and not on a slope where the water collects. The one thing that sucks about the mat...it's slippery when wet. I have fallen while not paying attention to where I was stepping.
Thanks for the response! I was always wondering about those water reclaim mats How durable are they? B/c if they rip on any part then it becomes useless and with the constant rolling and unrolling onto driveways or the ground, combined with the wear from moving a car on and off, I'm not sure how long they'll hold up to the abuse
It'll last a long time, you just have to be smart with it like anything else. Drive on/off smoothly and don't lay it on top of debris. Compared to regular reclaim systems it's at least 1/2 the cost and takes up almost no space. If you're short, you can put it on your seat for a booster, lol. Literally 2 minutes to lay out, 30 seconds to inflate, 2 minutes to fold up and put away. Customers love it, it makes you look extra professional and since I don't have a huge van marketing my business, this mat gets me attention every time I pull it out. Even if I don't get details booked from the people asking me questions, they always ask for cards and tell me they might know someone who is interested and they respect the conservation/reclaim efforts. The mat has served it's purpose 100%. Fast to setup and break down, easy to work with and help with marketing. Also, the main benefit over one of the reclaim systems - no mechanical parts. Less maintenance, less noise, less chance of breaking down. It comes with patches and like anything else, duct tape will repair it (just make sure to use black tape).
Interesting idea. Reclamation can get annoying, but down the road it will be mandatory. I just find it hilarious they want you to flush it down a toilet or throw it on grass. In a way you could just setup a diverter shield away from storm drains. E46 ftw!
It sounds hilarious, but its the best option available. Sanitary systems get filtered then water the grasses, around the county. Ground filtration is OK, but not the preferred method, since although the chemicals are biodegradable, the stuff you wash off isn't always. 99% of the time, it goes down the toilet. Diverter shields are a bad idea. By diverting it from the storm drains, you just delay the problem and make it worse. The chemicals are just spread around the pavement and although the water evaporates, the crud doesn't. The first rain, EVERYTHING gets pushed down the drains at once and throws a heavy amount of pollution into the storm waters at once. Wash mats are the best and only true method of properly disposing of wash water. When I wash, 100% of the water is recycled properly. When it rains in San Diego, the beaches are closed for 72 hours because of the pollution that is washed into the ocean, and my business can say we are not responsible for any of it. (Other than what our vehicle pollutes from driving.)
