[BSM n54iS]

Hey guys,

Decided to take on the project of detailing my BSM this weekend, I've come to realize I really haven't been doing the right thing over the years and effectively have added more defects than not. I started off last weekend actually with meguiars gold class wash and clay, then tested on a section of the hood using setting 5 for the compound, 4 for the sealant:

Griots Garage 6.5" orbital
Griots Garage complete compound w/ FAST finishing pad
Griots Garage one time sealant with orange pad

Here are the results:





You can see it left a bunch of deeper scratches behind, so I said to myself I need meguiars m105. Picked that up along with the m205, went to the trunk for this test. Worked very well except 2 or so scratches still remained...

(at the very top of the lid)


Section of the hood:




So now I'm saying I guess I need a MF cutting disc with the m105 to get these out. I've now got GG FAST cutting disc, chemical guys citrus wash, new waffle weave drying towel and mf detail towels, mf wash detergent, chemical guys hex pads and cleaner along with blacklight and Pete's '53 wax.

My question is now looking at the rest of my car and comparing to others' paint condition before correcting, do you think I even need M105? Or better to perfect my technique, apply more force etc. with polish? Is it best or safe to mix and match the m105 where needed and use m205 everywhere else, or just be safe and use m105 all around?





Hard for me to grab photos on a dark car, but there is a decent amount of swirls... less than average I'd say, in the paint along with a random assortment of deeper scratches. Thanks for any advice you can throw my way

[Jaronbwall]

I'm no expert but you did a great job. I looking to detail and correct the paint on my 335i. I'm practicing on my daily beater car for now to learn the techniques. Jet Black paint is a b**ch!

[cpie168]

Most important lesson I learned is to make a mark on the edge of the backing plate with a black marker, so you can see the pad is spinning when you’re buffing. If you can keep the pad spinning then you’re doing it right. If not then you’re putting too much pressure.

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by Jarronbwall

I'm no expert but you did a great job. I looking to detail and correct the paint on my 335i. I'm practicing on my daily beater car for now to learn the techniques. Jet Black paint is a b**ch!

Thanks! I can tell you BSM is no walk in the park either

Originally Posted by cpie168

Most important lesson I learned is to make a mark on the edge of the backing plate with a black marker, so you can see the pad is spinning when you’re buffing. If you can keep the pad spinning then you’re doing it right. If not then you’re putting too much pressure.

Yep put several marks all around in a circle before I ever started, definitely helped speed up the learning curve on that aspect.

Basically my biggest worry right now is do I start off and just use a micro-fiber cutting pad for the entire car, or panel by panel....start off with polish, if not enough move to m105 on an orange pad? Still not enough THEN go with m105 on the mf cutting pad? Worried about going over and over on the same section.

[jkrig]

You have any before pic?....Looks good, there are some defects still def not bad for first time and BSM ......Not saying you didn't do any of these things but just some suggestions, try to perfect your process with test spots before moving to the rest of the car, get the results you want then rinse/repeat. How many pads did you use? ..IMHO you can never have too many. I like to change every panel or so if I'm using a compound, general rule of thumb, the heavier the correction the more pads you should use, unless you have a pad washer.. If you should decide to chase the remaining defects try to keep your pads clean, clean them after every pass especially with m105 and mf pads, m105 will dust on you and cleaning your pads really helps in getting consistent results, blowing them out with filtered compressed air is ideal, if not a stiff brush will do the trick. Any panel you hit with 105 and a mf cutting pad is going to need and final polish with 205. No issue at all using diff technique/product on different panels..some panels may have more less defects, been repainted etc...

Ohh and word of note on m105 it can be slightly tricky to work with especially if you haven't used it before, its not rocket science but even pros prefer something a little cleaner to work with. I can't speak on GG Complete Compound as I have never used it but its the consumer line so yeah...GG Fast Correcting Cream is super easy to use cuts great. No problems following up with m205. If you already have m105 and just want to roll with it try misting your pad with a little deteail spray before each pass it will help cut down on the dust....k ranted enough, looking forward to your progress/results!!

