I'm a beginner and need some advise

kiwi007

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Hope I'm posting this in the right section

I picked up a '98 BMW with a lot of scratches in the paintwork, mostly on the sides, below is a photo of what it looks like


View attachment 56067

View attachment 56068

This is a closer look

View attachment 56069

And this is a close look at a section after three passes using a DA polisher and Wolfgang total swirl remover, as you can see there are still some scratches present.

View attachment 56070

I could do with some help in choosing a good compound and pad to get better and perhaps faster results?

Sorry just realised the photos are upside down..................Thanks
 
I don't know what kind of magnification/scale that last picture is at, but those would appear to be RIDS (Random Isolated Deep Scratches) and common sense would tell us that if you try to remove them you risk thinning the clearcoat too much. How does that section look from 5 feet away?
 
I just did a 1932 cadillac single stage and very thin soft paint.I used sonax cutmax and the polish 04 06 came out beautiful with some thin pro cutting foam pads.just like setec said you can't chase every scratch just make it shine safely.Check out my FB page St lucie auto spa.The cadillac is posted on there.
 
Is it single stage meaning do you get paint on your pads from the fender you are polishing?
 
Hope I'm posting this in the right section

I picked up a '98 BMW with a lot of scratches in the paintwork, mostly on the sides, below is a photo of what it looks like



And this is a close look at a section after three passes using a DA polisher and Wolfgang total swirl remover, as you can see there are still some scratches present.

56070d1490954346-im-beginner-need-some-advise-img_1014.jpg



I could do with some help in choosing a good compound and pad to get better and perhaps faster results?

The Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover is a medium cut polish.

You need a TRUE compound. The Wolfgang Uber Compound is a true compound. You could go with that or like Jeff recommended and also a great compound, the SONAX CutMax.


You also what to be using a cutting pad on your DA polisher.


:)
 
I just posted the below in another thread but it applies to you too...


Also, if you have not marked the back of your backing plate to make it easy for your eyes to see pad rotation then do so.

The pad MUST ROTATE in order to remove anything. There's a bunch of detailing gurus in the blogosphere that have tried to tell me they can remove swirls while a pad is stalling or simply ONLY vibrating against the paint but I never believe them and better yet... no one has ever proved it. :laughing:


Read these two articles....

Mark Your Backing Plate - Makes it easy to see Pad Rotation

DA Polisher Trouble Shooting Guide



Watch this video...



In most cases I'd say the Hex Logic pads are,

1: Too thick

2: Too large in diameter



My guess is the TorqX is going to struggle to maintain pad rotation. You might be better off getting THIN pads to use this too.


Check out the thinness of these pads as compared to what you're trying to turn and churn...

5.5" SUPER THIN FOAM PAD OPTIONS for your Dual Action Polisher



Super thin 5.5" foam buffing pads

watermark.php



:)
 
The pad MUST ROTATE in order to remove anything. There's a bunch of detailing gurus in the blogosphere that have tried to tell me they can remove swirls while a pad is stalling or simply ONLY vibrating against the paint but I never believe them and better yet... no one has ever proved it.
Are you referring to long throw machines as well? Even with those, I don't see how just vibrating against the paint could still correct. Some say they will.
 
I was using a Meguiars G220 V2 DA polisher with the Meguiars backing pad and the soft buff 2.0 cutting pad.
The magnification in the last couple of photos was quite high and taken inside, while the RIDS are quite hard to see but when caught in the right ligt show up quite easily.

The first two photos show what it was like before I started and the third photo show the before under a bit of magnification, while the last photo shows it under a bit of magnification afte using the TSR.
The first pass removed quite a lot of the scratches and the following 2 remove quite a few of the RIDS but there are still some left.

All the scratches are on both sides of the car from the front doors back, the front guards don't have any of the RIDS, just swirls, the same as the hood trunk and roof only seem to have swirls. It's like the sides have been continuously brushing against something.

Most products that available online here are not easy to come by in New Zealand

A couple of places I can by product
https://detaildepot.co.nz/brand/meguiars/
https://smitsgroup.co.nz/Products
 
Hi like you I live in New Zealand. Good car cleaning products are hard to come by or they cost a #### load of money.
if you ant the good stuff shop on Amazon or Waxit in Ozy that is where i get all my stuff from. if you are after a Rupes Polisher get it from Wyatt machines in NZ. New Zealand gets ripped of in this country big time on everything
good luck with your car
 
Hi like you I live in New Zealand. Good car cleaning products are hard to come by or they cost a #### load of money.
if you ant the good stuff shop on Amazon or Waxit in Ozy that is where i get all my stuff from. if you are after a Rupes Polisher get it from Wyatt machines in NZ. New Zealand gets ripped of in this country big time on everything
good luck with your car

Why not buy from here?

I have to disagree with you about getting ripped off, the couple of quality car care retailer/distribution outlets that we have down here are actually spot on with their pricing. When you consider we're not actually on the way to anywhere, & anything that comes here (humans to freight) isn't a drop off on the way because New Zealand isn't on the way to anywhere. So yes, much of what is availible will be more expensive than elsewhere but not by as much as you think.

Autogeek have been faultless for me with every order I make, & highly recommend shopping here if you cannot source what you need in NZ. :props:

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
 
I was using a Meguiars G220 V2 DA polisher with the Meguiars backing pad and the soft buff 2.0 cutting pad.
The magnification in the last couple of photos was quite high and taken inside, while the RIDS are quite hard to see but when caught in the right ligt show up quite easily.

