Need some advice for IB e90

[murmur]

I need some serious help from detailing gurus. I have been reading and re reading the detailing threads for the past 2 days but still cant really narrow down the things that I need. There is just so many different types of stuff out there and I dont know which one to go with for my Interlagos Blue M3.

My E90 M3 is about 3 weeks old and I really need to do my first detail. The steps that I have concluded so far are:

1: Wash
( 2 buckett with grit gurad)
2: Soft Clay
3: Sealant / Glaze
4: Wax

I am trying to find out what exactly to order and from where. I was looking at Amazon and they have a decent price for the PC 7424 XP. Do I need to order a backing plate as well and then there was some talk about different colored pads, for polishing (cutting) and Glaze/wax.

Any help would be highly appreciated.

thanks,

[Darkstar752]

If you want to take the time to do it right, definitely grab a PC or griots garage DA polisher.

1. Wash
2. Clay (Sonus Green, Meguiar's, Clay Magic)
3. Polish
4. Sealant (Menzerna Powerlock 16oz)

Personally I don't use glazes, as you shouldn't need to if you polish the car correctly. Glazes are just to fill in swirls, and the car should have none remaining after the polishing(paint correction). Wax and sealants give two different looks, and combining them has no benefits IMO. Personally I like the look and ease of use of sealants.


If you want to polish the car, get a couple pads. Take the example of let's say DetailersDomain Uber pads, which are what I use. Here's what I suggest, fine(B) for finishing, polishing(G) for polishing, and Compounding(Y) for those tough areas or if you should get a bad scratch.

Weakest to strongest
1. Black (0- 1 if you want to machine apply wax/sealants, not worth it IMO)
2. Blue (1-2)
3. Green (2)
4. Orange (0)
5. Yellow (1)


Hope this helps!

[murmur]

its certainly does help, I ordered the PC but found out later that it needs a back plate as well and some thing called a weight.

[Suprane]

Congrats on the new car. IB is going to reward you well after maintaining its paint.
Your price on the XP is pretty good. Don't worry that it did not have a backing plate. Its better to buy it separate anyway. I would prefer getting the 5 inch backing plate (and use with 5.5 inch pads):
Shop around but backing plates cost the same pretty much everywhere.

http://www.autogeek.net/porter-cable...ng-plates.html

Most people feel going with 5.5 inch pads are better for control, vs the 6.5 inch (I find too big). I would also consider getting the smaller 3.5in backing plate in the near future for use with 4 inch pads. You will find that the M3 has enough small areas where a 5.5 inch pad is very difficult to manuever. You can wait now, but plan for that in the future.

As far as pads go, I like the "flat" LC pads. IMO, they cut great. I have CCS, (curved and flat), hydrotech...and still like the flats. More important is which ones to get and how many. Don't get one of each color in a package deal...never understood that at all. My preference is to stick with only two types since your'e starting and need funds. If you can afford it, three types. 3 orange, 3 white. (if you got $ 3 black). You can always build more later.
http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country...d-pad-kit.html
You will need more pads to correct your paint but for now you will have to clean each pad after a few panels and (leave in sun to dry), to reuse a few panels later. I typically will go through atleast five pads for each step.
Here's a chart to give you an idea of the "hierarchy" of pads (its for ccs but it correlates for flat pads too):

http://www.auto-geek.net/charts/buff...d-chart-lc.htm

Now for the polish. There's a lot out there and most work well. I can only comment on what I have used. Your car is still new so you don't need a "compound" yet (unless it was thrashed by the dealer already). I would stick to Menzerna Super intensive polish (love it) and maybe Menzerna PO 85RD (finishing polish). You can also consider, Megs 105 and 205 but you might not want to go 105 with orange on your paint now..it might not be that bad. I like the SIP and 85 combo for light marring. First rule, try with the lighter cut first (test).
As far as glazes, I don't use them either. I like Blackfire wet diamond (BFWD) as a sealant and a day later, after cured, you can top with a carnauba wax if you wish.

I think your XP should have come with the counter weight so no need to buy it.
Hope I helped. (FYI, I'm a "weekender" with a hobby like yourself, so maybe some pros can also chime in, but thought I'd add my thoughts before you started getting stuff you might not need) Good luck.

[boynbeagle7]

your post is very helpful. thanks.