[Last E92 M3]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Good questions. Regarding the water in the bolt areas, I use the Metro Vac 'n Blo, and switch to the blower right before drying and get the water out of the crevices and tight areas around wheels, side mirrors, etc. I'd suggest using some sort of compressed air or a blower to help with the water drip issue. After blowing out the wheels, I'll mist some QD solution, I use Poorboy's Spray & Wipe, on a microfiber towel and wipe the wheels down. I find that this helps remove any loose brake dust and other contamination still remaining, while thoroughly drying the wheels.

One final note, I find that a properly protected wheel with something such as Poorboy's World Wheel Sealant will help repel water and make drying with the blower more effective.

During the wash phase I'll prep the tires with the appropriate degreaser. This will properly prep the rubber to absorb the tire dressing and increase your longevity of your dressing. I apply the tire dressing as one of the very last things I do, then roll the vehicle forward or back a few feet and reapply a second coat to ensure even coverage.

Hope this helps.

George

Hi, so I should blow out as much water as possible using vacuum (I have 6.5(?) hp vacuum that sucks all the air so I will use that) and use QD solution along with sealant to finish it off, right?

I will try to use MF towel to get rest of water if there's any around bolt areas.

About the tire shiner, I've been having hard time using this after wash.
Whenever I use it after the car wash, like you said, the tire shiner gets on small portion of wheel and body that's been cleaned already. I was just curious if I can do it at very beginning of the car wash and wash the car so that I don't have to worry about tire shine at the end.

Sorry if things didn't make sense.

Thanks for all the replies!

[UncleWede]

One option to avoid the overspray is to spray the product on an applicator pad and wipe it onto the tires. Greatly controls the amount of product you use, and saves you that re-wipe of the rims.

[Last E92 M3]

Originally Posted by UncleWede

One option to avoid the overspray is to spray the product on an applicator pad and wipe it onto the tires. Greatly controls the amount of product you use, and saves you that re-wipe of the rims.

i've tried but it seems to be that it's absorbing a bit too much of tire shine.
i am curious if there's something out there that absorbs less of this tire shine

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Last E92 M3

Hi, so I should blow out as much water as possible using vacuum (I have 6.5(?) hp vacuum that sucks all the air so I will use that) and use QD solution along with sealant to finish it off, right?

I will try to use MF towel to get rest of water if there's any around bolt areas.

About the tire shiner, I've been having hard time using this after wash.
Whenever I use it after the car wash, like you said, the tire shiner gets on small portion of wheel and body that's been cleaned already. I was just curious if I can do it at very beginning of the car wash and wash the car so that I don't have to worry about tire shine at the end.

Sorry if things didn't make sense.

Thanks for all the replies!

The vacuum I mentioned doubles up as a blower as well. Unless it's a wet / dry vac, you probably don't want to suck up the water with your vacuum. If it is, that's another alternative.

Regarding the tire shine, I never recommend spraying tire shine directly onto the tires, that is asking for additional work in cleaning up the over spray. I recommend using a water based dressing that will be absorbed into your tires, avoid using a silicone based product. I simply dispense a little on a tire applicator pad and wipe it around the tires. No excess product is used, and you don't have to worry about it getting on your wheels or paint. If you do it at the beginning of the wash, I'd be worried that it would come out uneven or you'd wash some of the product off, which seems like a waste to me.

Hope this helps clarify some things.

George

[Last E92 M3]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

The vacuum I mentioned doubles up as a blower as well. Unless it's a wet / dry vac, you probably don't want to suck up the water with your vacuum. If it is, that's another alternative.

Regarding the tire shine, I never recommend spraying tire shine directly onto the tires, that is asking for additional work in cleaning up the over spray. I recommend using a water based dressing that will be absorbed into your tires, avoid using a silicone based product. I simply dispense a little on a tire applicator pad and wipe it around the tires. No excess product is used, and you don't have to worry about it getting on your wheels or paint. If you do it at the beginning of the wash, I'd be worried that it would come out uneven or you'd wash some of the product off, which seems like a waste to me.

