Barty's Green Z4 Coupé - Not another one…

[Barty]

What’s going on there? Trying to smoke out the vermin?

That green really is starting to grow on me mate, that bronze on the csl wheels? Love the combo… shouts class.

Can’t wait to see what you tackle next..

Steam cleaning the carpets in the boot to get rid of a slightly persistent “old” smell. Or it may be the old people-friendly wood

Thanks for the compliment! Loads of stuff planned, but it’s a matter of aligning certain projects so I don’t have to do certain stuff twice

[Barty]

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Big job this weekend:

Full detail (separate thread on this later in the detailing section);
AFe intake installation (dry filter);
Replace perished window rubber;
Remove 11(!!) year old runflats for a set of winter boots;
Plenty of small stuff.

In short: a lot of work! Started last Thursday and expect to finish this Sunday. I’ll share before and afters once done, and start a separate thread on the ins and outs of what we’ve done and used during the full detail.

[Barty]

So that didn't go according to plan...

Rather than spending 2.5 days on restoring the Z to its former glory, we decided to push ourselves "a little" and really go for the best result possible. You might think that's what you always do, but every extra percent above 90% perfection requires an increasingly large amount of extra work.

So it didn't take 2.5 days. Instead, we've spent at least 80 hours on the car. Though probably more, if we look at all the small jobs we've done in between. The results are quite spectacular though. A short and definitely non-exhaustive list of what we've done:

- Full decontamination, including the removal of all small exterior items such as indicators, plates, kidneys, etc.
- Fit the AFe stage 2 intake and clean the engine bay. Restore and seal all plastics.
- Sand down the entire passenger door due to a very dull finish and a lot of orange peel. Working from grit 2000 to 3000, followed by a 2-step correction to restore the original shine.
- Remove and polish the wheels, replace the 11 year-old runflats for Michelin Alpin's, coat the wheels in 3 layers of sealant.
- Remove perished window trim. Fitting the new one proved to be a pain, and we've not yet managed. If anyone knows a special trick, please share. We manage the sides just fine, but we can't get the top to seat properly along the roof's edge!
- Sand down over 40 small scratches and blemishes, restore with a 2-step polish.
- 3-step polish of the entire exterior, working with a rotary during the first step to really restore the original texture. Forced excenter second stage and a soft dual action polish finish.
- 2-stage ceramic coat to protect our shiny work!
- Coating of all the windows, basically all but negating the need for wipers above 30

As BMW paint is fairly "hard" compared to say Italians, it takes a fair while to really get the finish we were after. Mind, since it's one of our own cars we like the challenge and dare to push a little further than we would otherwise with a customer's car.

The results? Well, there's been nothing but rain and drizzle since last night, but we've gone out for a few photo's anyway. A full shoot will follow once the weather clears up a bit.

For now, enjoy these somewhat rainy, crappy iPhone pics!

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[JK0202]

Looks amazing. Can't wait to see pics in the sun! I wish I had the time and skills to do this

[DaveD]

Looks amazing! Love that colour. What are your thoughts on the AfE filter? Noticeable and positive difference?

[SofTop]

Quality craftsmanship is always inspiring. Congratulations on an excellent job.

[Barty]

Looks amazing! Love that colour. What are your thoughts on the AfE filter? Noticeable and positive difference?

Thanks! Love the filter so far. Really brings the soundtrack to life when you want it, but otherwise no difference in sound while cruising. So no drone or intrusive loudness under constant throttle. Big perk over the exhaust mods you often see! Responsiveness? Feels a little snappier on the downshifts when blipping the throttle, but no difference in power otherwise. Mind you, everything feels faster because of the noise! I’ll try to record it sometime in the near future, but sound is equally felt and heard

Quality craftsmanship is always inspiring. Congratulations on an excellent job.

Much appreciated, thanks!

