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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Chances are you'll learn something about detailing if you read this



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      09-18-2009, 10:56 AM   #1
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Chances are you'll learn something about detailing if you read this

Our latest auto detailing article was put together was designed to take you through an entire detail from start to finish while trying to explain the mindset of one of the top detailers in the industry.

The detail was performed on a 2006 Acura TL in Nighthawk Black Pearl, some of the softest black paint out there. The washing and drying section is an excellent read to understand getting the most out of every wash to minimize adding any imperfections to your finish.

With nearly 150 photos and 8 pages of explanation, we broke this article up into multiple sections so it would load faster and be better organized to find the information you are looking for quickly and easily.

Here's an overview of what is covered:

Page 1: Overview, Pre-Detail Prep, Washing and Drying
- An overview of the detail to be performed
- Assessing the easily damaged Acura paint
- Starting the detail
- Wash the wheels, tires, and wheel wells first!
- Properly washing soft black paint
- Cleaning and washing your exhaust tips
- Engine bay detailing
- Drying black paint without adding swirls

Page 2: Clay Bar, Polishing, Protecting
- Using a clay bar to properly prep the surface
- Polishing your paint to a swirl free finish
Measuring the paint's thickness
Properly taping your vehicle prior to polishing
Choosing the right polish
Using the proper amount of polish
Results after one pass of Menzerna Power Finish on an orange pad
Polishing lower panels with problem areas
Removing deep etchings from the paint
Safely polishing the trunk lid
Removing scrapes, scratches and other deep imperfections
Safely polishing pillars
Alcohol wipe down after polishing
Post-polish clean up with ONR
- Protecting your paint with a sealant

Page 3: Finishing Touches and Interior

- Dressing your wheel wells and tires
- Detailing the interior
Start your interior by dusting
Dressing and protecting the interior
Comparing Optimum Protectant Plus to 303 Aerospace Protectant
Caring for your leather
Streak free glass
Don't forget the sunroof

Page 4: After shots of the Acura TL detail


We hope this article improves your knowledge in detailing and translates into a better finish for your vehicles.

If you have any questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask.

Let us know what you think!

Enjoy,

George
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      09-18-2009, 12:33 PM   #2
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That's a very cool presentation. Lots of very good information in there! Thanks for the ideas and quick links to the products.
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      09-18-2009, 01:25 PM   #3
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Really nice, George! A wealth of information, especially for those who are just starting out like rhet21 (OP from this post).

EDIT - a few comments after reading it. First, the idea to use polish bottles to prop open and work on the vertical panels of the trunk is a great tip! Second, on the picture of him working the 85RD on the hood, it looks like he's doing the whole hood at once. I normally break down my hood into quarters, or sometimes even smaller sections, when I polish. Do you guys do the whole hood as a single panel to polish? Am I looking at the photo wrong?
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      09-18-2009, 02:19 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ibimmer346 View Post
That's a very cool presentation. Lots of very good information in there! Thanks for the ideas and quick links to the products.
Thanks for the compliments, and thanks to George for hosting this on his site.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BK View Post
Really nice, George! A wealth of information, especially for those who are just starting out like rhet21 (OP from this post).

EDIT - a few comments after reading it. First, the idea to use polish bottles to prop open and work on the vertical panels of the trunk is a great tip! Second, on the picture of him working the 85RD on the hood, it looks like he's doing the whole hood at once. I normally break down my hood into quarters, or sometimes even smaller sections, when I polish. Do you guys do the whole hood as a single panel to polish? Am I looking at the photo wrong?

Thank you as well.

I work the panel (in this case the hood) in small sections as you do, but I'll do the entire section(s) first and then wipe it down. In this photo it just looks like I'm doing one great big section at once.
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      09-18-2009, 04:58 PM   #5
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thanks for these awesome outputs
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      09-18-2009, 08:13 PM   #6
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I saw this guide and read over it a few times! It looks great. Now, as someone who has yet to tackle polishing, I have some thoughts and reservations about the process that maybe you can address in your guide (or here)

1. A bit about knowing when polishes are broken down (photos maybe? Explanation on the feel or look?) would help a LOT.

2. You show a rotary, but I would think most customers would be using a PC or Flex. Maybe talking about the difference in ability might help. For example, would a more aggressive polish, or multiple steps, be the best way to work on a difficult patch like that milk?

3. For someone new, how do you know if you're using a good combination?

4. Something nobody ever shows is working on small areas. The lip where the trunk meets the bumper, or the little gaps between taped emblems, or louvers (like that amazing Esoteric detail of the Ferrari GTO!). How do you put a 6.5", or even a 4" pad in those spots? I guess you would polish by hand but that seems difficult based on the speeds the machines go at. Are you forced to just leave them unpolished?


Those are my questions and thoughts about the guide. I did enjoy reading the whole thing!
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      09-19-2009, 12:29 AM   #7
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lots of info there...
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      09-19-2009, 02:24 AM   #8
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excellent write up

i like the entire layout a lot
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      09-19-2009, 10:18 AM   #9
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Great info there, Todd is a true pro, and his pictures always come out so clear.
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      09-19-2009, 10:13 PM   #10
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Wow, that was a fantastic article. Tremendous job by both Todd and DI!

