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      05-26-2018, 11:07 PM   #1
MattM3SVT
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First time paint correction + ceramic coating on my daily.

Hey Guys,

I know this is not M3 content, but figured I'd share my experience. I'm huge into maintaining the paint of my cars. I had my M3 professionally paint corrected and ceramic coating a while ago. Since then been super careful with the paint when washing and it still looks brand new.

I recently picked up a 2004 R53 Mini Cooper S with 84k miles back in February for a daily driver. The paint was decent, but had tons of swirls and scratches. Since then I really wanted to take a stab at doing a paint correction myself and start getting more into the actual detailing of a car. Today I decided to do just that. I started at 7am, and finished with everything around 7:30pm. A lot more work than I anticipated, but the results are well worth it

Polisher: PORTER-CABLE 7424XP
Pads: Chemical Guys Hex Logic Orange and White Pads
  • Step 1: Wash
  • Step 2: Carpro Iron-X
  • Step 3: Chemical Guys Clay Bar
  • Step 4: Carpro Eraser
  • Step 5: Cut (Meguiars Ultimate Compound)
  • Step 6: Polish (Meguiars 205)
  • Step 7: Meguiars Ultimate Black (Plastics)
  • Step 8: Carpro Eraser
  • Step 9: Cquartz Ceramic Coating
  • Step 10: Carpro Reload

Results (Not bad for a 14 year old car):














Last edited by MattM3SVT; 05-26-2018 at 11:30 PM..
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      05-28-2018, 10:55 PM   #2
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Great work! Some before shots would've been nice to see the difference. What pads did you use?
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      05-29-2018, 12:05 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 6ixSpd View Post
Great work! Some before shots would've been nice to see the difference. What pads did you use?
Thanks! I used Chemical Guys Hex Logic Orange (for cutting) and White (for polishing). I didn't need to use the finishing pads since I topped it off with a ceramic coating instead of wax or other sealant.

I wish I would have documented the whole process, but by the time I really thought of it I had already started. Here is one picture that best shows the condition of the hood before:



Also here is a short video I took of the paint after just one pass of the compound! In total I did two passes of the compound, and one pass of the polish so the finished product looks even better than on the video.


Last edited by MattM3SVT; 05-29-2018 at 12:12 PM..
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      06-07-2018, 06:07 AM   #4
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Great result!
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      07-02-2018, 09:40 AM   #5
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Looks great! One tip I picked up on the black plastic trim to keep the dark shade more permanent is to go over the trim with a heat gun. The heat brings the oils within the plastic back to the surface and restores the dark shade. Once it cools you can put a surface protectant back on it.
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      07-02-2018, 12:29 PM   #6
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Quote:
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Great result!


Quote:
Originally Posted by PACarGuy View Post
Looks great! One tip I picked up on the black plastic trim to keep the dark shade more permanent is to go over the trim with a heat gun. The heat brings the oils within the plastic back to the surface and restores the dark shade. Once it cools you can put a surface protectant back on it.
That's great info! I'll definitely try that out during my next wash. Meguiars ultimate black last a few months from my experience, but it would be nice to have something more permanent.
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      07-13-2018, 02:25 PM   #7
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how did you feel about applying the ceramic coating? I've been playing around with the idea of doing it to my car, but I'm not sure I trust myself to do it since the car is white. I am afraid I will miss a spot and its semi permanent.
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      07-13-2018, 02:38 PM   #8
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Quote:
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how did you feel about applying the ceramic coating? I've been playing around with the idea of doing it to my car, but I'm not sure I trust myself to do it since the car is white. I am afraid I will miss a spot and its semi permanent.
I don't think I would feel super comfortable yet applying it to my M3, but I didn't really care if I messed something up on the Mini. It was a cheap car, and a great way to get practice. The fact that it turned out really well was a bonus If I did a couple more cars, then I would be confident in doing my M3 as well. The application itself is honestly not difficult at all as long as you take your time and don't let it sit for too long. What takes a long time is prepping the car. Reload is crucial in my opinion to apply afterwords.

If you have another car you can practice on can really help. I learned so much after my first time around, it would be much easier if I were to do it again.
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      07-13-2018, 02:41 PM   #9
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Small plug for how the car sits now after some recent mods Paint looks great even though it hasn't been washed in 3 weeks.



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      07-13-2018, 02:46 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tallskinnymatt View Post
I don't think I would feel super comfortable yet applying it to my M3, but I didn't really care if I messed something up on the Mini. It was a cheap car, and a great way to get practice. The fact that it turned out really well was a bonus If I did a couple more cars, then I would be confident in doing my M3 as well. The application itself is honestly not difficult at all as long as you take your time and don't let it sit for too long. What takes a long time is prepping the car. Reload is crucial in my opinion to apply afterwords.

If you have another car you can practice on can really help. I learned so much after my first time around, it would be much easier if I were to do it again.
That's exactly what I did before I did any paint correction work on the M3. I have an old Tacoma that I used to practice polishing on. I guess I may have to polish the rest of it and then try coating it. I used Collinite Insulator wax and that stuff is amazing, but does not last very long. It definitely outlasts the average wax, but it still need to be re-done every 4-6 months.



Mini looks awesome though. Great job!
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      07-13-2018, 02:50 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MokeJAX View Post
That's exactly what I did before I did any paint correction work on the M3. I have an old Tacoma that I used to practice polishing on. I guess I may have to polish the rest of it and then try coating it. I used Collinite Insulator wax and that stuff is amazing, but does not last very long. It definitely outlasts the average wax, but it still need to be re-done every 4-6 months.



Mini looks awesome though. Great job!
Thanks! I would definitely practice a bit on the Tacoma then. I watched quite a few videos on how to properly apply it and various techniques. There is a wealth of information online which really helped me feel more confident. The ceramic coating has made my life so much easier though, for both the Mini and the M3. So would definitely recommend the product.
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      07-19-2018, 02:24 PM   #12
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Beautiful Mini Cooper!

The paint is popping!
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      07-19-2018, 03:00 PM   #13
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Beautiful Mini Cooper!

The paint is popping!
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      07-19-2018, 04:08 PM   #14
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Great job . Love Mini's !
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      07-20-2018, 09:26 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MokeJAX View Post
how did you feel about applying the ceramic coating? I've been playing around with the idea of doing it to my car, but I'm not sure I trust myself to do it since the car is white. I am afraid I will miss a spot and its semi permanent.
If you can do paint correction you can do consumer ceramic coating. Just watch the videos from the manufacture you buy from and you're golden.

I'm far from the most patient man around (far, far from it) and I can do it. I did screw up and had some streaking once but I used a super mild polish, cleaned off the streaks, IPA rinse, recoat. Easy, peasy. Definitely not rocket surgery.
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      08-07-2018, 05:52 PM   #16
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After three sessions at Thunderhill Raceway, car is still looking great! Can't express how much a paint correction can improve the look of a car Brake dust barely clings to the wheels after they were ceramic coated. Definitely a must if you plan on tracking the car.





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