[E31BMW]

Hey, i recently got my car detailed ( compound/wax). The people doing the job had no clue what they were doing and they car looks like it got a 145 dollar wash..... anyway, the car is a little over a year old ( JET BLACK) and has a ton of swirls, any products you would recommend to restore the paint? Thanks

[Noc57]

Originally Posted by e31e92

Hey, i recently got my car detailed ( compound/wax). The people doing the job had no clue what they were doing and they car looks like it got a 145 dollar wash..... anyway, the car is a little over a year old ( JET BLACK) and has a ton of swirls, any products you would recommend to restore the paint? Thanks

Meguiars and Zaino have always worked well for me. As for getting out swirls you'll need an orbital/rotary. PC cable is a great tool for beginners, but for the more nasty swirls I'd recommend something that generates a little more heat. If you have no experience with paint correction I would not recommend trying this out on your $50K BMW. Do yourself a favor and have it professionally detailed by someone who's familiar with BMW's Jet Black. As you found out there's alot of hacks out there that have no idea what they're doing. Proper research is key and ask around here on the local car forums.

FYI, Jet black is the most pain in the ass color I've ever owned. You will get swirls no matter what you do. The key is minimizing them. (No machine washes, and proper hand washing technique).

[Barbera335]

Originally Posted by Noc57

FYI, Jet black is the most pain in the ass color I've ever owned. You will get swirls no matter what you do. The key is minimizing them. (No machine washes, and proper hand washing technique).

+1000, I had a Jet Black E46 that lived the most pampered life of any car I've ever owned and it still managed to find some very minor swirls. As you said the key is minimizing them. I loved the color but I'm not sure I would buy another Jet Black car.

[E31BMW]

Originally Posted by Noc57

Meguiars and Zaino have always worked well for me. As for getting out swirls you'll need an orbital/rotary. PC cable is a great tool for beginners, but for the more nasty swirls I'd recommend something that generates a little more heat. If you have no experience with paint correction I would not recommend trying this out on your $50K BMW. Do yourself a favor and have it professionally detailed by someone who's familiar with BMW's Jet Black. As you found out there's alot of hacks out there that have no idea what they're doing. Proper research is key and ask around here on the local car forums.

FYI, Jet black is the most pain in the ass color I've ever owned. You will get swirls no matter what you do. The key is minimizing them. (No machine washes, and proper hand washing technique).

Thanks, i tried looking for a pro in my area with no luck. I am probably going to try the do it yourself approach since this is a lease . Thanks for the help

[Quasimodem]

Originally Posted by e31e92

Thanks, i tried looking for a pro in my area with no luck. I am probably going to try the do it yourself approach since this is a lease . Thanks for the help

You need to do research in the Cosmetic and Lighting Modifications subgroup, maybe some in the DIY subgroup too. There are some awesome instructions on doing your own detailing.

[MuttGrunt]

First off - where do you live, perhaps I can give you a recommendation.

Second off, going to a low end detailer can often be dangerous and an expensive mistake. Be careful when allowing someone to perform procedures on your car that could potentially ruin the finish. I've seen many people try to save a few bucks on their expensive car, and end up spending many times more than they should have because of damaged paint/wheels.

You can certainly learn to do some things yourself depending on your motivation and time available. If nothing else, look into good maintenance and you'll keep your car looking good for much longer.