Detailing...details? Prom is this weekend, help me out!

[E36DJ]

Hey everyone, this is my first post.. I`m REALLY glad I found this place, the scale of this forum is amazing! Usually admins make a million little areas thinking it will be cool, but people just ignore them and post their stuff in the off topic or primary forums. Here everyone posts everywhere.. (LOTS of posts no less..)



OK so anyways, I have a 1997 blue M3. It has some fairly bad swirl marks (I don`t have a garage or anything.. this winter was REALLY bad.. I feel so guilty.)

The clear coat is 100% intact though, and the paint isn`t faded, so I`m happy.



My senior prom is saturday, it might rain that morning so I want to do everything tomorrow so I can get the wax on there before the car gets wet.



I have a ton of stuff that I thought was good, but after looking around here I`m clueless. I suddenly get the impression that everything I was doing is wrong.. everything I bought was bad. With two proms coming up you can imagine that I don`t have much money (just got new rear 255 width tires too.. I`m kinda poor.)



This was my first plan, but tell me what you would do? I already own everything in this list.. plus some more. I think I got the wrong polish, I wanted the Meguiar`s swirl remover but they didn`t have it, so I got this polish. I think it`s just for fine-polishing.. not for the real swirls..



-Wash the rims/inside of rims/calipers/tires with bmw carwash.

-Wash the exhaust/tips.

(change water/sponge )

-Wash the car (in the shade) with OEM BMW car wash..

-Clay bar the car w/ mothers California Gold claybar/showtime quick detailer.

-Polish with Meguiar`s carnauba polish (the step 2 stuff) for fine swirl marks and as a prep for the wax.

-Multiple layers of Meguiar`s Gold Class car wax.

-Gel the tires w/ the F1 tire wet gel stuff.

-Armorall/Super 2000 the trim, door handles, window trim, front splitter.

-Clean the windows.



....step back and admire. .....with BB gun in hand to protect against birds, etc. :angry



I did the inside today, everything.. soo hot. :bow

[samiam513]

my only advice.... enjoy the night!!



mine was a couple weeks ago.. It was the most fun I have had in a LOOONNNNGGGGG time! Gotta love leaving the house at 4:30 pm, and getting home at 5:00 am!!



Hope everything goes perfectly.... If it doesn`t it makes prom even better (it did for me... :D )

[meGrimlock]

Your process looks pretty good. Two points I would like to make; the Gold Class has mild cleaning properties, so layering it probably won`t make much of a difference, and make sure the Armor-All you are using is the new formulation. I would also like to suggest mixing the Armor-All 50/50 with water to reduce the shine, that is what I do with mine right now. Other than that, go slow and don`t rush yourself, that is when you run into problems.



Oh yeah, have fun at prom. I really enjoyed mine - four years ago.....

[Estoril ///M]

You plan seems like a good one, but you shouldn`t really need more than 1 coat of the gold class wax.



Just have fun. Afterwards, when your done w/ finals and prom, and graduation get a porter cable 7424/7336 so you can do some serious detailing to get those swirls marks out.



BTW, nice color :xyxthumbs I love estoril blue.

[E36DJ]

Thanks guys..



Hah Estoril ///M.. yes, the color does own me. :bow



For 80k miles it`s doing pretty damn good.

[E36DJ]

Any other pointers for a good polish/swirl remover that I can get at advance autoparts or something like that? What about glazing?

[imported_jbr]

Meguiars has lots of products for swirls and light scratches. They have ScratchX, Body Scrub, #9 Swirl remover. Mother`s also has some good products. Something from Meguiar`s or Mother`s labelled "Cleaner wax" should help a bit too.



THe step 2 polish does NOT remove swirls, it can temporarily fill/hide them though.



Don`t buy a rubbing compound to get rid of swirls. It is too abrasive and can damage your paint.



Your plan for prom night sounds very thorough to me (minus the swirl remover.) A clay bar will make the paint nice and smooth. LIke the others said, you only need one coat of Gold Class. Make sure to leave lots of time, as what you have outlined, usually takes me about 5 hours to do, and for those of us without a garage have to do it during daylight.



Have fun at prom!

[drewski59]

Yeah, my prom was three weeks ago!;)



First, wash the wheels and exhaust last, that way, you don`t have to change the water.

Next, AA is heavy on silicones(except the interior formula, which is okay), so I`d suggest picking up some Meguiars #40 -tan spray bottle/professional line. That`s my favorite from a price/performance standing.



Oh, and just one coat of Gold Class will do it, as future layers will just strip each other.:eek:



Your products are fine, for now:p ...

Think about your priorities:

1. For maximum protection, go with Zaino. It also has SPF40 UV protection=no paint fading. Each layer lasts about 7 months(my average experience). Best clarity of any protectant.

2. For looks above protection, go with ClearKote Vanilla Moose and s100 carnauba wax. Unbelievable wetness, need I say more??

3. And, for the best of both worlds: Klasse AIO+ 5 layers of Klasse SG, then top off with s100. :xyxthumbs



It`s all about personal preference, and how much time and money you`re willing to chip in.



Have fun!:wavey

[imported_Greg]

I see you took out the Turtle wax color cure polish. Good choice. Sorry- just had to bust the fellow DTM`ers chops. Have fun at prom and don`t shoot any blanks.

[E36DJ]

What turtle wax color cure polish.. :nixweiss



















...shutup ;) I never used it.. the previous owner gave it to me. Hmm. I wasn`t going to till I saw that it was a polish not a wax.. I can`t find any place that stocks polish around here.

[aljo]

All I can say is ENJOY yourself! Its one of the last times you are going to be with your friends TOGETHER in one place! Cherish the time and take LOTS of pictures. You car will look great, but don`t worry too much about it! Its not a car show, its your Senior Prom!



I had mine last year and when they played "Green Day - Time of Your Life" nearing the end of the Prom, I got the chills and tears almost came to my eyes. What a great time! I hope the weather cooperates with you!



Have a blast and drive safe!!!