I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

[JET_Fusion]

Leave the Gold Class alone; it warms the look. Once you've completed the corrections, of the Meguiars products, Ultimate Wax will give results closest to the look you want. To get closer you'll have to step outside of the Meguiars line. You don't have to spend mega bucks, but look at products that cost twice as much. Keep in mind though, nothing beats the longevity and durability of Ultimate Wax! Nothing.

[The Guz]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

This is all done under ground out of the weather if that makes any difference.

Lighting makes a huge difference. The light you are using looks like it's on the bluish end of the spectrum making the paint appear more blue than black.

You will get the true appearance out in the sun.

Go back and repolish an area and just use ultimate wax or polish the other gender that hasn't been worked on and use only ultimate wax. Forget about gold class. Put that aside. See if you like that.

Color of the liquids have basically nothing to do with this though. The polymer types do

I would have to agree with this.

I will add that polishing oils will darken the paint depending on how much polishing oils are in the product. For example for the op, M205 won't appear as dark as Ultimate Polish given that M205 has less polishing oils.

This here is the bottom line. Quit trying to play match the LSP and just do the whole vehicle in one and call it a day. OP is way overthinking this.

I am going to agree with this and say to finish the car and enjoy your work. Detailing should not be this stressful.

The entire Detailing industry relies on "overthinking". A can of premium wax sells for thousands of dollars because of "overthinking".

If it wasn't for "overthinking" by enthusiasts looking for that perfect shine, car detailing would end at the coin car wash.

Anyways, I must be doing something wrong if the Meguiars side of the car is duller than the dirty stock side.

I guess the real question is-
Does anybody know what voodoo magic was apply to the stock side? It's has a layer of dust and micro-swirls but boy does it shine!

The voodoo is that you are now seeing the true condition of the paint that you have corrected. All of those swirls make the car appear lighter in color.

You are not doing anything wrong. Finish the car and enjoy the look. I'm going to say this one last time but put that gold class aside and stick with just ultimate wax.

[DasBurninator]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

The entire Detailing industry relies on "overthinking". A can of premium wax sells for thousands of dollars because of "overthinking".

If it wasn't for "overthinking" by enthusiasts looking for that perfect shine, car detailing would end at the coin car wash.

Anyways, I must be doing something wrong if the Meguiars side of the car is duller than the dirty stock side.

I guess the real question is-
Does anybody know what voodoo magic was apply to the stock side? It's has a layer of dust and micro-swirls but boy does it shine!

A perfect shine can be obtained without overthinking. The bottom line with this is different LSP's can provide different results and will affect the look of paint subtly in different ways.

Have you tried comparing a fully polished out panel with no LSP to the side that is untouched? How about after an IPA wipe down to remove any polishing oils? How does it look in comparison? Now add just Gold Class wax and compare.

Ultimate Wax will give a candy shell look to the car and mute some of the depth.

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

This here is the bottom line. Quit trying to play match the LSP and just do the whole vehicle in one and call it a day. OP is way overthinking this.

The entire Detailing industry relies on "overthinking". A can of premium wax sells for thousands of dollars because of "overthinking".

If it wasn't for "overthinking" by enthusiasts looking for that perfect shine, car detailing would end at the coin car wash.

Anyways, I must be doing something wrong if the Meguiars side of the car is duller than the dirty stock side.

I guess the real question is-
Does anybody know what voodoo magic was apply to the stock side? It's has a layer of dust and micro-swirls but boy does it shine!

[DasBurninator]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

And the regulars here keep trying to tell me all finishing products look the same. SMH.

Who says all LSP's look the same?

The ultimate line gives almost a blueish candy coating to cars. Gold Class gives more of a natural warmer hue. Color of the liquids have basically nothing to do with this though. The polymer types do.

...but I'd just do the whole car in that one.

This here is the bottom line. Quit trying to play match the LSP and just do the whole vehicle in one and call it a day. OP is way overthinking this.

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

It's driving me insane! Some people actually prefer the warm gloss while other people can't tell the difference. I'm pacing back and forth around the car like I'm trying to steal it, kind of funny when I think about it. By the way, here the process, it's clay to UC / UP then Ultimate liquid then Gold Class. This is all done under ground out of the weather if that makes any difference.


Correction


Wax

[The Guz]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

So I guess it's true, Meguiar can darken the paint. *sign*

Here's the pictures I took outside,

Comparison of right side vs left.

This looks great. Looks like it is a bit cloudy which will make paint look darker over a sunny day.

