First Detail: What did I do wrong?

B

BlueBoxer1

New member
Hey guys, I'm trying to detail my '99 BMW 323i and I've completed the hood. I read in other threads that BMW sometimes has a very hard clear coat, so maybe that is why I did not get very good results. What could I have done better? (See questions below). I used 1Z polish (the green bottle) with the PC and a LC orange pad, on speed 5, for about 3 minutes per section. I still have alot of scratches and a blurred reflection.



1) Did I just not spend enough time per section?



2) Do I need a more abrasive polish? More abrasive pad?



3) Should I be using speed 6 instead of 5? Putting pressure on the PC?



I think the rest of my detail was sound. My process is below, in case it matters. Would love any tips you have on where I went wrong and how to do it better on the rest of the car. Thanks!



1) Wash with ONR

2) Clay

3) Wash with ONR, dry

4)1Z polish, orange pad, PC

5) Megs polish, white pad, PC

6) IPA wipe down

7) JetSeal, Black pad, PC

8) Showtime wipe down
 
Paint polishing is a skill. It takes time to learn. It won't come right away. Some things that might help are 4 inch pads. You should achieve similar correction with speed 5 and 6 on the PC, but if you're using LC pads, you're fine with speed 6. The only reason Meguiar's recommends speed 5 is because their velcro is not quite as high quality as the LC velcro and it tends to de-laminate with prolonged use at high speed.
 
Which 1Z and Meguiar's polishes are you using?



You may not have an aggressive enough polish



What color BMW?
 
zaxjax said:
Which 1Z and Meguiar's polishes are you using?



You may not have an aggressive enough polish



What color BMW?
Click to expand...



This was my guess also. If it's a '99 you might have to step up to something with a bit more bite. When I had my '02 Explorer my wife took it through one of those drive thru car washes and left a bunch of fine scratches on it. I used SSR2.5 w/orange pad and nothing so I got my 3M compound and it took them off pretty easy.
 
The Bimmer is Alpine White, and I'm using the 1Z "Paint Polish" in the green bottle. The Megs is Deep Crystal system polish. Please let me know if you think my product and pad is sufficient and I didn't give the PC enough time, or if my time was OK but I need a more aggressive polish. Thanks!
 
first step in figuring out what you need to do is to mask off a small section and try your strategy on that, if it comes out looking good, continue that for the whole car.
 
I don't think you're using the correct polish and pad combo for the paint. I've had fairly good success using Megs #83 Dual Action Cleaner Polish and a 4" orange pad or stepping up to Mezerna Intensive Polish with a 4" orange pad. It's all about trying to find what works though.
 
BlueBoxer1 said:
The Bimmer is Alpine White, and I'm using the 1Z "Paint Polish" in the green bottle. The Megs is Deep Crystal system polish. Please let me know if you think my product and pad is sufficient and I didn't give the PC enough time, or if my time was OK but I need a more aggressive polish. Thanks!
Click to expand...





Alpine White is a hard clear coat and both polishes you have are not very aggressive.



I would suggest M83 followed up with M80 if you like Meguiar's



Menzerna SIP would be another good aggressive polish and follow up with 106ff



4" pads also will help you with paint correction
 
There isnt really a set time, just when you see the polish start to break down. If your unsatisfied with the results you can always do multiple passes. Also spread the polish around the area at speed 3 before cranking up to speed 6 to work in the polish. Also like others said 4" pads will increase the cut quite a bit. Try menzerna sip on an orange 4" pad and finish with 106fa/ff with a 4" white pad. Also pick up some spare panels from a junkyard to practice on.
 
Yeah, I've seen the vid. I'm pretty sure I took the polish to that stage. Just wasn't sure if I had to keep going until it became dry and starting powdering.
 
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