Seeking advice for correcting/polishing Estoril Blue BMW

[Dirty Jacket]

Is the WG sealant as durable as Collinite or is it one of the many sealants that does *not* last/protect as well? Sealants aren`t always "better" than waxes. Just wondered, never used the stuff.

Dirty Jacket- Welcome to Autopia!

I`d figure out whether you prefer abrasives that DO or DON`T diminish (I prefer the latter).

And yeah, two-step correction oughta work fine.

I don`t quite understand what the diminishing vs not diminishing means, although I understand that the Megs is a nondiminishing. Can`t say that was a factor for this noob tho

[Accumulator]

I don`t quite understand what the diminishing vs not diminishing means, although I understand that the Megs is a nondiminishing. Can`t say that was a factor for this noob tho

Since I make such a big deal out of it, maybe I ought try explaining why I think it matters.

With a diminishing abrasive product, it starts out aggressive and breaks down to less-aggressive. Even when it`s something really mild. So if what you want is to finish that pass with the "less-aggressive" you gotta work it long enough for it to break down to that point. Often/usually not an issue.

Sometimes it`s even good- when you`re using a really harsh compound, one that`ll scour up the finish, it`s nice to be able to just keep working it and end up with a mild, broken-down version that clears up a lot of that scouring, leaving just a little micromarring.

Some other times, OTOH, it`s not so good- when you just want to do a *little bit* of polishing, why start out with something harsher than you need and spend all that time/effort *and clearcoat* working it until it breaks down to what you really need?

With a NON-diminishing product, there`s no "breaking down". It`s more consistent from start to finish; the level of cut basically stays the same, it just dries out sooner or later (IMO you`d better buff it off before that happens).

Once again, that can be good or not-so-good.

Good- You get exactly what you`re expecting from start to finish. If you only want a little work to get done, you just work it for a short time and then buff it off. If you want more work to get done you just work it longer (I still wouldn`t let it dry out). No wasted time/effort/clear waiting to get to the point you really want.

Not-so good- With aggressive stuff it`s still harsh when you buff it off, that`s why it`s *SO* easy to get serious micromarring when you buff off the residue from a nondiminishing compound like M105. And the residue on your pad and buff-off towel is always just as harsh as the stuff that`s still in the bottle. You don`t have much control over how it cuts because it`s always the same, only variable you`re controlling is how long it does its thing.

I myself like the nondiminishing because I feel I have better control over what it`s gonna do.

Oh, and just FWIW...I do "buff until it dries out and turns to powder" with a handful of *VERY* mild Finishing Polishes, at least when I`m doing the (sorta goofy) Uber-Autopian burnishing/jeweling thing. Stuff like 1Z High Gloss can be really good that way, but that`s not very IRL if ya ask me.

Hope that made sense...anything I can clarify? Heh heh, it might`ve already been more than you really wanted to know

[Dirty Jacket]

That`s so much, that makes perfect sense. I appreciate that, and many of your other posts that I have read. Thanks everyone.

[Accumulator]

That`s so much, that makes perfect sense. I appreciate that, and many of your other posts that I have read..

Thanks, nice to know I`m not just wasting bandwidth

[Dirty Jacket]

Okay so I put it to work this weekend. I learned a lot as I went along and ultimately realized that I was ill prepared for many of the (correctable) defects in my clear coat. The most `aggressive` pads I had were LC orange pads, and my most aggressive polish was Meg`s Ultimate Compound. There were numerous defects that this didn`t touch. Ultimately I wanted to err on the side of caution since I`ve never machine polished before.
Now I know.
Once the weather warms up I`ll give it in another go.
Thanks everyone for your help.

[Wing Commander]

That is nice to update on the results,your approach is very smart because you can`t put clear back on with the polisher but you can perform another section pass if needed.

[Accumulator]

Dirty Jacket- Heh heh, it`s harder than online info might lead you to expect, isn`t it?!? That`s kinda good news for reasons Wing Commander expressed so well.

That orange/UC combo *will* remove defects/clear, just so incrementally that, at least in your case, the risk of an !oops! isn`t that significant.

[Dirty Jacket]

Would you advise I stick with Megs ultimate compound and use a more aggressive pad or would you change both? I know it`s hard to say without seeing the defects but suffice it to say I feel like I wasted most of my Sunday as I see no difference on significant portions of the car. Granted, my technique I`m sure has more to do with it than products, I`m realistic.