I believe the lighting and angles the sun is hitting the paint is playing a little trick on your eyes. Take a photo when the sun is hitting the driver side hood similar to the passenger side. I am certain they will look 90% identical.

Another before and after picture. The left side picture is the X6 in it's current state, the other picture was taken at the dealership.

An indoor comparison,


I'm not the only one, check this out. It's a picture of an X5 that a professional detailer took, look at the reflection of the before and after picture. I want the shine look, not warm gloss.

To me it looks like these photos were taken at different times of the day and not the exact same time. Meaning the light source is not exactly the same.

I want the shine on the left side,
I did the driver side with Meguiar's system.

Picture # 3 (indoor) is a good example, the left side is lighter and more reflective compared to the darken right driver side.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, the previous owner must of used high quality wax and I can't get the same result. Come to think of it, I can't even get a complete swirl free surface like in Meguiar's YouTube videos. I'm not knocking Meguiar products, I just want to know where I'm going wrong.

Don't be discouraged. Next time use a prep wipe such as IPA, Car Pro Eraser, Optimum Paint Prep to remove the polishing oils and use a sealant (the ultimate wax you have) and stop there. You could even go with a final wipe using ultimate quik wax or ultimate quik detailer to add a bit more shine and protection. You are seeing the look of the topper (carnauba wax) and not the base layer of protection (ultimate wax).

Some BMW paints are harder than others. Perhaps you are coming up against that. At the same time, the DA drill adapter is not going to give the best correction. For that you would need to go with a DA polisher and pads.

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

I want the shine on the left side,
I did the driver side with Meguiar's system.

Picture # 3 (indoor) is a good example, the left side is lighter and more reflective compared to the darken right driver side.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, the previous owner must of used high quality wax and I can't get the same result. Come to think of it, I can't even get a complete swirl free surface like in Meguiar's YouTube videos. I'm not knocking Meguiar products, I just want to know where I'm going wrong.

[Top Gear]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

And the regulars here keep trying to tell me all finishing products look the same. SMH.

Anyway, I agree the lighting isn't even in the various shots, but still, the difference between Ultimate and Gold Class is clearly noticeable on the dark paint. Covering UW with GCQW won't be the same as using GC liquid wax. I mean, just look at the color of the liquids. Your post doesn't make it clear which one gives you the shine you wanted, but I'd just do the whole car in that one. Both are polish-waxes, but look very different on the right paint.

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

So I guess it's true, Meguiar can darken the paint. *sign*

Here's the pictures I took outside,

Comparison of right side vs left.


Another before and after picture. The left side picture is the X6 in it's current state, the other picture was taken at the dealership.

An indoor comparison,


I'm not the only one, check this out. It's a picture of an X5 that a professional detailer took, look at the reflection of the before and after picture. I want the shine look, not warm gloss.

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

I'm using the DA drill adapter and the Meguisrs' power pack.

I can't get the panels to reflective like a mirror, and it's funny because the right (reflective) side is dirty with more micro-swirls.

Should I reduce the micro-swirls and have a dull surface or stick with the swirls and have a mirror?

I'm thinking of buying the Porter Cable buffer because the DA adapter isn't as good as I thought.

[drumdan]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

How are you working the products? Hand, machine? What machine/pads? Etc..?

Are you saying that the clarity is reduced on the areas you worked?

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

I believe you're right, I am over working the product. I would sometimes get streaks of residue that are hard to remove. When should one remove UC / UP? Do you wipe it off when it's still "white" on the paint?

[The Guz]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

Oh ok, I'll try to get some pictures of it in the sun. I didn't know Gold class and UP both darken a car paint, does 105/205 have the same effect?

Got some newbie questions,
Can I spray ultimate quick detailed to remove UC and UP quicker? Or would I have to clay again to remove UQD before I wax?

M205 has less polishing oils than ultimate polish so the darkening effect is less noticeable. If ultimate compound is working for you then there is no need to move to M105.

To answer your question about removing ultimate compound and ultimate polish quicker. If you are having problems then you are overworking the product and/or working to large of an area. The only thing about using ultimate quik detailer is that it leaves behind a layer of protection that may interfere with the bonding of ultimate wax. Claying a second time would be redundant even if you just wanted to remove ultimate quik detailer. You could just use the regular quick detailer to remove the compound and polish.

[Flyinghellfish]

Re: I can't match the shine on the right side, what am I missing?

Oh ok, I'll try to get some pictures of it in the sun. I didn't know Gold class and UP both darken a car paint, does 105/205 have the same effect?

Got some newbie questions,
Can I spray ultimate quick detailed to remove UC and UP quicker? Or would I have to clay again to remove UQD before I wax?