Hope this helps clarify some things.

George

yup thanks a lot i think i know what to look for.
and yes, it's wet/dry vac
i will look out for water based tire shiner.

[89andy]

I want to know what I can do to make my car look better if I do not have a polishing machine. Right now I'm thinking all I can really do without a polishing machine is a wash > clay > sealant > wax? What else can I do to minimize/hide some of the swirl marks (don't have much because I always properly follow the correct way to wash the car). My car is metallic black.

Finally I would also like to know before I do this detail, do I need to strip my car of old wax? Because starting from spring I want to do a wash > wax routine every month or so. Do I need to remove wax before I rewax the car everytime? Thanks.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by 89andy

I want to know what I can do to make my car look better if I do not have a polishing machine. Right now I'm thinking all I can really do without a polishing machine is a wash > clay > sealant > wax? What else can I do to minimize/hide some of the swirl marks (don't have much because I always properly follow the correct way to wash the car). My car is metallic black.

Finally I would also like to know before I do this detail, do I need to strip my car of old wax? Because starting from spring I want to do a wash > wax routine every month or so. Do I need to remove wax before I rewax the car everytime? Thanks.

Andy,

The routine you outlined looks pretty good. To help hide the imperfections without removing them with an abrasive polish, you could turn to a glaze to help hide and fill in some of the lighter swirls and imperfections. Glazes typically have clay and oil based fillers that will attach themselves to the dips and valleys (swirls and scratches) to help give the appearance of better looking paint. A good glaze to use under a sealant is Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze. You help prolong the durability of the glaze by topping it with a sealant as you said. The wax will help enhance the depth and gloss of the paint. Remember, for optimal durability and results, let your sealant cure for 24 hours before applying the a second coat or topping it with the wax. What I usually recommend is to perform the wash > clay > glaze > sealant. Then a week (or few days) later, wash your car and top it with the wax for the first time. This way your sealant will properly cure and you'll get the maximum durability out of your glaze and sealant.

I'd recommend stripping your previous coats of protection to ensure maximum results before your first major detail. I'd recommend giving your vehicle a wipe down with a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. This will break down any sealant or wax still remaining on your paint. As you wash and clay it will make sure that nothing else is left on your paint and you'll be starting with a fresh base.

If you have any other questions or need a hand selecting some products, please do not hesitate to ask.

Keep us posted on what you end up using and how things turn out for you.

George

[orionredwing]

George,

What is the right way to strip the existing coats of protection? I heard Klasse All In One (AIO) does the job? Or can we simply use Menzerna Final Polish II to do the same?

Assuming the latter, will clay bar still remove the surface contamination if you have existing coats of wax on your car, since the processis is Wash -> Clay -> Polish -> etc.

Thanks,
orionredwing

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Andy,

The routine you outlined looks pretty good. To help hide the imperfections without removing them with an abrasive polish, you could turn to a glaze to help hide and fill in some of the lighter swirls and imperfections. Glazes typically have clay and oil based fillers that will attach themselves to the dips and valleys (swirls and scratches) to help give the appearance of better looking paint. A good glaze to use under a sealant is Menzerna Finishing Touch Glaze. You help prolong the durability of the glaze by topping it with a sealant as you said. The wax will help enhance the depth and gloss of the paint. Remember, for optimal durability and results, let your sealant cure for 24 hours before applying the a second coat or topping it with the wax. What I usually recommend is to perform the wash > clay > glaze > sealant. Then a week (or few days) later, wash your car and top it with the wax for the first time. This way your sealant will properly cure and you'll get the maximum durability out of your glaze and sealant.

