Is M105 needed?

S

ssabin

New member
I'm new to the detailing scene, but wanted to take care of my new 2002 F-150 Supercrew. I picked it up at the end of December so I knew that it would be tough to get a wax or sealant on before spring. However, the weather did warm up twice now and I have 1 layer of AIO and 2 layers of SG applied. The truck looks great, and I expect that it will get me through the snow and salt season.



I find the process time consuming, but worth it. Since the hardest part in applying subsequent layers of SG (besides getting it clean again) is removing it, it seems like a PC wouls really help cut down the time need to add a layer of SG. Most people seem to use the PC for polishing or applying AIO. Any comments on using the PC to remove SG?



Both layers of SG took awhile to take off, especially near the end when the glaze had sat longer. Maybe it was due to the temperature being 45-50 deg F? My wife will kill me if I take another whole day to add 1 more coat when I should be working on the basement.
 
SG is a great product but it is on the difficult side of the spectrum for removing. I have use a PC to remove SG before with a Viper MF bonnet and it does work well. The problem is that a 6" bonnet only has so much surface area available to hold the removed product. This means that you will need to turn the bonnet to use both sides thenreplace with a new bonnet when it begins to fill up. For a small car you could probably do the job with just two bonnets but for a truck or SUV you would need more like 4 or possibly more.
 
So today I pulled our car out in the sunlight and noticed it had some swirl marks on the hood and trunk. Since I am not very experienced with machine polishing, I am scared to use M105 right away. I do no have much time to post pics, but its just light swirl marks. Actually, I can barely see them unless in the right angle. But still, they tend to get on my nerves :cursing: Since the car is a BMW I have heard the clear coat is hard as a rock. Do I really need to use M105/M205 to correct it, or will I still get good results using just M205 and a heavier pad? Thanks for the help!
 
It is always a good practice to start with the least aggressive method first, and if that doesn't work go to the next level of aggressiveness. Try M205 on a LC white or LC Hydrotech Tangerine. If that doesn't work, try 205 on an Orange or Hydrotech Cayan pad. If it still does not work, move up to M105. Just remember to do a very small section at a time, and check your results. You do not want to do the entire car, only to realize that you are not getting the results that you are looking for.
 
Bingo on Barry's advice. M205 can give amazing results by itself and will vary a bit with the right pad combo. I would agree with trying those combo's first and see where you are before moving up to M105. Isolate a section of your hood and play around with very good lighting. Make sure you do a good iso alc wipedown and pull it out into the sun again.

Both BMW's I've had were moderately hard i.e. not Audi/Corvette hard but not Honda soft either. Sort of right in the middle and both responded well to what I would call moderate level correction. What color and year is your BMW? The Jet Black E90/E92/E93's early model years (2007/8) are known to be relatively soft and are somewhat finicky to correct.

Good luck, have fun and let us know how you make out.
 
Thanks for the advice, I will be sure to try it out after it rains here.

The car is a 2008 335i E90 if I'm not mistaken. It is the sedan. It is in the Sparkling Graphite color.

Also, we have an 09 Audi Q7 TDI. How hard is that too correct?

Thanks for all the help, it is much appreciated!
 
Gimlet said:
Thanks for the advice, I will be sure to try it out after it rains here.

The car is a 2008 335i E90 if I'm not mistaken. It is the sedan. It is in the Sparkling Graphite color.

Also, we have an 09 Audi Q7 TDI. How hard is that too correct?

Thanks for all the help, it is much appreciated!
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Here is a link to a 3 day detail I did an a 2007 Q7. The paint on the Audi's are quite hard.
http://truthindetailing.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=4455&highlight=Detailed+Elegance
 
Barry, if you dont me asking I have a few questions regarding the Q7:

Wash w/ Dawn. So you just use the dish soap in water? Or with a wash solution? And that really helps strip wax? Interesting :-B

And how did you remove the swirls and scratch marks. Our SUV has less swirls and not as deep scratches. So what pad would you recommend? Also any other tips to use on it would be helpful since I have never really worked on the Audi yet. Thanks for the help.
 
Gimlet said:
Barry, if you dont me asking I have a few questions regarding the Q7:

Wash w/ Dawn. So you just use the dish soap in water? Or with a wash solution? And that really helps strip wax? Interesting :-B

And how did you remove the swirls and scratch marks. Our SUV has less swirls and not as deep scratches. So what pad would you recommend? Also any other tips to use on it would be helpful since I have never really worked on the Audi yet. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Gimlet said:
Also, how did you clean up the tail lights to look so nice as well as the side panels between the windows?
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Yes, I washed with just Dawn (the original blue version), to help strip the lsp before polishing. It does help strip the wax, and whatever it doesn't take off, the clay bar will.

My process of removing the swirls was to use the Hyper Compound Spray using the Surbuf pads. Do a few passes until you get the desired results. Wipe down with IPA to inspect your work. You don't want to fill the swirls, you want to remove them. Follow up with the Hyper Polish on a white pad, or a Hydrotech tangerine pad.

The tail lights were done the same way I did the paint. Compound on a Surbuf followed by Hyper Polish on a Tangerine pad. Same thing on the Pillars.

I hope this helps.

If you need any more help, feel free to PM me, and I will give you any assistance that you may need.

Good luck.
 
Thanks alot Barry! It all really helps. I'll have to order some stuff to do all that. So I may just take a shot using with what I have now. Anyways once it stops raining, I will be sure to do it and hopefully remember to take pics and post them to get feedback. I always seem to forget. And if its fine with you I will pm you in the future. Thanks alot, it is much appreciated!
 
Gimlet said:
Thanks alot Barry! It all really helps. I'll have to order some stuff to do all that. So I may just take a shot using with what I have now. Anyways once it stops raining, I will be sure to do it and hopefully remember to take pics and post them to get feedback. I always seem to forget. And if its fine with you I will pm you in the future. Thanks alot, it is much appreciated!
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You can PM me anytime you want.
 
FWIW, I've done a few Sparkling Graphite E90's and they fell into the typical "moderate" hardness for BMW paint. One with moderate to heavy swirls/scratches got M105, orange pad and the KBM followed by M205/white. The other one got Menz Power Gloss/white followed by PO85RD/black. The latter was less swirled/marked up.
 
firebird said:
Is the Opt Hyper Compound spray easier and neater to work with than M105?
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It's easier in the sense that it doesn't splatter or dust, but it doesn't cut as fast as M105. Also, the sprayer, for the lack of a better term, sucks. I really like the product, but I wish Dr. G and the folks at Optimum would address the problem with the sprayer. It is very difficult to spray it out in a fine mist, and it is really messy, and it drips.
 
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