[railesq]

Should I have asked before buying? Perhaps, but I think it'll work out.

So I have, on hand, Orange and Black (3x each) pads with a PC 7424XP. I've used them with Klasse AIO and Klasse SG previously, which I also have on hand. I've been happy with the results (and likely will like them more when I shift them down pad levels, AIO on black and SG on white).

However, I'm taking on a much harder job coming up - 240k miles of Midwestern driving abuse. My plan is this:

Wash (with Dawn, to get every last bit of crap product from car washes off)
Clay bar - Meguires or DI clay, whichever is closer to my hand that day
Menzerna FG400 with LC Orange
Menzerna SG4000 with LC Black
Klasse AIO with LC Black
Klasse SG with LC White

This'll be a difficult job, as the paint hasn't been touched by someone who knows what they're doing in 10 years. Am I missing anything? I know I should be starting with the least abrasive first, and normally I'd be nervous, but this car definitely needs something with good cut.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by railesq

Should I have asked before buying? Perhaps, but I think it'll work out.

So I have, on hand, Orange and Black (3x each) pads with a PC 7424XP. I've used them with Klasse AIO and Klasse SG previously, which I also have on hand. I've been happy with the results (and likely will like them more when I shift them down pad levels, AIO on black and SG on white).

However, I'm taking on a much harder job coming up - 240k miles of Midwestern driving abuse. My plan is this:

Wash (with Dawn, to get every last bit of crap product from car washes off)
Clay bar - Meguires or DI clay, whichever is closer to my hand that day
Menzerna FG400 with LC Orange
Menzerna SG4000 with LC Black
Klasse AIO with LC Black
Klasse SG with LC White

This'll be a difficult job, as the paint hasn't been touched by someone who knows what they're doing in 10 years. Am I missing anything? I know I should be starting with the least abrasive first, and normally I'd be nervous, but this car definitely needs something with good cut.

I think you'll do great on the job. Here's some stuff I would adjust base don the supplies you have.

There's no point to use a white pad with KSG as you're only looking to apply, so use a black pad with that. I would use a white pad with SF4000 (I assume you mistyped that SG4000) if necessary but if not, a black pad should be fine too. The rest looks good, but as you said, you should try a less aggressive combo (maybe FG400 and white) and see how that does.

Let us know how it goes.

Ivan @ DI

[railesq]

Yes, typo. And I got white and black confused, which, you'd think, being opposites...but whatever! I'm set straight now. It's a thing I'm doing for my dad, and I get the car next week, but I'll have it for 2 months or so. Likely 4th of July weekend I'll tackle the thing.

Thank you!

[Sergiokzn]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

I think you'll do great on the job. Here's some stuff I would adjust base don the supplies you have.

There's no point to use a white pad with KSG as you're only looking to apply, so use a black pad with that. I would use a white pad with SF4000 (I assume you mistyped that SG4000) if necessary but if not, a black pad should be fine too. The rest looks good, but as you said, you should try a less aggressive combo (maybe FG400 and white) and see how that does.

Let us know how it goes.

Ivan @ DI

Hi, i`ve read a lot of your posts but didn`t seem to find anything about using those "absorbo" (i believe that`s what they called) towels, you know the ones Walmart and auto zone sells..they have some kind of rubbery structure..So i was just wondering if they are safe to use before MF towel dry. Also is using a waterblade good for a clear coat? Because sometimes it makes that squeaky sound when dragging on a paint and it just kills me. Thank you!

[Sergiokzn]

Nevermind about the waterblade, just found your post about it on a previous page

[Sergiokzn]

But what about those "absorbo" things?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Sergiokzn

But what about those "absorbo" things?

The issue with those is that there's no "give" to them. Which means that if there's a particle stuck under it and you're dragging it across your paint, you're almost definitely causing some decent swirling or scratching. So if you do use them, you should simply blot dry by placing the "absorbo" (I think one is called the Absorber) on the paint to collect some water, then lifting straight up. I have owned a few long time ago and found that they don't last too long either, but I know there were some high quality ones that lasted quite a bit if maintained well. I would still recommend just using something like our Waffle Weave Drying Towel because it will be able to both blot dry but also wipe dry safely and effectively.

Ivan @ DI

[dshergill]

Quick question! I was looking into getting a pressure washer to use when I wash my car but wasn't sure what psi to go with. What is the highest psi I can go without running the risk of damaging my paint? Thanks in advance

[SHEEDI]

Originally Posted by Sergiokzn

Hi, i`ve read a lot of your posts but didn`t seem to find anything about using those "absorbo" (i believe that`s what they called) towels, you know the ones Walmart and auto zone sells..they have some kind of rubbery structure..So i was just wondering if they are safe to use before MF towel dry. Also is using a waterblade good for a clear coat? Because sometimes it makes that squeaky sound when dragging on a paint and it just kills me. Thank you!

Absorbent Shammy "rubbery material"

[LeggoMyE990]

Hey cool post, great info.

