Kilgore
New member
- Aug 27, 2008
- 48
- 0
Warning: This is my first attempt at a full write up and it’s really long so if you don’t feel like reading right now please click the back button.
Last weekend I decided to do a full, ground up detail on my garage queen. She’s an 02’ M Roadster with 29k original miles. BMW basically took the S54 engine, suspension, steering brakes etc. from the M3 and built the Z3 M version. It was the last production year for that model before they came out with the Z4. There were only 643 made in 02’ and 479 sold in the US. They are starting to become somewhat rare and I’m hoping that someday it might actually be worth something so I’m trying to keep it in as near perfect condition as possible. I have no plans to sell it so I’m leaving it to my son when my time here is over. I’m not a professional by any means; just do my own cars and a few for friends, family and neighbors. I don’t charge them anything but I’m thinking about maybe doing this for a little extra green after I retire in a few years. It would be nice, for once, to make some money doing something I truly enjoy instead of “workin’ fo da man”. The last time I did a full blown detail on this car was about a year ago and since then, just washing waxing etc. I’ve collected some new tools and products and wanted to try them out and do some experimenting, especially with the FUZION and a bunch of different types of polishing pads. Finally, I would like to thank everyone on the Forum who answered my questions and gave me advice along the way. Special thanks to Killrwheels, Mike P., Meghan, Penny and the whole AG staff for excellent support, top notch products and customer service.
It was already in pretty good shape, nothing dramatic enough for before and after shots. Here’s what I used, some observations, personal opinions and some photos of the end results.
Tires & Wheels:
WG Tire and Wheel Cleaner (Very good for removing brake dust and other nasty crap from wheels tires and fender wells)
Mothers Fender Well Brush (Must have)
Montana Boar’s Hair Brush wheel brush (Works very well and soft enough for clear coated rims)
1” Boar’s Hair Lug nut Brush (Used to stuff a MF into the lug nut holes, this works much better)
E-Z Detail Brush (Was my favorite until I got the Daytona, now it’s my backup)
Daytona Speed Master Brushes - Regular size and Mini (They seem to be built better than the E-Z. The shafts are heavier and don’t bend around as much after you set the angle you want. The mini is another must have now, actually fits between the rims and brake calipers!)
WG Black Diamond Tire Gel (Nice finish and no slinging)
Cobra Flex Foam Tire Gel Applicators (Not my favorite, too stiff and tend to shred after just a few uses)
DP Wheel Glaze (Easy application w/ WG Finger Pockets, easy removal w/ Cobra Deluxe 600 or Indigo MF. Was using Wheel Wax, DP is now my favorite.)
CD-2 Engine Detailer (For the plastic fender well inserts. Easy application, really improves the appearance IMO)
Exterior Cleaning and Prep for Polish:
Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo w/ a Gilmour foam gun. (Love the foam gun, shampoo is good but a little pricey, probably will go back to Megs Mirror Glaze #62 or similar. Was using the 2 bucket method w/ grit guard inserts but with the foam gun only need the rinse bucket now, much easier.)
Sheepskin Wash Mitt (Personal favorite)
Cobra Shamrock MF Towels (I don’t really like them. They’re too big & heavy and they shed. I soap them down and use them to wash the undersides of the bumpers and rocker panels. They have been demoted but are still useful for some of the dirtier areas)
Horse Hair Brush (Recommended for cleaning convertible tops, does not wear the fabric like a stiffer bristle)
Rigid 5.0 hp wet vac reversed for blow drying
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
Pinnacle XMT Clay Lube & ONR Clay Lube diluted 2oz. /Gal (Not much difference. The ONR concentrate makes 8 gallons for about $1 ea. The XMT is about $30/gal)
Ragg Top Fabric Protectant (Really works well, water actually beads, and it lasts several months)
Exterior Polishing
Flex 3401 (Great machine, best feature besides direct drive is the variable speed trigger, it’s a real work horse and easy to use)
Porter Cable 7424 (My first polisher. Still has it’s place for getting into tight places and spot polishing w/ 4” pads. Wish Flex made a 4” plate)
LC 6.5” Flat (Choice #1 or #2)
LC 6.5” CCS (Choice #1 or #2 again)
LC 5.5” CCS (Ok but too small for the Flex plate)
LC 6” Kompressor (Use them mainly for fine polishing and applying sealants and waxes, works well around curves)
LC 4” CCS (Only 4” pads I have so I guess choice #1)
Cobra 6.5” Cross Groove (Had some problems with the foam coming off the face in small chunks so not my favorites)
Menz SIP – Flex w/LC White CCS & Flat (Was using the XMT line, like this better. It does a great job on swirls etc. and finishes so well you can almost stop right there. Ran into a little dusting problem but nothing too bad. Not letting the pad dry out too much seemed to help)
Menz Nano – Flex w/ LC Grey & Blue, CCS & Flat (Another winner, finish looks like it’s already waxed!)
