Tweet
Hi all,
This is my first post here, though I've spent a good part of the past week reading through past posts and gathering useful info.
I have a BMW E34 M5, same as what Mike uses in some of his photos, but mine is a very dark metallic purple (called Macau Blue). It's nearly 14 years old, and has normal wear and tear for that age car. For the past year, i've been following the Meguiars 5 step program. I try to wash the car every week, I wax it (using Carnauba wax) every month or 2, polish it every 3 or months (using Deep Crystal Polish), and a paint clean every 8 to 12 months (i've done it twice now, using the Deep Crystal paint cleaner).
Th car looks great at the moment, I last gave it a paint clean about a month ago, and on the weekend I spent a few hours detailng it, and waxing it.
The car looks great, and people often comment on it, but when you look at the car close up, you see all sorts of scratches and swirl marks in it.
You can see some photos that I took of it on Sunday after waxing it here:
So, after reading previous posts here, I went and boaught some new products, and tried them out on my bonnet (what we Aussies call a "hood"), here's the results.
Step 1: Clay and Quick Detailer
This was the first time I had used clay to clean the paint and i've very impressed. It's only one month since I used paint cleaner on the car, but the difference is amazing. I'm not sure how much this is due to contiminants i've picked up in the past month. (The car is driven daily, but garaged day and night), or how much is due to the clay, but I think I'll just use clay instead of paint cleaner from now on. The finish is like glass.
Step 2: Spiral Remover
I applied spiral remover using my Random Orbital Sander and a Meguiars foam applicator, I rubbed it in well, and then removed it with a terry cloth. It is a nightmare to remove, it really sticks, but ultimately, I only saw a small improvement in the swirls, which is unfortunate. I assume that this is because I used a ROS instead of a PC, is that right?
Step 3: ScratchX
I set about targeting some scratches and blemishes in the clear coat with ScratchX. I applied it by hand, using a meguiars foam applicator. I definately was able to reduce the scratches and blemishes, abut I wasn't actually able to remove any of them, regardless of how hard I scrubbed, or how many applications I used.
Step 4: Polish
I gave the bonnet a polish using the Deep Crystal Polish, which I applied using a foam applicator, and removed using a terry cloth
Step 5: Wax
This time, I used the Gold Class wax, instead of the Carnauba wax that I normally use. The front of the bottle says it Meguiars most relective wax ever, so I thought I'd give it a go. I applied it by hand, using a foam applicator, and removed it with a terry cloth.
The Results
All in all, i'm a little dissapointed. The bonnet looks duller than it did before. I suspect that is due to the wax I used this time, so tomorrow, I will try using Carnauba wax again and see if that brings back the dpeth. The surface is definately cleaner though, it feels fantastic, it's very very smooth. That clay is good stuff.
So, what did I do wrong? What should I do differently as I start the rest of the car, panel by panel? On the basis of todays results, I'm inclined to do what I was doing, except using clay instead of paint cleaner, and maybe using ScratchX to reduce some of the scratches. Does anyone have any other advice?
One other thing, how many foam applicators and terry cloths do you guys use to detail your car? I never seem to have enough of them, no matter how many I buy.
Thanks for any help
Regards
John
This is my first post here, though I've spent a good part of the past week reading through past posts and gathering useful info.
I have a BMW E34 M5, same as what Mike uses in some of his photos, but mine is a very dark metallic purple (called Macau Blue). It's nearly 14 years old, and has normal wear and tear for that age car. For the past year, i've been following the Meguiars 5 step program. I try to wash the car every week, I wax it (using Carnauba wax) every month or 2, polish it every 3 or months (using Deep Crystal Polish), and a paint clean every 8 to 12 months (i've done it twice now, using the Deep Crystal paint cleaner).
Th car looks great at the moment, I last gave it a paint clean about a month ago, and on the weekend I spent a few hours detailng it, and waxing it.
The car looks great, and people often comment on it, but when you look at the car close up, you see all sorts of scratches and swirl marks in it.
You can see some photos that I took of it on Sunday after waxing it here:
So, after reading previous posts here, I went and boaught some new products, and tried them out on my bonnet (what we Aussies call a "hood"), here's the results.
Step 1: Clay and Quick Detailer
This was the first time I had used clay to clean the paint and i've very impressed. It's only one month since I used paint cleaner on the car, but the difference is amazing. I'm not sure how much this is due to contiminants i've picked up in the past month. (The car is driven daily, but garaged day and night), or how much is due to the clay, but I think I'll just use clay instead of paint cleaner from now on. The finish is like glass.
Step 2: Spiral Remover
I applied spiral remover using my Random Orbital Sander and a Meguiars foam applicator, I rubbed it in well, and then removed it with a terry cloth. It is a nightmare to remove, it really sticks, but ultimately, I only saw a small improvement in the swirls, which is unfortunate. I assume that this is because I used a ROS instead of a PC, is that right?
Step 3: ScratchX
I set about targeting some scratches and blemishes in the clear coat with ScratchX. I applied it by hand, using a meguiars foam applicator. I definately was able to reduce the scratches and blemishes, abut I wasn't actually able to remove any of them, regardless of how hard I scrubbed, or how many applications I used.
Step 4: Polish
I gave the bonnet a polish using the Deep Crystal Polish, which I applied using a foam applicator, and removed using a terry cloth
Step 5: Wax
This time, I used the Gold Class wax, instead of the Carnauba wax that I normally use. The front of the bottle says it Meguiars most relective wax ever, so I thought I'd give it a go. I applied it by hand, using a foam applicator, and removed it with a terry cloth.
The Results
All in all, i'm a little dissapointed. The bonnet looks duller than it did before. I suspect that is due to the wax I used this time, so tomorrow, I will try using Carnauba wax again and see if that brings back the dpeth. The surface is definately cleaner though, it feels fantastic, it's very very smooth. That clay is good stuff.
So, what did I do wrong? What should I do differently as I start the rest of the car, panel by panel? On the basis of todays results, I'm inclined to do what I was doing, except using clay instead of paint cleaner, and maybe using ScratchX to reduce some of the scratches. Does anyone have any other advice?
One other thing, how many foam applicators and terry cloths do you guys use to detail your car? I never seem to have enough of them, no matter how many I buy.
Thanks for any help
Regards
John
Comment