Here's what I have to detail with - what order should I use and is this stuff decent?

[Jon K]

Hey guys - I have a green BMW 525i (1992). The car had been resprayed and it's probably in need of more significant work but for right now I'd like to massage out the imperfections and bring back the smoothness of the finish even if it does have chips/scratches. I had been detailing a bit previously but took a leave as I worked on the car mechanically. Now I'd like to tinker again with detailing.



Here's the products I have:





Car Detailing Products by Jon Kensy, on Flickr



I also just picked up a Griots Garage 6" buffer because I had purchased a PC7424XP for my step-dad but I'll be moving shortly so I wanted to make sure I have one of my own.



I have the S100 wax from years ago and it's... OK. I never really liked how it comes off so I will be looking for a better wax. My step-dad uses the Pinnacle Souverän wax that we buy him so I can use that a bit but I don't want to waste his product. I will want to pick up some wax for myself. Again, the car is metallic green which is dark in the shade and quite "bright" almost pearly/metallic in the sun. Here is a photo of the car:





1680_1050_3 by Jon Kensy, on Flickr



So with the products above can anyone recommend a regimen to get me going again? I picked up the M105/M205 just because my Pinnacle stuff is about 1/4 full in each bottle. So, if its not as good or if it's better, let me know! I'd really just like a general guide of how to approach a complete "start to finish" process with my specific products. I have orange, white, grey, and blue Lake County CCS pads as well.



Also, can someone recommend some good wax for my particular color? I like the Pinnacle, but I am open to try new stuff. The dodo stuff is intriguing but it almost seems to be more of a novelty considering how many versions they have and what not. What's good without costing hundreds lol.



Thanks guys!

 

[Accumulator]

Jon K- Nice car. I briefly had an e36 M3 in that color.



For the correction, of what you have I'd use the M105/M205 twins. Hope you have a lot of pads for the M105



Are those CCS pads the "dimpled" ones? Sorry, I can't remember....



I'd want to use Meguiar's MF Cutting Disks for the M105.



I'd strip the M205's oils before applying the wax. Note that doing so can be quite a challenge.



For the wax, much as I can appreciate Souverän on garage-queens (I use it on my '85 Jag), it just doesn't protect well enough, or last long enough, for use on anything that's even remotely used as a normal vehicle. Heh heh, it's my wife's fave on her (silver) Audi, but I got tired of redoing it at every wash and I want more protection against, well....everything.



I'd use Collinite wax, either their 476S paste or their 845 Insulator Wax liquid. Great protection and durability. And IMO if the car doesn't look OK, it won't be because you used Collinite on it. The 845 is also great on black plastic exterior trim. I've used the 476S for that with good results, but uhm..."don't try this at home, kids!" might apply because if you do it wrong you might get the old "white wax staining" that can be a bear to remove.



Old story that regulars here have heard before- I prepped a pal's old Jag (metallic blue, medium-dark, sorta a "blue version of your green") for the concours season. At a show, some "expert" asked what wax was on it, but my pal couldn't remember so he just said how his detailing-nut pal used what he thought was the best choice. The "expert" (note all those scare-quotes ) then said "well, it must be Dodo Juice. Nothing else looks quite like that. Yes...that's what's on it all right!" The wax I used was Collinite 476S :chuckle: Don't get caught up in the "right wax for a given color"; it's almost all a matter of how it's prepped, with *very* minor diffs between the various waxes and sealants. But I'd sorta lean towards the 476S over the 845 as I think the former would look a bit "richer" and "deeper".

 

[Jon K]

Thanks Accumulator - Collinite... that's something I didn't expect! I've been looking at waxes in the $40 - $90 range for like 6 - 8 oz. I will have to check that out. What do you mean about removing oil from 205? Yes, the CCS pads are the dimpled ones.

 

[David Fermani]

Ditch all the polishing compounds you have except M105/205.



The thing I don't care for with the CCS pads is that those dimples hold spent polish/dust/abraded paint and can cause unnecessary paint marring. Like Accumulator mentioned, you should try Micro Fiber buffing pads for sure.

 

[Accumulator]

Jon K- As David said, the dimples can retain dried polish and cut-off clear, which allows same to build up into clumps that can *really* cause issues. Simply a poor design for the application (at least with products like M105/M205 which never break down).



The M205 is incredibly rich in Meguiar's Trade Secret Oils ("TSO"). These can a) conceal marring which will "come back" after the oils dissipate (which can take a few days), b) cause appearance issues that I term "pseudo-holograms"; it looks like the paint has holograms but it's just the oils looking awful, and c) interfere with the bonding (and perhaps the durability, though I've never experienced that) of subsequently applied LSPs.



I've found those TSO to be so tenacious that even IPA, applied multiple times, couldn't strip them. I use a product from TOL called PrepWash (link: Silicone & Wax Remover ) but there are other similar products that'll also work well.



On the Collinite, I understand completely that it sounds like some low-cost/high-durability stuff made for taxis or somesuch, but with the proper prep beforehand it can look great. I have zero problem spending $ for good stuff, and/but if the Collinite cost many times its reasonable price I'd still buy/recommend it. IMO many of the pricey products out there aren't worth a tiny fraction of their cost and they rely on the "exclusivity factor" for sales rather than actual, tangible results; gotta be careful, the ad-copy can sure be seductive!