It’s always soothing to watch videos featuring cars getting pampered by professional detailers, especially if the vehicle in question is a desirable BMW. While it’s no M3, this E30 manufactured in right-hand-drive specification deserved the attention it received through a 36-minute timelapse video. It’s a facelifted model since it features the revised taillights introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 1987.
This isn’t one of those pricey fully fledged restorations, not that it needed one since the car wasn’t in bad condition to begin with. Riding on period-correct BBS wheels, the second-generation 3 Series was thoroughly cleaned using a wide array of professional supplies to get rid of dirt and grime from all visible areas. That also included the exhaust tip by using a metal polishing soap.
The subsequent paint inspection revealed the cleaning chemicals couldn’t remove all unwanted particles, so the pro detailer rinsed them off after detaching the particles from the body with a towel and a special lubricant. After cleaning the car again to remove any remaining chemical residue, the next stage of the inspection showed the paint was much tinner on certain body panels. That’s not all too surprising for a car manufactured decades ago.
After addressing the issues with the paint and polishing the body, the next step was to freshen up the exterior trim pieces along with the windscreen wipers and taillights. The kidney grille’s frame was also polished to restore the chrome finish before doing some last-minute work to the E30’s shiny-red body.
The aftermath shows a night and day difference as the 3 Series now looks great from every angle. For a car that was built roughly three decades ago, it’s in exceptional condition, at least visually. Previous owners must’ve taken good care of it since all the body needed was a pro detailer’s touch.
