First attempt: MR E92 Polising (pic rich)

[werly]

I have always wanted to polish the car and this temptation grows just every time I spot some scratches/water spots/swirls after regular 2 buckets wash. I know they cannot be eliminated without proper dedication...

So this urge eventually led me to invest such time and effort into this different level of car detailing.

This is the very first complete polish from me so bear with the minor imperfection and rookie performance.

After washing and claying:


Column cover

Water spots on front fender


Below the door penal


Side mirror trim

Side mirror

Bumper with rock chips, did not polished out the chipped areas , well I plan to get a new bumper soon and so be it


Door handles and the area around it


Trunk



Let the work begins


Blue taping





And after significant amount of time for hands on and researching...
Big blue booger and finally done


















Column covers

Door handles


Sorry there aren't any 50/50 and very little of before/after comparison but I could say in person the car glows better in sunlight and reflects more at night. Overall I am satisfied with my first try but definitely there is room for improvement.

Some questions I can think of:

-How to polish areas under the blue tapes?

-What hand polish compound or applicator do you recommend? The Meguiar's swirlX 2.0 + generic cotton applicator worked for me but took me multiple tries and hard pressure. I could use something more effective and efficient.

-I used Griot's Garage polisher and Flex XC3401. Griot's is easier to work with and carry around due to lighter weight and smaller size but Flex can work with even small area that does not provide a full contact with the pad. Like this below the headlight housing

On that area the Griot's with Meguiar's 6.5" pad will just stop spinning and instead gives my arm a lot of vibration, but the Flex works fine on that. I do not know if it has something to do with the size of the pad because Griot's is 6" polisher?

-Another is for my friend: how to treat water spots/scratches on a full vehicle wrap?

I have always been OCD and anal about car cleaning and I am glad that this was done without any major mess up. Like other former pioneers in this topic, concentration and patience are crucial. Maybe to others this is pure labor, but to me this is my appreciation to the machine that takes me to places and gives me joy. Full respect to those professional detailers

Thanks for reading, all comments are welcome.

[Martin_D]

Looks great really awesome job! For tape look into buying a more thin roll, which will allow you to get a little closer to the edges. Be safe though!

For the smaller areas below the headlights you can get extensions that will allow the pad to be 6" away from the buffer etc.

Auto Finesse Tripple by hand works great in all those areas by hand.

[OTDet]

looks great!! good job man!

[jjw2331]

Looks amazing nice work!!!

[Templar]

Looks very nice! A little dusty though. Remember after polishing to do a nice rinse and a dry with maybe a leaf blower to prevent further marring, then apply your wax or sealant!

[skins333]

Looks incredible, nice job!!

[IbanezGod]

Wow!!!!!

[flipm3]

Nice work! Melbourne Red sure looks great when it's given some TLC

In my hard to reach places like side view mirrors, by the license plate, and door handles, I used AF Rejuvenate and AF Tripple by hand. It sure works wonders!

[werly]

Originally Posted by Martin_D

Looks great really awesome job! For tape look into buying a more thin roll, which will allow you to get a little closer to the edges. Be safe though!

For the smaller areas below the headlights you can get extensions that will allow the pad to be 6" away from the buffer etc.

Auto Finesse Tripple by hand works great in all those areas by hand.

Thanks Martin! This time I was ripping the blue tapes into half to cover the gaps. To think about it now I can't believe how patient I was at that time...

Extension is something I haven't heard. How does it work if you don't mind elaborate on it. I did however get suggestion like checking if there is a washer behind the back plate, which I have yet to explored on the griot's garage...

Originally Posted by OTDetailer

looks great!! good job man!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by jjw2331

Looks amazing nice work!!!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Templar

Looks very nice! A little dusty though. Remember after polishing to do a nice rinse and a dry with maybe a leaf blower to prevent further marring, then apply your wax or sealant!

Yeah I realize that also but pictures were not taken right after the sealant and wax. At least its good to know that dust and other contaminants aren't going to stick onto the paint that easily

Originally Posted by skins333

Looks incredible, nice job!!

Thank you!

Originally Posted by PicassoM

Wow!!!!!

You also have a MR? then you should do it also. It would be so fulfilling

Originally Posted by flipm3

Nice work! Melbourne Red sure looks great when it's given some TLC

In my hard to reach places like side view mirrors, by the license plate, and door handles, I used AF Rejuvenate and AF Tripple by hand. It sure works wonders!

I'll be sure to look into those, thanks!

[werly]

And I did accidentally got the polishing compound onto the rubber trim but I could not take it off with isopropyl alcohol already. Am I destined to live with it forever?

[thedrknows]

I love the mods you have done. I would not do the rear wing, but everything else is perfect. I'm really liking the hood!

[Martin_D]

Originally Posted by werly

Thanks Martin! This time I was ripping the blue tapes into half to cover the gaps. To think about it now I can't believe how patient I was at that time...

Extension is something I haven't heard. How does it work if you don't mind elaborate on it. I did however get suggestion like checking if there is a washer behind the back plate, which I have yet to explored on the griot's garage...
Thank you!

http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/...n-buffing.html

You are able to really see exactly what you are doing with precision. And that car is toooooo shiny to not be using my products

[IbanezGod]

You also have a MR? then you should do it also. It would be so fulfilling

I actually have the Griots orbital and just picked up their normal polish and wax. I really need to find time to do it. Last time I tried polishing it I felt like I was doing something wrong so i just did the hood and called it quits. The polish I was using last time didn't seem to do anything so i just ordered griots polish so I can follow their instructional video. Never had a problem waxing, just polishing is completely new to me and I don't want to fk up the paint.

[positiveions]

Originally Posted by PicassoM

I really need to find time to do it. Last time I tried polishing it I felt like I was doing something wrong so i just did the hood and called it quits. The polish I was using last time didn't seem to do anything so i just ordered griots polish so I can follow their instructional video.

I don't really care for Griot's products. I'd rather stick with something else, for a starter, such as Meguiar's professional line. Easy to work with.
If you want to step it up, either Chemical Guys, menzerna, etc...

Detailing a car is never easy. It takes time. And you can't hurry any of the steps. It took me about 5 days to do mine; due to the fact I work at night and I find the time to do it after work. Thank God I have a daily driver; which is a jetta.

There are some videos on youtube. There are some good ones, and bad ones. You have to keep in mind that a polish must be really broken down. And to accomplish that, you start low with a buffer, like speed 1, and build it up slowly to speed 3. You'll see that the polish breaking down.

The end result will be similar to Op's car. Good job OP.

[IbanezGod]

Originally Posted by eatrach73

I don't really care for Griot's products. I'd rather stick with something else, for a starter, such as Meguiar's professional line. Easy to work with.
If you want to step it up, either Chemical Guys, menzerna, etc...

Detailing a car is never easy. It takes time. And you can't hurry any of the steps. It took me about 5 days to do mine; due to the fact I work at night and I find the time to do it after work. Thank God I have a daily driver; which is a jetta.

There are some videos on youtube. There are some good ones, and bad ones. You have to keep in mind that a polish must be really broken down. And to accomplish that, you start low with a buffer, like speed 1, and build it up slowly to speed 3. You'll see that the polish breaking down.

The end result will be similar to Op's car. Good job OP.

the griots orbit has 5 speeds, but honestly even the slow seems way too fast.

[Porschefile]

Looks great, makes me want to polish my MR car. So shiny.