[am_ver]

I've been detailing my car using klasse AIO, SG and an occasional P21S wax job. All done by hand.

I am now planning to move over to the Orbital polisher - from what I read Porter Cable 7424 is the one to get. Now can anyone guide me to the basics on polishing? Do I put AIO after polishing? What is this 3 step polish? I guess it is Intensive polish.. followed by final polish... which step did I miss? and then what about these sealants to protect the paint? Where does the wax fit in here?

[pander5]

Wax is the last thing you lay down.

Depending on the condition of your paint the process is typically:

Cut down first. That levels the paint surface and very slightly abrades down the clear coat to just remove the surface marring. Cutting may be 1 product or as many as 3 products - the first being the most aggressive, the second being a refining process and the third is a final polish and very very fine buffing. Again, depending on your paint you may need anywhere from only the third (fine) polish to all 3 cutting steps.

The second step is buffing with a gloss enhancer. This step brings out the depth and gloss of the natural paint shine.

The last step is the wax or sealant.

What you've been doing is cleaning your paint with a chemical cleaner (non abrasive) product (Klasse AIO) and then protecting it with P21S wax. That's fine but if you need to remove any marring - scratches, water spots etc. - you'll need to cut with pads and products meant to remove those conditions.

[UncleWede]

If you decide to go with the PC, get the smaller pads. If money isn't a MAJOR issue, go with the Flex.

[purplewidow]

first i would just buy a makita 9227.. you will get better results and faster.. just pay attention and watch a lot of videos.

you would only polish your car twice a year. if you do it more you won't have much clearcoat for the future.

if you stick with a pc or if you go with a rotary it is all dependant on the task at hand for which polish and pad combo to use..

to start you would polish with either menzerna po83.02 on an orange, green, white or even black pad depending on type of imperfections or 85rd and tougher pads like green and orange or white, then use a finishing polish like menzerna 85rd and a black finishing pad. apply a cleaner fluid like swissvax cleaner fluid with a black hand applicator then apply some jet seal 109(my favorite sealant to top with a wax) on a blue finishing pad then apply the wax... after each step including cleaner fluid you should notice quite a difference.

doing all of the above with a PC would take longer and as you can see it is long enough as it is and there are other steps and techniques and setups you can use.. just giving an example.

[am_ver]

Thanks guys. What place would you recommend to buy the stuff that I need?

[ibimmer954]

I ordered the Flex Starter Package at Detailed Image. I added a third pad of every color to be sure I had enough.

That website also has a selection of polishes for you to choose from. I ended up getting Menzerna SIP and PO106FA. Be sure to get a clay bar kit and synthetic detailer as well.

The overall process is:

Wash the car, dry, clay, polish, gloss/glaze (optional), seal, wax.

There are guides on Detailed Image as well. They are a supporter of this website, so I like using them.

Yes, the whole process will take a while.. but the results will be amazing. Go ahead and try polishing up a friend's Toyota or something for practice before going after your BMW.

[UncleWede]

Originally Posted by ibimmer346

I a friend's Toyota or something for practice before going after your BMW.

Or an enemy's Yeah, practicing on another vehicle is a recommendation, but not a requirement. I did some test panels on a few different cars then just couldn't wait to hit my custom motorcycle. Eventually I got around to the wife's 3er