A4, E92 335i, G35 coupe

Scottwax · 06-01-09, 08:59

2008 Audi A4. The owner bought the car about a week ago and polished it out with a PC. He did a pretty decent job for how hard Audi paint is, but there were still light to moderate spider swirls and a few pig tails from polishing not fully breaking down (or maybe larger abrasive particles). He wanted me to take out the rest of the swirls to take the finish to the next level.

I took a couple before shots but they didn't turn out, sun on white paint was making it hard for my camera to focus. I started with my Meguiars G110 using an orange cutting pad (I believe American Buffing makes it) and Meguiars #105. Seemed to be doing an okay job, but at a slower pace than I wanted. I stepped up to my Dewalt 849 rotary and a yellow Meguiars polishing pad, again with #105. That did the trick. A few areas took several passes to remove the spider swirls and random pig tails (Audi paint is like a ROCK!) at speeds up to 1600 rpm but the majority of the car took one or two polishing passes at 1000-1200 rpms. What amazed me is how well #105 worked without trashing the paint and how few and faint the holograms were. I followed up with 3M Ultrafina Machine Polish (Ultrafina) using a blue Ultrafina pad at 1000-1800-1000 rpms and then sealed with paint with Clearkote's Carnauba Moose.

I was able to get the car 95-98% swirl and defect free, pretty happy with the results with just two polishing steps.

The bright afternoon sun is not the best for showing off white paint, so I took a few pictures after the owner pulled it back into the garage.

Scottwax · 06-01-09, 09:11

2009 BMW 335 coupe. The owner bought this car a month or so ago. I had been taking care of his black G35 coupe for about 4-5 years so it was a pleasure to work on not black G35 paint.

The paint needed some light claying (mostly the back end) and was pretty much completely swirl free. I polished it with Meguiars #205 via G110 and a yellow Meguiars polishing pad. Did a really nice job adding some pop and depth the finish. I sealed the paint with Optimum Opti-Seal. The owner commented on the added wetness after I applied OS to the back end, said it was very noticable.

The BMW had contaced me after making the appointment and asked if I could do a polish and wax on his friend's G35 (which I have done a few times in the past) so I still ended up with black G35 paint to polish.

The G35 really needed some deep polishing but the owner has kind of lost interest in the car and might be getting something else so he just wanted me to add some shine and protection this time. Took quite a bit of claying on the top half of the car, especially the front end. I did the same polishing step as the 335, #205/Meguiars yellow, which actually did a decent job knocking the spider swirls down quite a bit. Really amped up the gloss too. As usual when I detail a black car, I finished it off with Carnauba Moose.

jswhitley · 06-01-09, 09:20

that g35 looks sick man, what kind of durability do u get out of caranuba moose?

Scottwax · 06-01-09, 09:22

4-5 months durability with CMW.

SoFreshSoClean · 06-01-09, 10:52

Looks great as always.

HLxDrummer · 06-02-09, 09:07

So on the BMW you used M205 with a yellow (light cutting correct?) pad and it left the surface LSP ready? I was under the impression that you would need to use a white pad to get it LSP ready.

And what do you think of the OS compared to wax or Zaino? I don't really understand the difference between wax and sealant really. I'm under the impression that sealant lasts longer but doesn't look as good/offer as much protection?

I noticed you really like the OS and in the pictures it looks great, but I just need a little clarification. Thanks!

Scottwax · 06-02-09, 10:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by HLxDrummer

So on the BMW you used M205 with a yellow (light cutting correct?) pad and it left the surface LSP ready? I was under the impression that you would need to use a white pad to get it LSP ready.

And what do you think of the OS compared to wax or Zaino? I don't really understand the difference between wax and sealant really. I'm under the impression that sealant lasts longer but doesn't look as good/offer as much protection?

I noticed you really like the OS and in the pictures it looks great, but I just need a little clarification. Thanks!

