F87 BMW M2 Comp Protected with Ceramic Coatings and PPF

Step 1: Decontamination Wash

Before we get started on any paint protection, it’s highly important that we completely clean and decontaminate all painted surfaces on this M2 Comp. This is the first step for every vehicle that comes through the studio since it leaves us with a clean, prepped surface to install PPF and ceramic coatings. 

First things first, we’ll start by thoroughly cleaning the wheels. Any detailer will tell you that BMW Competition wheels are extremely difficult to get entirely clean. In order to ensure that we don’t miss any spots, we’ll use Gyeon Q2M Iron WheelCleaner and a variety of specialized brushes to wash every square inch of these intricate wheels. 

From there, we’ll shift our focus to cleaning the paint. In order to reduce the risk of scratching or swirling, we always use an effective pre-wash consisting of Gyeon Q2M Foam and Q2M Iron. These products do a fantastic job of removing both large-surface level contaminants and chemical contaminants within the paint. 

Once our pre-wash is fully rinsed off, we may begin our contact wash. Using the three-bucket method, Gyeon Q2M Bathe and a Gyeon Smoothie Evo, our professional detailers will carefully hand wash every exterior surface on this vehicle. By rinsing our wash mitt often, moving panel-by-panel and using two buckets, we are able to significantly reduce the risk of introducing new scratches onto the paint. 

Rounding out our decontamination wash, we’ll clay bar all painted surfaces on the vehicle and use a BLO Car Dryer to dry the car without any towels, again reducing the risk of scratching the paint. 

Step 2: paint Protection Film (PPF)

The owner of this M2 plans on driving it frequently and wanted the entire front end protected, so he opted to protect it with our Full-Front PPF Package. Sitting in the middle of our clear bra offerings, the Full-Front covers your entire front end, extending coverage to the doors. This package effectively protects most vehicles from bumper, hood and fender rock chips, bugs and light scratching. 

Here at DAS, we pre-print all of our paint protection film, allowing for a perfect installation without any stretching, distortion and perfect conformity around sensors and cameras. To facilitate this, we use a specialized computer program and a plotter to custom design and print patterns for each body panel. 

With all of the clear bra printed, our installers can begin applying PPF to this M2. Using a slip solution, we will spray the entire panel and carefully lay the film onto the same panel. Once the installers have achieved perfect alignment and set anchor points, they will use a squeegee to push out the slip solution from underneath the film. The slip solution serves as a lubricant between the film and the paint, so once the slip solution is squeegeed out, the PPF can properly adhere to the paint. 

Using the same method, we will install clear bra on every panel included in the Full-Front package. Once all of the film is laid on the car, we’ll leave the car untouched overnight to allow any moisture to dry and reveal necessary touch-ups. After a thorough walkaround, this M2 will move over to our light booth for its ceramic coating. 

Step 3: Ceramic Coating

This client not only wanted protection from physical road hazards, but also chemical and UV damage, so they chose our Level 2 Ceramic Coating System. Additionally, ceramic coatings are extremely hydrophobic, meaning that they reject water. For your car, this means that water, dirt and contaminants will roll off of your paint more easily, allowing your car to stay cleaner for longer and reducing the time in between washes. When it is time for a car wash, it will be significantly easier and less time consuming thanks to these hydrophobic properties.

Before we can begin installing the ceramic coating, however, we must do a full paint correction to any exposed paint that isn’t covered with PPF. This is an important step to prepare the surface of the vehicle for a ceramic coating as it can remove up to 75% of surface imperfections, allowing the ceramic coating to bond more easily with this Long Beach Blue paint. 

Continuing with our ceramic coating prep work, once the paint is fully corrected, we’ll use Gyeon Q2M Prep, a surface prep solution, and Q2M WaterSpot, a water spot remover, to remove any remaining lubricants, oils, water spots or polish dust from the paint.

With the paint on this M2 fully prepped, we can begin installing our Level 2 Ceramic Coating System. This package includes two layers of ceramic coating on all painted surfaces as well as dedicated coatings for both the windshield and wheel faces. 

Our professional detailers will start this installation by pouring the ceramic coating onto a specialized applicator. Once the pad is saturated, they will spread the coating onto the first panel, using a cross-hatch pattern to ensure that there is no paint left uncoated. Then, using both a short fiber and long fiber microfiber towel, they will remove the coating, carefully using both towels to avoid leaving any high spots. Using the same method, our detailers wil install both layers of coating and the windshield and wheels. 

To finish out this project, we’ll vacuum the interior and apply a tire dressing. Once those are completed, this M2 is ready for delivery and its first mountain cruise.