2006 BMW M3

[Jake]

Mileage: 126,800

Got a few things done over the past week.

Started off by removing the dealer-installed Sirius radio box and replacing it with a Grom Bluetooth module, so I can make calls and stream music from my phone. Easy install - just plug right in to the CD changer port in the trunk - but immediately encountered a bug where the Grom unit would keep its' "source" screen up all the time and I couldn't see my navigation or use any of the menus. Thankfully a quick software update took care of that. I also took the time to update the head unit's firmware. Someone customized the firmware a few years ago (it's all kind of open source by now) and added an "M" startup screen, "night mode" maps, and speed camera alerts that, I'm sure by now, are hilariously out of date.



Went to Katie's for some Cars & Coffee action, managed to snag a spot next to my Laguna Seca brethren:



And then, it was time for Detail Day with Joey. I followed him home and we spent the day removing ten years of haze, swirl, and crud from this car's paint and interior.



We powerwashed the car, then washed by hand, followed by two rounds of polishing (aggressive and fine pads) and two rounds of Poorboys paint sealant.





Joey whipped up a mix of Purple Power and warm water to use for interior scrubbing (a very mild mix). The water in the bucket was nearly solid black by the time he was done. Most people, myself included, just spray some generic interior cleaner on a rag and swipe at the dusty spots. Pretty amazing to see what you can remove if you spend a bit more time on it and scrub. Also, you're sitting in and touching all of this. Ick.

You can kind of see the haze in the paint being removed here - look where the windshield header curves to the right, that's where the "line" is:



I am blown away at how good it looks. Joey deserves another round of kudos for the detailing assistance. I have no idea what I'm doing and he both helped do the work and also made sure the work I did didn't ruin anything. There is only so much clearcoat you have to work with