i need some help guys...

I

imported_BMWe30

New member
I am a complete noob in the car detailing game and i am hoping i didnt just **** up my paint...



I bought a 15 year old bmw a month ago with its original red paint. The car's paint was pretty faded. Several people told me this was simply oxidized paint that can be polished out. I figured why not try it out on my hood and trunk, as they were faded pretty bad. I did the job out of direct sunlight as follows....



1) car wash with p21s shampoo

2) Poorboys SSR2.5 abrasive polish by hand with terry applicator....removed with microfiber rag by hand

3) waxed with p21s carnauba wax by hand using their applicator....removed again with microfiber towel

4) did the same process using a "full molecular jacket" by menzerba (i didnt know exactly what this stuff was but my brother recommended it as a paint protectant)



When the job was done i felt great because the paint looked like its factory color again--bright and glossy. The next day however I was pretty upset to find serious imperfections in my job when i viewed it in the light. It almost looked like bloches of the paint were returning to its original faded state.



MY CONCERN IS THIS.....



After experiencing this i asked some friends what the hell i did wrong. One person said I needed a respray because the paint was reverting back to its original state and nothing could be done about it. Another friend said I needed a porter cable polisher to properly do the job without blotches. Yet another person told me it could possibly be hazing from an over aggressive polishing.



What I really would like to do is do the job over again with the portercable on my whole car, but I have read somewhere else i should only polish my finish once a year....leaving me nervous about re-polishing my hood and trunk. :mad:



Can anyone give me some input on what i can do to help my paint look good without a respray? Can I polish my hood over again? What kind of pads should I buy for the Porter Cable buffer?



Thanks in advance
 
Definately want more opinions, so I'm not gonna comment on most of the above... however.. polishing only once a year... that would depend mostly on what you did to begin with. You could probably hit your car with SSR1 and a finishing pad every month or so and not have any serious issue for years. On the other hand... you couldn't go over your car with a heavy compound and a yellow pad every month. You are probably completely fine to hit your car w/ SSR2.5 on maybe an Orange pad, but feel free to see what others say.
 
Hmm, this is kind of hard because I would think the SSR2.5 would take care of the oxidation for good. You might want to try a dedicated paint cleaner to clean and cleanse the paint of all that oxidation if it is coming back. As for the imperfections, you will probably need a Porter Cable to take care of those, polishing by hand is really difficult (while not impossible, but very time consuming).



As for your friends, without pictures you very well could need a re-paint if you could get some pictures up of the paint condition that would be great.



The friend who reccomended to the porter cable, I like him already - The porter cable is a very useful tool and will help you maintain your BMW and get it looking better than some brand new ones with the proper polishes/sealants.



And the hazing, very well could also be true since you were using ssr2.5 by hand. My guess is this is what your problem is, that from using ssr2.5 by hand the abrasives didn't break down all the way leaving some hazing.



*To get rid of hazing you need to just step down to a less abrasive polish like SSR1 or SSR2. I would get the Porter Cable either from your friend or purchase, I wouldnt be too concerned about re-polishing your car. If swirls are still remaining, and working by hand...You should have nothing to fear. I would start out with SSR.5 on a polishing pad and see the progress it makes, if you like it...keep going. If not, maybe step it up to a light cut pad. Remember to follow that step with a lesser abrasive.



As for pads; I would visit our site sponsor at Danase.com he has some Lake Country pads and those should suit you well! He also has microfiber towels and the Poorboys Swirl Removers if you need the different levels. Hope this helps, sorry if it is a little confusing, don't be afraid to ask more questions!
 
First off. I don't think the FMJ bonded over the P21s. Normally you would apply FMJ(a sealant) then apply the P21s(a carnuba) Otherwise you are basically wasting the FMJ which is expensive.



The oxidation depends on many factors. First off, how deep it is.



Some spots will be deeper than the others, so while it might have looked good right after the deeper spots might not have received enough paint removed to keep it at bay.



