BMW M3 woes.....

**Mr. Vapor** · 07-08-2009, 07:35 PM

hey guys,

obviously this is my first post, so i`m not sure if i`ll be able to post pictures (i think there is a 10 post rule or something?)

anyways, like alot of you older more grizzled "vets," i`ve been lurking and reading from the shadows, wearing out the search button till it smoked and flipped through forum pages like an old battered news paper. Well, here i am, i finally mustered the courage to leave the ranks of lurker and become a more active member. In that process, i`ve decided to also leave the ranks of "Joe (wear-the-sh!t-out-of-your-elbow-while-trying-to-wax-your-car-as-a-weekend-warrior) Smith," and become "Joe (Holy-hell-that-dude-has-the-best-paint-on-the-block!) Smith."

That being said, i`m fairly confident that i`ll be picking up the Porter Cable DA, i`ve been pouring over tons of threads/posts/websites regarding polish brand (Wolfgang, Meguiars, Poorboy and Pinnacle seem to be the overall favorites) at that point, i don`t think i can go wrong, its just a matter of preference.

However, my questions seem to go resolved as i read on more and more.

Major questions are pretty typical but can`t seem to get definitive anwsers in one concise thread! For example:

CCS pads vs. Lake Country. it seems from what i`m reading that LC pads are preferred and the CCS pads with the pockets are "gimmicky?"

My BMW paint. from most accounts, it seems that the BMWs (as are most germans) known to have paint more on the "harder" side, but i thought i read somewhere that the E46s in particular (mine is a 2006) are thought to have soft paint?

my condition: water spots/minor etching from water spots. typical swirl marks from improper washing technique etc etc.

I`m just trying to bring her back to her original luster, and i`m not going for a full correction, as typically we`re in good shape here. that being said, i think the orange pad would be plenty enough to get me rolling.

I get lost when i start to read about the abrasiveness of polish.

if anyone wants to help guide me in the right direction, id be most thankful.

here is some pics of what we`re working with:

typical paint condition:

After i powdercoated my wheels:

**mikenap** · 07-08-2009, 07:41 PM

Welcome from a fellow M3forum.net member. I recognized the name and had to say hi. I`m pretty new to this forum, but I believe I can answer your question about the pads. The CCS pads are a newer style of pad, but they are still made by Lake Country. I believe when people post about LC pads, they may be talking of the older flat foam pads, which many people prefer. I haven`t seen anyone still selling the flat pads except for Autogeek, which still has some 4" orange flat pads on sale, so it may not be an issue anyway.

Good luck w/your car. FWIW, my M3 is what got me interested in detailing in the first place. My old beater Honda seems like a chore to clean, while I actually look forward to caring for the M.

**Mr. Vapor** · 07-08-2009, 07:46 PM

hey man! nice to see a few of us crazy M3ers cruizen around these parts!

Thanks for the clarification on the pads!

**mikenap** · 07-08-2009, 07:53 PM

From what I`ve read, That`s Fresh and Accumulator are also M owners, and quite a few others who I can`t remember at the moment. Lot`s of people w/first hand knowledge here, and all seem willing to help. I lurk mostly on M3forum, but don`t post much since everyone is so quick to blast everyone else. Much more chill site here! :chuckle:

**Mr. Vapor** · 07-08-2009, 08:02 PM

meh whatever.....its funny how quickly people forget how they were "noobs" once.

**jDizzle** · 07-08-2009, 08:06 PM

i have a honda, so my paint is soft as well... ive never done a bmw, because ive heard so many issues so many people have had with them. i just dont touch them... especially black :soscared: ... but since i have soft paint, i figure i should speak up about how i got mine nice and 95% swirl free. i get comments on it all the time, and its beige... anyway, i didnt use anything more agressive than white LC pad. my goal was to be the least agressive i possibly could (as always) to remove my swirls. i tried meguiars #9 swirl remover 2.0 (white pad), and it did a little bit, but i wasnt happy with it. so i 3M ultrafina with a white polishing LC pad , and much better results. my car is nearly swirl free now, and is VERY glossy. mabye ultrafina and a white pad is all you need. i used a PC by the way, not a rotary.

**Mr. Vapor** · 07-08-2009, 08:10 PM

good info...the white pad is inbetween the orange and the black right?

did you follow up with a pass with the black pad?

you used the 7424porter cable right?

**jDizzle** · 07-08-2009, 08:20 PM

yea, i used the 7424.. and yes, the white pad is firmer than the grey/black, but softer than orange, by a lot.. and i was goign to finnish up with the grey pad, but once i was done with the white and ultrafina, i did ony fender with the grey and didnt see any difference. so no, but as i said i dont know if your paint is softer or harder than mine, and your car is black, so id probably get a grey/black pad just incase

**jDizzle** · 07-08-2009, 08:26 PM

ultra fina is a finnishing polish... says its for getting rid of swirls, but its not very agressive. a lot of people rate it very highly as a finnishing polish though.. thats after ouve removed your defects with another product (something more agressive) you can use ultrafina, and it gets rid of any little buffer trails, and brings up gloss..