Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

[billddrummer]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

Another question, more directed toward the owner of that beautiful BMW:

How did you advise him to maintain the vehicle so that it continued to display the efforts you put into restoring its finish?

What about the coating? What did you use, was it a Meguiar's product? If not, how did you select it?

Were there any specific recommendations you gave the owner so that his vehicle wouldn't deteriorate to the level it had sunk to when you first saw it?

America wants to know! (By the way, I've driven more than 150 miles in the past 24 hours---my DD is truly a Road Warrior!)

Any advice you can impart is welcomed!

bdd

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

Another question, more directed toward the owner of that beautiful BMW:

How did you advise him to maintain the vehicle so that it continued to display the efforts you put into restoring its finish?

What about the coating? What did you use, was it a Meguiar's product? If not, how did you select it?

Were there any specific recommendations you gave the owner so that his vehicle wouldn't deteriorate to the level it had sunk to when you first saw it?

America wants to know! (By the way, I've driven more than 150 miles in the past 24 hours---my DD is truly a Road Warrior!)

Any advice you can impart is welcomed!

bdd

Being that his stays outside currently and too is a daily driver…obviously conditions to care for it were not perfect. We advised him, if possible, to use a touchless car wash if one was available near him. If a wax or sealant was on the car then we would not have recommended this, but since we had applied CQuartz Finest coating to it - the strong cleaners from a touchless wash would not strip away the coating and leave the paint bare. CQuartz Finest is a Car Pro product…awesome product, really have fallen in love with how it looks, protects, feels and cleans.

The other recommendations we gave the owner was to purchase a CRSpotless system from us so that he can filter his well water with it and make any washing he does at home much easier. Obviously the #1 recommendation we gave was…no more tunnel washes with brushes lol. He understood everything and knew thats what it came from…but hopefully after spending the $ to get it back to this shape, it will stay in that shape for some time to come

[billddrummer]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

Being that his stays outside currently and too is a daily driver…obviously conditions to care for it were not perfect. We advised him, if possible, to use a touchless car wash if one was available near him. If a wax or sealant was on the car then we would not have recommended this, but since we had applied CQuartz Finest coating to it - the strong cleaners from a touchless wash would not strip away the coating and leave the paint bare. CQuartz Finest is a Car Pro product…awesome product, really have fallen in love with how it looks, protects, feels and cleans.

The other recommendations we gave the owner was to purchase a CRSpotless system from us so that he can filter his well water with it and make any washing he does at home much easier. Obviously the #1 recommendation we gave was…no more tunnel washes with brushes lol. He understood everything and knew thats what it came from…but hopefully after spending the $ to get it back to this shape, it will stay in that shape for some time to come

Thanks for all the advice. Since I'm waxing twice/month, should I truly look at a sealant solution as well?

I'm sort of wedded to the auto wash I use (there's a cute girl there, after all), but if it means I need to find a touchless car wash, I'll make the sacrifice.

One problem is that the only one I'm aware of is about 3 miles from my apartment. I haven't looked to see whether they have dryer/blowers, but I suspect I may need to spend a LOT of time drying before I get home.

Thoughts?

Always appreciate the fabulous info, and I applaud you running a successful business as well as posting regularly to this forum!

bdd

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

Thanks for all the advice. Since I'm waxing twice/month, should I truly look at a sealant solution as well?

I'm sort of wedded to the auto wash I use (there's a cute girl there, after all), but if it means I need to find a touchless car wash, I'll make the sacrifice.

One problem is that the only one I'm aware of is about 3 miles from my apartment. I haven't looked to see whether they have dryer/blowers, but I suspect I may need to spend a LOT of time drying before I get home.

Thoughts?

Always appreciate the fabulous info, and I applaud you running a successful business as well as posting regularly to this forum!

bdd

Man, you're dedicated if you wax 2x's a month! lol. There are basically 3 categories. Wax (which is what you've been using), synthetic sealants (which last longer than waxes) and coatings (CQuartz Finest, Opti-Coat Pro, Opti-Coat 2.0, CQuartz UK etc) which typically go from around 1 year…up to 2+ years (in the case of Finest or Opti Coat).

As i said before, a touchless wash usually uses pretty strong cleaners, so unless you have your vehicle protected with something very strong (a coating), each wash is going to degrade what protection you have (if its just a wax or sealant). If you are using a good wax 2x's a month though on a constant basis, that will more than likely hold up…but you'll also need to be sure you have protection on your trim and such as well (so the chemicals dont cause it to fade).

The safest bet of all of course, is to wash it yourself. If you have a self serve carwash in your area (where they have several wash bays with a pressure washer in each one) that would be your best bet. No one is going to care for your baby like you are (99% of the time anyway lol). After washing and drying, just drive it home and then use a quick detail to touch up any drips that may have shown up from the drive (there are almost always a few regardless of the car).

The last option would be to use something like Meguiars Rinse Free wash…if you look it up on youtube, its very easy to use, requires no hose/rinsing and works very well. They also have a Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax product, which you could use to help maintain the wax you put on so that you do not HAVE to reapply so often (unless you just like doing it ).

A couple of buckets, a gallon of the Rinse Free, a good wash mitt or two and some decent microfiber towels and you are good to go. A spray bottle with some water and about 1 oz of the Rinse Free wash mixed into it to use to pre-spray the panel is always nice too….like i said just youtube it, i know Jason Rose did a video demonstrating it a while back. It also smells great

[billddrummer]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

[QUOTE=Wills.WindowsAndWheels;545132]Man, you're dedicated if you wax 2x's a month! lol. There are basically 3 categories. Wax (which is what you've been using), synthetic sealants (which last longer than waxes) and coatings (CQuartz Finest, Opti-Coat Pro, Opti-Coat 2.0, CQuartz UK etc) which typically go from around 1 year

[billddrummer]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

Man, you're dedicated if you wax 2x's a month! lol. There are basically 3 categories. Wax (which is what you've been using), synthetic sealants (which last longer than waxes) and coatings (CQuartz Finest, Opti-Coat Pro, Opti-Coat 2.0, CQuartz UK etc) which typically go from around 1 year…up to 2+ years (in the case of Finest or Opti Coat).