Menz PO85RD – Flex w/LC Grey & Blue CCS & Flat (Don’t really need it after Nano but I wanted to try it anyway. Very little difference that I could see. For some reason, it was not very easy to remove and in a few spots actually left some residue that would not come off at all w/ a MF. I hit the spots for a few seconds with the pad again and they came off right away? Probably something I did wrong, only Menz product that did that?)
ISO Alcohol (Like to have everything really cleaned off before the next step)
Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer (another must have, works great and saves huge amount of time)
DP Polishing Pad rejuvenator (Ok but I still like Micro-restore better)
Final Sealing & waxing
WG Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 - PC w/ red Kompressor pad (Have been using this for about 3 years, don’t really want to use anything else)
WG FUZION – PC w/ gold Kompressor pad (Have always used Pinnacle Souveran paste with excellent results. Wanted to try FUZION but could not justify the cost. It recently went on a huge sale at AG that I could not pass up. I probably didn’t need the WGDG sealant but did it anyway just for some extra protection. I’m not even sure if you’re supposed to put it on top of WGDG but I did. FUZION is incredible! Looks amazing IMO! Extremely easy on and off, I think a little better than Souveran. A little goes a looong way too, did the whole car w/ 2 or 3 light rubs on the pad. Not sure which is my favorite; they’re both great so I’ll continue to use both depending on how I feel that day)
Plexus (Best stuff I’ve found for the vinyl rear window and the head and tail light lenses. Another must have)
Stoner’s Invisible Glass w/ Cobra MF Glass Towels (Unbeatable combo IMO. Nothing else I’ve tried works better or is easier to use)
Engine Bay
Various brushes and sacrificial MF
Simple Green Cleaner (Hate it! Cleans ok but made my garage smell like a nursing home for a couple of days)
Rigid 5.0 hp wet vac reversed for blow drying
Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish (great stuff for various metal on the engine and also the tailpipes)
CD-2 Engine Detailer (Saw some recs on the forum so I tried it. Works well and looks good IMO but then again I don’t have anything to compare it to. Probably do some experimenting with other stuff)
And finally, for the whole job, all kinds of Cobra MF towels, brushes, tape etc. too numerous to mention here.
I did the interior too but I’ll save that for another time, I’m an old guy and wore myself out typing all this.
Now on to the pictures. Please excuse the quality; I have a cheapo Sony Cyber shot. After spending most of my money at AG it’s all I can afford.
Thanks for looking!
Last weekend I decided to do a full, ground up detail on my garage queen. She’s an 02’ M Roadster with 29k original miles. BMW basically took the S54 engine, suspension, steering brakes etc. from the M3 and built the Z3 M version. It was the last production year for that model before they came out with the Z4. There were only 643 made in 02’ and 479 sold in the US. They are starting to become somewhat rare and I’m hoping that someday it might actually be worth something so I’m trying to keep it in as near perfect condition as possible. I have no plans to sell it so I’m leaving it to my son when my time here is over. I’m not a professional by any means; just do my own cars and a few for friends, family and neighbors. I don’t charge them anything but I’m thinking about maybe doing this for a little extra green after I retire in a few years. It would be nice, for once, to make some money doing something I truly enjoy instead of “workin’ fo da man”. The last time I did a full blown detail on this car was about a year ago and since then, just washing waxing etc. I’ve collected some new tools and products and wanted to try them out and do some experimenting, especially with the FUZION and a bunch of different types of polishing pads. Finally, I would like to thank everyone on the Forum who answered my questions and gave me advice along the way. Special thanks to Killrwheels, Mike P., Meghan, Penny and the whole AG staff for excellent support, top notch products and customer service.
It was already in pretty good shape, nothing dramatic enough for before and after shots. Here’s what I used, some observations, personal opinions and some photos of the end results.
Tires & Wheels:
WG Tire and Wheel Cleaner (Very good for removing brake dust and other nasty crap from wheels tires and fender wells)
Mothers Fender Well Brush (Must have)
Montana Boar’s Hair Brush wheel brush (Works very well and soft enough for clear coated rims)
1” Boar’s Hair Lug nut Brush (Used to stuff a MF into the lug nut holes, this works much better)
E-Z Detail Brush (Was my favorite until I got the Daytona, now it’s my backup)
Daytona Speed Master Brushes - Regular size and Mini (They seem to be built better than the E-Z. The shafts are heavier and don’t bend around as much after you set the angle you want. The mini is another must have now, actually fits between the rims and brake calipers!)
WG Black Diamond Tire Gel (Nice finish and no slinging)
Cobra Flex Foam Tire Gel Applicators (Not my favorite, too stiff and tend to shred after just a few uses)
DP Wheel Glaze (Easy application w/ WG Finger Pockets, easy removal w/ Cobra Deluxe 600 or Indigo MF. Was using Wheel Wax, DP is now my favorite.)
