Baby BMW Forum banner

125d M Sport in Estoril Blue - big spec !!

13K views 43 replies 20 participants last post by  Patricia 
#1 ·
Here she is guys - after ordering in Feb I took collection of the car last weekend and kept it garaged until my brother (aka forum member Sonic) could come up and give it a proper detail. The supplying dealer was specifically asked to supply the car straight off the transporter with no prep/valet so we could give it the full works, they were reluctant to deviate from 'BMW delivery standards' at first but we got our own way!

Sonic took approx 300 pics and will be constructing a detailingworld.co.uk thread for those who are interested in the full process, meanwhile I thought I would share the end result :celebrate:

So to confirm the spec:

125d M Sport
Sport Automatic Transmission
Adaptive M Sport Suspension
Estoril Blue
Black dakota leather
Brushed aluminium with high gloss black trim
Sun Protection Package
Driver Comfort Package (Rear PDC, Variable Sport Steering, Cruise Control)
Visibility Package (Adaptive Bi-xenons, high-beam assist, rain sensor, auto-dimming mirror, rear LED lamps)
Electric front seats with memory
Comfort Access
Through loading system
Electric folding and dimming mirrors
Harmon Kardon hifi
DAB digital radio
Black Panel Display
Enhanced bluetooth functionality
Telephone USB audio interface
iPhone4 cradle

































 
See less See more
17
#7 ·
I'm glad the photos came out well, but they really don't do this car justice - it looks far sharper in the flesh, the camera couldn't quiet catch how glossy and sharp the reflection in the paint really was.

In total ~40 hours went into detailing the car, this included the usual shampoo/clean along with clay, polish (Ultrafina and P1 with G220 DA), and 2 layers of a sealant (Gtechniq C1 and C1.5, if anybody knows of it).

The alloys were also removed from the car - cleaned, clayed and sealed with C5. The glass cleaned with C4, then sealed with 3 layers of C1 and finally C2.

The interior was cleaned, there were a few marks from the journey back from the dealer with the kids, C6 was applied to the dash and trim, L1 to the leather and I1 to the carpets and fabrics.

Shame the sun didn't come out for the final photos :|

The detail was a bit of a tease really - because i'm expecting my near-identical 125i in over the next week or two :lol2:
 
#8 ·
Sonic said:
In total ~40 hours went into detailing the car, this included the usual shampoo/clean along with clay, polish (Ultrafina and P1 with G220 DA), and 2 layers of a sealant (Gtechniq C1 and C1.5, if anybody knows of it).

The alloys were also removed from the car - cleaned, clayed and sealed with C5. The glass cleaned with C4, then sealed with 3 layers of C1 and finally C2.
Picking mine up in black on Friday, any recommended products? Dont have a clue when it comes to this sort of thing and woul appreciate a bit of advice!
 
#9 ·
RonaldMcCelerate said:
Sonic said:
In total ~40 hours went into detailing the car, this included the usual shampoo/clean along with clay, polish (Ultrafina and P1 with G220 DA), and 2 layers of a sealant (Gtechniq C1 and C1.5, if anybody knows of it).

The alloys were also removed from the car - cleaned, clayed and sealed with C5. The glass cleaned with C4, then sealed with 3 layers of C1 and finally C2.
Picking mine up in black on Friday, any recommended products? Dont have a clue when it comes to this sort of thing and woul appreciate a bit of advice!
Depends how far you want to go :)

I would recommend getting 2 buckets, 1 with a grid guard, shampoo (megs hyperwash is my favourite), and a lambswool washmitt. This will allow you to clean the car effectively without doing any damage to the paintwork.

Next you could clay and de-tar, to remove any contaminants in the paintwork and polish if you want to go a step further, but you'll probably want to just apply a sealant or wax.

For the alloys you can use the same shampoo and wash procedure, and to seal i'd use fk1000p (a high-temp sealant) which is a very cost-effective LSP, and applied and buffed just like a wax.
 
#10 ·
Sonic said:
RonaldMcCelerate said:
Sonic said:
In total ~40 hours went into detailing the car, this included the usual shampoo/clean along with clay, polish (Ultrafina and P1 with G220 DA), and 2 layers of a sealant (Gtechniq C1 and C1.5, if anybody knows of it).

