[ricerider187]

I have a black 335i

i'm young, love that btch, i feel like a boss

anyways... I am very OCD.

and I want to get into detailing the car, like polishing and waxing....

but I am worried I am going to fk up the clearcoat polishing it wrong?

I took the car through an auto car wash n pretty sure it left horizontal soft lines only visible in direct sunlight... will this be easy to polish out?

someone quotes me 200$, i might as well buy the a polisher and go yolo?

i hear this one is good Porter-Cable 6-Inch Random Orbit Sander with Polishing Pad - what do you guys reckon?? is it easy to polish the car and get good results? I am not an idiot but I am not super good at these things

and if I get good I can charge random ppl on craigslist for cash jobs as I am very broke right now (despite starting work as a law grad)

[cwg]

there is a little more to it than "wax on Wax off" but good luck in your endeavors

[randomquickness]

your visilbe lines should buff out easily but I highly recommend you avoid car washes like that if possible. ESPECIALLY with a black car. I'd start off with a mild finishing polish to get the feel for it which will probably take care of the lines anyway unless the damage is worse than you expect. Check out detailers domain and detailing bliss for some reading. There is a wealth of knowlege on detailing. If you don't feel like reading, check out Chemical Guys channel on youtube, they have a lot of great informative videos.

[SHEEDI]

here is the detailing guide for dummies

http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

[ricerider187]

Thanks guys!

What do u think about the 40$ simoniz 10" polisher? Only 40$

Can't afford the 200$ pc polisher

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by ricerider187

Thanks guys!

What do u think about the 40$ simoniz 10" polisher? Only 40$

Can't afford the 200$ pc polisher

Well the PC only costs $120 but then you have to add pads into the equation. The PC is the cheapest and safest option to get good results.

[ricerider187]

Originally Posted by Otruba_843

Well the PC only costs $120 but then you have to add pads into the equation. The PC is the cheapest and safest option to get good results.

Is it safe?

Can I scratch clearcoat?

I plan to use the correct polish and pads..

Just that I'm new to this

They want 150$ for 3 stage polish

When I can buy it and polish for life

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by ricerider187

Is it safe?

Can I scratch clearcoat?

I plan to use the correct polish and pads..

Just that I'm new to this

They want 150$ for 3 stage polish

When I can buy it and polish for life

All I can say is read read read and read more on the proper procedures. Yes the Porter Cable 7424xp is safe for paint to a certain degree. Your car only has a limited amount of clear coat that can be removed so over time you could remove enough clear coat to go down to bare paint. I suggest you do a 2 step correction only once with a compound and a polish. After that, with the proper washing techniques, you should only have to use polish on your car once a year with a white pad or orange pad depending on how the test spot turns out. ALWAYS do a test spot with the least aggressive method. If that doesn't get you where you want, either step up the speed or pad and as a last resort go to a compound product. The only way your going to scratch your clear coat is if dirt gets into the pad while you are working. You need at least 4 pads of each kind that you are going to use for the car. Get some 3 inch ones also and don't go any bigger than 5.5 inch pads on a PC. You will get marring from a heavy compound, but its not scratching. Thats why you follow up with a polish to remove the marks from compounding. PM me for more details.

[psnt1ol]

Originally Posted by ricerider187

Is it safe?


They want 150$ for 3 stage polish

If that's what I think it is then it is a great price (for a 3 stage polish). What exactly are they doing???? Multi-stage correction tends to have different meanings from one detailer to another.

By my definition, it is compounding, polishing, and jeweling. The car would obviously will be washed and decon/clay prior as well as having a wax/sealant applied after. If they tell you they can do all of that in less than 5 hrs....Run (unless they have a team of 5).

[ricerider187]

update: I washed the car and used a spray wax (detailing spray)

it looks good for now... best it's looked tbh

but I will do some research and hopefully I will have money in 1 month to do the proper polish!!!

THANK YOU GUYS e90 for life!!! brap brapppp pew pew pew

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by ricerider187

update: I washed the car and used a spray wax (detailing spray)

it looks good for now... best it's looked tbh

but I will do some research and hopefully I will have money in 1 month to do the proper polish!!!

THANK YOU GUYS e90 for life!!! brap brapppp pew pew pew

Detail spray is not the same as spray wax although they have similar uses.

[PTek Will]

paint correction should be done at most twice a year. with proper washing techniques such as 2 bucket, i use a 3rd bucket for wheels only, you should be able to prevent any further scratches. $200 is a pretty fair price and detailing a car consumes a lot of hours (6-10hrs min). just something to think about if it is worth your time/money, since you are a working lawyer.

[Otruba_843]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

paint correction should be done at most twice a year. with proper washing techniques such as 2 bucket, i use a 3rd bucket for wheels only, you should be able to prevent any further scratches. $200 is a pretty fair price and detailing a car consumes a lot of hours (6-10hrs min). just something to think about if it is worth your time/money, since you are a working lawyer.

You should only compound once depending on paint condition and polish once a year, not twice unless its a lease. You only have so much CC to work with. With the proper techniques, you should only need to polish once a year, if not once every year and a half.

[SLOWER]

Originally Posted by SHEEDI

here is the detailing guide for dummies

http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

I just read this whole thing. FANTASTIC info. Thanks.

[SHEEDI]

Originally Posted by Wangsta

paint correction should be done at most twice a year. with proper washing techniques such as 2 bucket, i use a 3rd bucket for wheels only, you should be able to prevent any further scratches. $200 is a pretty fair price and detailing a car consumes a lot of hours (6-10hrs min). just something to think about if it is worth your time/money, since you are a working lawyer.

Paint correction involves removing some clear coat and if you do it twice a year that means there will be no clear coat left on the paint after 6 years

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by SHEEDI

Paint correction involves removing some clear coat and if you do it twice a year that means there will be no clear coat left on the paint after 6 years

hopefully sell the car by then! hahaha! but yes! based on this statement.. investing in equipment seems even less worth it!

[PTek Will]

Originally Posted by Otruba_843

You should only compound once depending on paint condition and polish once a year, not twice unless its a lease. You only have so much CC to work with. With the proper techniques, you should only need to polish once a year, if not once every year and a half.

ahhh i should have been more clear D: but yes like otruba said.. there are different intensities of paint corrections..