I know because my buddy had a '93 ss red corolla that used to oxidize quickly and he always used the Megs three step by hand, it would look good for up to about 2 weeks max before it quickly faded again. He stopped caring and just let it go for a few years, and a few months ago I hit it with the pc and an orange lc pad with men IP. I just did a quick job to get it ready to sell. It make a world of difference. We tried to do a few spots by hand and I did not have the patience to do it. It takes so much effort.

(I did a quick job and did not do a swirl removal, as a result when in the sun there were some spots that definitly needed more polishing, but as a whole the car looked better than it has in 5 years.)





My adivce, get the PC, give it a good polish, and keep up on the protection. I would use the FMJ get 2-3 "jackets" on there and perhaps the P21s on top.



The FMJ needs 12-24 hours to cure between coats and topping. Then try to reapply evey month or so and it should stay looking good. :2thumbs:
 
For pads I would get a medium cut(LC Orange) and a light polish/cut(LC White)

I also have a LC black for glaze and a LC red for wax/sealants.



You are safe to polish again, since you did not use a machine. Most people on Autopia polish completely twice a year.
 
Thanks for the input guys...I have a few more questions though. Here is my car btw for a reference...the paint is not that bad at all. Problem areas are the hood trunk and roof.



Pics (they do not capture what is seen by the eye accurately)



notice the difference in the red color...the trunk, hood, roof and front and rear valences were all noticably duller than the rest of the car.

detail1.jpg




hood a week after detail ( picture shows NOTHING here...when viewed by eye it looks ******...brighter than it was when i bought it but blotchy and crappy looking)

hoodhaze.jpg






I will be buying the 7424 PC and a 4 piece pad set (from moderate/aggresive to ultrafine)





couple more questions



I swear im OCD.....Is it definately okay that i repolish my hood with the porter cable when i get it? Is there any other thread that can walk me through what it takes to properly polish with the buffer? Should I still wax by hand?? What type of applicator should i use? Microfiber? Terry Cloth? I want to do this 100% correctly this next time around!!!!!



THANKS AGAIN :2thumbs:
 
Typically the horizontal panels are the worst since they get the sun all day long. The corolla I did was so far gone that the entire car was pink and chalky!



Tape off that trim so as not to stain it with polish/wax. The Hood looks a 100X better already. I would start very mild and see if that rids it of those spots. The sides probably dont need a heavy cut either since they don't look to bad.



"I swear im OCD.....Is it definately okay that i repolish my hood with the porter cable when i get it? Is there any other thread that can walk me through what it takes to properly polish with the buffer? Should I still wax by hand?? What type of applicator should i use? Microfiber? Terry Cloth? I want to do this 100% correctly this next time around!!!!!"



It is ok to repolish the hood with the PC. Download the Free detailing guide under the learn button at the top of your screen. It is wonderful. You can also search for threads that tell you how to use the PC. There are a ton. Some even have links to video.



You can wax by hand or with the PC and a proper pad. PC tends to allow for a thinner/even coat than by hand.



Apply with foam/microfiber applicator and remove with a microfiber towel.



Post pics before and after.



Have fun and goodluck :waxing:
 
No problem.



The edge pads I have only heard good things about. I have never used them but that seems like a good deal for the set. Don't forget a backing plate.

1 set should last you for years if you are only doing your car. As long as you take care of them and watch out for parts of the car that can rip them.



You typically would remove polish/LSP by hand or with a microfiber bonnet that goes over the pad.



I have no experience with poorboys, but if you removed oxidation by hand with SSR2.5 then it will for sure work with the PC and a mild pad. You might want to pick up SSR2.0 since 2.5 to 1 might be a big jump if you want to finish the paint to perfection. (The higher the number the higher the cut right?)



On the hood I would start with a light cut and SSR1 and see if it takes care of it, if not try moving to the next abrasive pad. But you will use the light cut and SSR1 to finish the whole car out.
 
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