Overkill: Am I getting carried away here?

[Gopher]

I`ve worked over a few cars with my PC now and am starting to get the hang of it/do decent work (relative to a newbie). I`ve got a black BMW 7 series I`m planning on starting as soon as tomorrow and am curious as to whether the steps I`m contemplating are excessive. I`m also curious about the placement of the glaze in my setup.



My plan is as follows



Wash (with strong dawn solution)

Claybar

Polish - Menzerna IP w/yellow cutting pad at speed 6

Polish - Menzerna FFP w/white polish pad at speed 6

Polish/chemical clean - Klasse AIO w/white pad at speed ?

Seal - Klasse SG

- I`d wait a few days to cure, wash, layer and repeat to 3 layers

Seal - Jeffs Werkstatt AJT

Glaze - haven`t picked a product yet

Wax - Natty`s Red





It seems like a lot of steps on paper, but I`m curious as to how good I can get this sucker looking. Too much? Would the glaze be in the right place?

[Setec Astronomy]

The Klasse SG and JW AJT are pretty similar and therefore redundant. I also don`t know if you really need a glaze in that regimen...I think I`d consider it overkill.

[imported_JoshVette]

You should take a look at the condition of the car`s paint first before you develop a process.



If in relatively good shape, you probably won`t need to polish a second time and after you seal it you should be done.:2thumbs:



Josh

[Gopher]

Setec,



Heh, I got an unopened jug of SG as part of a package deal I`ve been meaning to start using up, but have been using the AJT for simplicity. Maybe I`ll skip the AJT on this car and just layer up on the SG.



Josh,



I`m very familiar with the paint condition. Its one of my dads fleet. Its a 2001 that has never been detailed before. Its never really been a daily driver though as he has a few cars he switches off with and its got like 35K on the odo w/ an interrior that looks and smells brand new still.



Nonetheless its got some significant swirls and water spots, so I definitely want to begin with the Menzerna. I`d like to not use the KAIO right after the menzerna pair, but my understanding is I will likely have bonding issues going straight to SG or AJT...

[danforz]

Though I`ve only used SG, from what I hear I`d be more inclined to use AJT on the paint rather then KSG. Maybe save SG for rims?

[Accumulator]

I`d think twice about using sealants on a black driver...but anyhow...



I`d just pick an LSP and use that *one*. No second sealant, no glaze, no wax after it. OR I`d use a glaze/wax combo instead.

[imported_themightytimmah]

I don`t think you`ll gain too much on black from all those layers... if you just go RMG -> NR it will look as good if not better than KAIO - KSG x3 NR. If durability is a big issue, consider EZ Creme Glaze and Collinite 845.

[NickelPlated.45]

I`d think twice about using sealants on a black driver...but anyhow...



Why is that?

[Bigpoppa3346]

Why is that?



Sealants show marring more readily and won`t conceal much.



OTOH, I`ve used sealants that cover more than some nubas` do, but those were applied via PC and therefore worked into the finish more.

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I was thinking about marring. I use KSG on one of my vehicles that`s a daily driver, but I`m able to get and, more importantly *keep* it marring-free. If I had to polish more than once a year, or if I couldn`t get it virtually perfect, I`d rather use an LSP that is more forgiving of an imperfect finish. If you have flaws, they`re gonna be obvious with KSG on there.

[Scottwax]

I`d think twice about using sealants on a black driver...but anyhow...







Agreed. I always go back to carnaubas on black.



Without seeing the car, it is hard to give you any specific answers as to whether or not your steps are exactly the right steps for that particular car. I will say you should focus way more on the polishing steps than layering. A black car with significant swirling is going to take you up to several hours to polish out via PC.

[Gopher]

Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I had a family bbq I`d forgotten about today and never got around to even thinking about the car. I`m toying with starting it tomorrow.



After reading all of the contributions I`ve made a few tentative decisions as to how I will proceed.



- I will keep the bulk of my effort focused on the preparation steps and worry less about incorporating more products.



- I will use one sealant rather then 2. It will be the Klasse SG and I will only apply two layers--that being for the purpose of ensuring full coverage.



- I will skip the glaze on top of sealant all together.



- I will use a carnuba on top of the sealants ( probably natty`s red).



I think this process will yield me good results. Assuming tomorrows weather permits I`ll probably shoot over to my parents place and begin that process--for the record it will now be:



Dawn wash

Clay (while washing)

Polish IP

Polish FP

Polish KAIO

SG by hand--next weekend will wash then apply another coat

Natty`s Red

[ron231]

If youre going to clay and polish, skip the dawn wash.



Dawn can dry out your black plastic, and accelerates the fading of things like your wiper arms and trim and dries out your rubber door seals.



if you want a strong wash thats good, use CG citrus wash and gloss at paintwork cleanser strenth.

[Gopher]

well... I worked on it for the better part of today. From my limited experience I`ve deduced that BMW Black is MUCH harder to work with then Porsche black...



Though the paint was pretty good scratch/swirl wise by the time I was done, I noticed it had `indentations` that didn`t break the clear coat or anything, but the surface wasn`t perfectly smooth... as if it were in a hail storm or something. It looks great from as close as a foot away, but when you really get down and examine the paint its apparent.



I pretty much stuck to my plan, but by the time I was done I decided against taking the time to apply the SG and elected to go the much quicker AJT route. I think I was pretty good coverage wise, so next week I`ll likely just give it a careful wash, hit it with and hit it with a nice carnuba.

[jedovaty]

I noticed it had `indentations` that didn`t break the clear coat or anything, but the surface wasn`t perfectly smooth... as if it were in a hail storm or something.



I *think* that`s called "orange peel", and is pretty much standard on all new cars in the US due to some environmental regulations which prevent the paint from drying completely smooth. If the car is repainted, something happens in the process and you lose the orange peel.. not an expert here, though, so take my words with a pound of salt.