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      03-01-2016, 04:48 PM   #1
TheEnrique
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Going to attempt my own paint correction.

I have had my car over two years now and it has been my daily driver with well over 30k miles on the odo. Its Mineral White with custom satin black powder coated OEM 19' wheels. Needless to say it is grossly overdue for some tlc. Although I have a good relationship with Phil at Detailer's Domain and Fation at Enthusiast Details, I still want to try it myself. This is what I have planned out and I am going to post each step of the way. Anything constructive or advice, I would be glad to entertain suggestions. I'm going to highlight what I used so that its easy to follow along and alternate suggestions. I think this would be a good thread to subscribe to if you plan to attempt the same thing.

Wash
Two Bucket Wash with Zymol Car Wash and two Lambs Wool Mits

Decontamination COMPLETE
First - SONAX Fall Out Cleaner and Uber Boars Hair Detail Brush
After the wash, spray the car down misting the panels and concentrating on the nooks and crannies. I typically agitate with the boars hair brush. I let the car sit for about 5 minutes then rinse and wash again.
Second -MG Yellow Clay bar along with Adam's Detailer Spray
Typically I keep my working area small and work in a up down side to side motion like a # symbol. No Circles because i think this promotes swirls. I constantly keep spraying my working area to lubricate the surface effectively. Once I address all the detailed little ares I cover the bigger panels and finish with rinse / wash / Uber microfiber cloth dry.

Compound COMPLETE
I know most would cringe over going straight to a MG Ultra Cut 105 but I think with this condition its still prudent to get to the point. I am using a Lambs Wool pad with Rupes LHR 15ES Big Foot . Im going to be working one panel at a time and using blue painters tape to mark off my working area and lighting with a 2000 Watt Halogen Work Light. Using side to side and up and down motions in the # pattern until I am satisfied with a even smooth surface and move on to the next panel.

Polish COMPLETE
Polish is important in fine tuning the finish in the paint. Along with the Rupes LHR 15ES Big Foot I am using an Uber Foam Polishing Pad and SONAX Profiline Perfect Finish. One panel at a time folks; in an overlapping fashion, left to right and up and down.

Sealant COMPLETE
Once the polishing is complete I want to take my time for a detailed wash and dry. I'm in an enclosed garage to its cool and well lit for the next step which is the sealant. My choice is Optimum Gloss Coat with a synthetic applicator pad (round yellow ones). Im taping off a panel at a time and working in side to side motions with slight overlap in each pass. Once 5 minutes have elapsed on the coated panel I wipe off excess sealant with an Uber microfiber cloth. Patience is MAJOR KEY!

Wheels
Using a Low Profile Jack I'm going to raise the car and place it on jack stands in order to remove the wheels and spraying them with SONAX Full Effect Wheel Cleaner. I will agitate the surface of the rims and tires Uber Boars Hair Brush and Wheel Woolies. I will use the same process for my break calipers which were recently painted Mineral White to match the car. After about 5 Minutes I'm hosing the wheels off and using the SONAX Fall Out Cleaner to completely decontaminate the wheels and the tires. Once the tires are washed clean and dried with Uber microfiber cloths I'm masking off the tires on the front of the wheels and spraying both the barrel and the face of my matte wheels with Dr Beasley's Matte Wheel Sealant and wiping the over spray off into an even coat. Once the sealant dries I'm going to mask off the front face of the rims and then applying Adam's Tire Shine (the banana smelling stuff) with a synthetic applicator pad. Since I am not a fan of tire shine spreading all over my car, I will towel off the shine after it soaks in a little. Before putting the wheels back on I plan on sealing the paint on the calipers with Optimum Gloss Coat using a synthetic applicator pad and letting that cure a little before driving the car.

