[Jfrisco]

Newbie here. I have a 2011 jet black e90. Paint is pretty good. Minor bird dropping etchings, water spots, swirls and microscratches. My front bumper is filled with very small/fine holes, seems as if someone poked it with small pins. Don't know if it is bug damage or sand from driving in highway. Damage is not very noticeable, it seems to only have touched the clear coat and only visible if your like 5 inches from the front bumper. My gf's black VW has the same issue and she drives alot of highway.

Products I have:
Mothers clay bar
Meguiars scratch x 2.0
Meguiars m205 finishing polish
Backfire black ice diamond sealant
All planned to be performed by hand only.

My questions are which should I use for the scratches/swirls/etchings/water spots? Scratch x or m205...
Can I use either products on the front bumper to correct/improve the small imperfections. Or am I SOL and better off just washing/cloying then sealing it with the blackfire and call it a day.
Will blackfire reduce reoccurrence?
Responses are much appreciated.

[Busa1]

Originally Posted by jbfrisco

Newbie here. I have a 2011 jet black e90. Paint is pretty good. Minor bird dropping etchings, water spots, swirls and microscratches. My front bumper is filled with very small/fine holes, seems as if someone poked it with small pins. Don't know if it is bug damage or sand from driving in highway. Damage is not very noticeable, it seems to only have touched the clear coat and only visible if your like 5 inches from the front bumper. My gf's black VW has the same issue and she drives alot of highway.

Products I have:
Mothers clay bar
Meguiars scratch x 2.0
Meguiars m205 finishing polish
Backfire black ice diamond sealant
All planned to be performed by hand only.

My questions are which should I use for the scratches/swirls/etchings/water spots? Scratch x or m205...
Can I use either products on the front bumper to correct/improve the small imperfections. Or am I SOL and better off just washing/cloying then sealing it with the blackfire and call it a day.
Will blackfire reduce reoccurrence?
Responses are much appreciated.

If you want to perform any paint correction, you will definitely need a DA. If you're trying to save money, you can purchase one from Harbor Freight. Or if you want a better quality one, you can pick up a Porter Cable or Griots Garage DA. I have never used M205, but I have always heard good things about it. I personally use the Menzerna line of products. Just make sure you go with quality pads, microfiber towels, etc. One of the best things you can do is research. Do searches on this forum, Detailed Image and of course watch Youtube videos. Also, when performing paint correction, always start off with the least aggressive method first. After your paint has been corrected, make sure you maintain the paint with the proper washing and drying methods. Good luck.

[psnt1ol]

I echo what Busa1 said.

Its not impossible to get good result by hand....a DA is so much easier and faster as well as getting better results.

Look into the Griot's Garage DA with a 5" backing plate. You will also need some low profile pads (cutting, polishing, finishing). I recommend at the minimum 4 of each.

Prior to doing any work, make sure you study up. Learn about arm speed, pressure, and work area. Its not always about the products. You can compensate inferior products with good techniques but no products can compensate bad techniques.

M205 and M105 is not the most user friendly products for beginners. They were originally created for the pros. The Meguire's Ultimate line are consumer versions. They are much easier to deal with from a beginner's POV.

Good luck.

[Jfrisco]

I was going to avoid using m105 and straight to m205. I wonder if that will help with the mild imperfections. Meguiars scratch x 2.0 is a consumer line product but is a tad more abrasive than the 205 (per other posts). I'm just worried that I may harm the clear coat if I go overboard with the scratch X.

Any one have any experience with just using m205 on its own?

[psnt1ol]

I worked with M205 in the past. I dont use it anymore since there are so much products in the market that IMO are much easier to deal with.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish??? are you trying to do the entire car or just a panel or 2???

[BMB063]

Originally Posted by psnt1ol

I worked with M205 in the past. I dont use it anymore since there are so much products in the market that IMO are much easier to deal with.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish??? are you trying to do the entire car or just a panel or 2???

Good points. I would focus on the panels that need more attention as opposed to the entire car (assuming its not that bad). I did my other car a while back and did WAY too much of car and it took forever. Wished I would have just focused on the problem areas.

Also, my advise is to stay away from the harbor freight products because I got one for my paint correction and it was horrible. The speeds weren't consistent, or too fast, seemed to have a lot of issues. Plus it was heavy. It was half the price, but a PITA when I detailed.

You seem to have all the right products, just look on youtube as to what steps to do and in what order. Don't rush. Be ready to make a day out of it. I got a lot of my products from autogeek.net.

