Need help with detail equipment

[nsanbyker]

Hello guys, I'm looking for help operating my new detail equipment and I have my flame suit on so fire away . I recently acquired a 09 M3 and wanted to keep her looking flawless. I bought a whole host of detail supplies and today was my first run. I had the following difficulties.

1. Camspray. No matter what ratio I used for soap to water and gun settings, I could not produce a decent foam stream. I am using a pressure washer rated at 2600 psi. Suggestions?

2. 7424xp. I bought lake country pads (assorted for all applications) along with fine and super fine polishes to keep the swirls away. I followed the instructions as to pad vs polish, pressure and speed and nada. No improvement and thankfully no damage. Again, suggestions.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!

[DetailAddict]

camspray... what soap are you using and how much?

what kind of polish are you using with your PC?

[nsanbyker]

Originally Posted by DetailAddict

camspray... what soap are you using and how much?

what kind of polish are you using with your PC?

Soap is DP Xtreme Foam mixed 2 oz to 6 oz of water. Polish is Pinnacle XMT. Thank you for responding.

[sawzall]

What steps do you follow after you've washed the car? Have you clayed it? Depending on the level of swirls, you may need a heavier polish.

Pics of the current state of your car would help us diagnose your issue(s).

[nsanbyker]

Originally Posted by shizzle

What steps do you follow after you've washed the car? Have you clayed it? Depending on the level of swirls, you may need a heavier polish.

Pics of the current state of your car would help us diagnose your issue(s).

I foamed the car and then did a two bucket wash. I then clayed the whole car and washed again with a 2 bucket system. Not really a lot of swirls. Car is Alpine White. Mostly light scratches. I'll try to get some pix later. I haven't been able to get one showing any defects because the white throws all of the light back.

[sawzall]

It definitely sounds like you're doing the basic steps correctly. Without seeing pictures, I'm going to assume you need a stronger polish possibly XMT 3 or 4 depending on the severity of the scratches.

[nsanbyker]

Originally Posted by shizzle

It definitely sounds like you're doing the basic steps correctly. Without seeing pictures, I'm going to assume you need a stronger polish possibly XMT 3 or 4 depending on the severity of the scratches.

I can't seem to get a pic showing defects. The scratches are so light and with the light bouncing back you can't see the blemishes in photo's. Is there something I need to do to the pad before I use them. It was still sealed in plastic and when I was ready to use it and it was quite firm and dry. I misted conditioner on like the directions called for and put a quarter size amount of polish on the pad and worked it for 5 minutes/6 passes but I could not see any difference anywhere in the test area.

Does anyone have any ideas about the camspray not producing good foam? Thanks again for all of the insights.

[Suprane]

I'm not sure if your'e familiar with the "Kevin Brown Method" (KBM) for polishing with a DA. Here's a nice demo video made by scottwax, a professional detailer:

Like stated by others above, its either the method (ie, pad, force and duration) or the strength of the polish...or both. Since you have a white car, you're going to have to examine the panel very closely in good lighting to evaluate your results. I would definitely start with a less aggressive pad first along with a less aggressive polish. I'm not too familiar with Pinnacle products so I can't comment on that.

I like the results from Megs' 105 and 205 for a two step correction. If its not too badly swirled, Menzerna SIP followed by Menzerna PO 106FA or 85RD are good combos. All of these products are easy to use. Other important points: keep using clean pads, (I use atleast 5 big pads/for ea step along with smaller pads for awkward spots), only polish 2X2 ft panels (any larger and the polish can't break down effectively.

On another note, its somewhat difficult to damage your paint with a dual action polisher like a PC. When I started polishing, I was amazed at how much pressure is required for correction with a PC. Do a google search on the KBM for polishing to learn more.

Good luck and don't give up. After some trial and adjustments, you'll eventually "nail it". You'll be amazed at your results and you'll be hooked.

[nsanbyker]

Too bad all of the instructional videos are done on dark colored cars. Just makes the results that much more significant. I'll try again in a couple of days. I think maybe I was doing too large an area and not using enough force. Keep the ideas coming, I can never have enough info. Thanks.

[sawzall]

Also, what colour pads are you using with the polish?

[nsanbyker]

Originally Posted by shizzle

Also, what colour pads are you using with the polish?

Orange Lake Country with the XMT 2 fine swirl polish.

[nsanbyker]

Bump for help with camspray settings.

[Suprane]

I use a foam cannon so not too familiar with the cam spray unit. You might want to check out autopia where you might get more insight. Here's a thread I found on a quick search:

http://www.autopia.org/forum/car-det...-problems.html

Good luck.

[nsanbyker]

^ Thanks Suprane

[sawzall]

Originally Posted by nsanbyker

Orange Lake Country with the XMT 2 fine swirl polish.

You're definitely using the right colour pad. IMHO you're going to need a polish with more cutting power.

[MuttGrunt]

PMed returned.

For the polishing; I agree with the others in that you like need a more aggressive combo. If you're using a finishing polish and a fine polish, neither will have the cutting power you may be seeking. Board sponsors like Leo and Nick from Detail Addict (who already have come in your thread here to offer help) sell some nice polishes from Menzerna along with their own in-house brand that will likely offer you what you're looking for. I'd recommend you check them out: http://detailaddict.com/exterior-car-care-products.html

Super Intensive Polish is some good stuff I'd recommend looking into. The Detail Addict G-line polishes might offer you help as well, so send them a PM / give them a call to see what they're recommend for your specific issues. They do work on a lot of BMWs...

[DetailAddict]

^Thanks Marc!

As Marc mentioned, Super Intensive Polish would be a good start. Don't believe it? Take a look at some of the work 'MuttGrunt' has done and posted in the forum.

Feel free to PM me to get you a personal quote.

As for your fomaing situation... I haven't used that soap with Camspray before so I don't know. But is your solution too thick? I use 1:8 with a 16oz bottle to go with the Camspray with our own soap and it comes out very nice with setting right at the middle and my pressure washer is rated at 1500psi.

[nsanbyker]

Thanks for the responses! My foam solution is too thin (watery) no matter how I adjust the air setting. I used 2 oz to 6 oz in the 8 oz container that came with the cannon.