Last edited by TheEnrique; 03-16-2016 at 10:25 PM..
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      03-02-2016, 03:58 PM   #2
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Before and after pics!
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      03-04-2016, 09:12 AM   #3
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Before and after pics!
or it never happened lol. of course.
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      03-04-2016, 11:54 AM   #4
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Posted!
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      03-04-2016, 12:32 PM   #5
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What's the basis for compounding at this stage/age of the vehicle and what is probably pretty good care?
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      03-05-2016, 07:43 AM   #6
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What's the basis for compounding at this stage/age of the vehicle and what is probably pretty good care?
im at 2 years and 30k its a daily and it has a little neglect.
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      03-14-2016, 09:35 AM   #7
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update?
I too am considering polishing this year.
Any advice for a newbie polisher?
Should I just let a pro do it?
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      03-14-2016, 02:23 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gstone View Post
update?
I too am considering polishing this year.
Any advice for a newbie polisher?
Should I just let a pro do it?
If I may chime in from a hobbyist perspective, it's lots of work, lots of tools I.e. $$$ especially with the many curves and edges this car has. If you are handy overall, doesn't mind spending the money (upwards of $1k for few RA tools), and have the time and patience, it could be lots of fun and rewarding. You can't screw things with the random orbitals but it still requires a basic minimum of knowledge and experience to correct whatever defect you may have.

I've done few times on my previous BMWs, and now I'd never do it again as its lots of work. I'll let the pros do it!
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      03-15-2016, 01:54 PM   #9
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I'll add to Aboulfad that I invested and spent about $140 on a good random orbital, $40-50 on pads, more on towels, and products - for me it was a $300-450 investment. I was NOT looking to be perfect or have every tool for every situation, my goal was to be able to remove significant swirls and light imperfections and provide a better surface for sealants/waxes. I still hand apply those, as I don't see benefit to machine application of sealants/waxes.

It is a good amount of money and alot of time. And it's something you do to your own vehicles rarely - you shouldn't NEED to polish once a year if you are washing your car carefully and protecting it with a good sealant, unless you obsess over getting every last swirl out all the time. For someone who wants a very good looking car, but not car-show ready all the time, this is a once every 2-3 years step (i.e. wash, clay, 1-2 step polish, wipe-down, re-seal) and then every ~6 months you wash and re-seal.

It's also mainly applicable to older and less well cared for vehicles. My wife has a 2008 535xit which we've abused. It's got a beautiful deep blue paint well marred from life and use which I've restored to much better condition with a two-stage polish, two pads, and a random orbital. It's not perfect, it wouldn't look perfect under big ol halogen lamps, but it looks amazing for it's age and in direct sunlight which is good enough for me.
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      03-15-2016, 02:10 PM   #10
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Hi Joe, I guess you may have like me the Porter Cable ? That's one of the cheapest in the market. But nowadays, a decent RA (Rupes ) is still upwards of $300, even in USD but I think it's all in the technique and appropriate products used for the defect to correct. When I was considering upgrading my inventory, I counted 2 RAs to be able to properly polish every part of this car, one small 2-3", and one larger 5-6", throw in new polishes, pads, ... I was upwards of 1k, but that's CDN so I said given I only need to do it once in few years, I'll pay the $400-500 and get a pro to do it and enjoy the time gained!
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      03-15-2016, 02:55 PM   #11
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I like your style, I'm a detail nut as well, I have found the auto scrub to be WAY better and more efficient than claybar, I've since thrown all clay in the trash. AutoScrub is the future to remove decontaminants and little road debris and does 95% of what a claybar does but in a quarter of the time. Also I'd suggest when you dry, hit the paint w/ detail spray first then wipe to dry, this is another level of lubricant protection and piece of mind when dragging a hand across your gorgeous paint.
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      03-15-2016, 08:57 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aboulfad View Post
Hi Joe, I guess you may have like me the Porter Cable ? That's one of the cheapest in the market. But nowadays, a decent RA (Rupes ) is still upwards of $300, even in USD but I think it's all in the technique and appropriate products used for the defect to correct. When I was considering upgrading my inventory, I counted 2 RAs to be able to properly polish every part of this car, one small 2-3", and one larger 5-6", throw in new polishes, pads, ... I was upwards of 1k, but that's CDN so I said given I only need to do it once in few years, I'll pay the $400-500 and get a pro to do it and enjoy the time gained!
I used griot's garage random orbital which I think is just re-branded porter cable. 6", 10' power cord, $140 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-.../dp/B009UKUUWE

