opinions please

T

tnoy66

New member
As a noob on here I thought I'd show a pic of my previous car and the finish I managed to get on it.



I want to know what you guys and gals think, If you think it could be better then please say so, I appreciate honesty.



<img src="http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/14126for_sale3-med.jpg"
 
Thanks, just uploaded new pics



<img src="http://www.autopia.org/gallery/data/500/14126madmaz2-med.jpg"
 
I had a 323 back in the day. Was an '86 and looked like sh#t compared to yours. I guess they only make that for non-US market.



Looks baddass tho.
 
The body kit looks pretty good. Any engine mod??? Should post the mods you have in the "mods" thread :D
 
C-MDX.....No engine mods except for cone CAI. I no longer have the car now....sold and bought a new BMW :D



Scottwax....the only products to go anywhere near my car were Autoglym, with a couple of exceptions. Bought the car new back in 95 and as soon as i got it home all I did was wash it (AG Shampoo), 2 coats of AG Super Resin Polish (SRP) and then one coat of AG Extra Gloss (EG). Over next few years just kept on applying the SRP at least once a month, except in winter when it was too cold to use :( with some EG about twice a year. All applied by hand with AG Perfect Polishing Cloths, a very soft stockingette type cloth. No doubt you are now going :scared at the thought of that type of cloth :p I know I am after reading about microfibre towels :lol



Windows only ever have AG Car Glass Polish on them. For the tyres, I tried various things and I eventually found Wonder Wheels tyre dressing. A thin liquid whhich is spread around tyre with a sponge and it does not get thrown off at all.



The pictures shown were taken in 2000 when the car was 5 years old. I drove it every day until I sold it 2 months ago.



It's just when I look at my pics of it and see it shining, I'm wondering do I really need to start changing the way I clean and polish my car?? My new BMW is Mystic Blue, a mid metallic blue. I've only started looking round for differrent things to clean it with because my 'careful caring dealer' washed it for me 2 weeks ago and smothered it in light swirl marks and a slightly deeper scratch.

They are going to try and buff out the worst bits I mentioned to them, but I don't know if they will get rid of all of it. It's really annoying as I had already started down the same route of 2coats of AG SRP and 1 of AG EG, feels like I wasted a weekend :(



I'll stop now before you fall asleep :)
 
Hi there!



Sounds like you've had a nightmare with your new wheels! My best suggestion would be to read everything you can here about swirl removal.



I tried Meguiars #9 on my Laguna and it's made a big difference, although it's only hidden the swirls rather than taken them out competely. I've just ordered some Dual Action Cutting Polish (DACP) from Alex at Serious Performance which I reckon will kick the swirls into touch.



Autoglym are OK - I'm not a huge fan but that's probably coz I'd not listened to people who know their stuff. I used SRP as a base coat at the weekend and layed PS wax over the top - awesome shine!



If you really want to stick with AG products, you might try shooting down the M62 to the BMW main agent in Warrington (can't remember their name). There's a guy there who swears he can take out all swirls and leave a smooth finish using AG Paint Renovator and a rotary buffer. I was there last week but didn't have 5 hours free otherwise I might have asked him to give mine a go.



The only other thing I'd say is never ever let a dealer clean your car - they look at you like you're mad but at least you don't then have to spend days putting right their mess!
 
The Renovator is a good product but very harsh. Good for oxidation and heavy swirls and is recommended for hand use only. Autoglym Bodyshop range has a better line up for normal swirls. There is a huge range of alternatives from the easy to buy 3M to Meguiars (from Alex).



Maybe this guy with a rotary is very skilled but I would like to see the results of other peoples cars first.
 
My thoughts exactly BUT he assured me that it would work with no damage to paint. I've tried renovator before and found it be nearly as aggresive as T Cut so I'm not convinced that this is the best route.....then again I'm simply an enthusiast not a professional!
 
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