Paint Correction Strategy - Please Help

[BimmerSixDeuce]

I'm going take a shot at performing a paint correction on my Jerez Black 2008 M3. It has some water marks, swirls, and what looks like faded paint (not sure what this is) - I took pictures of the worst areas. I was wondering if anyone experienced has any advice on how to approach the paint correction. I was thinking Menzerna Heavy Compound 400 on an orange pad followed by SF3500 on a black pad. I'm working with a PC7424XP and have orange, white, black, and red pads and the Menzerna polished mentioned. I've never done this before and am going to have a practice run with my ZHP first as I'm prepping to sell it to some lucky person. Any advice is much appreciated.

[cclinard1]

This is my process...

Wash - 2 bucket system...Chemical Guys Mr Pink soap with Torq Foam Cannon

Wheels - Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel gel with Chemical Guys Wheel Whoolies

Using the Griot's Garage 6" orbital for below...

Paint decontaminate - Nanoskin Autoscrub Fine Grade with Nanoskin Glide and Nanoskin Fine grade sponge in tight areas

Compound - Meguiars M105 with Chemical Guys Hex Logic Orange pad

Polish - Meguiars M205 with Chemical Guys Hex Logic White pad

Glaze - Chemical Guys EZ Crème Glaze with Chemical Guys Hex Logic Blue Pad

Paint Sealant - Jescar (Mezerna) Power Lock Plus Polymer Sealant with Chemical Guys Black Pad

Wax - Chemical Guys Butter wax with Chemical Guys Red pad

Quick detail - Chemical Guys Hybrid V7 Optical High Gloss Spray Sealant/Quick Detailer

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Originally Posted by cclinard1

This is my process...

Wash - 2 bucket system...Chemical Guys Mr Pink soap with Torq Foam Cannon

Wheels - Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel gel with Chemical Guys Wheel Whoolies

Using the Griot's Garage 6" orbital for below...

Paint decontaminate - Nanoskin Autoscrub Fine Grade with Nanoskin Glide and Nanoskin Fine grade sponge in tight areas

Compound - Meguiars M105 with Chemical Guys Hex Logic Orange pad

Polish - Meguiars M205 with Chemical Guys Hex Logic White pad

Glaze - Chemical Guys EZ Crème Glaze with Chemical Guys Hex Logic Blue Pad

Paint Sealant - Jescar (Mezerna) Power Lock Plus Polymer Sealant with Chemical Guys Black Pad

Wax - Chemical Guys Butter wax with Chemical Guys Red pad

Quick detail - Chemical Guys Hybrid V7 Optical High Gloss Spray Sealant/Quick Detailer

Thanks! I'm planning on washing and claying before the paint correction. Does the glaze make a significant difference? I'm going to skip that step. I also have a bottle of Powerlock Sealant and will use that before waxing (Menzerna or Colinite - not sure what I'm going to use yet). I guess my question is specifically to the pad/polish strategy. I don't have M105 or M205, just the Menzerna products I mentioned. I think I'm going to do 3 test spots:

1. FG400 on Orange pad followed by SF3500 on White pad
2. FG400 on Orange pad followed by SF3500 on Black pad
3. FG400 on White pad followed by SF3500 on Black pad

Does this seem like a good approach?

[cclinard1]

I'm not convinced the glaze is worth the effort. It prob helps a little. It adds some depth..like you can see into the paint.

You may not need your step 2. Hard to say until you get there and see what step 1 did.

[SoCalRPM]

If you're new to the correcting game, I would highly suggest watching [literally] hours of YouTube how-to vids. Try AMMO NYC, Pan the Organizer, Dallas Paint Correction, Obsessed Garage, etc...

Remember that paint correction is detrimental to your paint/clear. You don't get to do it infinite number of times. Start with less aggressive, like a cut polish, and then work your way up to more aggressive, like a super cut compound - but only if the paint needs it.

If your paint is swirled and neglected, you're likely going to see a dramatic improvement with just a medium polish and a cutting disc. Something like CG V36 or like Sonax Perfect Finish, etc and a CG Orange hex pad. You can start here and might notice a big difference. (Do a small test spot (2' x 2') on a rear fender or something first.) Then a coat of wax or sealant and your car will likely be night and day better.

If you can tell from your test spot that just polish isn't enough, you can move up to a more aggressive compound. Then polish after you compound.

You likely won't see much added benefit from a glaze at this point.

Regardless, glad you're giving the paint some TLC!