CD-2 Engine Detailer (For the plastic fender well inserts. Easy application, really improves the appearance IMO)
Exterior Cleaning and Prep for Polish:
Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo w/ a Gilmour foam gun. (Love the foam gun, shampoo is good but a little pricey, probably will go back to Megs Mirror Glaze #62 or similar. Was using the 2 bucket method w/ grit guard inserts but with the foam gun only need the rinse bucket now, much easier.)
Sheepskin Wash Mitt (Personal favorite)
Cobra Shamrock MF Towels (I don’t really like them. They’re too big & heavy and they shed. I soap them down and use them to wash the undersides of the bumpers and rocker panels. They have been demoted but are still useful for some of the dirtier areas)
Horse Hair Brush (Recommended for cleaning convertible tops, does not wear the fabric like a stiffer bristle)
Rigid 5.0 hp wet vac reversed for blow drying
Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay
Pinnacle XMT Clay Lube & ONR Clay Lube diluted 2oz. /Gal (Not much difference. The ONR concentrate makes 8 gallons for about $1 ea. The XMT is about $30/gal)
Ragg Top Fabric Protectant (Really works well, water actually beads, and it lasts several months)
Exterior Polishing
Flex 3401 (Great machine, best feature besides direct drive is the variable speed trigger, it’s a real work horse and easy to use)
Porter Cable 7424 (My first polisher. Still has it’s place for getting into tight places and spot polishing w/ 4” pads. Wish Flex made a 4” plate)
LC 6.5” Flat (Choice #1 or #2)
LC 6.5” CCS (Choice #1 or #2 again)
LC 5.5” CCS (Ok but too small for the Flex plate)
LC 6” Kompressor (Use them mainly for fine polishing and applying sealants and waxes, works well around curves)
LC 4” CCS (Only 4” pads I have so I guess choice #1)
Cobra 6.5” Cross Groove (Had some problems with the foam coming off the face in small chunks so not my favorites)
Menz SIP – Flex w/LC White CCS & Flat (Was using the XMT line, like this better. It does a great job on swirls etc. and finishes so well you can almost stop right there. Ran into a little dusting problem but nothing too bad. Not letting the pad dry out too much seemed to help)
Menz Nano – Flex w/ LC Grey & Blue, CCS & Flat (Another winner, finish looks like it’s already waxed!)
Menz PO85RD – Flex w/LC Grey & Blue CCS & Flat (Don’t really need it after Nano but I wanted to try it anyway. Very little difference that I could see. For some reason, it was not very easy to remove and in a few spots actually left some residue that would not come off at all w/ a MF. I hit the spots for a few seconds with the pad again and they came off right away? Probably something I did wrong, only Menz product that did that?)
ISO Alcohol (Like to have everything really cleaned off before the next step)
Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer (another must have, works great and saves huge amount of time)
DP Polishing Pad rejuvenator (Ok but I still like Micro-restore better)
Final Sealing & waxing
WG Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 - PC w/ red Kompressor pad (Have been using this for about 3 years, don’t really want to use anything else)
WG FUZION – PC w/ gold Kompressor pad (Have always used Pinnacle Souveran paste with excellent results. Wanted to try FUZION but could not justify the cost. It recently went on a huge sale at AG that I could not pass up. I probably didn’t need the WGDG sealant but did it anyway just for some extra protection. I’m not even sure if you’re supposed to put it on top of WGDG but I did. FUZION is incredible! Looks amazing IMO! Extremely easy on and off, I think a little better than Souveran. A little goes a looong way too, did the whole car w/ 2 or 3 light rubs on the pad. Not sure which is my favorite; they’re both great so I’ll continue to use both depending on how I feel that day)
Plexus (Best stuff I’ve found for the vinyl rear window and the head and tail light lenses. Another must have)
Stoner’s Invisible Glass w/ Cobra MF Glass Towels (Unbeatable combo IMO. Nothing else I’ve tried works better or is easier to use)
Engine Bay
Various brushes and sacrificial MF
Simple Green Cleaner (Hate it! Cleans ok but made my garage smell like a nursing home for a couple of days)
Rigid 5.0 hp wet vac reversed for blow drying
Mother’s Mag & Aluminum Polish (great stuff for various metal on the engine and also the tailpipes)
CD-2 Engine Detailer (Saw some recs on the forum so I tried it. Works well and looks good IMO but then again I don’t have anything to compare it to. Probably do some experimenting with other stuff)
And finally, for the whole job, all kinds of Cobra MF towels, brushes, tape etc. too numerous to mention here.
I did the interior too but I’ll save that for another time, I’m an old guy and wore myself out typing all this.
Now on to the pictures. Please excuse the quality; I have a cheapo Sony Cyber shot. After spending most of my money at AG it’s all I can afford.
Thanks for looking!
