Dull Glossy paint, how abrasive do I go?

[NaterGator]

My birthday was 3 days ago and I was (generously) given alot of autopia schwag to detail with, including the SFX Polisher Kit and the Perfect Shine Kit.



I now have alot of sonus at my disposal, as well as a PC. I've zainoed in the past, but nothing by machine. I'm now ready to tackle the big dog... a black BMW 540i with pretty poor paint. My dad has taken mediocre care of it at best, and washes maybe once a month. At this point though, he feels the point is moot, because the swirl marks and overall paint finish are so "dull" that waxed up the paint only looks "good" for a few days and then quickly gets rather dull again.



So, not knowing how effective these machines are, do I need to do as abrasive as SFX-1 on all the panels (which I'm a little worried to do the first time around) or can I stick with starting on SFX-2?



I want to get his paint wet and glossy again... I don't know how thick the clearcoat is, and I know I'm not going to start fixing the (many) scratches yet, I just want to restore the condition of his paint first and foremost, and get him washing it on a regular basis again.



Thanks Guys! :2thumbs: :waxing:

-----Nate



PS: GO GATORS! :woot2:

 

[Accumulator]

NaterGater- Welcome to Autopia!



Fixing up your dad's 540 should be a good project and also a good way to get acquainted with your new detailing supplies. I recently did a ratty 7-series for a friend of mine and a few things come to mind:



First off, two assumptions you can almost certainly make: 1) the PC will be less aggressive than you might expect, and 2) the clear on the car is probably *thicker* (and harder) than you might expect. I sincerely doubt that you'll have any problems due to being too aggressive.



While it's smart to start mild and get more aggressive as needed, you'll almost certainly have to use the most aggressive products at your disposal for the initial correction.



Disclaimer: I'm not familiar with the SFX products you're using, but the above generalizations should still apply.



Try a small area and see how it goes. If something isn't going right, you might want to stop and post a few questions here. Just don't do the whole car without checking your work as if something *does* go wrong you want to catch it while it's a little problem that can be easily corrected. Heh heh, hope that didn't make you all paranoid, there's nothing to *really* worry about...but when something doesn't go right it can be helpful to see if any of us has a "oh yeah, I've had that happen and here's what you do..." type of suggestion.