[MartinD]

Wrong username.

[Martin_D]

Jet Black respray?

Depends really how bad the body shop leaves it? Even though jet Black is soft it may need something a little stronger than the 85rd.

The products are fine, it really depends what shape you get it back in.

It may need stronger or not, you will be able to tell right away.

[Martin_D]

Originally Posted by remyd

In your opinion what's the best starter kit?
Also what would you recommend be done to a brand new car?
Ps I live in Chicago, and we get snow, hail, Rain and everything in between.

Brand new car...

Wash
Clay
Rewash
Iron-x
Rewash
Light polish
Seal/Protect

I would recommend a sealant so it is a little more durable against the environment.

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by Martin_D

Jet Black respray?

Depends really how bad the body shop leaves it? Even though jet Black is soft it may need something a little stronger than the 85rd.

The products are fine, it really depends what shape you get it back in.

It may need stronger or not, you will be able to tell right away.

so under certain circumstances 85rd on a finishing pad will be enough to do minor correction on fresh uncured paint? their compounding work usually doesn't leave any deep scratches. it's generally just really bad holograms.

you don't think P203S would be too aggressive? it seems to have a pretty hefty cut considering how well it finishes down. i'm guessing it may even leave marring on fresh jet black. i don't want to eat through more clear than necessary.

i know i could just try X product and see what happens, but if i may need to purchase new polish or pads, i'd rather order them before the car is done being painted

thanks again martin

[Martin_D]

If just holograms you should be fine with white/blue and 85rd. I would just make sure to have fresh pads, 85rd if you already have it.

I would go with the least aggressive method first obviously and see what results that gets you. Then go from there if that makes sense...

-Martin

[mikechow]

Thanks to your guidance long ago I'm familiar with the washing, drying, claying, and applying Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish and Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protector, and also waxing by hand.
Now, i want to take it the next level by pulling a trigger on a PC but im overwhelm by the amount of info ive read on this thread. A few things on my mind:

1. Ive already have Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid Paste Sealant and Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Soft Wax in my arsenal. Can I use these with a PC and which pads if possible may apply it with?
2 Need recommendation for different type of polishes (for minor swirls -and- finish) and buffer pads to pair with them.
3. Will i still be able to incorporate the Blackfire products in if I have a PC or would it be wise to take them out the equations?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by remyd

In your opinion what's the best starter kit?
Also what would you recommend be done to a brand new car?
Ps I live in Chicago, and we get snow, hail, Rain and everything in between.

I live in upstate NY so I can relate to the bad weather and road conditions. We have a few kits for new vehicles (DI Packages New Car Care Advanced Kit and DI Packages New Car Care Starter Kit) which are both great. They both give you everything you need to clean, shine and protect the vehicle inside and out.

Here are some articles from other professional detailers and their process:

http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...-benz-sls-amg/
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...ocess-bmw-550/

If you have any other questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by tofu-

On a freshly painted black car (i'm not sure which clearcoat is being used, so i'm looking for general information), would PO85RD on a black LC finishing pad be suitable to clean up compounding swirls and marring?

i plan on doing this no more than a day or two after the car is resprayed, wet sanded, and compounded (by the shop). swirl marks are going to be inevitable, so i'm going to have to take matters into my own hands to clean them up.

would a one step with PO85RD on a finishing pad put me on the right track since the paint is so soft (being black and not fully cured yet), or would i possibly need to do a two step with P203S on a white LC polishing pad?

or are my products not suitable at all for what i'm doing

The Menzerna Micro Polish SF 4500 (PO85RD) with a black pad is a pretty light pad and polish combination. This will really only help remove extremely light surface imperfections. If the shop does a very good job polishing the surface this would be a good follow up. I do think you'll probably need something a bit stronger though so the Menzerna Super Finish Polish SF 4000 (PO106FA Nano Polish) and a white pad may be a better starting point. If this is not enough I would recommend moving up to the Menzerna Super Intensive Polish SI 1500 (PO83) with an orange pad (PO203S has been discontinued because it was so similar to the PO83). Follow up with a lighter pad and polish combo to ensure you don't have any haze left behind. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by mikechow

Thanks to your guidance long ago I'm familiar with the washing, drying, claying, and applying Blackfire Gloss Enhancing Polish and Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protector, and also waxing by hand.
Now, i want to take it the next level by pulling a trigger on a PC but im overwhelm by the amount of info ive read on this thread. A few things on my mind:

1. Ive already have Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid Paste Sealant and Dodo Juice Light Fantastic Soft Wax in my arsenal. Can I use these with a PC and which pads if possible may apply it with?
2 Need recommendation for different type of polishes (for minor swirls -and- finish) and buffer pads to pair with them.
3. Will i still be able to incorporate the Blackfire products in if I have a PC or would it be wise to take them out the equations?