P.S. Obsessed Garage just did a multi part series on paint correcting an e92:

[tdott]

Yup, research research research if you wanna do it right. Oh an you probably have to spend a couple of hundred on a good machine that old PC wont remove those heavy scratches, pads, compund/polish, etc.

[SoCalRPM]

I didn't mention above, although it's already been said here.

DO NOT SKIMP in the prep before you correct your paint

Thoroughly wash the car with a soap that will strip waxes or any type of protection that might be in there. Something like Adam's Strip Wash or CG Clean Slate for this instead of Mr. Pink.

Then you can chemically decontamination the car with something like Iron X - do your homework here!

Use a clay bar method (or nanoskin as mentioned above) to physically decontaminate.

Use an IPA wipedown to make sure there are no residues, etc. on the surface before you correct.

Also, tape off any areas like trim, glass, etc. that you're not correcting/polishing. You don't want polish getting stuck in all the crevices or you'll have some noticeable white stuff between all your panels - dead giveaway of a cheap/lazy/novice detail.

Don't skimp on the protection once you're done. A good wax or sealant, or layer both!

[BimmerSixDeuce]

Thanks for the guidance. I have been researching for the past few months but watched the Obsessed Garage series again and pick up on new things every time I watch it. I think I have everything I need in terms of products. Any suggestions on how to clean up the shadowline trim without a small machine? By hand?

I'll do as you suggested and start with the less aggressive polish first. I know it's a lot of experimentation, so I'll jump into it when I have a couple of days to devote.

[JPWEraser]

Originally Posted by BimmerSixDeuce

Thanks for the guidance. I have been researching for the past few months but watched the Obsessed Garage series again and pick up on new things every time I watch it. I think I have everything I need in terms of products. Any suggestions on how to clean up the shadowline trim without a small machine? By hand?

I'll do as you suggested and start with the less aggressive polish first. I know it's a lot of experimentation, so I'll jump into it when I have a couple of days to devote.

You can still polish the trim with a larger pad. It's not so inaccessible on our cars that a 3" or 4" pad is too large with the surrounding areas masked off. It mostly comes down to your backing plate size and pad choice on the 7424xp. I started on a 7424 back in the day when I was learning and had 3" all the way to 6" backing plates and pads to match. I found that I used the 5.5" and 3" the most and those covered 90% of everything I needed to polish. The problem with using Matt from OG as a measuring stick is that he has a lot of time and money tied up in tools that most amateurs don't truly need. It's easy to see that he has found the perfect combination of components to complete a task and think that you have to have that one setup to do the same task yourself. This is not always the case and you can accomplish more than you think with fewer and simpler tools. The benefit of Matt sharing his experience is that his solutions typically are that next nth more effective and efficient. I dig his story and what he is doing for amateur detailers and I've bought a few of his solutions myself. Does that mean you have to have a wall hanger system with 18 different Rupes polishers to accomplish your goals? Absolutely not. You can probably do 95% of everything with 2 or 3 and a little extra time, effort, and creativity.

The 7424xp is a pretty forgiving machine as are DAs in general. They don't tend to burn as quick or easy as a rotary. As others have stated just start with your least abrasive pad and least abrasive polish until you get a solid feel for the following:

1. Determining when the polish flashes so you know when to stop polishing. Others may call this "breaking down" but this is the point at which the polish is no longer effective and you will start doing more harm than good with mostly just your pad introducing more scratches on the surface that you were just trying to correct
2. The right pad/polish combo for the car you're working on and the goal you're trying to accomplish

I always preferred multiple passes with the least aggressive (fine polish like Menzerna PO106 on a green pad) combo over a single pass with a more aggressive combo before I was able to meter the paint (I assume you likely won't have one). Every paint job is different and even different panels and substrates on the same car react differently to the polishing action. If 2-3 passes of that didn't clean it up I might consider going to something like Megs M105 on an orange pad for the first pass and then clean it up with PO106 on a green pad.

In short there is no one right way to do things. Everyone develops a slightly personalized way of doing this. You just have to experiment and find what works for you, the car you're working on, and the result you're trying to achieve. I self-taught over a couple of years and decided to open my own side business for extra money. Before I knew it I didn't have to work my regular day job anymore and I was hiring/training employees to help me keep up with demand.

Good luck to you and have fun learning!

[fs34]

I’ve had great results with m105 on a surbuf microfiber pad using a porter cable 7424. Finish with m205 on a white lake country CCS pad.

Surbuf with a pc7424 gets rotary like results without the risk.

