Brandon 117
03-23-2007, 10:12 AM
Hi guys!
This is my first post but before my question I just want to say how cool this site is! All of you are so knowledgable it is really great. Special thanks to DavidB on his detailing chapters...what a vast arena of knowledge.
Okay, here`s my deal, and I will try and make it brief. I have a jet black 2005 Z4. I had a decent sized scratch form what I think happened in our nice little ice storm down here...I think a sheeet of ice dragged across the trunk when was melting (that , or somebody actually vandalized it, but, I am trying not to think that). Anyways, after this, I decided to let a guy (kid) go ahead and detail the outside and try to minimize the scratches, which he pretty much did by using what looked like a rotary (maybe an orbital), most likely polished it and waxed, all by the machine. FYI, this was before I found this awesome site and got educated. In any event, the car looked great until the next day in the sun...you know what`s coming. Swirl marks...really what I would call buffer trails, all down the hood and trunk. SO, I call my BMW mechanic and he recommends their detailer. I go see him and he laughs and says "ahh, there`s a new kid in town that thinks he knows how to detail, etc..." but he promises me that he can fix it no problem. He`s been detailing 30 years. Soooo, later that week I drop it off and come back about 5 hours later and bam, the car looked like glass. He really appreared to have done a wonderful job..and I`m looking at it directly in the sun...no more trails. He used Meguiars Gold, his standby, fyi. I was back to a great place in my mind, y`all probably understand that feeling. 6 days go by and I need to go wash it, so, like an idiot, I take it to the hand held washer places and blast it with soap, clean it with a mf mitt, and dry it with an absorber. Well, boom now I had halos everywhere in the sun...obviously(?) the cheap soap ate up the wax? Anyways, perplexed, I go back to him and he tells me not to use anyhtinng but good quality soap, and agrees to re-do the car, no charge. Again, I get it back and it`s really nice again! Well, I do another idiot move and get a California Water blade (hoping to not have to rub off so much wax while drying). I washed the car with Meguirs Gold wash, 2 tub system like y`all talk about here. (by this point I am reding this site-although Iwish I had first searched for all the warnings on the CWB!). I use the blade and after, find out that it totally marred my paint. Nothing that looks serious I think, but just that ugly grey.white marring, everywhere . We are not talking about one long nasty scratch from some pebble. More like the car wasn`t totally clean like I thought itm was and the dang blade just rubbed dust all over the paint. Danngit! So, I test a portion of the hood and use NXT you it seemed to totally take the marring away. But, then it rained and I think I can now see the marring again on that part where I tested the NXT. Hence, I am thinking since this new marring was man made (ie.not by a machine) I can/should probably not just re-wax the car but first polish it to get out the light marring? Does think make sense? So, in yuor opinions, what should I do and what polish should I get? Something like scratch-x? The care has been polished like twice in a month so I really think it`s gotta be pretty clean and hopefully doesn`t need another rotary treatment. Hey, thanks a million in advance...Sorry my first post here had to be a novel!!!! :) Brandon PS...I think this jet black paint on this Z4 is very soft!!!
This is my first post but before my question I just want to say how cool this site is! All of you are so knowledgable it is really great. Special thanks to DavidB on his detailing chapters...what a vast arena of knowledge.
Okay, here`s my deal, and I will try and make it brief. I have a jet black 2005 Z4. I had a decent sized scratch form what I think happened in our nice little ice storm down here...I think a sheeet of ice dragged across the trunk when was melting (that , or somebody actually vandalized it, but, I am trying not to think that). Anyways, after this, I decided to let a guy (kid) go ahead and detail the outside and try to minimize the scratches, which he pretty much did by using what looked like a rotary (maybe an orbital), most likely polished it and waxed, all by the machine. FYI, this was before I found this awesome site and got educated. In any event, the car looked great until the next day in the sun...you know what`s coming. Swirl marks...really what I would call buffer trails, all down the hood and trunk. SO, I call my BMW mechanic and he recommends their detailer. I go see him and he laughs and says "ahh, there`s a new kid in town that thinks he knows how to detail, etc..." but he promises me that he can fix it no problem. He`s been detailing 30 years. Soooo, later that week I drop it off and come back about 5 hours later and bam, the car looked like glass. He really appreared to have done a wonderful job..and I`m looking at it directly in the sun...no more trails. He used Meguiars Gold, his standby, fyi. I was back to a great place in my mind, y`all probably understand that feeling. 6 days go by and I need to go wash it, so, like an idiot, I take it to the hand held washer places and blast it with soap, clean it with a mf mitt, and dry it with an absorber. Well, boom now I had halos everywhere in the sun...obviously(?) the cheap soap ate up the wax? Anyways, perplexed, I go back to him and he tells me not to use anyhtinng but good quality soap, and agrees to re-do the car, no charge. Again, I get it back and it`s really nice again! Well, I do another idiot move and get a California Water blade (hoping to not have to rub off so much wax while drying). I washed the car with Meguirs Gold wash, 2 tub system like y`all talk about here. (by this point I am reding this site-although Iwish I had first searched for all the warnings on the CWB!). I use the blade and after, find out that it totally marred my paint. Nothing that looks serious I think, but just that ugly grey.white marring, everywhere . We are not talking about one long nasty scratch from some pebble. More like the car wasn`t totally clean like I thought itm was and the dang blade just rubbed dust all over the paint. Danngit! So, I test a portion of the hood and use NXT you it seemed to totally take the marring away. But, then it rained and I think I can now see the marring again on that part where I tested the NXT. Hence, I am thinking since this new marring was man made (ie.not by a machine) I can/should probably not just re-wax the car but first polish it to get out the light marring? Does think make sense? So, in yuor opinions, what should I do and what polish should I get? Something like scratch-x? The care has been polished like twice in a month so I really think it`s gotta be pretty clean and hopefully doesn`t need another rotary treatment. Hey, thanks a million in advance...Sorry my first post here had to be a novel!!!! :) Brandon PS...I think this jet black paint on this Z4 is very soft!!!