[mShu7]

Hey guys, forum member Pej (aka "Pej Diddy") contacted me to get his 328i prepped for winter. Here's the run down of the detail.

Optimum Power Clean 3:1 to clean wheels, tires, wells, & exhaust tips
Armor All to shine wheel wells
Optimum No Rinse wash
Griot's Garage Paint Cleaning Clay on all paint
Griot's 1-Step Sealant / Meg's yellow polishing pad / Griot's DA
Optimum Metal Polish / #0000 steel wool on exhaust tips
Optimum Opti-Bond on tires
Optimum Car Wax on wheels
Sprayway on glass

BEFORE PICTURES








Exhaust tips after washing but before polishing




AFTER PICTURES
































Questions, comments welcome. Thanks for looking, and a big thanks to Pej for his business!

[lopealle]

Very nice

[datbimmerdoe]

great work

[Gig103]

Very nice! Regarding the exhaust tips, I always thought they were the same alloy as the wheels, which I thought had a clearcoat. Was I wrong, or is the 0000 steel wool just that 'soft' for scrubbing?

[mShu7]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Gig103 - Even though most wheels are clear coated today, I'm not aware of any clear coated exhaust tips. Normally, stainless steel tips are polished to a mirror finish. I don't know what type of metal these were, but they were not the mirror finish type. As you saw from the pics, polishing the tips with the steel wool and Optimum Metal Polish removed all the grime and shined up the tips as much as possible for that type of finished metal. #0000 is perfect for polishing exhaust tips.

[catch]

looks brand new! nice work

[Pej Diddy]

gotta say I was very impressed with Mike. Very professional and helpful. Thanks again Mike!!! I'll see you in the spring.

[mShu7]

Thanks guys, and thanks Pej. I'm looking forward to working on it again.

[Gig103]

Originally Posted by Driven Auto Detail

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Gig103 - Even though most wheels are clear coated today, I'm not aware of any clear coated exhaust tips. Normally, stainless steel tips are polished to a mirror finish. I don't know what type of metal these were, but they were not the mirror finish type. As you saw from the pics, polishing the tips with the steel wool and Optimum Metal Polish removed all the grime and shined up the tips as much as possible for that type of finished metal. #0000 is perfect for polishing exhaust tips.

Thanks Mike. I didn't necessarily think they were clearcoated, but it's the same sort of non-polish finish so I was confused. Elbow grease only gets me so far with mine!

[Brentster]

Nice work! How do you like the Griot's One Step Polish / Sealant? I have the #2 & 3 polishes and they're a real chore to wipe off.

[mShu7]

Brentster,

Thanks for the kind words. The 1-Step Sealant is the only polish I've used in the Griot's line-up. For dedicated polishing, I go to Menzerna, Optimum, or Meguiar's (depending on the situation).

As far as the 1-Step Sealant is concerned, I absolutely love it. It's a easy to work with and it's a breeze to wipe off whether I do it right after I'm finished working it or if I leave it on the paint while I work on the rest of the car. It also leaves an incredible shine. Another high-end detailer near me got me on it. He said he used it for one-step jobs so I thought I'd give it a shot because I really hadn't found a one-step that I loved. Griot's 1-Step fit the bill for me. I love it!

It also helps that their warehouse in Plainfield, IN is about 20 minutes away from my house.

[mv57]

Looks great. No waiting for a clear spell of weather to do mine.