Help, Completely Overwhelmed

[cdmc]

Hi,



I have spent about 6 hours reading these forums and am completely overwhelmed. Here is my situation. I have a black 1994 BMW 525i that I need to detail before I sell it. It has a little oxidation on the roof, minor swirling (from where the dealer burned the paint before we purchased it 8 years ago), and some spider webbing. I want to get the car looking nice before sale, but don`t have 10 hours to spend doing it. After all the reading, I am thinking of buying the PC 7424 kit from autogeeks, as it appears, unlike the old days, the DA`s are safe to use. I would then use the PC as needed on my white toyota landcruiser and silver X5.



Currently in my detail stuff (which I haven`t used in several years), I have PS21 Paintwork cleanser, Blitzwax paste wax, Meguiars Gold Class Polish, Mequiars Gold Glass Wax, 3M Hand Glaze, and 3M Cleaner/wax.



So my basic question is, what products do I use to restore/prep the paint for sale in the least number of steps and time. I am looking at the PC 7424 because I believe it should significantly reduce the time over doing the job by hand. Can I use the Mother`s 3 stage kit or the equivilant Meguiars? What about Meguairs #80 followed up by the Blitz wax for a simple two step process? I would prefer if I can order everthing from one place (autogeek) or pick it up locally (i.e. pepboys), so I don`t have 5 different order and don`t have to run around to get the stuff.



Thanks in advance for the help, I am so overwhelmed that I have a headache and don`t have 10 more hours to figure out what to do.



Cary

[TigerMike]

How about just some Meg`s ColorX and be done with it.



http://www.meguiars.com/?liquid-car-waxes/COLORx

[cdmc]

Would I use the colorx by hand or with the PC?

[imported_mosborn9]

Hi cdmc,



From your post your intentions are unclear. Are you just looking into fixing up your BMW for sale or are you looking to start doing your own detailing again? How much time are you willing to put into your own detailing? Your public profile does not indicate what part of the country you live so we do not know how harsh your winter climate is. Could you commit to 5-6 hrs (exterior) twice a year and 2-3 hrs every 2 weeks? From your time on the board what last step products (lsp) have you liked the look of most (wax vs sealant)? If you want to stay with a wax then the time commitmment is going to be a little more because wax just does not have the durability of some of the sealants that are available now. One final thing, about how much are you looking to spend? A Porter Cable (7424) pads, polish, and LSP are going to probably cost you $200 minimally. If you can provide this information I am sure we can recommend some products you will be pleased with.

[TigerMike]

Would I use the colorx by hand or with the PC?



Can be used by either method, although a PC will yield better results as it is more capable of working in the cleaners and abrasives more efficiently and effectively.

[cdmc]

Hi cdmc,



From your post your intentions are unclear. Are you just looking into fixing up your BMW for sale or are you looking to start doing your own detailing again? How much time are you willing to put into your own detailing? Your public profile does not indicate what part of the country you live so we do not know how harsh your winter climate is. Could you commit to 5-6 hrs (exterior) twice a year and 2-3 hrs every 2 weeks? From your time on the board what last step products (lsp) have you liked the look of most (wax vs sealant)? If you want to stay with a wax then the time commitmment is going to be a little more because wax just does not have the durability of some of the sealants that are available now. One final thing, about how much are you looking to spend? A Porter Cable (7424) pads, polish, and LSP are going to probably cost you $200 minimally. If you can provide this information I am sure we can recommend some products you will be pleased with.



Thanks. I am looking to sell the old car and do my own detailing again. I would pay someone the $200 to detail the BMW, but feel, I would rather put the money in the PC and then do my other cars. Frankly, I have spent up to $300 to have the BMW detailed in the past and was disappointed each time, as I found I did better by hand with simple polish, wax, and elbow grease.



I am located in the San Franscisco Bay Area, Walnut Creek/Concord to be more specific.



For the time commitment, I can the to 5-6 hours twice a year, but the 2-3 hours every 2 weeks would break me (child, work, other projects). I prefer the look of wax, but like the long term durability of the newer sealants, but am concerned about their difficulting in use (Klasse).



After doing some more reading, searching, I am now leaning towards the Meguiars #80 applied with a PC and followed up with Blitz wax. Does this sound good? Would it be better than using the Colorx followed by wax?



Thanks for the help.

[GlossyTundra]

Get the PC kit from autogeek, some Optimum Compound and Polish (compound to take out heavy oxidation and swirls, polish to clean up compound). Then get some Klasse AIO and SG. A couple of applications of SG should last 5-6months.

[imported_mosborn9]

OK, here`s my recommendations that are heavily weighted towards durability because of your time commitment. I cannot stress enough that it is going to be very important to do the proper prep work before applying the sealants or your going to end up spending a fair amount of money and not be pleased with your efforts. This is going to take an initial time investment but if you can keep your vehicle washed without inducing swirls it will make your next major detail session easier.



PC and Pad Set (http://www.autogeek.net/hk7424.html)



Note: Do not ignore this step; you can usually find the Mothers Clay kit in most Auto stores if you would rather use that

Clay (http://www.autogeek.net/piulpoclkit.html)



Optimum Polish (http://www.autogeek.net/opt400.html)



TigerMike can provide info on the following or review some of his prior posts:



Bonding Agent (http://www.duragloss.com/product.asp?pid=275)

LSP (http://www.duragloss.com/product.asp?pid=336)

Use the following after each wash:

Booster (http://www.duragloss.com/product.asp?pid=272)



OR



Go with the Zaino Line

Cure Accelerator (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=ZFX&Category_Code=Zaino)

Sealant (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Z-2&Category_Code=Zaino)

Gloss Enhancer (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Z-6&Category_Code=Zaino)

Finale Spray (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Z-8&Category_Code=Zaino)