3M Perfect-It 2. Can I use for final pass on hard BMW clearcoat?

[Landerholm]

I started out PCing my recently purchased 1998 BMW M3 (silver) with my yellow cutting pad and 3M Finesse-It 2. The car is very lightly swirled but I needed to step up to 3M's Perfect-It 2 to get out some of the heavier swirls....I wasnt too suprised given my experience with BMW's very hard clearcoats.



Normally I would have gone over the car with Klasse AIO after the Finesse-It 2 and then waxed it and been done.



Im wondering if I can still do the same after using the Perfect-It 2, or if I have to do the whole car in Finesse-It 2 before finishing with the AIO on the white pad.



The car doesnt *appear* to have any micromarring from the Perfect-It 2 under my two 500watt halogen lights....But I also know its hard to spot on silver. Could the clearcoat be so hard that I dont have any?



Thanks!

 

[Accumulator]

I *still* haven't gotten to the polishing of my '97 E36 so I don't know first-hand about the BMW clear, but I can't get a ready-to-wax finish on Audi silver with PI-II FCRC 39002 (or even the better-finishing PI-III RC 05933) and I'm very confident that the Audi's clear is harder than the BMW's.



I inspect with incandescent lights (preferably high-wattage ones) in an otherwise dark shop, it sorta simulates the "parking lot lights at night" effect where previously invisible marring jumps out at you.



I'd give it a pass with a milder product before you go to the LSP. But then I was never satisfied with the finish from FI-II either, so I suppose it's a matter of how picky you want to be. When it comes right down to it, IMO it's all about whether *YOU* are satisfied with the car's appearance; it's easy to get caught up in the Autopian quest for absolute perfection

 

[gtpaul]

Yes you can use the PII, but I'd follow up with a quick polish after.



We use PII all day long at the dealer here and we still find the best results come with a good polish after the compounding.