I actually chose not to go with a 3" random orbital because I can get just about everywhere with a 6" and can hand polish a bit in those really tight spaces if critical (it's not like the 3" can perfectly polish every area either, it's still got a radius). I also didn't want to go to a 3" polisher until I knew how serious I was...which turned out to be a good thing. I'm a very amateur detailer
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      03-16-2016, 10:27 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hobbination View Post
I like your style, I'm a detail nut as well, I have found the auto scrub to be WAY better and more efficient than claybar, I've since thrown all clay in the trash. AutoScrub is the future to remove decontaminants and little road debris and does 95% of what a claybar does but in a quarter of the time. Also I'd suggest when you dry, hit the paint w/ detail spray first then wipe to dry, this is another level of lubricant protection and piece of mind when dragging a hand across your gorgeous paint.
yessir Adams Detailer.
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      03-16-2016, 10:30 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeFromPA View Post
I used griot's garage random orbital which I think is just re-branded porter cable. 6", 10' power cord, $140 on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Griots-Garage-.../dp/B009UKUUWE

I actually chose not to go with a 3" random orbital because I can get just about everywhere with a 6" and can hand polish a bit in those really tight spaces if critical (it's not like the 3" can perfectly polish every area either, it's still got a radius). I also didn't want to go to a 3" polisher until I knew how serious I was...which turned out to be a good thing. I'm a very amateur detailer
Alot of the products that I used, I already had. These things tend to accumulate and sit because I have mainly used a lot of it for basic care and maintenance but i do think that investing in a good orbital like the Rupes 15 was definitely a good idea because i started with an MG Dual Action and it was heavy and less effective. Between time energy efficiency seeing results etc.. its worth to get a good machine!
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      03-17-2016, 02:16 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheEnrique View Post
Alot of the products that I used, I already had. These things tend to accumulate and sit because I have mainly used a lot of it for basic care and maintenance but i do think that investing in a good orbital like the Rupes 15 was definitely a good idea because i started with an MG Dual Action and it was heavy and less effective. Between time energy efficiency seeing results etc.. its worth to get a good machine!

I agree. The best investments I have made are in products that are high quality and easy to work with - rather than highest quality and hard to work with. I've gotten better results with Sonax Polynetshield, for example, than some sealants that last longer but are much harder to work with.
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      03-17-2016, 09:40 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeFromPA View Post
I agree. The best investments I have made are in products that are high quality and easy to work with - rather than highest quality and hard to work with. I've gotten better results with Sonax Polynetshield, for example, than some sealants that last longer but are much harder to work with.
Exactly.. Like Opticoat.. very simple to apply and wipe off the excess.. any newbie can accomplish good coverage with this.
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      03-22-2016, 05:34 PM   #17
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I love the DIY spirit.

Grab yourself a Rupes BigFoot(Any throw you can afford but the 15 is a no brainier)

Pads- stick with Rupes' own pads or ChemicalGuys.

Polishes- can only speak for myself...i start with V34 then V36 then finish with glassworks glaze. All Chemical Guys products

Research- read and memorize all the AutoGeek and Esoteric Detailing videos and guides.

If you do everything correctly(don't worry lots of margin for error with the Rupes machines) and still want MOAR SHINE. Coat with Kamikazi Miyabi

Good Luck!!!
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      03-23-2016, 10:23 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by su_root View Post
I love the DIY spirit.

Grab yourself a Rupes BigFoot(Any throw you can afford but the 15 is a no brainier)

Pads- stick with Rupes' own pads or ChemicalGuys.

Polishes- can only speak for myself...i start with V34 then V36 then finish with glassworks glaze. All Chemical Guys products

Research- read and memorize all the AutoGeek and Esoteric Detailing videos and guides.

If you do everything correctly(don't worry lots of margin for error with the Rupes machines) and still want MOAR SHINE. Coat with Kamikazi Miyabi

Good Luck!!!


thank you so much for the feedback i wish there was more of this on the thread. i have pictures i just need to sort through and show the sequence.
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