I'd recommend stripping your previous coats of protection to ensure maximum results before your first major detail. I'd recommend giving your vehicle a wipe down with a 50/50 mixture of isopropyl alcohol and distilled water. This will break down any sealant or wax still remaining on your paint. As you wash and clay it will make sure that nothing else is left on your paint and you'll be starting with a fresh base.

If you have any other questions or need a hand selecting some products, please do not hesitate to ask.

Keep us posted on what you end up using and how things turn out for you.

George

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by orionredwing

George,

What is the right way to strip the existing coats of protection? I heard Klasse All In One (AIO) does the job? Or can we simply use Menzerna Final Polish II to do the same?

Assuming the latter, will clay bar still remove the surface contamination if you have existing coats of wax on your car, since the processis is Wash -> Clay -> Polish -> etc.

Thanks,
orionredwing

Good question. There are many ways to remove existing coats of protection from your paint. Here are a few common methods:

Isopropyl Alcohol & Water wipedown
Wash with Dawn detergent
Using a clay bar will remove most, if not all of the protection
Using any abrasive polish (including Final Polish II)
Using any chemical cleaner (including Klasse AIO)

Yes, claying your vehicle will still remove surface contamination even if there are existing coats of protection on the paint. It will probably remove the coats of protection, but it properly prep the paint and remove embedded contamination.

If you want to remove the coats of protection prior to any of the detailing steps, I usually recommend using the isopropyl alcohol wipe down to do so. Otherwise, between claying your paint and polishing, you'll certainly have no protection remaining by the time you are ready to re-apply your favorite sealant or wax.

George

[orionredwing]

Oops, my questions have been so focused on finding ways to remove my light swirls, that I forgot to ask. Do you use Menzerna Final Polish II on the entire car, or just the areas where you want to remove light swirls?

Since the FPII is a light abrasive polish vs a chemical non-abrasive polish, I wasn't sure if I needed to use FPII on the whole car?

My process recap: Wash -> Clay -> Polish (FPII) -> Glaze (FTG) -> Seal (EX-P) -> Wax (Meguiar #26)

I understand it's the polishing step that brings out the inherent shine in the car? As a result, am I missing a chemical polish step on my non-swirl'd areas to bring out the shine, or will the glaze, seal, and wax do the job?

If the latter, which product I listed above actually brings out the shine (Glaze, Seal or Wax)? Per your guide, glazing fills slight imperfections, seal just protects but adds no inherent shine(?) and wax brings out the wet look, but is not primarily responsible for the shine?

Eesh, seems the more I read, the more confused I get

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by orionredwing

Oops, my questions have been so focused on finding ways to remove my light swirls, that I forgot to ask. Do you use Menzerna Final Polish II on the entire car, or just the areas where you want to remove light swirls?

Since the FPII is a light abrasive polish vs a chemical non-abrasive polish, I wasn't sure if I needed to use FPII on the whole car?

My process recap: Wash -> Clay -> Polish (FPII) -> Glaze (FTG) -> Seal (EX-P) -> Wax (Meguiar #26)

I understand it's the polishing step that brings out the inherent shine in the car? As a result, am I missing a chemical polish step on my non-swirl'd areas to bring out the shine, or will the glaze, seal, and wax do the job?

If the latter, which product I listed above actually brings out the shine (Glaze, Seal or Wax)? Per your guide, glazing fills slight imperfections, seal just protects but adds no inherent shine(?) and wax brings out the wet look, but is not primarily responsible for the shine?

Eesh, seems the more I read, the more confused I get

If you are polishing with a light abrasive product, like Final Polish II, apply it on your entire vehicle. When you are tackling more aggressive scratches or swirls and you are using a heavier cutting polish or compound, then you can opt to spot treat the worse areas. Using the finishing polish on your entire vehicle will help give you a more uniform finish.

Polish will remove surface imperfections, allowing light to reflect your true finish of your paint.

Glaze will help hide some imperfections and add more gloss to your paint.

Sealants will add durable protection and can enhance the shine and reflectiveness of the paint.