[doogee]

Like others have said do some research. FG400 is my favorite polish/compound. It's excellent with a LC white pad if you're doing a one step.

Stay away from Chemical Guys products unless its their car soap. PERIOD. It's all junk.


You also don't need anything more than a 7424XP. The big expensive machines don't do anything better other than cut down on time. I have a 7424, Flex 3401, Rupes LHR15 and LHR75 so I'm not bullshitting here.

The 7424xp takes out 1500 grit sanding marks, its more than capable.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by doogee

Stay away from Chemical Guys products unless its their car soap. PERIOD. It's all junk.

I'll take the bait. Please explain.

[doogee]

Originally Posted by dparm

I'll take the bait. Please explain.

I promise I'm not trying to bait haha.

Years ago when I first got into the higher end of detailing, I learned a lot from Chemical Guys youtube videos and of course fell into their excellent marketing and purchased Chemical Guys everything.

Only to learn over time that majority of their products aren't any good. There is a reason you'll never find a professional using their products. I should be clear I'm speaking about their chemicals.

We are talking about a brand that sells "wax for white cars" and an $850 paste wax which requires an allen key to open. Its all non sense.


Their wheel cleaners don't work. Diablo Wheel Gel is just car wash soap.
I've wasted a lot of money of their stuff and don't want anyone else to go down that road. Hyper V7 Spray sealant doesn't do what they claim, Jetseal paint sealant doesn't last over a week, I could go on and on.

I do like their car shampoos though! Best bang for the buck in my opinion.

But save yourself the time and frustration and buy more professional products that work. I don't do this full time, but I do make a living off it.


If anyone cares, my personal favourites are:

Polishes/Compounds: Menzerna FG400, Jescar Correcting Compound, Sonax Perfect Finish
Wheel Cleaner: Nextzett, Sonax
Wax: Collinite 845
Coating: Cquartz UK
Tire Dressing: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Sealant: cclinard1 had a great recommendation of Jescar Powerlock
Soap: Chemical Guys Mr Pink
Decontamination: Nanoskin Mitt, CarPro Iron-X
Masking Tape: Rinrei Tape
Prep Wipe: CarPro Eraser
APC: Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner
Engine Bay Dressing: Meguiars Hyper Dressing

[SoCalRPM]

Originally Posted by doogee

I promise I'm not trying to bait haha.

Years ago when I first got into the higher end of detailing, I learned a lot from Chemical Guys youtube videos and of course fell into their excellent marketing and purchased Chemical Guys everything.

Only to learn over time that majority of their products aren't any good. There is a reason you'll never find a professional using their products. I should be clear I'm speaking about their chemicals.

We are talking about a brand that sells "wax for white cars" and an $850 paste wax which requires an allen key to open. Its all non sense.


Their wheel cleaners don't work. Diablo Wheel Gel is just car wash soap.
I've wasted a lot of money of their stuff and don't want anyone else to go down that road. Hyper V7 Spray sealant doesn't do what they claim, Jetseal paint sealant doesn't last over a week, I could go on and on.

I do like their car shampoos though! Best bang for the buck in my opinion.

But save yourself the time and frustration and buy more professional products that work. I don't do this full time, but I do make a living off it.


If anyone cares, my personal favourites are:

Polishes/Compounds: Menzerna FG400, Jescar Correcting Compound, Sonax Perfect Finish
Wheel Cleaner: Nextzett, Sonax
Wax: Collinite 845
Coating: Cquartz UK
Tire Dressing: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Sealant: cclinard1 had a great recommendation of Jescar Powerlock
Soap: Chemical Guys Mr Pink
Decontamination: Nanoskin Mitt, CarPro Iron-X
Masking Tape: Rinrei Tape
Prep Wipe: CarPro Eraser
APC: Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner
Engine Bay Dressing: Meguiars Hyper Dressing

^^ +1 Great list of products right here ^^

I completely agree with you. CG's marketing is out of control at times and it's painfully obvious they're trying to capitalize on every single dollar they can.

There are definitely better products and manufacturers out there to find all your detailing needs. CG should not be used as a one stop shop at all.

That being said, if you can cut through their flack, they have some decent stuff - again granted their marketing is obnoxious and there are comparable/better variants out there

CG's soaps are pretty good: Clean Slate, Glossworkz, Mr. Pink

I've used the V36 one step polish and it's honestly not bad.

I'd also add that Jetseal is a very easy to use and decently durable sealant. As an experiment, I put one coat on my wife's car's that she daily's, never topped it with anything and didn't add wax during maintenance washes, and the water beaded nicely for about 5 months before the sealant began to fail.

