Polishing around edges

M

MikeSA

New member
Hi Autopians


This is my first post although I've been viewing the site for the past year and have managed to pick up an incredible amount of information here, thank you to all the contributors.


I have searced but am unable to find an answer to my question - how do you polish, with a DA (I understand that the pad must stay flat on the paint surface), on crease lines or when you get to the edge of the boot or trunk as it is known in the US or the front bumper which on my car, a BMW F30 M Sport, has quite an intricate design.


I am using 5.5 and 4 inch pads with Menzerna 106ff as it only need a very light cut to improve the finish prior to wax, no swirls to speak of because I'm obsessive wrt washing. Thanks in advance.
 
MikeSA- For practical purposes you can just go over the character lines as if they weren't anything worth considering.  It's easy to overthink the "flat pad" idea, and it isn't really a big deal when using a DA/RO with mild products.  I tilt my polishers/pads in all sorts of ways to work odd contours, trying to basically keep from getting too aggressive by fitting the pad to the flatter areas around the high points/edges without being obsessive about it.


 


Oh, and beware the fillers in Menzerna's 106FF, a product I utterly despise over this issue...they last just long enough to make you think the panel looks OK, but after a while they dissipate (right under the still-OK LSP) leaving an uncorrected mess.
 
Thanks for the advice Accumulator and for the heads up wrt 106ff polish. Would you recomend an IPA 50:50 wipe down after polishing each panel?
 
I know the question was posed to accumulator, but I'd just like to chine in 15-20% IPA with demineralised water to be a good effective mix. A drop of dish washing detergent in it helps add some lubricity and prevents marring from quick flashing of alcohol.
 
I find IPA to be less than effective at stripping polishing oils.  I use TOL's Hi-Temp Akrya Klean (AKA "Prep Wash") while others use products like Eraser.



Seriously, I would *NOT* trust IPA to do the job; use something that really works.


 


No way to exaggerate the issue with 106ff IMO, wish they'd simply quit making the stuff and save people a lot of grief.  If I had it on the shelf I'd probably just throw it away, and I basically *never* do that (I still have my M205, which I hate for the same reason, even though I'll never use it).
 
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