The alloys were also removed from the car - cleaned, clayed and sealed with C5. The glass cleaned with C4, then sealed with 3 layers of C1 and finally C2.
Picking mine up in black on Friday, any recommended products? Dont have a clue when it comes to this sort of thing and woul appreciate a bit of advice!
Depends how far you want to go :)

I would recommend getting 2 buckets, 1 with a grid guard, shampoo (megs hyperwash is my favourite), and a lambswool washmitt. This will allow you to clean the car effectively without doing any damage to the paintwork.

Next you could clay and de-tar, to remove any contaminants in the paintwork and polish if you want to go a step further, but you'll probably want to just apply a sealant or wax.

For the alloys you can use the same shampoo and wash procedure, and to seal i'd use fk1000p (a high-temp sealant) which is a very cost-effective LSP, and applied and buffed just like a wax.
Well you clearly know what you're talking about, I'm gonna follow your advice to the letter haha! Cheers mate! (Y)

Love Estoril Blue, always have since the 90's!
 
#11 ·
mjr_123d said:
The first proper pictures of an M-Sport and a like what a see!

Dream spec'd car by the way, you must be pleased!
Thanks, I did get a bit carried away with the spec but then I've customised the car for maximum comfort and enjoyment because I'm going to spending some serious time and miles in it.

Its a bit early to say too much about driving it as I've not even done 100 miles, but I am completely blown away by the overall feeling of competence and comfort/refinement that it provides for small car. This is coming from a 7-series owner!!

The twin-turbo diesel and 8-speed are really something else in a compact car like the 1er. Again given the mileage I haven't nailed it, but its just such a refined drivetrain, it pulls solidly from about 1200rpm, no lag, and imperceptible gear changes. In the tooling around I've done so far (A/B roads, haven't been near a motorway) it's averaged about 45mpg which given the newness and style of driving I'm very confident this is going to be a genuine 50-60mpg car when it needs to be. I'm taking it 100 miles down the M40 and back tomorrow so should have an update on the driving experience and economy.

A very positive word for the M Sport setup by the way - this was the thing I was most worried about when ordering and I specced the adaptive suspension to try and ensure I had a 'comfort' option. It's absolutely fine, I have been taking it over some heavily cratered Shropshire B roads and the ride is not uncomfortable, even in Sport and Sport+ modes. It's noticeably better than the LCI E90 330i M Sport I had and I wonder if this is down to advancements in RFT technology more than the suspension itself. There's a bit more road noise than the E65 but thats not exactly a fair comparison! I will get to compare the adaptive suspension with Sonic's 125i M Sport when he gets it in the next week or two.

Overall the car has made a very very good initial impression...
 
#12 ·
RonaldMcCelerate said:
Sonic said:
Depends how far you want to go :)

I would recommend getting 2 buckets, 1 with a grid guard, shampoo (megs hyperwash is my favourite), and a lambswool washmitt. This will allow you to clean the car effectively without doing any damage to the paintwork.

Next you could clay and de-tar, to remove any contaminants in the paintwork and polish if you want to go a step further, but you'll probably want to just apply a sealant or wax.

For the alloys you can use the same shampoo and wash procedure, and to seal i'd use fk1000p (a high-temp sealant) which is a very cost-effective LSP, and applied and buffed just like a wax.
Well you clearly know what you're talking about, I'm gonna follow your advice to the letter haha! Cheers mate! (Y)

Love Estoril Blue, always have since the 90's!
A word of advice - Sonic is a complete and utter propeller head when it comes to car detailing - do not get sucked into his obsession or attempt to emulate as it will take over your life! You will see what I mean when he posts the photo of the supplies he brought for this job.

To give you a better idea of the effort he has been in the garage literally all day Friday, Saturday and until early afternoon today, with at least 12 hours spent with a machine polisher in hand. I helped by taking care of the alloys (a fiddly job, as he said, each removed from the car and cleaned, clayed and sealed with a ridiculously expensive fluid in a vessel the size of a tippex bottle that you can't see where its been applied) and latterly by feeding the boy.

But what he has recommended above as a basic clean/seal would be a *really* good way to get started with your new car and protect it from the elements, and also give you the basic tools and supplies in the garage to keep it looking good. If you put the effort into doing a good job and sealing the paintwork and alloys then it will pay you back by making subsequent washes very low effort indeed.

Or you could just do what I do and get somebody else to come round your house and do it all for you :-D
 
#14 ·
Seeing that the red line starts at 5400RPM, will it actually rev out to that? Where does peak power begin to fall away when driving it?