The first two photos show what it was like before I started and the third photo show the before under a bit of magnification, while the last photo shows it under a bit of magnification afte using the TSR.
The first pass removed quite a lot of the scratches and the following 2 remove quite a few of the RIDS but there are still some left.

All the scratches are on both sides of the car from the front doors back, the front guards don't have any of the RIDS, just swirls, the same as the hood trunk and roof only seem to have swirls. It's like the sides have been continuously brushing against something.

Most products that available online here are not easy to come by in New Zealand

A couple of places I can by product
https://detaildepot.co.nz/brand/meguiars/
https://smitsgroup.co.nz/Products

Hey, welcome to Autogeek Online. :xyxthumbs:

John from Detail Depot is a good guy. I have great success with Megs 101, I know its designed for use with a foam pad but it will work fine with a micro fibre pad on the G220. CarPro microfibre pads are real nice to work with. Half a dozen of those, some Megs 101, a bottle of CarPro Reflect & half a dozen CarPro GlossPads & some CarPro Essence + & you have the goods for shiny paint. A few more passes than two would yeild better results too but hey, if you have more questions feel free to PM or drop me a call.

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
 
Hi like you I live in New Zealand. Good car cleaning products are hard to come by or they cost a #### load of money.
if you ant the good stuff shop on Amazon or Waxit in Ozy that is where i get all my stuff from. if you are after a Rupes Polisher get it from Wyatt machines in NZ. New Zealand gets ripped of in this country big time on everything
good luck with your car

Welcome to Autogeek Online. :xyxthumbs:

Aaryn NZ.
 
Hope I'm posting this in the right section

I picked up a '98 BMW with a lot of scratches in the paintwork, mostly on the sides, below is a photo of what it looks like


View attachment 56067

View attachment 56068

This is a closer look

View attachment 56069

And this is a close look at a section after three passes using a DA polisher and Wolfgang total swirl remover, as you can see there are still some scratches present.

View attachment 56070

I could do with some help in choosing a good compound and pad to get better and perhaps faster results?

Sorry just realised the photos are upside down..................Thanks

to be honest with you that looks pretty good just make a few more passes and see what that does. three passes is only half of what most people do and u got good results. you are already using a good medium compound just stick with it and save your money
 
I guess i was wrong, Mike, do you not feel he is taking off to much clear coat by moving to a compound and trying to get those scratches out? What about using the least aggressive method possible? The guy only made 3 passes and got good results. Should he not keep going with that to save the thin and precious clear coat?
 
Hey, welcome to Autogeek Online. :xyxthumbs:

John from Detail Depot is a good guy. I have great success with Megs 101, I know its designed for use with a foam pad but it will work fine with a micro fibre pad on the G220. CarPro microfibre pads are real nice to work with. Half a dozen of those, some Megs 101, a bottle of CarPro Reflect & half a dozen CarPro GlossPads & some CarPro Essence + & you have the goods for shiny paint. A few more passes than two would yeild better results too but hey, if you have more questions feel free to PM or drop me a call.

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:

Aaryn thanks for the tips it's very much appreciated. Since I'm from the Scottish city in the South I do object to paying almost 50% more for an item in New Zealand (do the math for that Megs 105 & 205 from Detail Depot compared to Autogeek) than I see the same item for sale overseas for.
I have to agree Autogeek has been good to deal with and I'm waiting on a few things to arrive and thinking of ordering some more while the sale is running.

Thanks for the replies it is very much appreciated, Mike I have some more of those thin pads coming, just wondering what else I should order.......Ian
 
Aaryn thanks for the tips it's very much appreciated. Since I'm from the Scottish city in the South I do object to paying almost 50% more for an item in New Zealand (do the math for that Megs 105 & 205 from Detail Depot compared to Autogeek) than I see the same item for sale overseas for.
I have to agree Autogeek has been good to deal with and I'm waiting on a few things to arrive and thinking of ordering some more while the sale is running.

Thanks for the replies it is very much appreciated, Mike I have some more of those thin pads coming, just wondering what else I should order.......Ian

Nice, I'm the other end of the South Island up here in Blenheim. :xyxthumbs:

Yeah, I see what you mean about the prices but to be fair its not as straight cut as that either. I get Pinnacles Advanced Compound/Swirl Remover/Finishing Polish in the gallon containers from Autogeek . . . convert them to Kiwi dollars, then add the freight (heavy) then once it gets here, pay the GST, & unless it sneaks through unnoticed - the import duties the customs department sticks on too. Compare with me buying a gallon of Megs 101 from Detail Depot @ $280NZ (can't find 101 in a gallon on AG, so I'll compare with 105) or a gallon of 105 from Autogeek at $120US . . . by the time I get it, it will cost me roughly the same.

Also something to consider with the likes of Detail Depot, is - it is more so a hobby for John as apposed to a full on shop & isn't his day job by any means. Autogeek is HUGE (trust me, I've been there) their buy price I'm sure, will be a tad better than Johns too, & he still has to pay freight, taxes & duties as well - hence, why our prices don't match what you see here.

On the flip side, I'm running a shop, so I build my costs into my pricing structure. Let us know what you are ordering, & what you're looking to do & you will get some great tips & advice here on AGO. You will like the thin pads for sure. :xyxthumbs: Definitely take advantage of the sales here too.

Aaryn NZ. :dblthumb2:
 
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