[Accumulator]

Would you advise I stick with Megs ultimate compound and use a more aggressive pad or would you change both? I know it`s hard to say without seeing the defects but suffice it to say I feel like I wasted most of my Sunday as I see no difference on significant portions of the car. Granted, my technique I`m sure has more to do with it than products, I`m realistic.

I`d use a MF Cutting Disk but *NOT* a more aggressive foam pad. Just plan on doing a lot more, and maybe slower, passes.

You could switch to M101 on the MF disk and !oh man! would that do the correction in a timely manner. But I hesitate to recommend something that aggressive even if I would probably do it that way myself.

Don`t feel too bad, that "I spent a day and have little to show for it...what a bummer!" is just *so* common. My general take on it is that a reasonable (i.e., safe for your level of experience) approach simply takes a VERY long time...so let it do that rather than upping the ante (i.e., increasing the risk factor).

And remember, Life is NOT a Car Show I know this is Autopia, but seriously..

And oh yeah, sure...every detailer on the internet would "get that perfect in no time" (scare-quotes very intentional). But you`re living in the Real World so just forget about all that.

[NVcobra]

I agree with the guys above about the 2 step polish max. Lastly since it`s a pre owned. See if you can get meter before you go to town. I am not 200 percent sure I know the blue you reference but the interlagos blue on many M cars shows swirls if you look at it. Get some good wipe off towels.

And since you are going through all the perfecting steps I would add a chemical Decon like iron x and a physical Decon step clay bar step after the wash and you will mostly likely have to wash again before the correction. Now if that sounds good, I would coat the car and lock in all that hard work. Just my 2 cents.

Sorry for chiming in off the wall here, my apologies up front. But for some reason I simply can`t find a way to post a "new thread". There is no option I can see. No way to ask any questions. This is the only way for me to interact so far. Maybe a moderator can pick this up and give me a hand please, thanks!! Again, sorry for jumping in here....

[Accumulator]

NVCobra- I`m not a Mod, but try this:

-Go to Forum Home
-Click on Forum Title/Category of choice
-Towards top, left-hand side, there should be a rectangular blue "Post New Thread" icon to click on

I just ran through that and it worked for me. Please let me know if it does/doesn`t work for you.

[NVcobra]

NVCobra- I`m not a Mod, but try this:

-Go to Forum Home
-Click on Forum Title/Category of choice
-Towards top, left-hand side, there should be a rectangular blue "Post New Thread" icon to click on

I just ran through that and it worked for me. Please let me know if it does/doesn`t work for you.

Thanks Accumulator!

Hmm, still don`t see it. Here`s a couple pics of what I see on the screen. It show no posting permissions in the one pic. I registered back in 2004 and haven`t been on for a long time.I wonder if that is a issue of some sort?

[nickclark08]

The first pic it doesn`t look like you are logged in... (the "Login" link on your screen says "logout" mine).

Also, the second pic seems to say you do have permissions.

If you can`t post new threads, super weird for sure.

Thanks Accumulator!

Hmm, still don`t see it. Here`s a couple pics of what I see on the screen. It show no posting permissions in the one pic. I registered back in 2004 and haven`t been on for a long time.I wonder if that is a issue of some sort?

[titsataki]

I did not see this thread. I have a 2013 135is in Estoril Blue. I love the color. indeed it is hard. you have to work it .. the video with the alpine white is an excellent how to.. take time and it will come up very nice
I love menzerna polishes I also have tried many others Meg`s 105/205 etc.. they are so good you can finish it with one try.. but I always try to do a Menzerna P85rd take at the end. then you can play with LSP and waxes to your hearts content.

Regards

Nick

[Accumulator]

titsaki- While I`m not a big fan of Menzerna stuff, I agree 100% that finshing out with something like p85rd will leave a much nicer finish than M205.

I`ve *NEVER* had M105 pass muster when inspcted in a dark environment with the right lighting (usually used the SunGun). Never. Always saw some degree of micromarring even if it wasn`t visible under less rigorous inspection conditions. Even talked it to death with guys like Kevin and Barry so I`m confident it wasn`t just a matter of it not being Accumulator-proof.

NVcobra- I can`t see that screen capture on this PC (eh, total POS I`m on at present ), but I hope you`re getting that sorted out. If nickclark08 can`t figure it out I sorta doubt that I could!