Glad to hear the detailing has been going well and you're looking to get even better. In general both of those products are applied by hand. If you really wanted to you could try spreading them on a 4" buffing pad but I think this would waste product and take up far more time than it would be worth.

For the swirls I would suggest using at least a light polish and a medium polish may also be needed. The Blackfire Scratch Resistant Clear Finishing Polish with a white pad is a great choice if you want to start conservative.

If you want to use all the other products you listed here is the order I'd suggest. After polishing you can use the Gloss Enhancing Polish to further clean and shine the paint. After that start the protection with the BFWD, then the hybrid Supernatural and lastly the Light Fantastic. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by messi

hi.. i recently ordered the leatherique twins and awaiting delivery. About a month ago, i used the mothers cleaner and conditioner sparingly and needless to say i was not pleased with the conditioner. It left a shiny look which looked a bit blotchy. Really spoiled the OEM leather finish. My question is when i am ready to use the RO, should i first used a the remainder of the mothers cleaner to get out the residual mothers leather conditioner? i dont want that the RO worsens the seats, they dont look awful now but they definitely dont look like the matte OEM finish.

I would no longer use the Mother's product, just move right over to the Leatherique products. The Leatherique products will help remove old product residue left on the seats, contaminants, dirt, dust, oils, etc. and leave a nice matte finish. If you need any other tips check out this guide - http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...r-care-how-to/.

Let me know if you have any questions about how to use the Leatherique after reading that and I'll be here to help.

Greg @ DI

[tofu-]

Thanks

i actually had to re-compound the entire vehicle with meg 105 on a surbuf pad. some of the sanding marks were bad enough that they required me to do it twice! i followed that up with 203S white pad and finally po85rd black pad.

I haven't completed the vehicle yet. only up to step 2 with 70% of the car.

tough work!

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

The Menzerna Micro Polish SF 4500 (PO85RD) with a black pad is a pretty light pad and polish combination. This will really only help remove extremely light surface imperfections. If the shop does a very good job polishing the surface this would be a good follow up. I do think you'll probably need something a bit stronger though so the Menzerna Super Finish Polish SF 4000 (PO106FA Nano Polish) and a white pad may be a better starting point. If this is not enough I would recommend moving up to the Menzerna Super Intensive Polish SI 1500 (PO83) with an orange pad (PO203S has been discontinued because it was so similar to the PO83). Follow up with a lighter pad and polish combo to ensure you don't have any haze left behind. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[DUI Elite]

Thoughts on Lexol Leather cleaner and also conditioner?

Cleaner claims to pull out oils, and the conditioner claims to bring back the matte finish of an original seat. Any personal experience with either product?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by tofu-

Thanks

i actually had to re-compound the entire vehicle with meg 105 on a surbuf pad. some of the sanding marks were bad enough that they required me to do it twice! i followed that up with 203S white pad and finally po85rd black pad.

I haven't completed the vehicle yet. only up to step 2 with 70% of the car.

tough work!

Yeah that routine sounds like a more likely scenario but it really just depends on the shop. Good luck with this process the results will be worth it!

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by DUI Elite

Thoughts on Lexol Leather cleaner and also conditioner?

Cleaner claims to pull out oils, and the conditioner claims to bring back the matte finish of an original seat. Any personal experience with either product?

Both products are solid but not my favorite. If you are shopping locally it's usually one of the better options, but please don't use any of the heavy dressings out there. I would highly recommend Leatherique Prestine Clean and Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil instead, for much better results. They do cost more but I think it's worth the investment to provide your leather optimal care. Best of all we are having a HUGE 25% off sale through 3/22/12 if interested. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[DSB335d]

My apologies if this has been addressed already.

