BMW 530i Champagne Edition with Alpinas

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AnilS

Active Member
Joined
May 1, 2010
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352
OK, its not my Mercedes (soon to be detailed) but the other love of my life;)

Since April, I've been laid up following a serious knee op :( (Osteotomy) so my itch to detail has had to wait. I started walking with only one crutch last week, and thought, "thats not stopping me"!:rolleyes: The minor detail bodywork detail took 4 days, on and off:(

My car has laid idle, collecting; pollen, volcanic ash, dirty rain and and bird poo.:doh:

Now that I'm semi mobile, I decided to pull the SL (was cleaned and stored, before my op) out of my garage, so that the BM could get some TLC. Paintwork had become hazy and needed a good detail so I used the following kit;

Fairy liquid (for initial wash) then Megs Gold class thereafter.
Bilt Hammer Soft clay
Tardis (tar remover)
DA polisher (DAS 6 Pro) with Menz intensive ploish using Menz hard pad, followed by Menz Final finish (and a soft pad)
Finally finished with Megs NXT (paste) wax and tyres dressed in Megs hot rims.

I also swapped over from 18" M Paras to 19" Alpina Classics (my lad earnt some pocket money :bannana:), but the Alpinas were cleaned and de-tarred (Tardis). However there are still some brake dust spots (got alot of them out) that will clear when the alloys go for a refurb in the winter. The alloys were polished with Autoglym SRP and finally protected with Finishkare 1000p. The alloys took 2 days to sort off the car :wallbash: so the 1000p will make them easier to clean next time :D

I've still got to clay the windows and polish, plus start the interior detail, but my body (in its current rehabilitation phase) won't let me.:(

So I took some pics before the rain comes tomorrow. BTW, neighbours know I'm mad, but watching me on one crutch must have confirmed their suspicions :crazy:

I also took the opportunity to repaint/laquer the front grilles (I still have an original chrome one in the box somewhere;)

Gassed enough so heres some pics;

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Bird lime marring

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Scrape on rear bumper and light scratch on rear door

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Worked in sections with DA

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50/50 of door hologram

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Finished shots (well apart from glass and interior);

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Thanks for looking.
 
Looks great.

My brother has my old E39 530i sport, I reckon it is the best all round car ever made, it just does everything so well.
 
Looks absolutely A1 AnilS :thumb:

Have you taped off the bonnet to allow you to work in smaller sections and to reduce the risk of over polishing?

Also what tape did you use to do it?

thanks
 
Mackie, I used this tape for Clean Your Car;

3M 3434 Blue High performance Masking Tape

This is the kit I bought;

DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher - Menzerna Kit

I work in sections as you should only do small areas at a time to "work" the polish. The Menzerna polish has to break down with heat and if you do, too large an area, it cools down loosing its cutting effectiveness.

I'm no hardcore detailer, but theres lots of advice on DetailingWorld that I've picked up. I did my Merc the same way last year (practise;)) and its due again. Then I suppose I have to do the wifes' Golf:rolleyes:

Many thanks for comments. Appreciated:thumb:

gIzzE, you are 100% right about the E39;)
 
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It does look good - still my favourite 5 series shape.

Reminds me how much 19" Alpina wheels were an utter pain in the **** to clean.
 
I didn't need them either but she was persuaded:thumb:

Cheers Guys. Just been told I have to go in for another op tomorrow morning. When will this ever end!
 
Your car looks superb. I am sorry to hear you have to have another operation. I hope it is successful. I have had knee problems, so know all about it. By way , has SWMBO ever suggested that you clean your driveway? Ha ha!
 
Seeing all these E39s takes me back 6 years - I used to miss my Alpina sometimes before I got my current Merc - especially the V8 auto sound.

I considered getting it supercharged but £12k (to get it up to 450BHP) put me off...

Good luck with your next op Anil.
 

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Those 4.6s do sound nice! I went for a proper ACS5 over an M5 because of the individuality of it, and as fantastic as Alpinas are, they are just another 5 series to the uneducated, whereas my 5 really did turn heads! However, I can leave the C32 parked up and not worry about it :)
 
Yes, I went for an Alpina over an M5 as they were less common and the fact you couldn't get an auto M5.

I like the Schnitzers but never saw one when I was looking at 5s. I always loved the 18s you got on E36s.

I did get a lot of turned heads but I think you're right and mine was probably more the Japan Red than the car itself as in darker blues etc. they look like all the others.

Handling definitely wasn't M but that didn't worry me with that soundtrack...

There's something quite liberating having a car you can leave anywhere. However, I'm lucky in that I don't need to leave my car 'anywhere' very often...

My last Saab was great for that - not giving a rat's ass is good for the stress levels. Mind you, so is nailing the loud pedal in a 5.5 V8 too...

:D
 
I did get a lot of turned heads but I think you're right and mine was probably more the Japan Red than the car itself as in darker blues etc. they look like all the others.

... a bit like when I went to this BMW meet...

:devil:
 
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'Bacon sarnie at a Jewish wedding' springs to mind at that picture! lol :) Too much blue!
 

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