As i said before, a touchless wash usually uses pretty strong cleaners, so unless you have your vehicle protected with something very strong (a coating), each wash is going to degrade what protection you have (if its just a wax or sealant). If you are using a good wax 2x's a month though on a constant basis, that will more than likely hold up…but you'll also need to be sure you have protection on your trim and such as well (so the chemicals dont cause it to fade).

The safest bet of all of course, is to wash it yourself. If you have a self serve carwash in your area (where they have several wash bays with a pressure washer in each one) that would be your best bet. No one is going to care for your baby like you are (99% of the time anyway lol). After washing and drying, just drive it home and then use a quick detail to touch up any drips that may have shown up from the drive (there are almost always a few regardless of the car).

The last option would be to use something like Meguiars Rinse Free wash…if you look it up on youtube, its very easy to use, requires no hose/rinsing and works very well. They also have a Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax product, which you could use to help maintain the wax you put on so that you do not HAVE to reapply so often (unless you just like doing it ).

A couple of buckets, a gallon of the Rinse Free, a good wash mitt or two and some decent microfiber towels and you are good to go. A spray bottle with some water and about 1 oz of the Rinse Free wash mixed into it to use to pre-spray the panel is always nice too….like i said just youtube it, i know Jason Rose did a video demonstrating it a while back. It also smells great

Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely check out the videos!

Not only do I wax 2x/mo, I clay and polish prior.

Now before you say "that's complete overkill," consider that I drive 600+ miles/week through a pine forest on interstate highways, subject to all the environmental factors that come with it.

When I bought this car, I vowed to keep it looking as good as I could considering what I was up against being a DD with road warrior status.

So far, people have been suitably impressed, but I still feel like I have a ways to go before it's how I want it to look.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, and when I figure out how to format iPhone photos for this forum, I'll put some up so that you can grade my work!

Thanks again!

bdd

[Eldorado2k]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

This was such a well posted thread! Not only did you have amazing results, but you took some amazing pictures to boot. Still amazed at how severe those swirls were and how smooth and wet it turned out. I'll be looking into a high powered LED flashlight after reading this too.
Good stuff all around

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

Thanks for the tips, I'll definitely check out the videos!

Not only do I wax 2x/mo, I clay and polish prior.

Now before you say "that's complete overkill," consider that I drive 600+ miles/week through a pine forest on interstate highways, subject to all the environmental factors that come with it.

When I bought this car, I vowed to keep it looking as good as I could considering what I was up against being a DD with road warrior status.

So far, people have been suitably impressed, but I still feel like I have a ways to go before it's how I want it to look.

I'll keep you posted on my progress, and when I figure out how to format iPhone photos for this forum, I'll put some up so that you can grade my work!

Thanks again!

bdd

Lol nice. Be sure to let me know once you get some pics out..im sure it'll come out very nice

This was such a well posted thread! Not only did you have amazing results, but you took some amazing pictures to boot. Still amazed at how severe those swirls were and how smooth and wet it turned out. I'll be looking into a high powered LED flashlight after reading this too.
Good stuff all around

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the read. Takes some work making something that bad look so good lol, but sure feels good at the end of the day. Be sure to buy some anxiety medicine when you get the LED light if you have a black car, just saying lol

[oscfit]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

awesome job on the car. So its safe to say that if I purchase the DAMF system and use it with my meguiars DA, that I can use the m105/m205 that I already have at home? Or would you recommend buying the new stuff with the Microfiber Pads?

[tiSS'er]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

awesome job on the car. So its safe to say that if I purchase the DAMF system and use it with my meguiars DA, that I can use the m105/m205 that I already have at home? Or would you recommend buying the new stuff with the Microfiber Pads?

M205 on a MF finishing pad, speed 4 is incredible. It cuts very well, and finished rather nicely. I would still finish with foam and M205, but it depends on your paint. However, should you need more cut you can go with a MF finishing pad and M105/UC or go to a MF cutting pad with either M205 or M105, depending on the condition of the paint. I tried both MF specific compound and finishing wax, and I find I like the M105/UC/M205 combo better. However, every paint is different and D300 and D301 might be a better choice, hard to say without testing.

[Wills.WindowsAndWheels]

Re: Arizona 09' 328i BMW Montego Blue - More 205 awesomeness & CQ Finest

M205 on a MF finishing pad, speed 4 is incredible. It cuts very well, and finished rather nicely. I would still finish with foam and M205, but it depends on your paint. However, should you need more cut you can go with a MF finishing pad and M105/UC or go to a MF cutting pad with either M205 or M105, depending on the condition of the paint. I tried both MF specific compound and finishing wax, and I find I like the M105/UC/M205 combo better. However, every paint is different and D300 and D301 might be a better choice, hard to say without testing.

I think purchasing the D300 is a worth while investment. M105, especially in az (as i see you are in cali which too can get hot) has a tendency to dry out very quickly so unless you know how to work with it, it can be a bit of a pain. M205 requires a different approach all together and while obviously the results can be great, there is a learning curve there as well.

D300 was designed specifically to work with the mf pads and does give great results and is easier to work with than 105. Since i do this for a living, i have M100,101,105,205 and D300 all on hand at all times since i never know when i may be thrown a curve ball...but that being said, if this is for your personal car, id give the D300 compound a shot first. Then I'd use 205 to do a final polish and then protect with whatever tickles your fancy