Anyway I have a couple spots (bird crap) on my '11 335d. I hand wash it once a week and noticed a couple spots where the paint is slightly hazy where bird crap had been on the car. I picked up a med grit clay bar (clay magic) and also the recommend clay lube (49 body shine). I was very liberal with the spray as I used the clay bar on the 2 spots.( this is after I hand washed the car)

It left some very fine scratches where I used the clay bar.

How do I go about properly removing these fine scratches?

Thanks for any help.
Jason

[tofu-]

Originally Posted by DSB335d

My apologies if this has been addressed already.

Anyway I have a couple spots (bird crap) on my '11 335d. I hand wash it once a week and noticed a couple spots where the paint is slightly hazy where bird crap had been on the car. I picked up a med grit clay bar (clay magic) and also the recommend clay lube (49 body shine). I was very liberal with the spray as I used the clay bar on the 2 spots.( this is after I hand washed the car)

It left some very fine scratches where I used the clay bar.

How do I go about properly removing these fine scratches?

Thanks for any help.
Jason

medium leaves marring on my car too. is yours jet black by any chance?

[DSB335d]

Deep sea blue. How do you remove the marring?

[tofu-]

either use a less aggressive clay or you'll have to use a light polish every time.

i only clay when i intend on polishing, so it's not a biggie for me.

[mr.e90]

Greg, I recently got my car vandalized and my lights also got keyed. They are not so deep but enough to notice. How can i remove these? Please help. Thank you.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by DSB335d

My apologies if this has been addressed already.

Anyway I have a couple spots (bird crap) on my '11 335d. I hand wash it once a week and noticed a couple spots where the paint is slightly hazy where bird crap had been on the car. I picked up a med grit clay bar (clay magic) and also the recommend clay lube (49 body shine). I was very liberal with the spray as I used the clay bar on the 2 spots.( this is after I hand washed the car)

It left some very fine scratches where I used the clay bar.

How do I go about properly removing these fine scratches?

Thanks for any help.
Jason

Jason,

Sorry to hear about the bird droppings. In general I only recommend the fine grade bar combined with a wash for these situations. A medium grade bar is more commonly used for excessive tar, paint overspray, etc., because they are prone to marring the paint. To remove any ultra fine scratches or etches from bird droppings I would use the same polishing process. Start off with a light polish and use a more aggressive one as needed. So I'd suggest starting with the Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205 and moving up to the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105 as needed. After the surface is clean apply a few small drops on a foam applicator and buff it on with medium arm pressure or use a buffer ideally. As soon as you are done you can wipe away the polish with a clean microfiber towel and inspect the results. If it's not enough move up to the M105 with medium to firm pressure in a circular arm motion. That should take care of the marks if not a buffer will need to be used with these same polishes before moving up to a wet sanding but hopefully neither is necessary. Good luck!

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by mr.e90

Greg, I recently got my car vandalized and my lights also got keyed. They are not so deep but enough to notice. How can i remove these? Please help. Thank you.

Very sorry to hear it, that is really terrible. If you can easily feel the marks with your finger they may be too deep to be buffed out and a body shop may be needed. If they are not too deep my recommendation is basically identical to the above post.

"So I'd suggest starting with the Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205 and moving up to the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105 as needed. After the surface is clean apply a few small drops on a foam applicator and buff it on with medium arm pressure or use a buffer ideally. As soon as you are done you can wipe away the polish with a clean microfiber towel and inspect the results. If it's not enough move up to the M105 with medium to firm pressure in a circular arm motion. That should take care of the marks if not a buffer will need to be used with these same polishes before moving up to a wet sanding but hopefully neither is necessary."

For the headlights the process is basically the same. Check out these articles if you want to see it more in depth.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...s-on-a-budget/
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...ation-process/

I hope this info helps and I hope you somehow catch these vandals. Maybe pick up one of those motion sensitive night cameras that hunters use. Take care!

Greg @ DI

[zanth119]

Hi Greg - getting ready to do the first full detail on my E91 this weekend. As you recommended, will be sealing with the Blackfire Wet Diamond, and then want to try a coat of Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax (Blue) on top. I want to apply the wax with the PC 7427 XP, and I have the black (AKA grey) LC pads. Can you advise on the following, please?

What's the best way to get the paste wax onto the pad, and how much should be used per panel?

What speed should the PC be set to?

How much hand pressure on the PC should be used?

Any other tips for a waxing newb would be helpful. Thanks!