[dsb335]

Hey Folks,

Well, I took a couple of days to complete my first detail. It was certainly an education. I have a 2011 335i base model in Deep Sea Blue Metallic. It's a daily driver covering about 75 miles a day. So even with good washing techniques, it sees a good bit of wear-n-tear including rock chips and Texas sun exposure. About 2 weeks go, I did a round of machine work with a Meguiars microfiber pads and their DA Finishing Wax. This helped me a sense of how the machine feels and the workflow. I'm glad I did this. It helped me get a feel for how long it would take and what kind of room I would need.

Here's what I used:

My standard 2 bucket wash kit
Detailed Image Fine clay bar (don't recommend)
Griots Garage DA polisher
Mequiars DA 5" microfiber correction kit
Subbed Meguiars DA Polish for the Finishing Wax
Meguiars 3" backing plate and discs
Menzerna Powerlock Sealant (applied by hand)
Chemical Guys Silk Shine tire dressing (not pictured - sealant was still curing)
A slew microfiber towels from Meguiars, Chemical Guys, and Detailed Image

Most products were purchased from Detailed Image. I recommend them, fast shipping and great communication.

So, the car look pretty good prewash. As an AIO, Finishing Wax is ok:





But a wash to strip the wax reveals a different story:







I've got some work to do!

I started off at 1pm on Thursday. Taping trim off was the biggest pain. For me, that's probably the worst part of polishing. First up was the Griots Garage polisher with Megiuars Correction Compound and 5.5" Cutting disc

Initial results look good:



Nicely reflection.

The ugly: The Meguiars 5.5" Finishing discs do not stick very well. When cleaning one outside the garage, it flew off the polisher. Thank God it didn't hit my face. I have no idea where it went. Fortunately, I had ordered an extra set.

Something I learned the first time I used the polisher and discs was that our car has some small nooks and crannies. That's why I ordered the smaller backing plate and discs. Well, things were even worse with the 3" discs. One of the Finishing discs came apart during the Polish phase. The foam came apart from the felt. I went to get the other one but it was already separated. That really screwed my plan. And during the Correction Compound phase, the 3" backing plate came off (I probably didn't tighten it enough). So, I scrapped that plan and did my best with the larger pads.

The Bad: The results were impacted by being unable to completed the smaller areas with the smaller pads. I did not get as much correction as I had hoped. There are still some scratches and swirls. I would peg it at 80%. Ok for a first time out. But I was hoping for better. Also, Menzerna Powerlock smells terrible. It reminds me of shoe polish. The results, however, are great. I would recommend it. I don't know that I can recommend the Meguiars DA kit. The discs don't stick very well. The results are good but the discs don't inspire much confidence. I saw a video where they talked about having reformulated the hook and loop material. I don't know that my discs are among the newer ones. I'm going to call them some time during the week and check.

Ok, the results:












Some tips for beginners from a beginner:

Practice using a polisher with a wax first. There's a reason that all the how-to videos show people polishing the hood. The low and high parts of the car are awkward to polish. Get this down before using something abrasive.

Buy lights. Your garage lighting sucks. You really can't see what your doing without a bunch of lighting. I only had two lights and that was no where near enough.

In fact, your garage may suck as a space to do this. You'd think that 3 feet around is enough room. It's cramped. The pro detailers that post here and on YouTube have great space and lighting. It makes a difference.

Have a ton of towels. From start to finish. I've washed my pads and towels 3 times. I have 2 waffle weave towels and 16 regular microfiber towels. The same goes for extra pads.

Tape residue is a mofo! No recommendations on this. Just complaining. I hate taping trim and working around the tape. It made me homicidal and it's a miracle I didn't make the news.

Be prepared to do some damage. I put a few minor scratches in and had to work on removing them, not always successfully.

If you're old(er), your back is gonna be sore (I'm seeing my chiro tomorrow). Invest in a foot stool. It helps minimize this.

[Detailed Image]

Looks like you did a great job for your first time out. I'm really not sure why you had the issues with the Meguiar's pads (speaking as a DI customer and not representative here ) so I'd definitely give them a call or send an email and let them know what happened. I'll pass along the message as well, but you should email support@detailedimage.com and let them know the issues.

Aside from the issues, I'm glad you got that blue nice and shiny again!

Ivan @ DI

[CFalls]

looks great!

[DMH-01]

Good effort

[NJ Krish]

How much to do mine

[dsb335]

Originally Posted by Njzkrish

How much to do mine

[gilly22]

Nicely done! Great write up as well. I just finished up on detailing my car with m105, m205 and m21. Very pleased with these products, but have't had a chance to try many others lately.

[SHEEDI]

This post title should be Ugly, Bad and Good

[SHEEDI]

is it Montego Blue?

[dsb335]

It's Deep Sea Blue Metallic

[swagon]

Nice writeup, thanks. Got the same color on the 1 Series, so I finally know how it looks polished and waxed. Can't wait to polish mine.

Btw, how do you like the Griots DA?

[dsb335]

Originally Posted by swagon

Nice writeup, thanks. Got the same color on the 1 Series, so I finally know how it looks polished and waxed. Can't wait to polish mine.

Btw, how do you like the Griots DA?

First, a thanks to all!

Second, I liked the Griots DA. In truth, I have nothing to compare it to. But, it seemed smooth and easy to handle. I took the grip off so that handling it was more like a Rupes. I will say this, ear plugs are definitely recommended.

[P1]

Great effort! Things like these take time. I remember the first time I used a DA. It's a far cry from what I can accomplish now. But it's a fun thing to do on a nice Sunday. And rewarding!

PS: I am a huge Power Lock fan!

[dsb335]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Looks like you did a great job for your first time out. I'm really not sure why you had the issues with the Meguiar's pads (speaking as a DI customer and not representative here ) so I'd definitely give them a call or send an email and let them know what happened. I'll pass along the message as well, but you should email support@detailedimage.com and let them know the issues.

Aside from the issues, I'm glad you got that blue nice and shiny again!

Ivan @ DI

Ivan,

I just sent in a message to Meguiars. Is it alright if I email in this pic to the support@detailedimage.com address?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by mdintx

Ivan,

I just sent in a message to Meguiars. Is it alright if I email in this pic to the support@detailedimage.com address?

Yes definitely email the pic to that address and I'm sure someone over at DI will take care of it quickly.