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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > polishing piano black exterior pieces?....



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      08-08-2013, 12:42 PM   #1
miker2013
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polishing piano black exterior pieces?....

is there any way to polish fine swirls (or cover them with glaze) on the piano black pieces on our cars?

on my e92, I am talking about the trim around the windows and the pieces of plastic that attach the side mirrors to the car and the plastic trim around the actual side mirrors


I have a feeling their probably is not... I tried a bit of plastic x on the underside of the mirror as a test spot and it didn't seem to help altho I didn't work it in much

what about a filler to make swirls less noticeable?


thanks
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      08-09-2013, 11:04 AM   #2
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so I tried plastx and a cleaner wax w/microfiber... took out some but left a lot of little scratches and swirls

any thoughts? I can try to hit the bigger spots w/ my flex but most of these black piano pieces are so curved and small, it will be hard to get them with anything but a microfiber towel
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      08-09-2013, 09:47 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by miker2013 View Post
so I tried plastx and a cleaner wax w/microfiber... took out some but left a lot of little scratches and swirls

any thoughts? I can try to hit the bigger spots w/ my flex but most of these black piano pieces are so curved and small, it will be hard to get them with anything but a microfiber towel
3 inch pads.
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      08-09-2013, 11:51 PM   #4
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+1 on the 3" inch pad. A rotary with an extension/adapter would be the ideal tool for those tight spots. A GG 3" will also work but it might take a bit longer. Do be careful since these are plastic parts. They have a tendency to heat up hotter and quicker than a regular panel.
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      08-10-2013, 12:39 AM   #5
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thx.... decided to bite the bullet and add the 3" gg to my arsenal, it will be useful for polishing/waxing smaller surfaces
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      08-10-2013, 05:31 AM   #6
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thx.... decided to bite the bullet and add the 3" gg to my arsenal, it will be useful for polishing/waxing smaller surfaces
I personally would get the Griots Garage 6 dual action polisher and put a 3 inch backing plate on it. The Griots Garage 3 is pretty weak and takes forever to correct anything. You can also get an upholstery brush to clean leather seats.
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      08-10-2013, 09:32 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Otruba_843 View Post
I personally would get the Griots Garage 6 dual action polisher and put a 3 inch backing plate on it. The Griots Garage 3 is pretty weak and takes forever to correct anything. You can also get an upholstery brush to clean leather seats.
really appreciate the help, one more question....

I have the 6" gg now..... so the 3" flexible back plate will fit the 3"

then I will use 3" gg pads?

thanks
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      08-10-2013, 09:56 AM   #8
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Don't forget you can polish the small pieces easily with a microfiber and some polish. The fender flares on my M Sport X5 were done by hand. Works great.
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      08-10-2013, 12:17 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by miker2013 View Post
really appreciate the help, one more question....

I have the 6" gg now..... so the 3" flexible back plate will fit the 3"

then I will use 3" gg pads?

thanks
I use the 3 inch Lake Country Hydrotech pads.
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      08-12-2013, 12:00 PM   #10
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So I just went at the same piece you're talking about this past weekend and boy are they covered with some soft ass paint. I used m105/m205 with 3" mf pad/3" foam pad respectively. It removed at least 80% of the swirling, but i would have to spend a lot more time with the 205 to perfect it out. Make sure to tape both sides. I got some polish in the cracks and it is not fun to brush out.
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      08-12-2013, 09:36 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wangsta View Post
So I just went at the same piece you're talking about this past weekend and boy are they covered with some soft ass paint. I used m105/m205 with 3" mf pad/3" foam pad respectively. It removed at least 80% of the swirling, but i would have to spend a lot more time with the 205 to perfect it out. Make sure to tape both sides. I got some polish in the cracks and it is not fun to brush out.
good to know.... i ordered one of those 2.5" ball buster cleaners from cg, i will see how that does with a little polish as well

i also ordered, on otruba_843's recommendation, some 3" pads and some sg400... looking fwd to trying them out
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      08-17-2013, 09:26 PM   #12
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so I am working on all the external plastics to get out the dealer installed swirls.... my car sat on a lot for 3/4 year before I bot it

amazing results, using my 3"gg with orange pad and wg fg 3.0, took only a couple light passes to remove all the defects on speeds 4-5

check it out

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      08-17-2013, 09:27 PM   #13
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after

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      08-17-2013, 09:28 PM   #14
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be sure to tape all around the trim before starting so as not to get product on the trim or windows
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