Polishing Process: Hand holding needed!

H

Hakko

New member
I think I have everything I need to do a full polishing job on my black metallic 2007 BMW X3. The car has light swirling, some water spotting, and a few RIDS.



I'm going to try to be as detailed as possible on the steps I intend to take, and welcome any constructive feedback!



Equipment Available:



UDM

3.5" and 5" backing pads

4" LC PFW

4" LC Flat Yellow & Orange

5.5" LC CCS Orange, White, Blue, Black

Gilmour Foamaster

Bucket w/Grit Guard

Grout Sponge

Plenty of MFs, bonnets, foam applicators, etc.



Products:



CG CWC

Meg's Blue Clay

Menzerna SIP PO83

Menzerna Nano Polish PO106FA

Menzerna Finishing Glaze PO115C

CW Jet Seal

Collinite 476S

Prep-All

3M Blue Tape

CG Speed Wipe QD



Process:



Day 1​



  1. Wash with CG CWS via Foamaster to clean and remove LSP
  2. Dry
  3. Clay w/ Meg's Blue Clay and CG Luber
  4. Wipe down with Prep-All
  5. Tape off trim
  6. Spot correct RIDS and any serious swirls w/SIP and PFW
  7. Wipe down corrected areas with Prep-All
  8. Polish whole car w/PO106 and 5.5" White Pad
  9. Wipe down whole car w/Prep-All
  10. Glaze whole car w/PO115C and 5.5" Blue Pad
  11. Wipe down whole car w/Prep-All
  12. Apply Jet Seal by hand, let haze, buff off w/MF towel
  13. Wait 20 minutes and apply second layer of Jet Seal.
  14. Wait 20 minutes.
  15. Apply 476S by black pad on UDM. Let haze, buff off.
  16. Remove tape and clean off adhesive with QD
  17. Pour Scotch, drink.



    Day 2




  18. Apply second layer of 476S
  19. Pour more Scotch.



Is there anything I've forgotten? Any steps in there that are not needed?



I've played around with the UDM and various polishes (but not the Menzerna triplets, which I won in an Autogeek giveaway) on our old silver Subaru, so I have some idea of what to expect, but I'm a pretty nervous about taking on the black beemer.
 
Hakko- I'd remove the tape after the last polishing step, cleaning up any product/tape residue before moving on. If you want/need to keep the subsequent stuff off the trim, just be careful or retape.



I'm pretty sure you'll need an intermediate step between the PFW and the 106/white, especially if using a 5.5" pad.



I myself would choose between the Jet Seal and the 476S.



You might need to spitshine the second coat of 476S, sometimes I do, something I don't. If you don't and things go awry, you'll see pseudo-holograms in the right lighting, no biggie but still irritating.



I'd add something along the lines of "and repeat" to steps 17 and 19 ;)
 
Thanks for the feedback.



So 106/white won't get rid of the hazing from SIP/PFW? What would? SIP with a 4" orange pad? or 106 & Orange? Do I need another product?



Wasn't there a thread about topping Jet Seal w/476S? But I'm happy to reduce the number of steps I take.
 
Hakko said:
Thanks for the feedback.



So 106/white won't get rid of the hazing from SIP/PFW? What would? SIP with a 4" orange pad? or 106 & Orange? Do I need another product?



Wasn't there a thread about topping Jet Seal w/476S? But I'm happy to reduce the number of steps I take.
Click to expand...



I dunno for sure about the hazing with the PFW; I used it with 1Z Pasta Intensiv and it hazed sorta severely. Yeah, a follow up with the SIP/orange pad oughta fix things. IMO the 106 isn't aggressive enough to match with an orange.



But then I'm no expert on Menzerna stuff so :nixweiss



On the LSPs, I just don't see using anything in addition to 476s, which is fine on its own.
 
So I was experimenting with my products and process on our beater (for a 13-year old Subie it has a really shiny hood!) and I realized that the polishing process puts out a lot of dust.



Is the best thing to do another foam and rinse with the Gilmour after final polishing? Or should I use a QD wipe down?



Also, how meticulous do you have to be with dusting after each pass? I wipe down the area I work on, but if I'm doing heavier correction I might need two or three rounds, no? Does the dust that goes on to adjacent areas have to be removed before I start working on them? As I move from heavier to lighter product, can the dust from the heavier product interfere with the finer polishing?
 
Hakko said:
So I was experimenting with my products and process on our beater (for a 13-year old Subie it has a really shiny hood!) and I realized that the polishing process puts out a lot of dust.



Is the best thing to do another foam and rinse with the Gilmour after final polishing? Or should I use a QD wipe down?
Click to expand...





I'd lean towards just doing the QD wipedown, doing it on a per panel basis as you buff the product residue off. If there's a lot of dust all over the car (probably indicationg too much product and too long a work time) then yeah, you might want to do a wash, but watch that you don't get dissolved-polish slurry stuck in all the nooks and crannies.





Also, how meticulous do you have to be with dusting after each pass? I wipe down the area I work on, but if I'm doing heavier correction I might need two or three rounds, no? Does the dust that goes on to adjacent areas have to be removed before I start working on them? As I move from heavier to lighter product, can the dust from the heavier product interfere with the finer polishing?
Click to expand...



Try to *not* get the dust everywhere. Maybe you're working the product too long; I remove almost all my products while they're still just a little damp, that way dust just isn't all that much of a problem.



I wouldn't worry about the dust being on not-yet-polished sections.



But yeah, get all the dust from the aggressive stuff off before final polishing; it could cause marring on a highly polished finish.



Other than the still-unpolished areas, I'd try to be as meticulous as possible; err on the side of caution while you get a feel for this stuff. You'll soon learn which corners are safe to cut (and which aren't).
 
Accumulator-



Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm still trying to get the feel for the process, especially when the polish has broken down. Yesterday, working on the silver Subie, it was very hard to tell when the polish was dry because it was hard to see against the paint. Maybe it will be easier when I work on black. Any hints for knowing when the polish is "done"?
 
Hakko said:
Accumulator-



Thanks for the advice. I guess I'm still trying to get the feel for the process, especially when the polish has broken down. Yesterday, working on the silver Subie, it was very hard to tell when the polish was dry because it was hard to see against the paint. Maybe it will be easier when I work on black. Any hints for knowing when the polish is "done"?
Click to expand...



Most polishes go from opaque to translucent when they're broken down, but yeah it can be hard to tell. It's the sort of thing you simply get a feel for.



Oh, and FWIW I'm currently compounding a car with a 3M RC that's working best when I borderline over-work it, and *man* is that stuff dusting! I have compound dust everywhere...There aren't any hard-and-fast rules for this sort of thing.
 
Just 1 item to mention.... After reading some other threads concerning the 3.5" PFW pads, make sure you have the appropriate backing plate. I know that they Lake Country makes a 3.5" PFW that needs a smaller backing plate. Just wanted to address if your 4" PFW is the 3.5"
 
michakaveli said:
Just 1 item to mention.... After reading some other threads concerning the 3.5" PFW pads, make sure you have the appropriate backing plate. I know that they Lake Country makes a 3.5" PFW that needs a smaller backing plate. Just wanted to address if your 4" PFW is the 3.5"
Click to expand...



Nope, it's definitely the 4", and fits just fine on my 3.75" BP.
 
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