I have a 2 questions to ask.

First question, If im going to Zaino my car: wash, dry, claybar. Can I just go stright to applying the z2? or would I need to polish the car first with zpc?

And also, If im claybaring my car, it requires use of a quickdetailer or some sort, do I just use any quickdetailer with the claybar? Would the zaino z2 work with what ever quickdetailer was used?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by dshergill

Quick question! I was looking into getting a pressure washer to use when I wash my car but wasn't sure what psi to go with. What is the highest psi I can go without running the risk of damaging my paint? Thanks in advance

Unfortunately (or fortunately I guess ) I never had the chance to find out the maximum PSI before damaging paint. When I use a pressure washer, it's normally in the 1500psi range. Also keep in mind to use a good nozzle/tip so that it both fans the water out to the sides and also maybe spreads it out so it's not all one stream going directly at the paint. Be careful with pinstripes, stickers, emblems, etc. at basically any pressure.

Originally Posted by LeggoMyE990

Hey cool post, great info.

I have a 2 questions to ask.

First question, If im going to Zaino my car: wash, dry, claybar. Can I just go stright to applying the z2? or would I need to polish the car first with zpc?

And also, If im claybaring my car, it requires use of a quickdetailer or some sort, do I just use any quickdetailer with the claybar? Would the zaino z2 work with what ever quickdetailer was used?

I'm not too familiar with the Zaino system, but polishing is definitely recommended before sealing the paint, especially if you're going to use a claybar beforehand. For the quick detailer, you'll want to use something that has plenty lube, so it may be a good option to look into dedicated clay lubes, such as Nanoskin Glide or Dodo Juice Born Slippy, instead of a generic clay bar. Hope that helps!

Ivan @ DI

[xarnum]

I started to clean my steering wheel with Lexol leather cleaner. Its been a while but the towel seemed especially black and then i noticed what appears to be discoloration on the wheel. Is the lexol removing dye? have I gone to far?

[SHEEDI]

Originally Posted by xarnum

I started to clean my steering wheel with Lexol leather cleaner. Its been a while but the towel seemed especially black and then i noticed what appears to be discoloration on the wheel. Is the lexol removing dye? have I gone to far?

yep, its removing dye

[PichaDis11]

So winter is upon us here in the North. and I need scratches gone and some protection on the car before winter hits again.

This is my first time trying to get involve with polishing an compounding on my car so I'm in need of a good starter kit to get me going. So i'm looking for pads, polish etc. Any help is very appreciated.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by PichaDis11

So winter is upon us here in the North. and I need scratches gone and some protection on the car before winter hits again.

This is my first time trying to get involve with polishing an compounding on my car so I'm in need of a good starter kit to get me going. So i'm looking for pads, polish etc. Any help is very appreciated.

Happy to help. As always, I'll need to know whether or not you have any existing products/tools (whether it's simple wash stuff, clay/decon stuff, or even some polishing materials), whether or not you plan on doing the polishing by hand or machine and lastly if you have a certain budget in mind?

Once I know all that, I can make a proper recommendation for a starter kit.

Thanks,
Ivan @ DI

[PichaDis11]

Thanks Ivan.
so at the moment what I do have is a little meguire kit that has clay bar, quick detailer, applicator pads wax and compound. Helped me last year to get rid of some scratches and water spots on the hood. What I picked up the other day was a 6" orbital from harbor freight. To ease time on manual labor though I'm in no rush. Other than than those, I have two buckets and some microfiber towels.

[Weezey]

Looking for recommendations on materials as well. I have decided on one of your packages that includes the PC 7424XP so machine is taken care of. I have also decided to start by trying the polishes from Griots.

What I have no clue on are what pads to use and at what steps. I plan to clay the car first; after washing of course. With the Griots polishes, should I start with 1 and work all the way through 4? If so, which pad for each step? Which pad for applying sealant? Is there any value in trying their one step sealant/polish first and seeing the results and if so, what pad for that?

I should say that I live in Florida and recently purchased my 2006 330i; which was a one owner Florida car and has 68K miles. The paint has fine swirls but nothing else. I'll try to attach a picture of the trunk lid but I don't know if the swirls will come through.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by PichaDis11

Thanks Ivan.
so at the moment what I do have is a little meguire kit that has clay bar, quick detailer, applicator pads wax and compound. Helped me last year to get rid of some scratches and water spots on the hood. What I picked up the other day was a 6" orbital from harbor freight. To ease time on manual labor though I'm in no rush. Other than than those, I have two buckets and some microfiber towels.

Sounds like you're on the right track. You're basically going to need some pads and polishes, along with microfiber towels for paint, tape (unless you wish to buy locally) and possibly a better sealant.

For polishing, I would recommend the Menzerna kit as it has pretty much every polish you'll ever need for any paint along with the sealant. For the pads, you can go with the 7 pad or 14 pad kit from Lake Country. There are various microfiber towels available, but my favorite are Meg's Supreme Shine or the DI Great White towels. Lastly, we have multiple sizes for tape, but I mainly use the 3M 18mm performance tape.
That should cover the bulk of it.