For beginners, it's good to power through some learning curves and figure out works best while not spending too much $$.

[JPWEraser]

Originally Posted by doogee

I promise I'm not trying to bait haha.

Years ago when I first got into the higher end of detailing, I learned a lot from Chemical Guys youtube videos and of course fell into their excellent marketing and purchased Chemical Guys everything.

Only to learn over time that majority of their products aren't any good. There is a reason you'll never find a professional using their products. I should be clear I'm speaking about their chemicals.

We are talking about a brand that sells "wax for white cars" and an $850 paste wax which requires an allen key to open. Its all non sense.


Their wheel cleaners don't work. Diablo Wheel Gel is just car wash soap.
I've wasted a lot of money of their stuff and don't want anyone else to go down that road. Hyper V7 Spray sealant doesn't do what they claim, Jetseal paint sealant doesn't last over a week, I could go on and on.

I do like their car shampoos though! Best bang for the buck in my opinion.

But save yourself the time and frustration and buy more professional products that work. I don't do this full time, but I do make a living off it.


If anyone cares, my personal favourites are:

Polishes/Compounds: Menzerna FG400, Jescar Correcting Compound, Sonax Perfect Finish
Wheel Cleaner: Nextzett, Sonax
Wax: Collinite 845
Coating: Cquartz UK
Tire Dressing: Optimum Opti-Bond Tire Gel
Sealant: cclinard1 had a great recommendation of Jescar Powerlock
Soap: Chemical Guys Mr Pink
Decontamination: Nanoskin Mitt, CarPro Iron-X
Masking Tape: Rinrei Tape
Prep Wipe: CarPro Eraser
APC: Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner
Engine Bay Dressing: Meguiars Hyper Dressing

I couldn't agree more on the lack of effectiveness of CG chemicals.

I like CG Honeydew and Mr. Pink but that's about it.

Polishes/Compounds: Menzerna FG400, Menzerna MC2500, Menzerna Power Lock, Meguiars M105
Wheel Cleaner: Adams Intensive or Sonax Full Effect, whichever is cheaper at the time
Wax/LSP: Collinite 845 + Blackfire Wet Diamond
Coating: Cquartz UK 3.0
Tire Dressing: Adams Super VRT
Soap: Chemical Guys Honeydew, Adams Car Wash
Decontamination: Nanoskin Mitt, CarPro Iron-X
Masking Tape: Rinrei Tape
Prep Wipe: Homebrew IPA mix (IPA, DI water, and citrus APC)
APC: P21S Total Auto Wash or Optimum Optiwash, whichever is cheaper at the time
Engine Bay Dressing: Meguiars Hyper Dressing
Detail Spray/Clay Lube: Adams Detail Spray
Spray Sealant: Beadmaker

[BimmerSixDeuce]

I did a trial run on my ZHP that I'm about to sell. It's paint was in pretty good condition to begin with but after a one step with the sf3500 and a black pad it looks awesome. I also managed to get a long scratch (from a twig hanging into the road) out of the passenger door with the fg400 and an orange pad. Topped off with Jescar Power lock. The car looks so good now can't wait to tackle the M3!

[rennwerkes]

So do you guys lay down a sealant then go over it with Collinite?

[roastbeef]

[JPWEraser]

Originally Posted by rennwerkes

So do you guys lay down a sealant then go over it with Collinite?

That's certainly acceptable and a lot of people do it. Collinite 845 has a different look and feel than most sealants do - gloss depth is great. By layering it on top of a sealant you get the best of both worlds.

[rennwerkes]

Originally Posted by JPWEraser

That's certainly acceptable and a lot of people do it. Collinite 845 has a different look and feel than most sealants do - gloss depth is great. By layering it on top of a sealant you get the best of both worlds.

Sounds good!
Thanks!

[SoCalRPM]

Originally Posted by rennwerkes

So do you guys lay down a sealant then go over it with Collinite?

Correct. Sealant then wax. Not the other way around.

Sometimes you'll get a hazy quality a few days after the Collinite application. That'll go away with your first maintenance wash.

Then use a spray wax with each maintenance wash to keep those initial layers strong.

[CJ13M3]

I’ve always had good results with Griots products. The boss line of products are really easy to work with. They have correcting compounds and then I use the boss finishing sealant. This time I tried something different and used the Adams spray ceramic over the griots instead of the griots poly wax I normally do over the sealant. So far so good.