hey guys,

i did an e36 m3/4 cosmos black, yesterday. i tried a new process and just wanted some feedback (pro's/con's, what can i expect if i use this next time).

i started out with the griott's clay bar. followed by the xmt 3 on a yellow pad. i worked it in each section at speed 4. bumped it up to speed 6 until it was dust. after doing the whole car, i used klasse aio on a white pad. again, speed 4 to work it in the area and 6 to polish clean.

since time didn't allow for the sealant glaze, i went for the s100.

now, i'm not 100% sure if everything bonded well together, but the results were pretty good. (see the detailed to pefection thread in the rides section). i'm going to say the durability is there, but i would like someone to confirm this.

would anyone have gone down a different route in terms of products?

thanks.

-mike

LSP is a matter of personal choice. There is nothing wrong with going with the S100 rather than the SG. I see no flaws whatsoever in your process. AIO is mostly a paint cleaner with some acrylic protection so you can use whichever LSP you want. :)

LSP is a matter of personal choice. There is nothing wrong with going with the S100 rather than the SG. I see no flaws whatsoever in your process. AIO is mostly a paint cleaner with some acrylic protection so you can use whichever LSP you want. :)

thanks for the input jen. also wasn't 100% sure if i was wasting time with the xmt followed with the all in one.

just for clarification, aio should be applied with a white/blue pad instead of yellow/orange, correct?

-mike

You're probably looking at ~6 weeks protection with that combo.

I normally apply AIO with a polishing or finishing pad.

Sounds like a good process, Definantly dumping some money into your protection, I like to see that. The Klasse Is great stuff Id say your good for about 6 weeks when you should put another coat of your carnuba on. Remember you can add multiple coats, allow 1 day between extra coats of way though. The more coats the better the protection and the deeper the gloss. Ive heard of show cars getting over 20-30+ coats of wax. Dont do the buff and clay bar but maybe 1 time a year, if that. If you keep up on your waxing and cleaning you shouldnt need to do it but once a couple years. But it will wear down your clear coat over time. You may want to invest in a paint thickness gauge this will tell you how much you are taking off your clear coat. Make sure and document paint thickness. I like to use the back of my manual to log my paint thickness. Other than that Id say your doing great.

thanks for the input jen. also wasn't 100% sure if i was wasting time with the xmt followed with the all in one.

just for clarification, aio should be applied with a white/blue pad instead of yellow/orange, correct?

-mike


No the AIO should go after polishing so that you don't remove the acrylic protection that it leaves behind. Apply aio with the the white/blue pad. :) On second read of your initial post I noticed that you didn't step down to the XMT 1 before the AIO, did you have any hazing from using the yellow pad? I love the XMT 3 and how it finishes way down to pretty much LSP ready. I too have gone from XMT 3 and then straight to the finishing glaze and my LSP, but that was always with an orange pad. :) I've heard of some people having to clean up hazing with the yellow pad and the XMT 3 but from the looks of your car it doesn't seem like you had that problem. :)

20-30 coats.. :eyecrazy

again, this wasn't my car, so i did not have time to let it cure over night or 24 hours. heck, i don't even have the time to do that to my own car. :(

this was my second time using the xmt 3 with a yellow pad and i developed no hazing what-so-ever. :dunno i would like to spend a day with my coupe though, so i'll probably go through all the steps and document it as well.

thanks for the help everyone!

-mike

I am really loving the XMT 3 too! I have the whole line but my car had only mild swirls so I never had the opportunity to use the XMT 3 until a recent detail I did! I did a 7 year old VW bug that was in seriously neglected condition. It had bird poo etchings and clear coat failure in several places! :eek: I used the XMT 3 with the orange pad so that I could take it easy on the paint and I was just lovin that polish! I was amazed at how far down it finished! I didn't even need to do the XMT 1 but I did it anyway since it was a black car.

Here's some pics. If you care to see them. I used XMT 3, XMT 1, XMT carnauba finishing glaze and then my LSP was Souveran paste wax. Enjoy.

This is a pic of half of the door and the fender polished with the XMT 3 and the other half unpolished.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n106/FloridaNat1ve/VWBug/halfandhalf1.jpg

Here's some pics after the detail was finished.

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n106/FloridaNat1ve/VWBug/exteriorafter1.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n106/FloridaNat1ve/VWBug/exteriorafter2.jpg

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n106/FloridaNat1ve/VWBug/carafter3.jpg

holy crap jen!

that beetle came out fantasic!!

-mike

holy crap jen!

that beetle came out fantasic!!

-mike

Oh thank you sweetie for your compliments! Yeah that thing was a MESS!! You should have seen the before pics! :eek: I didn't get it perfect by any means, but it looks a whole lot better than it did when I started. The owner was very pleased. He had bought that car used when it was like 3 years old already so to him he'd never seen it look so good. :)

Oh thank you sweetie for your compliments! Yeah that thing was a MESS!! You should have seen the before pics! :eek: I didn't get it perfect by any means, but it looks a whole lot better than it did when I started. The owner was very pleased. He had bought that car used when it was like 3 years old already so to him he'd never seen it look so good. :)

how long did you work the xmt 3 in? people usually say "i did 3 passes." i basically work the product until it's clean and then move onto the next section.

-mike

how long did you work the xmt 3 in? people usually say "i did 3 passes." i basically work the product until it's clean and then move onto the next section.

-mike

I do the same thing you do. I take a digital kitchen timer with me and put 5 minutes on the clock. When I bump the PC up to high I start the timer and I just work the polish back and forth over a 2'x2' area until it is completely broken down almost always the same time my little timer goes off. :) I don't count the passes but I know it's more than 3.

BTW I love your avatar! One of the funniest movies ever made! :)

ok whats the xmt 3??

ok whats the xmt 3??


XMT is the newest line of polishes from Pinnacle. I've used the entire line and I can tell you it's excellent. :)

http://pinnaclewax.com/xmtseries.html

man I love these pics of shiny cars... so much better than pronrography.