[Jfrisco]

I just wanted to work on certain problem areas... just a few panels

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by jbfrisco

I just wanted to work on certain problem areas... just a few panels

If by hand....how are you applying the polish? Using a foam polish pad?

[Jfrisco]

I was thinking meguiars foam applicator... any advice what I should use that's available at local auto shops?

[psnt1ol]

the foam applicators would take forever and a day......

They are mostly meant for applying wax/sealant. You need something like this.

Polishing Pal
http://www.detailedimage.com/DI-Acce...hing-Pal-P453/

LC pads (cutting, polishing) 3-4 of each

http://www.detailedimage.com/Lake-Co...P58/3-inch-S4/

http://www.detailedimage.com/Lake-Co...P57/3-inch-S4/

To be honest.... if you want to do this right - get this.

http://www.detailedimage.com/Griots-...her-P671/6-S1/

[Jfrisco]

Wow! Thanks!

[HP_HOUND]

This is what I purchased and the results were stunning

http://www.autogeek.net/rupes-menzerna-kit.html

Before I purchased the kit above. I used Meg's M105 followed by M205. I will never use them again after Menzerna. They dust too much and I got better result with Menzerna.

i've owned and used the following products you site:

Mothers clay bar
Meguiars scratch x 2.0
Meguiars m205 finishing polish

Maybe 20 years ago those products were hot, but by today's standards they aren't that good in my experience. I know many people love M105 / M205, but I've read many posts on many forums where the topic was "I discovered Menzerna and it will replace my Meg's line"

[HP_HOUND]

Originally Posted by jbfrisco

I was thinking meguiars foam applicator... any advice what I should use that's available at local auto shops?

Where in South Florida? Auto Geek is in Stuart, FL. close to Palm Beach. You can get the top shelf products there.

[HP_HOUND]

Originally Posted by jbfrisco

All planned to be performed by hand only.

Invest in a D/A. Get a cheaper one. I have a Rupes, but those are $$$. I hear good things about the Girot's Garage machine or get the Harbor Freight machine. By hand isn't going to correct paint

[mlvswoll]

be careful with scratchx 2.0. It has its place, but I took to my black m3 once a few years back for some minor correction with my buffer and i wasn't very fluent with using it at the time. I swirled the piss out of my car and had to pay a good bit to have the car wet sanded and polished to correct the damage I inflicted. Some of the consumer stuff out there is pretty abrasive if you aren't careful. Do your homework.

[mweisdorfer]

Originally Posted by jbfrisco

Newbie here. I have a 2011 jet black e90. Paint is pretty good. Minor bird dropping etchings, water spots, swirls and microscratches. My front bumper is filled with very small/fine holes, seems as if someone poked it with small pins. Don't know if it is bug damage or sand from driving in highway. Damage is not very noticeable, it seems to only have touched the clear coat and only visible if your like 5 inches from the front bumper. My gf's black VW has the same issue and she drives alot of highway.

Products I have:
Mothers clay bar
Meguiars scratch x 2.0
Meguiars m205 finishing polish
Backfire black ice diamond sealant
All planned to be performed by hand only.

My questions are which should I use for the scratches/swirls/etchings/water spots? Scratch x or m205...
Can I use either products on the front bumper to correct/improve the small imperfections. Or am I SOL and better off just washing/cloying then sealing it with the blackfire and call it a day.
Will blackfire reduce reoccurrence?
Responses are much appreciated.

I have a Porter and Cable D/A buffer. I use the chemical guys orange, green and white pads. I also use the 3M PERFECT FINISH series of polishes; they run around $75.00 on eBay or Amazon for 3 (16oz) bottles. You use the orange pad with no. 1, the white pad with no. 2 and the green pad with no. 3. You are gonna want a 5.5" backing plate. The chemical guys sell a nice one.

You should use a sealant/ wax. Blackfire, black ice is a very good product. Backfire sealant should last 5 months.

[drmdvl]

I use a Porter Cable - best investment ever! Powerful enough to get fantastic results but not powerful enough to harm your paint as you learn.
M105 and M205 will get you amazing results but it can be cantankerous to use. My favorite prosumer stuff is Meg's MF correction with D300 and D301 - a little goes a long way, its easy product to work in and take off. I finish with Blackfire Wet Diamond.

Good luck

[SHEEDI]

Hand Only????

do yourself a favour, get it detailed properly by a Professional at least one time and later you can buy products to keep it maintained. Trust me.