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by jkrig

You have any before pic?....Looks good, there are some defects still def not bad for first time and BSM ......Not saying you didn't do any of these things but just some suggestions, try to perfect your process with test spots before moving to the rest of the car, get the results you want then rinse/repeat. How many pads did you use? ..IMHO you can never have too many. I like to change every panel or so if I'm using a compound, general rule of thumb, the heavier the correction the more pads you should use, unless you have a pad washer.. If you should decide to chase the remaining defects try to keep your pads clean, clean them after every pass especially with m105 and mf pads, m105 will dust on you and cleaning your pads really helps in getting consistent results, blowing them out with filtered compressed air is ideal, if not a stiff brush will do the trick. Any panel you hit with 105 and a mf cutting pad is going to need and final polish with 205. No issue at all using diff technique/product on different panels..some panels may have more less defects, been repainted etc...

Ohh and word of note on m105 it can be slightly tricky to work with especially if you haven't used it before, its not rocket science but even pros prefer something a little cleaner to work with. I can't speak on GG Complete Compound as I have never used it but its the consumer line so yeah...GG Fast Correcting Cream is super easy to use cuts great. No problems following up with m205. If you already have m105 and just want to roll with it try misting your pad with a little deteail spray before each pass it will help cut down on the dust....k ranted enough, looking forward to your progress/results!!

I could've used this excellent advice a few days ago!

I actually just finished up m105/205 on the whole car and am pretty happy with the results, I'll post some before/after in the next post.

So I ended up doing how you suggested and stopped trying to over-think it, just started on a 2'x2' section. Started with the least abrasive green pad and 105, no good..then just moved to the orange cutting pad and was happy with that section. I prefer 105 actually bc of the short working time, instead of having to make so many passes I was getting away with 2. BUT I would make the initial 2 passes, then apply another small 3 drops of 105 and I found water worked better to mist the pad for 105, I sprayed detail for the 205 on the white pad (1 spray each) I only had 1 full set of the CG hex logic pads, but I cleaned them after every single section with the cleaner and rubbed them on a terry cloth towel. Cleaned them twice at night too for the next days work (it took me a while lol) Also I found I had to switch to the yellow cutting pad for all the side panels and front bumper. The hood, trunk, rear bumper and rear quarter panels the orange pad took everything out, I felt that I didn't wanna go with the mf cutting disc even though I had it brand new. Felt it would be too extreme of taking material out for the results. But let me know what you think!

[BSM n54iS]

Before:



After:



Same panel same spot, top is done the bottom is ^



Before on hood:





After:

[BSM n54iS]

Oh yea... m105 was dusting like CRAZY on me, and unfortunately right after I finished I was pressed for time to go somewhere so I had to drive before I could put CG Blacklight and Pete's '53 wax on there. It'll be a while til I drive again too so I figure the best thing would be to re-wash, clay just in case, then straight to the BL and wax?

[jkrig]

Very nice!! Great work!! Seems you found a rhythm.....usually the hardest part is gaining confidence in the products and your process, once you get over that sky's the limit.

[BSM n54iS]

Originally Posted by jkrig

Very nice!! Great work!! Seems you found a rhythm.....usually the hardest part is gaining confidence in the products and your process, once you get over that sky's the limit.

Thank you sir! Yea definitely got in the groove after I was over the learning curve and gained that confidence in using a power tool on my BMW paint lol.

I was gonna say and for others reading, I found instead of wiping off the m105 compound residue after a few passes I just went straight to the m205 right over the 105. Just have to do one final wipe, very easy to clean up and it seemed to give a better finish I thought. Taping off all the sections and just doing one at a time really helped, seemed to keep me disciplined and I ended up working faster too. And I also ended up taking my bathroom scale to the garage to feel what 9-14lb of pressure (junkman rec.) was like

[SHEEDI]

good job, but I want to see your results like below, you need more practice, feel free to ask me anything

[originalgoods13]

At first, I kept the orange foam pad and FG400 combination and it worked great on metal surfaces.

Yellow cutting foam pad works better on plastic fenders and bumper covers.

These days I use purple cutting foam pad on my BSM vehicle and seems to work well.

Beware of creases and corners, I've burned one small patch at the door edge by not paying attention (was using 3" on GG with Gray cutting foam pad).

I use Lake Country foam pads and Menzerna FG400 and SF4500 exclusively.

[Andy198712]

do you just ovoid the creases and corners then?

[originalgoods13]

Trim a regular painter's tape and tape the edges and creases.