View Full Version : All in a good day's work


sben
09-06-2003, 09:14 PM
These pics are pretty darn big, so bear with me if you have a slow connection.


Today I did the following to my 1994 325iC:

Wash Body
Wash top
Wash top window
Apply impregnating agent to top
Clean windows
Clean wheels
Apply coat of Scratch-X
Apply coat of Wax Paste

I used the following products (recommendation in parentheses):
BMW car wash fluid (yes)
BMW convertible top cleaner (yes)
BMW plastic window cleaner (no)
BMW impregnating agent (not sure yet)
Windex (yes)
Eagle One Nevr-Dull (no)
Meguiar's Scratch-X (YES)
S100 wax paste (YES!!!)

Not much to say about the actual car wash other than that the BMW car wash fluid suds up really well and (although this could be my imagination) seemed to clean easier and better than armor all, turtle wax, etc brand car wash).

I really liked the BMW top cleaner--it was surprisingly easy to apply and rinse off. My top is now blacker than ever :stickoutt

The BMW plastic window cleaner did not get those little water stains out that I had hoped to get rid of. Basically the window looks the same as it does when I wash it with a wet rag.

The BMW impregnating agent was easy enough to mix. The application was pretty tricky because once that stuff gets on your paint it really imbeds itself in there fast. I ended up spending much more time rubbing that stuff off than I did actually applying the agent. Other than that, it went on pretty easily, but I haven't tested it vs water yet. I definitely recommend doing this before you wash your car because I basically ended up having to wash a lot of the car twice.

Cleaned the windows with windex. Works like a charm, ho hum...

I cleaned the wheels with Eagle One's Nevr-Dull (the stuff that comes in a big wad in a can) based on some recommendations I found here. Maybe I was expecting too much, but almost none of the stains came out, and the wheels are moderately shinier than they were before. I guess it's worth the 4 bucks and 20 minutes, but I was overall disappointed.

I recently purchased this car, and it had quite a few surface scratches that bugged me to no end, plus swirls throughout the paint job. I decided to coat the entire car with Meguiar's Scratch-X. I was very impressed with this product! It's gentle on the paint, unlike some other (abrasive) scratch removers, and it really got rid of a lot of scratches that I really thought would be impossible to get out. There were a couple minor scratches that seemed like they should have come out but didn't, but overall this product was well worth the 7 bucks or whatever I paid for it.

Finally, I put on a coat of S100 wax that I bought from the local Harley-Davidson dealer (which, by the way, was a fun little field trip in itself :12: ). This stuff is awesome!! It's really easy to apply with the included applicator, pretty easy to buff out, and it simply looks amazing compared to other stuff I have used (turtle wax, meguiar's regular, meguiar's gold class). Now I'm ashamed that I used that other stuff, S100 is definitely the way to go...and it's cheap, too.

Thanks for lookin...

https://webspace.utexas.edu/hughesbh/bmw/blingbling.jpg

sben
09-06-2003, 09:15 PM
#2:
https://webspace.utexas.edu/hughesbh/bmw/left.jpg

sben
09-06-2003, 09:16 PM
#3:

https://webspace.utexas.edu/hughesbh/bmw/right.jpg

Drjones
09-07-2003, 03:45 AM
Looks great!

Couple things:

- You forgot to dress your tires!

- The scratch-X worked OK for me too, but it is only a temporary fix; it just hides scratches. To really remove scratches and swirls you need a PC, and DAMN is it worth it!!!

sben
09-07-2003, 10:02 AM
Drjones,

What do you mean dress the tires?

And what's PC?

Thanks! :D

hal9000
09-07-2003, 10:19 AM
He means to apply some product to the tires to restore the shiny and black look.

I don't know if you've got tinted windows, but windex will remove tint - try something like Stoner's Invisible Glass, I think you'll be surprised at the difference.

Jack T.
09-07-2003, 10:21 AM
PC is Porter Cable. They make a heck of a buffer ( so they say ), but MAN are they proud of it. $100+. Do a search and you can find more information on them than you can shake a stick at. I haven't gotten one. . .yet. But with 2 BMWs in the driveway now, the PC is moving up the "must have soon" list. . .

Drjones
09-08-2003, 06:31 PM
Jack and others:

If you don't have a PC, you haven't really detailed your car.

A PC gives results that simply are not possible by hand.

archyx
09-09-2003, 03:26 AM
Won't other random buffer work? I have a cheapy 10" random buffer from Pepboys, cost me $40 and it works great. Well, I have only ONE experience in detailing a car....
Dr. Jones, what's difference between a PC and other ordinary buffers?

Drjones
09-09-2003, 10:38 PM
Um...I'm not sure about your cheap one.

If I were you, I wouldn't risk it. A Porter Cable (that is the brand-name) is only about $100 and its worth it.

What you definitely NEVER want to use is any rotary (non-random) buffer or polisher. This includes attachments for power drills.

Rotary buffers/polishers can VERY easily damage your paint, but it is nearly impossible to damage your paint with a random orbital.

Let me know if you have any more questions.