Everyone needs to stop focusing on pad color because there is no industry standard-which is why when I mention the Meguiars pad, I always write "yellow Meguiars polishing pad" because it IS a polishing pad. Just because some companies have a yellow cutting pad doesn't mean all yellow pads are cutting pads. Ignore the color, go by what the manufacturer says the cut is. It would be great if they'd all use the same color to denote the aggressiveness of the pad, but don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

OS is a sealant that is extremely easy to use and has decent durability. However, like all sealants, it doesn't quite match the depth of a good carnauba on solid reds and blacks. I like OS a lot more than the Zaino sealants I have (Z5 and Z-CS) due to the ease of use compared to Z5 and the noticably better appearance when compared to Z-CS. When it comes to red or black though, I almost always use Carnauba Moose.

There are some sealants that don't last long and there are some carnaubas that outlast even good sealants. Collinite, Meguiars #16/26, Carnauba Moose are a few waxes that offer excellent durability, while Wolfgang and the first version of NXT didn't have the durability one would expect of a sealant. I do feel that carnaubas tend to give better protection than sealants from bird bombs but I haven't noticed any getting past Opti-Seal in the two years or so I've been using it. There is definitely a difference between durability and protection. Just because a product may stay on the paint a long time doesn't necessarily mean it is actually protecting the paint. Conversely, a carnauba that may offer excellent protection might only do so for a month or two before reapplication is required to restore the protective properties. Since most of us wax far more often than the average person, I'd suggest looking for a product that protects well for at least a month and gives you the look you like.

Thats Fresh · 06-02-09, 12:11

nice mix of cars. save the best for last huh? lOL

Nikku · 06-02-09, 01:01

great work scott !

HLxDrummer · 06-02-09, 03:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottwax

Everyone needs to stop focusing on pad color because there is no industry standard-which is why when I mention the Meguiars pad, I always write "yellow Meguiars polishing pad" because it IS a polishing pad. Just because some companies have a yellow cutting pad doesn't mean all yellow pads are cutting pads. Ignore the color, go by what the manufacturer says the cut is. It would be great if they'd all use the same color to denote the aggressiveness of the pad, but don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.

OS is a sealant that is extremely easy to use and has decent durability. However, like all sealants, it doesn't quite match the depth of a good carnauba on solid reds and blacks. I like OS a lot more than the Zaino sealants I have (Z5 and Z-CS) due to the ease of use compared to Z5 and the noticably better appearance when compared to Z-CS. When it comes to red or black though, I almost always use Carnauba Moose.

There are some sealants that don't last long and there are some carnaubas that outlast even good sealants. Collinite, Meguiars #16/26, Carnauba Moose are a few waxes that offer excellent durability, while Wolfgang and the first version of NXT didn't have the durability one would expect of a sealant. I do feel that carnaubas tend to give better protection than sealants from bird bombs but I haven't noticed any getting past Opti-Seal in the two years or so I've been using it. There is definitely a difference between durability and protection. Just because a product may stay on the paint a long time doesn't necessarily mean it is actually protecting the paint. Conversely, a carnauba that may offer excellent protection might only do so for a month or two before reapplication is required to restore the protective properties. Since most of us wax far more often than the average person, I'd suggest looking for a product that protects well for at least a month and gives you the look you like.

That was one of the most confusing things when coming to this board - everyone said "yellow pad" "green pad" etc then I went to look them up and they were all different! lol

I'll remember to specify what kind of pad it is in the future.

I'll have to try out OS sometime in the future. I think a lot of my customers would like something that lasted a long time but I was never really comfortable with sealants as I didn't know much about them. Aren't they just a synthetic wax or something or is that a myth I heard?

I see what your saying about how they are all different. Thanks for the information, I appreciate it!

mshu7 · 06-02-09, 06:28

As always, all the cars look great Scott!

bufferbarry · 06-02-09, 08:05

scott very nice! ill bet that audi looks nice in person. good job as always