Originally Posted by Weezey

Looking for recommendations on materials as well. I have decided on one of your packages that includes the PC 7424XP so machine is taken care of. I have also decided to start by trying the polishes from Griots.

What I have no clue on are what pads to use and at what steps. I plan to clay the car first; after washing of course. With the Griots polishes, should I start with 1 and work all the way through 4? If so, which pad for each step? Which pad for applying sealant? Is there any value in trying their one step sealant/polish first and seeing the results and if so, what pad for that?

I should say that I live in Florida and recently purchased my 2006 330i; which was a one owner Florida car and has 68K miles. The paint has fine swirls but nothing else. I'll try to attach a picture of the trunk lid but I don't know if the swirls will come through.

Weezey, unfortunately I don't have much experience at all with Griot's polishes, however you would want to start with 4 and see how it goes, before using anything more aggressive. I'm also not sure how different the 2 and 3 are, so you may only need one of those. Again, not being familiar with them, I can't really say how they will work.

As for the pads, as noted above you can look into a pad kit from Lake Country. I mainly use their orange and crimson foam pads. You would use the orange with something like the griot's polish 1 or 2 and then the finer crimson pad with 3 or 4.

I would go with an actual polish to correct those swirl marks as they don't look horrible, then a good sealant to protect it. Not sure if the all in one is your best option here, unless you want to slightly improve it without much work.

Ivan @ DI

[Weezey]

Thanks for the response, Ivan. You are right, the swirl marks aren't all that bad but there is another issue. Along the front fender I can see what looks like "drip lines"; almost as if when you leave soap on too long and the sun dries it before you can rinse. It is too faint to come up in pictures and when I run my hand across it, there is nothing noticeable. Thoughts on correcting this?

Also, I probably should have just asked you what product(s) you would recommend for my color (Sparkling Graphite Metallic). If I was placing an order wanting everything to end up with the best looking daily driver in the parking lot, what would that recommendation be?

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to your thoughts so I can get that order placed!

[PAT3L]

Hey,
I recently got a new full body paint job on my e90 BMW 323i and noticed heavy orange peel, is there any way to get rid of the orange peel without wet sanding? I've asked around and to get it professionally done it would cost over $1000, which I don't want to spend. Is it possible to buff it off or no other option but wet sanding?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Weezey

Thanks for the response, Ivan. You are right, the swirl marks aren't all that bad but there is another issue. Along the front fender I can see what looks like "drip lines"; almost as if when you leave soap on too long and the sun dries it before you can rinse. It is too faint to come up in pictures and when I run my hand across it, there is nothing noticeable. Thoughts on correcting this?

Also, I probably should have just asked you what product(s) you would recommend for my color (Sparkling Graphite Metallic). If I was placing an order wanting everything to end up with the best looking daily driver in the parking lot, what would that recommendation be?

Thanks in advance. Looking forward to your thoughts so I can get that order placed!

I'd say for that faint "drip line" you may need to simply try a light polish, even by hand, to see if and how easily it comes off. Other than that, I really have no better suggestion with seeing it, at least in a photo.

As for the products, I can make a list for you but it's not going to be color specific. Polishes, such as Meguiar's 105 and 205, will remove swirl marks and defects to make any paint color look great. Same with sealant/waxes... they protect the hard work you put into polishing and making the paint look great, adding a bit more shine/gloss. I like Menzerna Power Lock as a paint sealant, but have been using the new 22PLE VS1 as well.

As I said above, I can surely make a list of products for you, just let me know what exactly you're looking to do, such as polishing (if so, by machine or by hand) or only wax/sealant, etc.?

Originally Posted by PAT3L

Hey,
I recently got a new full body paint job on my e90 BMW 323i and noticed heavy orange peel, is there any way to get rid of the orange peel without wet sanding? I've asked around and to get it professionally done it would cost over $1000, which I don't want to spend. Is it possible to buff it off or no other option but wet sanding?

It's possible to knock it down and improve it to some extent with heavy polishing, but wetsanding is the only way to really fix it completely. Either way, if you decide to fix or improve the orange peel look, be sure it's done by someone who knows what they're doing and paint measurements are taken. You may need to get a coat of clear put on if the paint is on the thin side and wetsanding removes enough of it.

Ivan @ DI

[mbanks21]

Originally Posted by PAT3L

Hey,
I recently got a new full body paint job on my e90 BMW 323i and noticed heavy orange peel, is there any way to get rid of the orange peel without wet sanding? I've asked around and to get it professionally done it would cost over $1000, which I don't want to spend. Is it possible to buff it off or no other option but wet sanding?

Check out Carpro Denim pads. There's a few videos of them doing a pretty good job of orange peel but they're basically lightly sanding the clearcoat. For $10-15 I'd at least try it before spending $1000