Waxes add another layer of protection and can enhance the depth and gloss of the paint.

Hope this helps clear things up for you.

George

[faze335i]

So after full detail which is wash, clay, chemical cleaner, and sealant I'm stuck to which wax I should use??? Souveran Paste Wax or Pure Carnauba Wax??
The wax would be use every time I wash the car and full detail 2x a year. So which wax do u recommend? beyond the one that I listed above plz

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by faze335i

So after full detail which is wash, clay, chemical cleaner, and sealant I'm stuck to which wax I should use??? Souveran Paste Wax or Pure Carnauba Wax??
The wax would be use every time I wash the car and full detail 2x a year. So which wax do u recommend? beyond the one that I listed above plz

Either wax will really help enhance the depth and gloss of the paint. The Pure Carnauba Wax will out last Souveran, however I would bet that Souveran will have a deeper and wetter finish.

Keep in mind to maintain this look, you'll want to reapply your wax every 3 - 6 weeks, which is about how long the waxes will last.

George

[rock14]

George,

I purchased a few products from you a few months back. I did my first major detail job, and I can't seem to clean up the black outline of the window where the front door meets the rear door. I'm not too sure of the material, but again it's part of the door.

It has what looks like smudge marks on it and I've tried cleaning it with spray and swipe, a MF cloth with soapy water, and it won't clean up.

Any recommendations? Hopefully I explained the piece that I'm having a problem with.

Thanks in advance!

Rock

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by rock14

George,

I purchased a few products from you a few months back. I did my first major detail job, and I can't seem to clean up the black outline of the window where the front door meets the rear door. I'm not too sure of the material, but again it's part of the door.

It has what looks like smudge marks on it and I've tried cleaning it with spray and swipe, a MF cloth with soapy water, and it won't clean up.

Any recommendations? Hopefully I explained the piece that I'm having a problem with.

Thanks in advance!

Rock

Rock,

I'd first try prepping the surface with some isopropyl alcohol and distilled water to see if that puts a budge on the smudges. Then I'd try a safe all purpose cleaner, like P21S Total Auto Wash, which is a paint safe citrus degreaser. It will also work on plastic, vinyl, carpet, and much more, so I know it'd be safe for cleaning the area you are talking about. If that doesn't do the trick, some sort of chemical cleaner or polish might be my next resort.

George

[Lshaw]

Hey i have a question. I have a Jet Black 335xi.
-It is about 1 year old.

My products im about to buy are....
-Zaino ZPC for a polish
-Zaino Z2 Pro for a sealant
Do you think those two products will do well with Jet Black? If not what products do you recondmend for a my Jet Black Car? I want a nice SHine =)

Also, What kind of Clay do you recommend? And what kind of Quick Detailer and Other Products do i need with Clay?

What Should i use to apply the Polish and Sealant by hand? A MF Towel? Polish Pad? Terry Towel?


Thank you!

P.S. PLease PM Me i would like to buy some products from your site and i see in your sig. that there is a 10% discount for us here on e90post.com

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by l3n1356

Hey i have a question. I have a Jet Black 335xi.
-It is about 1 year old.

My products im about to buy are....
-Zaino ZPC for a polish
-Zaino Z2 Pro for a sealant
Do you think those two products will do well with Jet Black? If not what products do you recondmend for a my Jet Black Car? I want a nice SHine =)

Also, What kind of Clay do you recommend? And what kind of Quick Detailer and Other Products do i need with Clay?

What Should i use to apply the Polish and Sealant by hand? A MF Towel? Polish Pad? Terry Towel?


Thank you!

P.S. PLease PM Me i would like to buy some products from your site and i see in your sig. that there is a 10% discount for us here on e90post.com

For a clay bar, I'd suggest the Clay Magic Fine Grade bar. The medium grade bars are more aggressive and I usually only recommend using one if you have a lot of paint overspray to remove. For a quick detailer / clay lube to go along with the clay bar, I'd suggest using the Poorboy's Spray & Wipe product. It's a very versatile product, waterless wash, quick detailer, clay lube, etc. When I use it as a clay bar lubricant, I dilute it 1:1 with distilled water to help extend the usage.

