1st attempt an an engine detail

[imported_Ronin]

I have a black car and a silver car. With that being said, and having looked at the 3M website, would I have to order SMR for light colored cars for the silver car and SMR for dark colored cars for the black car? Does it really make a difference? I`m new to 3M products so I have no clue.

[Ron Ketcham]

It is a filler/glaze, which is why the two colors.



Ketch

[DETAILKING]

if you got black residue in the cracks of a white car it wouldn`t look so hot....and vice versa......

[YoSteve]

let me see if you can answer the question



SMR is swirl mark remover meaning it does have an abrasive compound in it. I figured the reason why they have ones for light and dark cars is the color of the residue. is the one for dark cars dark in color? if not I would tend to use that one as one can see that light residue would look way worse on black. Anyways, if you`re going to completely remove this residue, like lets say with Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion then I wouldn`t see the need to get both products. What do you guys think? I believe some actually Dawn after SMR, but I would PPCL most likely. HTH-Steve



now that I think about it, it might be advantageous to have a different color residue cause you can see that you have residue. For example, on my silver passat if I used the one for light cars and then did the PPCL, AIO, then SG and it looked great then all would be good right? But what if I did the same thing but with the one for dark cars, did the PPCL, AIO, then SG then there was black still on the car? it would mean that I didn`t remove all the SMR completly, I think it may make a good indicator. Cause I don`t want light SMR on my car whether I can see it or not inbetween my Klasse and the paint. Unless it fills in the swirls.



okay i`m done rambling

[dengelson]

Here`s a little more info about 3M SMR. The SMR for dark colors is dark grey in color. I`ve used it on black and red with great results.

[JonB]

I thought SMR was a very mild abrasive product and not just makeup. Ron`s post indicated that it was really just a glaze/filler.

The 3M site doesn`t answer the question....so....which is it? Or is it both abrasive and a filler?



H

[BradE]

bigboyhf,



It is a very mild abrasive that has some filling ability.

[DETAILKING]

to abrasively remove swirls. The oils left behind are usually removed with a car wash, dawn wash, or paint cleanser before applying the final coat of sealant....

[soontorn_chawal]

and therefore does have abrasive properties. SMR also has filler properties as well.

Here`s a link to the MSDS for SMR.

http://products.mmm.com/us/auto_mari...e20684563+7050

[bmw5541]

So I decided to attempt to detail my engine today for the first time. I must say that I was a bit nervous, as I have never done this before.

Here is what I did:
Sparyed entire engine with Purple Power at full strength. Let it dwel for a few moments and then brushed it with an old wheel /spoke brush. I then hosed it off and repeated tha procedure over again. Then I took an old towel and dried most of the water and then turned on the car and closed the hood to allow to dry. After it was dry, I used AA Tire Foam and sprayed the hoses and plastic. I let that dwel for a few moments (AA Tire Foam has some good cleaning power), and wipped off excess. I added Poor Boys Natural Dressing to a few spots and wipped it all down. All in all it took me about 20 minutes.

On to the pics.

Before:
http://
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Purple Power Dwelling:
http://

After:
http://
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Please let me know what you think. As I stated, I have never tried an engine detail before and I would appreciate your honest opinions. If you have any suggestions, by all means, please let me know.

Thanks for looking.

[imported_Luster]

Hey Barry........NICE WORK! Especially for your first engine detail. Looks great!

You can cut Purple Power 50/50 with water and it`s just as effective.

Again, nice job!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

[Street Dreams]

Perfect work, I dont see any streaking which is great. Reminds me my engine hasnt been touched in months!

[imported_Mindflux]

Looks tip top. Might have to get me some Power Purple, seems like an effective, relatively inexpensive degreaser one can find locally.

[bmw5541]

Hey Barry........NICE WORK! Especially for your first engine detail. Looks great!

You can cut Purple Power 50/50 with water and it`s just as effective.

Again, nice job!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

Thanks Bill.

Will cutting it reduce it`s effectiveness?

Perfect work, I dont see any streaking which is great. Reminds me my engine hasnt been touched in months!

Thanks Dave.

Comming from you, that means a lot.

Looks tip top. Might have to get me some Power Purple, seems like an effective, relatively inexpensive degreaser one can find locally.

Thanks.

Bill (Luster) turned me on to it. It`s very inexpensive and handles a lot of different jobs.

[imported_Stokdgs]

Wow, beautiful engine and engine compartment, Barry ! It looks like it is better than brand new !
I am so proud of you !!!

I use P/power too and cut it with water; it will still work but could take a little while longer to clean.

On really dirty, greasy, oily engines, I also turn the P/power up a notch, and brush some of the harder, dirtier areas.

Since I use my pressure washer to wash it down first, spray the chemical, and then pressure wash to rinse, I dont have any issues getting it clean.

The only thing I might suggest is that your engine was so clean to begin with, it might not have needed full strength cleaner, which is dangerous at that mix to the rest of the paint - it will want to remove your wax..

I usually wash the front end of the car with alot of soapy stuff and leave it on to help "protect" the finish while I spray the thing with the chemical.

Wait till your try a can of Chemical Guys Fade to Black on that bad boy - wow, that stuff is also really good, and doesnt leave a greasy, residue like some treatments do.

Again, that engine now looks like the rest of the car - Perfect - ! ! !

Dan F