I always enjoy reading Todd's writeups, but taking the time to go into that much detail really helps us more casual folk improve skills and strengthen techniques.

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      09-19-2009, 11:09 PM   #11
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Good read!
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      09-20-2009, 08:23 AM   #12
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awesome read!
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      09-20-2009, 09:28 AM   #13
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Thanks again to everybody for the kind words about the article. I'm very happy to hear that it has proven to be helpful.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gig103 View Post
I saw this guide and read over it a few times! It looks great. Now, as someone who has yet to tackle polishing, I have some thoughts and reservations about the process that maybe you can address in your guide (or here)

1. A bit about knowing when polishes are broken down (photos maybe? Explanation on the feel or look?) would help a LOT.

2. You show a rotary, but I would think most customers would be using a PC or Flex. Maybe talking about the difference in ability might help. For example, would a more aggressive polish, or multiple steps, be the best way to work on a difficult patch like that milk?

3. For someone new, how do you know if you're using a good combination?

4. Something nobody ever shows is working on small areas. The lip where the trunk meets the bumper, or the little gaps between taped emblems, or louvers (like that amazing Esoteric detail of the Ferrari GTO!). How do you put a 6.5", or even a 4" pad in those spots? I guess you would polish by hand but that seems difficult based on the speeds the machines go at. Are you forced to just leave them unpolished?


Those are my questions and thoughts about the guide. I did enjoy reading the whole thing!
1. That's definitely a good idea for a future write up. Maybe I need to get George down here to Ohio to help me with photos to show the progression of a polish breaking down!

The short and quick answer to this (for most polishes) is that the polish will start to go clear on the surface once it has broken down. It has a bit of a hazy look at first, but after a few minutes (once again...most polishes but not all) you will see the change from hazy to clear and you then know it's broken down.

2. We've talked about doing an article comparing rotary usage versus a D/A. For most polishes you will find that it takes longer for the polish to break down with the D/A than it does the rotary. I find much of the time that I can go with a less aggressive combination on the rotary than I would with a D/A simply because the increased mechanical abilities yield greater results (once again...with most polishes).

As for that milk stain, it required a very aggressive method with a rotary. I may have been able to get it close with a PC, but it would have taken a long time to accomplish it.

3. The quick answer to this is...you know that you're using a good combination if you're getting good results! I know that sounds overly simplified, but that's what it boils down to. There is a learning curve, and I usually recommend that people start out with a simple combination of polishes and pads to first get the feel for the machine, polish break-down, working time, etc. It doesn't take long to learn combinations.

We will be doing a future article that will give general guidelines of polish and pad combinations, but it will be exactly that...a general guideline. What may be a perfect combination for one car may be a bad combination for another. I've worked on the exact same model/color/condition cars before and yet they've required different approaches and combinations. Typically though, you can get to the point where you have a good idea of what it takes.

On just about every car I work on, I will always start out with a test section, and try a few different combinations until I find out what works best on that car/that day. A rule of thumb is that you want to start with your least aggressive combination first and work your way up the scale as needed to achieve the desired results. Many things come into play when making a decision on what to use...what color the paint is, whether you're planning a multi-step polish or a one-step polish, what level of correction you're going for, how much time you have available, etc, etc, etc. Unfortunately there's no magical rule for picking the right combination. But after a little experience you get the feel of it. Having said that though, even with a lot of experience you will find cars that require a lot of different test combos before finding the "right" one! Hopefully I didn't come across as a side-stepping politician on that answer.

4. I tried to show that a bit with the bottom of the trunk lid...propping it up to give full access. Basically if the machine/small pad can get in there, then you tape off any areas surrounding it if there's potential of damage (surrounding high-spots). Some emblems can be cleaned up with a PC/small pad and lower speeds. Others require work by hand. For the louvers on that GTO, they were worked by hand and we realized that there was only so much that could be done with them. When detailers say that they achieved a 90% correction rate (for instance), many times the stuff that is left is in dangerous/precarious areas where it's simply unsafe to attempt a greater level of correction. You have to know when to say when in the interest of paint and clear coat preservation.

Thanks for the feedback, and I hope this helps to clarify a few issues for you.

Todd
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      09-21-2009, 11:14 AM   #14
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Hey Todd, thanks so much for the in depth answers!!
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      09-21-2009, 01:58 PM   #15
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Hey Todd, thanks so much for the in depth answers!!
My pleasure!
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      09-23-2009, 04:08 PM   #16
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Thank you so much for such an EXCELLENT article with such great detail explained. This is very very helpful, makes detailing look so simple and easy. I am planning on doing all this real soon!
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      09-23-2009, 04:19 PM   #17
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Quick question - I have a lot of shoe marks on the bottom inside of my door, would using Optimum (OPT) Protectant Plus , take care of all the scrapes?
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      09-28-2009, 06:54 PM   #18
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That was an excellent write up! Im making my list as I write this and its getting pretty long...
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      09-29-2009, 02:33 PM   #19
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Excelllent write up. I really enjoy your insight into the world of auto detailing. Thanks for taking the time DI, and Esoteric!!
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