I am just amazed to the see such a high red line, the 123d starts at 4800RPM, I know the 125D is more powerful than the 123d, but I wonder what other changes have been made to the engine, anyone know?
 
#15 ·
theboss said:
RonaldMcCelerate said:
Sonic said:
Depends how far you want to go :)

I would recommend getting 2 buckets, 1 with a grid guard, shampoo (megs hyperwash is my favourite), and a lambswool washmitt. This will allow you to clean the car effectively without doing any damage to the paintwork.

Next you could clay and de-tar, to remove any contaminants in the paintwork and polish if you want to go a step further, but you'll probably want to just apply a sealant or wax.

For the alloys you can use the same shampoo and wash procedure, and to seal i'd use fk1000p (a high-temp sealant) which is a very cost-effective LSP, and applied and buffed just like a wax.
Well you clearly know what you're talking about, I'm gonna follow your advice to the letter haha! Cheers mate! (Y)

Love Estoril Blue, always have since the 90's!
A word of advice - Sonic is a complete and utter propeller head when it comes to car detailing - do not get sucked into his obsession or attempt to emulate as it will take over your life! You will see what I mean when he posts the photo of the supplies he brought for this job.

To give you a better idea of the effort he has been in the garage literally all day Friday, Saturday and until early afternoon today, with at least 12 hours spent with a machine polisher in hand. I helped by taking care of the alloys (a fiddly job, as he said, each removed from the car and cleaned, clayed and sealed with a ridiculously expensive fluid in a vessel the size of a tippex bottle that you can't see where its been applied) and latterly by feeding the boy.

But what he has recommended above as a basic clean/seal would be a *really* good way to get started with your new car and protect it from the elements, and also give you the basic tools and supplies in the garage to keep it looking good. If you put the effort into doing a good job and sealing the paintwork and alloys then it will pay you back by making subsequent washes very low effort indeed.

Or you could just do what I do and get somebody else to come round your house and do it all for you :-D
Haha I actually find cleaning my car quite theraputic, but on my e87 m ive got the standard msport 17" alloys which are an absolute ******* for collecting brake dust. So now I'm looking to hopefully give it a treatment which, as you said, will make subsequent washes easier.

I'll be swapping it for a 135im in about 8-12 months anyway, so I don't need to go absolutely mental on it, but I'm proud of my cars, and the way yours looks, you should be too! Congrats mate.
 
#17 ·
Full detail thread here - " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SDK^ said:
How much would this detailing service usually cost?
This particular one - quite expensive as the raw products used cost ~£200 alone in addition to all the kit required and the 40 man-hours involved.

The Gtechniq products were used because they provide ultimate protection AND durability. The paintwork sealant for example will last for up to several years, with a simple clean and top-up every 6 months to keep it looking like the day it was detailed :bigsmile:
 
#18 ·
Sonic said:
Full detail thread here - " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SDK^ said:
How much would this detailing service usually cost?
This particular one - quite expensive as the raw products used cost ~£200 alone in addition to all the kit required and the 40 man-hours involved.

The Gtechniq products were used because they provide ultimate protection AND durability. The paintwork sealant for example will last for up to several years, with a simple clean and top-up every 6 months to keep it looking like the day it was detailed :bigsmile:
Its worth pointing out that the ~£200 is in actual depleted products rather than on bottles that can be used again and again. So Sonic, what would you actually charge for the job, I think thats what people want to know :) Those twin halogen lamps probably cost a few quids worth of electricity too - I can run half a server rack on less!

We are also very lucky to have good facilities in terms of a spacious, well lit garage, wheel changing gear, etc. which makes the whole thing much easier than it would be without... not to mention the BBQ facilities (that is a thread in its own right)... its no surprise Sonic keeps some of his detailing gear here full time as its his detailing workshop of choice. Being the adjacent county to Mid-Wales we are outside the hosepipe ban too!
 
#24 ·
That's pretty porno! Very nice indeed.

How are you finding the adaptive m sport and CS5 run flats? Same set up as on mine and I'm (pleasantly) stunned!

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
#25 ·
What is the £££ for M Perf Brakes? They look awesome but not sure if I'd prefer to do it properly and get some brembo drilled discs and 6 pot callipers. Now those, coupled with the wheels below would look epic.

 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top