Axe ... her day in the sunshine!

imported_Axe

New member
Well, I decided to give my car a once over, and I was intending to use Zaino, well actually I did use Z however, it didn't seem to want to go cure, perhaps something to do with the temp and humidity in the UK. Will give Z another shot, as it gets warmer.



So, I washed the car BMW shampoo, I had clayed it earlier in the week so no need for that this time. Dried the car with a synthetic AutoGlym Chamois. Then set to work with the PC and Menzerna FPII (I had used IP earlier this week so felt there was no real need to do this again so soon).



Then I proceeded to top the car, and I used a tip from TOGWT and applied p21s letting it haze, and then applied BMW liquid carnauba wax, leaving them both to 'fuse' for two hours. In which time I cleaned the windows and applied z10 to my leather seats. In this time I also applied AG Bumper Care to the rubber seals and plastic trim (this is a really nice product).



There are a lot of pics of various reflections on the car, but I am still not satisfied with the finish, I am still trying to achieve that total 'wet' look. Megs #80 shouild arrive at mine this week, and also I have purchased some CarLack (which hopefully is the European version of Klasse), so perhaps with either of those two products, and the many sources of good help and info on these boards that you all give so generously, perhaps I may yet achieve my desired finish.



Ok here are the pics, These should be clickable as I kept the quality high and they would be too large with so many on here















 
Great car and pictures Paul........I am planning on spending a few hours on mine tomorrow, UK weather depending :rolleyes:



:xyxthumbs
 
That is just a flat out GORGEOUS 3 series Paul!! :bow :bow



If it makes you feel any better I detail a black '03 745Li and a black '05 645Ci on a regular basis and both have the same level of orange peel. I think you should spend some time looking at American cars paint (Ford, GM and Chrysler) and you will realize that the BMW peel isn't all that bad.
 
Thanks so much for the nice comments, coming from such an expert group of people it means a lot, thanks.



Weather forecast looking good for tomorrow Nick, so should be good to go.



Mike, thanks so much for your comments ... I don't really understand why BMW seem to do this with their paint. Their cars are excellent in almost every detail, and I believe (have been told by people who know far more about these cars than I) that in fact it is deliberate on BMWs part, I guess it must be a way of making sure that their paint never chips or erodes or something. Surely not just a case of bad paint process ?



On a slightly different subject, and I have seen many of your details Mike so I know you are the person to ask, I was wondering if you could offer an opinion on how to get my car 'wet looking'?



As mentioned above I should have access to AIO (CarLack) this week, and also #80 should arrive on Monday or so. I also have the Menzerna twins, I have the SONUS orange, green and blue pads, I also have the CMA white, red and black pads. I have Megs white clay, a very good car shampoo, I also have P21s and NXT Tech Wax, and the AG twins, and of course a PC. Armed with those tools/chemicals, I would appreciate your comments on the method with which you would tackle this. (Of course I would appreciate other peoples suggestions on this too :) )



Many thanks. :)



By the way Mike, would love to see some pics of that 645ci, that is one gorgeous machine.
 
Paul it is going to take some experimentation on your part to see which product combo yields the look you like best. What I perceive as wet looking might look bland to you and vice versa. Given the products you have mentioned I would try #80 - AIO - P21S x2. Allow at least 12 hours between layers of P21S. I have no experience with the pad types you have (I use Meg's pads) so perhaps someone else can chime in and give you advice. The Audi I just detailed looked VERY wet IMHO when I was done (though you can't tell in the darn blurry pictures I took). I applied two coats of P21S pretty much back to back so I don't think they layered more so than just made sure of complete product coverage.



Here are a few pics of that 645Ci. The combo is ClearKote's VM via PC and Meg's NXT via PC....



1511405bmw645cia.jpg




1511405bmw645cic.jpg




1511405bmw645cid.jpg
 
Very nice Paul & WS6, VM is excellent, I detailed a black 330D last week using 1Z PP, VM & #16, very wet looking, have you tried VM Paul?



PK
 
It "suns" in England this time of year? Way up there I thought it rains twice a week - once for 3 days and once for four!



Great work!
 
1 Clean WS6 said:
Paul it is going to take some experimentation on your part to see which product combo yields the look you like best. What I perceive as wet looking might look bland to you and vice versa. Given the products you have mentioned I would try #80 - AIO - P21S x2. Allow at least 12 hours between layers of P21S. I have no experience with the pad types you have (I use Meg's pads) so perhaps someone else can chime in and give you advice. The Audi I just detailed looked VERY wet IMHO when I was done (though you can't tell in the darn blurry pictures I took). I applied two coats of P21S pretty much back to back so I don't think they layered more so than just made sure of complete product coverage.



Here are a few pics of that 645Ci. The combo is ClearKote's VM via PC and Meg's NXT via PC....






Wow superb car, and you got it looking exactly how I want mine to look, although looking at the pics that car doesn't appear to be metallic, is that the case ?



I will try and find out my pads equivalent to the megs pads you use if you tell me which pads you use with which product? I wil go with your advice that is



Clay and wash first of course ... then



1. Apply #80 first (With PC - Pad type and setting? - how much product and how long to work it?)

2. Apply AIO (With PC - Pad type and setting ?)

3. Apply x1 coat P21s (With PC? - Pad type and setting?)



Many thanks for your help Mike



(anyone else care to chime in with their approach to 1, 2 and 3 please do)
 
Haha gonzo (another autopian who gets his cars how I want mine!) yes and ironically it is raining today ... poor NickM :(



PK thanks for your comments, I haven't tried VM - does look good doesn't it!
 
Axe - is the BMW stuff Sonax repackaged?



Call me sad, but I picked up their car care catalogue last week and all the packaging looks identical in terms of bottle shapes (esp the shampoo/wheel cleaner)



Just a thought?



BTW, sweet pics and lovely car mate:xyxthumbs
 
Cheers Andy thanks for the comments, regarding the shampoo I really wouldn't know as I don't use Sonax, but somebody else on these boards mentioned that the shampoo bottle looked the same as another popluar product. I can tell you, if you buy it you will not be dissapointed, it is excellent - just follow the instructions. It is well priced too.



Oh and the wheel cleaner is actually an acid, works very well also, I bought 5 litres refill after having purchased and used the sprayer
 
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