What would you have done with this BMW?

[M23Accord]

Here is a 540i I did today. Although the majority of the car was in OK condition, the bumper, front of the hood and headlights were trashed from highway driving. In the picture you`ll see that I put a piece of tape on the bumper to mask it and then proceeded to do this (after wash and clay).
1. 3M Perfect It II compound
2. Automagic XP Polish
3. Klasse AIO
4. Poorboys EX
I realize the problem was that I did not level the surface enough but the 3M was all I had. Gonna order SSR2/3 tonight to fill this void. Anyway, what would you have done to this bumper (and rest of car)? What would`ve worked best by hand (I dont use a machine)? Thanks in advance.

http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/2244/113221-103.jpg

Another pic to show the condition of the car. This is the fender
http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/2244/113221-111.jpg

A couple of after pics
http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/2244/113221-104.jpg
http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/2244/113221-108.jpg
http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/2244/113221-106.jpg
http://images.prosperpoint.com/images/2244/113221-105.jpg

Something else I`d like to add, this was one of the first times I`ve used EX as the finisher and the first time on black. I`m really disappointed. The car looked much better BEFORE this step. The result was very warm, soft (what its supposed to do I guess) but it enhanced all the imperfections and I felt like it made the car shine LESS. For black cars, Im going back to Ol` reliable---->Collinites Insulator Wax.

[Woob]

Wow look at that front. Sort of reminds me of my front and how badly chipped it is. All you can do is even what you can. Clean / Clay I guess and just hope the car itself displays nicely.

That looks different from a normal 540i. 4.4 i? It has a M5 front

[M23Accord]

I clayed the S#&T out of it. I use the Wolfgang stuff. Those arent bugs, they`re rock chips and such!

[CharlesW]

The car doesn`t look that bad overall.
Keep in mind that you aren`t going to do much with paint that isn`t there. The front bumper is in serious need of repainting if it is ever going to look good again. Chips don`t shine.

Charles

[kimwallace]

Originally posted by CharlesW
Chips don`t shine.
Charles

Kinda sounds like a title to a new detailing song:lmfao

The car looks good especially since you did it by hand.
Not much you can do with chips and nicks in the paint.

[M23Accord]

Thread revival. How would a machine have fared with the bumper?

[kimwallace]

If there are chips in the paint, a machine won`t do anything for them. It might have removed some of the smudges and light scratches if there were any.

[zesty-man]

i dont think theres any cure for those chips... my mom has tons of them on her hood, and no matter what procut i use, they probalby wont ever come off. theres always those generic things where you can "color" the chips and scratches, but im not sure how reliable that really is

[clean4u]

Hey....... Its looks good to me, You cant do anything with chips umless ur in the paint and body shop business! Nice Job ! My 2 cents worth

[bigron62]

nothing against ex but im not a big fan of sealers on black paint i prefer a carnuba these days .. ive tried sealer on my truck but carnuba gives a nice deep shine .. just my opinion

[Nickc0844]

I see your point BigRon.

M23--
SSR3 really needs a machine to work properly, as it does have diminishing abrasives. Using a PC will get you the results you want, especially on the bumpers. I`m going to guess that the bumpers are plastic, and the body aluminum.

As for shine and wetness, consider using a paste wax as a topper. AIO isn`t going to give you that great of protection, and personally, I would not use it unless you use it`s predessor. The polishes and compounds you used before hand are good. I would use your polishes, then something like Adam`s Polishes Butter Wax for your main protection, then something like Trade Secret (ultimate in wetness) or S100. :dunno

The after pics of the body look super from the angles you took them at. However, the first one where you can see the bumper, it almost looks like a repaint because of the different colors. That`s where the PC will really go to work!

Lookin` good dude!! :bigups

[M23Accord]

Originally posted by bigron62
nothing against ex but im not a big fan of sealers on black paint i prefer a carnuba these days .. ive tried sealer on my truck but carnuba gives a nice deep shine .. just my opinion

Isnt the EX a sealer WITH carnauba? I guess you mean plain carnauba, no sealant? :huh

[Ryan]

Looks good and shiny to me. I guess sometimes it is better to use less steps than more. Next time stick with a polish, glaze, wax and skip that one product. I believe that product has synthetics. Try Souveran as a topper. It always works for me.