When it comes to applying a polish or sealant by hand, I usually turn to a standard foam applicator pad. These seem to work well when trying to break down a polish by hand, compared to a MF applicator pad, and best of all they are pretty cost effective. For product removal, I'd suggest investing in some quality microfiber towels. I turn to our all purpose microfiber towels when it comes to removing polishes, sealants and wax. For quick detailing I like a thicker nap towel, but for product removal, a medium nap is what I look for.

If you have any other questions or need a hand selecting any products, please do not hesitate to ask.

George

[akphan]

My apologies if it's already been covered, but what are some things to look for when choosing a professional detailer? Are there questions I should be asking? I'm a newbie so any help would be great.

Also, does anyone have recommendations for a good detailer in the San Jose area?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by akphan

My apologies if it's already been covered, but what are some things to look for when choosing a professional detailer? Are there questions I should be asking? I'm a newbie so any help would be great.

Also, does anyone have recommendations for a good detailer in the San Jose area?

When looking for a professional detailer, the main things to find out are if they plan on correcting paint imperfections by using abrasive polishes or just fill them in temporary. If they are correcting paint imperfections with abrasive polishes, find out what type of buffer they plan on using. If they are using a rotary style buffer compared to a random orbital, I'd ask for references or to see some of their work first hand. Using a rotary buffer introduces the risks of adding holograms, swirls, marring and potentially burning your paint and trim. While detailers are becoming more skilled with the rotary, there are still more people out there who do more damage than good.

Try to research parts of the detail yourself before going and looking for a detailer. The more knowledgeable you sound going to him, the clearer your expectations will be. I'd suggest reading over our auto detailing guide to learn about the major detailing steps and you can generate some questions off of your reading, like how does he wash the vehicle, will they use a clay bar, what does he plan on topping the car with a sealant or wax, etc.

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

George

[nmulax]

George,
When you have a chance, could you read this.


I have a few more questions as well.

- Is there much of a difference in the lubricity (if that's the right word) between the Zaino wash vs. Poorboys, CG, etc?
- I know you like the Poorboys APC for the tires and engine. Is that safe for the stock wheels, or will it damage them?
- I know I should know this; but when I clay my car, will that pull off the existing layer of Zaino?

For anyone who knows this...
When detailing the engine, exactly which components on the E9x need to be covered/protected from the water?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by nmulax

George,
When you have a chance, could you read this.

I have a few more questions as well.

- Is there much of a difference in the lubricity (if that's the right word) between the Zaino wash vs. Poorboys, CG, etc? I've only used the Poorboy's SS&S out of the ones you've listed, so I cannot give an accurate comparison between them. We will be stocking Chemical Guys products in the near future, so I'm excited to try them out.
- I know you like the Poorboys APC for the tires and engine. Is that safe for the stock wheels, or will it damage them? For OEM wheels, the Poorboy's APC is fine, however, if you have a set of high polished wheels, it can lead to oxidation if you didn't dilute the APC the proper amount. A safer all around degreaser is P21S Total Auto Wash, which is citrus based and is safe on virtually all surfaces.
- I know I should know this; but when I clay my car, will that pull off the existing layer of Zaino? Yes, if it doesn't remove it completely, it will certainly minimize the durability.

For anyone who knows this...
When detailing the engine, exactly which components on the E9x need to be covered/protected from the water? Of the last 50 or so engine details I've performed, I haven't covered anything. Unless there's an open filter, like a cold air intake, most components are designed to withstand some water.

I'll take a look at the other thread and provide some feedback.

Regards,

George

[UncleWede]

I had no problems after using PoorBoys on the stock wheels, and the runflats look pretty sweet when cleaned with it.