Make it shine

[nohez8n]

Just got my wife's 01 GXE with about 80,000 miles and I love it. She wanted to trade it but I decided to keep it till the wheels fall off. In other words I want to keep it for at least 100,000 more miles. The car has been a dream (except for those d@#$ O2 sensors), but it does have scratches all over the clear coat. What is the best way for me to polish out the scratches. I have a power buffer with no idea what to use or how to start. I little help would be greatly appreciated!!!

[johnnyd6404]

Be careful with the buffer you can do serious damage if you don't know how to use it. Start by using dawn dish detergent to get all the old wax off. Use a clay bar to remove contanimants. Then use a scratch/fine swirl remover I used meguires scratch x (two coats in on most of the car)folowed by mothers carnuba cleaner wax and finaly I did 2 coats of meguires nxt 2 tech wax. It didn't get all the swirls out but most came out and left it with a great shine and I did it all by hand it took me like 6 hours but it was well worth it.

[DevonD]

I detailed at car dealerships all through out high school and well this is just my experience... clay bars arent worth the time.. there is no need to use a heavy soap like a dish detergent to take all the old wax off because power polishing goes down to the clear coat. and strips all the onld wax in the process.

I always always use a three step formula when im power poloshing.. you want to use a deep scratch remover before the swirl mark remover. this gets out all those scrathces that the regular swirl mark remover cant get out. 3M makes a good system and if you go to any automotive store they can show you good polishes. most companys are even numbering them know so you know 1-3.

but like Johnny said. you can mess your paint if you dont know what your doing. you could burn your clear coat leavign white fogged over patches of clear. Any good detail shop will do your car for about 150 and will know what they are doing and have access to better polishes than you can buy personally. If i were you I would take your car there and ask if you can just watch while they do it! they should let you watch and the guy doing it can give you pointers and sort of teach you as he goes. then you can do it for yourself later in the future. I think it would really be worth it! either spend 150 getting it done properly or risk having to repaint sections of your car becasue you burn the clear... ha ha however if you do decide to do it on your own I can give you more pointers and what to use. Good luck!!

[THT]

Just got my wife's 01 GXE with about 80,000 miles and I love it. She wanted to trade it but I decided to keep it till the wheels fall off. In other words I want to keep it for at least 100,000 more miles. The car has been a dream (except for those d@#$ O2 sensors), but it does have scratches all over the clear coat. What is the best way for me to polish out the scratches. I have a power buffer with no idea what to use or how to start. I little help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Depends on the type of "buffer". If it's a rotary, which features a direct action head, you can burn the paint if you aren't careful. If it's a random orbital such as a dual-action Porter Cable (PC), it's dummy-proof and you won't run the risk of burning paint. That said, you need to evaluate what pads to use as well as polish. My standard, start and end of the year detail is:

1. Wash2. Clay bar3. Poorboy's Professional polish on a yellow cutting pad, PC set to 34. Sonus Swirlbuster on an orange Swirlbuster pad, PC set to 35. Zaino Z5 Pro mixed with ZFX and Grand Finale on a blue finessing pad, PC set to 56. Optimum Opti-seal applied by hand7. Poorboy's White Diamond glaze (for white/silver cars) or Poorboy's Black Hole (for black cars) on a blue finessing pad, PC set to 3

It's alot of work and there are other steps for tire dressing and whatnot but the results speak for themselves:



I've had people ask me if that's original paint on the 4th gen and it always brings a smile to my face when I nod my head.
Modified by THT at 4:14 AM 7/17/2008

[D-Maxima]

THT those cars look beautiful! nothing better than a shiny car (and then getting the compliments for it)

[Presscott707]

dam your lucky my paint looks really bad . but yours looks like it was just painted .

[johnnyd6404]

Damn that beast looks nice I waxed the sh** out of mine and it looks nowhere near as good as that... awsome work

[jltibbs]

. . . but the results speak for themselves:



I've had people ask me if that's original paint on the 4th gen and it always brings a smile to my face when I nod my head.

I am/was right there with you bro.

Pearl Ivory FTW!

[Levissan]

I like the advise above. All I can recommend is that you use a sponge buffer. Clay bar is awesome for removing serious stuff like over spray but other then that I would skip it. +1 on the dawn soap idea. If there are any serious scratches to the clear coat don't be afraid to take 2000 grit sand paper to it and wet sand them out. Dont worry a good Wizards or 7 stage Buffing compound will make what ever you sand glow. I have wet sanded and cleared many cars that have been featured in DUB, and Car audio mags as well as placed internationally in car audio and best of show. Assure your wife you can make it glow again and take the advice from the guys above, they seem to know their business. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I have several hundreds of pics to assist you in your DIY if you are ever interested.

Jesse

[Levissan]

Nice Bimmer...........I envy you

[THT]

I like the advise above. All I can recommend is that you use a sponge buffer. Clay bar is awesome for removing serious stuff like over spray but other then that I would skip it. +1 on the dawn soap idea. If there are any serious scratches to the clear coat don't be afraid to take 2000 grit sand paper to it and wet sand them out. Dont worry a good Wizards or 7 stage Buffing compound will make what ever you sand glow. I have wet sanded and cleared many cars that have been featured in DUB, and Car audio mags as well as placed internationally in car audio and best of show. Assure your wife you can make it glow again and take the advice from the guys above, they seem to know their business. Feel free to ask as many questions as you like. I have several hundreds of pics to assist you in your DIY if you are ever interested.

Jesse

Skipping the clay bar would basically nullify the rest of the processes as you'll just be polishing contaminated clear coat. I've had to throw away a brand new clay bar after doing a factory-fresh car with fewer than 500 miles on it because there was so much stuff in the clearcoat. A visible difference between a clayed car and non is a when water is sprayed on a clayed car, it will bead whereas on a non-clayed one, it will not. A tangible difference is when you put you hand in a plastic bag and rub it along the body panel of a clayed car, it will feel smooth as glass...a non-clayed car will feel bumpy and textured.

I personally don't like using a harsh dish soap to remove sealants or waxes because it's really, really harsh on rubber. The way I see it, if I'm physically polishing the paint with an abrasive compound, that'll cut the previous sealant off just fine.

And thanks for the props on the bimmer...too bad it isn't mine but my dad's. I'm just stuck with the three cars in my sig.

[Levissan]

Not as sexy as your black, but I think our end results are similar:

[nj1sh]

Going a little off topic.. What kind of rims do you have on that maxima? they look amazing.

[THT]

Going a little off topic.. What kind of rims do you have on that maxima? they look amazing.

Volk Evolution IV in 18x8 and 18x9

[Levissan]

I want that Bimmer.