Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

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ScooBeeFive
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by ScooBeeFive » Thu Oct 22, 2020 6:27 pm

Simon B wrote:
Wed Oct 21, 2020 10:46 pm
ScooBeeFive wrote:
Wed Oct 21, 2020 6:29 pm
That's a fantastic story Simon - I love stuff like this. Good luck getting the refresh items sorted, sure there will be some great advice on the way.
Thanks ScooBee

Have you still got the Porsche?

I had a 997 C2S a couple of years ago. Loved it and achieved a childhood dream by owning one.
I have indeed. As a child, going to watch motorsport with my Dad, I always loved Porsches and BMs. As with yourself, buying one was a dream. I've had it over 9 years now and can't imagine selling it. I pretty much own my dream garage now - B5 daily practical car and the 911 for fun stuff. I still can't quite believe it!
Paul

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Simon B
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:49 pm

ScooBeeFive wrote:
Thu Oct 22, 2020 6:27 pm
Simon B wrote:
Wed Oct 21, 2020 10:46 pm
ScooBeeFive wrote:
Wed Oct 21, 2020 6:29 pm
That's a fantastic story Simon - I love stuff like this. Good luck getting the refresh items sorted, sure there will be some great advice on the way.
Thanks ScooBee

Have you still got the Porsche?

I had a 997 C2S a couple of years ago. Loved it and achieved a childhood dream by owning one.
I have indeed. As a child, going to watch motorsport with my Dad, I always loved Porsches and BMs. As with yourself, buying one was a dream. I've had it over 9 years now and can't imagine selling it. I pretty much own my dream garage now - B5 daily practical car and the 911 for fun stuff. I still can't quite believe it!
That does sound like a nice garage. I sold mine to help fund a Motorhome. Half the power and weighs 3 times as much but is very nice in a different way. I really miss the 911 but pleased I had one. So many people want one and never get the chance.
Simon B

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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Thu Oct 22, 2020 7:50 pm

Fast3000 wrote:
Thu Oct 22, 2020 10:39 am
Nice to hear of the ownership experience and another b3s being looked after.
Thank you. I will try and do it justice
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Wed Dec 16, 2020 7:39 pm

Ok here is an update from phase 1

We decided to go the OEM route on the wings to ensure the fit was right so the paintshop ordered 2 new front wings from BMW and then painted the wings and the bonnet. He also managed to sort a couple of little blemishes on the back while he had the paint which was a bonus. Although there were literally only a couple of visible bubbles on the wings, and part of me felt that changing the wings was overkill, once I saw the old ones it was clear that it was the right choice. They still weren't that bad but he would have had to cut a lot out and patch it up so I am pleased we went for the OEM replacements. The bonnet has had a couple of scratches and some cracking from a few years ago (caused by 1 bird dropping !) so I was pleased to get that done too.

I am very happy with the quality of the work and the guys whole approach. Its the little things like " A couple of the clips broke when I was taking the plastic lining out (they are 17 years old) so I am waiting for the right clips to come from BMW". I will probably never see the clips, and some people would have either left the clips off or stuck something else in instead but he wanted it to be right which I like. The paint finish and panel fit is excellent as well.

I have some pictures but too much of a technophobe to upload them (Any advice welcome)

We also agreed to go back and have the rest of the car machine polished just to finish the job off nicely. Unfortunately in between visits we had an MOT which needed brake pipes, disks, and pads, so had to postpone the polish until today. Its now been completely polished and looks amazing.

So bodywork is done, new discs, pads and brake pipes fitted, and I am a couple of grand lighter in the wallet but to be fair the brakes are consumables and she hasn't cost a lot in that department for 14 years so I cant really complain.

Next stage is to do the internal stuff and then get the wheels done again, probably in the spring.

There is one more thing that I forgot from the original post which is the rear fog lights have started to go a bit "milky". I have seen people suggesting using some very fine sandpaper to fix this on other cars but would welcome anyone's input who may have had the same issue and found a solution.

Anyway thats me done until the new year now but I will try and upload a couple of pictures if I can work out how to do it.
Simon B

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ScooBeeFive
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by ScooBeeFive » Wed Dec 16, 2020 9:32 pm

Sounds great Simon. Definitely a good choice going for the OEM parts - I'm glad you're pleased with the results. If the car is a keeper then it's definitely worth the investment.

