Available throughout the 1980s and into the early 1990s, the E30 generation of the BMW 3 Series is a sweet spot in the model’s history. Variants of the brand’s inline-six engine are widely available, but there are still vague aesthetic similarities to earlier models like the 2002 because of the boxy appearance. Let’s watch this 1988 325iC convertible get a cleaning and restoration.
This car starts in decent but far from perfect condition. The paint needs attention. There’s a hole in the roof, and the carpets are dirty. As the video shows, the vehicle is still in restorable condition.
The process starts from the bottom. The crew uses dry ice to remove a lot of grit and grime from the undercarriage. The same process cleans the interior plastics and HVAC system.
On the outside, the center-high mounted stop lamp is the biggest problem. It received a poor-quality re-paint at some point, requiring better attention now.
Just the initial cleaning gets the car looking 80 percent of the way to appearing new again. But, the devil is in the details. A foamy wash is next.
Then, all of the interior trim comes out so that the carpets can receive attention. At the same time, the team cleans many of the vents.
Back on the outside, the trim comes off, so that the crew can make the little details perfect. This means things like using a clay bar and paintless dent removal.
Meanwhile, the seats were receiving new upholstery to make them look brand new. There are several new switches, too.
One of the final steps is a new convertible roof because there’s a small hole in the original. The rest of the BMW exterior gets a ceramic coating to keep it looking good in the future. The end result might be even better looking than the original delivery from the factory.
The E30-generation 1988 325iC uses BMW’s M20-family of engines. It is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-six making 168 horsepower. This one has the five-speed manual gearbox.