[rdm05z4]

Love the Green! Stunning Car. It's nice to see a person with the mind set and talent who is not afraid to jump in and tackle this effort. If I had
just a quarter of the talent folks on this forum have I would be grateful. But then again if we all had the same talent or jobs this world would not be what it is. Maybe someday I will have the courage to tackle some of these large jobs. But for now will continue to read post to educate myself on these cars and attempt what I can. Thanks to all who post to encourage the rest of us to jump in pick up a spanner.!!!! Good luck with the rest of your projects on the list.

[Mr Tidy]

That looks fantastic.

[ryushe]

- Coating of all the windows, basically all but negating the need for wipers above 30

Really great looking car! Just curious what product did you use for your windscreen?
Also, noticed you're in NL and you're a detailer with love for Z4s, what are your rates? Just got myself a 2.5 roadster in Ocarina metallic (beautiful sea green / blueish color) which I think could use a professional clean!

[Barty]

Love the Green! Stunning Car. It's nice to see a person with the mind set and talent who is not afraid to jump in and tackle this effort. If I had
just a quarter of the talent folks on this forum have I would be grateful. But then again if we all had the same talent or jobs this world would not be what it is. Maybe someday I will have the courage to tackle some of these large jobs. But for now will continue to read post to educate myself on these cars and attempt what I can. Thanks to all who post to encourage the rest of us to jump in pick up a spanner.!!!! Good luck with the rest of your projects on the list.

Really appreciate your kind word, thanks! As for paint correction: start simple. Learn about properly hand-washing a car, and perhaps follow a basic course on machine polishing. There's tons of info out there, and if ever you have any specific questions regarding detailing and/or paint correction: feel free to ask!

That looks fantastic.

Thanks Mr Tidy!

Really great looking car! Just curious what product did you use for your windscreen?
Also, noticed you're in NL and you're a detailer with love for Z4s, what are your rates? Just got myself a 2.5 roadster in Ocarina metallic (beautiful sea green / blueish color) which I think could use a professional clean!

Thanks We use products by Labo Cosmetica and MaFra. A gentle word of warning: these suppliers are detailer-oriented and are not quite as forgiving as most consumer-grade products when used incorrectly. In this specific case, we've used HPC (or Hybrid Polymer Coating) on the rear window as a test compared to Aquavelox on the front screen. If used incorrectly, HPC requires at least a coarse machine polish to remove, and when combined with a base coat (like STC on my car) you're looking at machine sanding with grit 1500 to get rid of the coating; it's that tough!

If you want to test similar products for yourself, I'd recommend starting with Diamond Vision by Infinity Wax. Easy to use and a little more forgiving if applied less than perfectly: thoroughly clean your window twice, letting it dry in between. Apply a light mist of DV to a hand applicator and spread in parallel tracks across the window, making both a vertical and horizontal pass over the same area. Let it dry for a minute or two and thoroughly remove any excess with a soft microfibre cloth. Avoid using your wipers the first 24 hours to really let it harden for maximum effect.

Alternatively, we'd be happy to help you out with any detailing wishes you may have. We don't have fixed rates for specific jobs as we work on a car-by-car approach, meaning: come over for a cup of coffee, we'll take a look at the current state of the car and discuss your ideas, wishes, budget, time, etc. We'll then set up a bespoke plan tailored to your needs and to your car, explaining step-by-step what we'll do, how long it takes and what costs are involved. After that it's entirely up to you whether you want to go ahead or not. Why we don't work with fixed rates is simple: every car has a different history, specific details that demand attention, and no two cars are the same when it comes to their overal cosmetic condition. Not to mention that every owner has different needs, and ultimately we're here to make you get the most from your pride and joy!

ryushe, feel free to send me a PM or DM me on Instagram and we'll see about planning that coffee!

[Vijay]

That looks lush!

[Vanne]

did you get those new rims mounted yet? i wanna see wnhat it looks like..

that posh green is growing on me a lot.

Show me the pics man!

[beanie]

did you get those new rims mounted yet? i wanna see wnhat it looks like..

This x100!

[Barty]

Haha patience gentlemen, patience
Currently running Michelin Alpines, so the summer wheels won’t go on until March/April… probably..