It would be great to see some photos. If you have them on your computer, just click on attachments underneath where you type the message, click add files and you should be able to either select them off your hard drive or even drag and drop. Good luck!
Paul

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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:04 pm

Attachments
Alpina wings 2 (2).jpg
Alpina wings 2 (2).jpg (101.97 KiB) Viewed 1784 times
Alpina wings 3 (2).jpg
Alpina wings 3 (2).jpg (75.72 KiB) Viewed 1784 times
Alpina wing 1.jpg
Alpina wing 1.jpg (120.51 KiB) Viewed 1784 times
Simon B

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ScooBeeFive
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by ScooBeeFive » Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:24 pm

Success! The car looks fantastic, thanks for posting them. Here’s to many more happy years of Alpina motoring.

I’ve not long owned mine but I’m already dreaming of how I could justify another. I think a B3 Cabrio for my wife could be just the ticket..... I best start saving.
Paul

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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by BarryM » Thu Dec 17, 2020 11:11 am

That’s a great story and the car looks really good in the second photo. The comment earlier about your wife telling the garage her Alpina isn’t the same as a BMW also says a lot about how loved it is :)
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Thu Dec 17, 2020 12:59 pm

ScooBeeFive wrote:
Wed Dec 16, 2020 10:24 pm
Success! The car looks fantastic, thanks for posting them. Here’s to many more happy years of Alpina motoring.

I’ve not long owned mine but I’m already dreaming of how I could justify another. I think a B3 Cabrio for my wife could be just the ticket..... I best start saving.
I can certainly recommend one. The B3 Bi turbo looks lovely but my good lady wont change hers.
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Thu Dec 17, 2020 1:00 pm

BarryM wrote:
Thu Dec 17, 2020 11:11 am
That’s a great story and the car looks really good in the second photo. The comment earlier about your wife telling the garage her Alpina isn’t the same as a BMW also says a lot about how loved it is :)
Thanks Barry. It is certainly loved. Its like her 3rd child, or second child I suppose as we have had her longer than my 11 year old daughter.
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Metrics
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Metrics » Sat Dec 19, 2020 9:41 am

Lovely job, car looks fantastic, lovely colour combo.

You can certainly try restoring the light clusters, but if they are really bad the restoration my not last so long, but still worth a try.

It's best done by removing the light cluster from the car.
Start with the most coarse wet and dry paper (max 400-600) and without applying too much pressure remove the outer oxidised layer with the paper and water. Do this stage thoroughly.
Then move up the paper grades, so 800-1000 and repeat - you are removing the scratches left in the lens from the first coarse stage.
Then move to a very fine paper, say 2500-3000, again repeat to remove fine scratches.
The lens should now look smooth but hazy, with no scratches.
Next stage is to use a suitable polish and ideally polisher machine to buff the lens to a mirror finish. Can be done by hand too.
Finally seal the surface with some protection, ceramic sealant, or paint sealant/wax.

There are some great videos on youtube that show you this and demonstrate what is achievable with a bit of effort. It's a very easy DIY job if you take your time.
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:11 pm

Thanks metrics

That is exactly what I was looking for. I will try that and if it doesn’t last I can always replace them

Many thanks
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by DogWagen » Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:02 pm

That looks great Simon - I'm curious...which bodyshop did you use?

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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by Simon B » Wed Dec 23, 2020 10:46 am

DogWagen wrote:
Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:02 pm
That looks great Simon - I'm curious...which bodyshop did you use?
Hi DogWagen

Yes I am really pleased with it.

I used a company called MJ body works in Lincoln. He is a one man band who used to work for one of the long established body shops in Lincoln then set up on his own about 10 years ago. Just him on his own in a small unit but the workmanship is excellent. He was recommended to me by a friend who also works in that trade otherwise I wouldn’t have known he was there. Makes you wonder how many other great tradespeople are out there that we don’t know about.
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Re: Going for a bit of a cosmetic refresh.

Post by hap » Wed Dec 23, 2020 2:29 pm

Good to know
Can u pm me with costs for what you have had done

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