Newbie here - send me on my way

I

imported_Progress

New member
Okay, I've had my car for nearly seven years of it's 10-year life. I'm not going to put any more money into the car aside from maintenance (paint and mechanics).



Anyway, I want to get products in advance and am starting my hunt for the right products for me.



Like noted above, I am a newbie and I've never done any paint correction before. Here is the routine I've done most recently on my current car.

  1. Wash (twice) with Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo. (One wash bucket, one rinse bucket, grit guard, two mits)
  2. Dry with combo of water blade and waffle weave
  3. Clay with Maguiar's clay bar and quick detailing spray
  4. <Any polishing and paint correction is absent in my current routine but would likey go here>
  5. Application of Klasse A-I-O
  6. Application of Maguiar's Techwax 2.0



Now, I'm open to suggestions but this is what I had in mind now. Keep in mind, I want to keep this relatively cheap.



  1. I plan on getting a UDM (the 129.99 deal with the four cutting pads and one polishing pad included seems tempting - do I need to get more pads?)
  2. PO 203 for cutting - open to any other suggestions
  3. PO 106 for polishing - open to any other suggestions
  4. Klasse SG

So the routine would look like this:



  1. Wash and dry as stated above
  2. Clay as stated above
  3. Cut with UDM and 203
  4. Polish with UDM and 106
  5. Application of Klasse SG
  6. Application of Tech Wax 2.0



I'm not list crazy but this post sure does have a few of them. Let me know what you guys think. I'm open to all suggestions. Better shampoo? Better claybar? Better quick detailer spray? Anything. Let me know. I'm assuming I'll need some buffing pads for the sealant/glaze and wax. Any recommendations? Am I limited to 5.5" pads?



Thanks in advance.
 
Looking pretty solid to me. You might need something more aggressive than PO203S though, especially since this is presumably the first time you're polishing the car. What color is the car, and what condition is the paint in right now in full sunlight? Pretty good? Some swirls? OMGWTF lots of swirls? :)
 
Thanks!



The car is black. I don't know how you'd describe paint like this. After a wash it looks great (from about 10-15 feet off). When you get closer you'll notice many irreparable defects. I've got massive pitting on the front bumper cover and hood and a one inch gash on the hood. I've got some somewhat deep scratches in the front bumper cover. I've got scratches along the entire driver side of the car. I've got some nasty scratches on the spoiler (looks like someone keyed it) and a few nasty scratches on my rear bumper cover.



Also, the very front of the hood has worn down almost to the metal. The underside of the hood is rusting and I think it's creeping up toward the outside. The result is a pretty serious blemish at the very front.



Like I said, 10 year old car. It has over 150k on the clock. I'm not looking to get it back to tip-top shape, just maintain what I've got.



I don't notice much in the way of swirl marks but I'm certain they're there and with a black car they are noticeable.



Here are the most recent pics of the car, taken after the detailing I had provided above.



Pics taken a half a year ago:



IMG_3020.jpg




IMG_3021.jpg




IMG_3023.jpg
 
Progress said:
Thanks!



The car is black. I don't know how you'd describe paint like this. After a wash it looks great (from about 10-15 feet off). When you get closer you'll notice many irreparable defects. I've got massive pitting on the front bumper cover and hood and a one inch gash on the hood. I've got some somewhat deep scratches in the front bumper cover. I've got scratches along the entire driver side of the car. I've got some nasty scratches on the spoiler (looks like someone keyed it) and a few nasty scratches on my rear bumper cover.



Also, the very front of the hood has worn down almost to the metal. The underside of the hood is rusting and I think it's creeping up toward the outside. The result is a pretty serious blemish at the very front.



Like I said, 10 year old car. It has over 150k on the clock. I'm not looking to get it back to tip-top shape, just maintain what I've got.



I don't notice much in the way of swirl marks but I'm certain they're there and with a black car they are noticeable.



Here are the most recent pics of the car, taken after the detailing I had provided above.



Pics taken a half a year ago:



IMG_3020.jpg




IMG_3021.jpg




IMG_3023.jpg
Click to expand...



Wow, I really like your car. It's really beautiful
 
Solid routine, wouldn't change a thing about it :2thumbs:



Putting >90% correction aside, unless you really feel you need it, PO203 is a very effective one step cut/polish. It's a great polish to start with because its got a decent work time, with results to match, and you don't have to use very much to polish a panel. The pads you choose will have a noticeable effect with PO203 though, I recommend the 5.5" LC Green for all around jobs and the 5.5" LC Orange if you need a bit more cut. Works great with the PO203 and is what I started with and still use for one stage jobs. Your pads aren't limited to JUST 5.5", but they just happen to be the ideal size for most jobs. Just remember that you only need about two or three beads of polish on the pad, no need for anymore than that really.



IF, and that is a BIG "if", you have an extra $50 lying around a PCXP will really do you much better than the UDM, tons more potential, but the UDM can do everything a PCXP can do, just with less power.



You're already well informed with your products, but i'd suggest trying some Optimum products. ONR is excellent as a QD, wash, and clay lubricant, and Opti-Seal is simple and effective for all purpose use. All their products are very user friendly and achieve great results.



Considering your criteria, a good sealant will probably be your best friend for all around maintenance and the wax will just be the frosting on the cake. Don't expect the really deep scratches you can run your fingernail through to come out, but a sealant never hurts. For the rust under your hood, i'd get some rust converter and just paint over it if you're really worried.



Good luck and have fun!



-Robert
 
Progress- Welcome to Autopia!



I wouldn't use the Klasse twins on that car, I only use them on vehicles I can get/keep basically flawless.



The NXT isn't bad for cars like yours, but it doesn't last long.



I'd go with Autoglym SRP topped with Collinite wax if that were mine.



If you want to consider something other than the Menzerna, Meguiar's M105/M205 twins are very effective and, IMO, quite user-friendly.
 
Thanks, Accumulator. I'll definitely look into those. So the SRP and Collinite paste instead of Klasse SG and Tech 2.0? M105 and M205 instead of the Menzerna twins?



I'm okay with the UDM? Any suggestions as to pads?
 
Welcome to Autopia. Yes, your routine looks good. Your car looks good. Black can be difficult, but remember, even if you only get 90% correction out of it, your car will still look better than 99.9% of all the black cars you will ever see.
 
Thanks guys! I'm really impressed with how active this board is. I'll let you know how everything turns out. I'm also thinking of working on my dad's '93 318is. Paint on that needs some serious correction so I plan on using the UDM on that, too.



Thanks again!
 
Progress said:
Thanks, Accumulator. I'll definitely look into those. So the SRP and Collinite paste instead of Klasse SG and Tech 2.0? M105 and M205 instead of the Menzerna twins?



I'm okay with the UDM? Any suggestions as to pads?
Click to expand...



I won't go so far as to say the Meguiar's M105/M205 are *better* than the Menzerna. It's somewhat a Coke/Pepsi thing (or more like a Coke/7-UP as it's a question of diminishing/non-diminishing abrasives).



But yeah, I'd be using the SRP/476S combo if it were my car. More forgiving of residual flaws thus somewhat better looking overall *IMO*.



I've never used a UDM, but I suspect you're gonna need small (i.e., 4") pads to do timely correction with it. Especially on that BMW, if it's clear is anything like the clearcoat on my '97 (very hard).
 
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