Newbie's 3rd Multi-Step Detail: 2012 Alpine White M3

[tenblade2001]

I was disappionted with my initial wash/wax...it's hard to get white to look GREAT. But, after reading some article by Mike, asking a TON of questions (thank to everyone for putting up with the dumb questions) and seeing LawrenceSA's results, I gave it another shot.
Car- 2012 Alpine White M3 convertible
Wash- (1st to strip) CG wash and gloss 1:1 dilution, IronX, then re-wash [wheels/metal) CG diablo with wheelwoolies/speedmaster, ironx, then rewash with megs gold class (Tires/undercarriage) CG Orange degreaser then megs GC with tire brush
Decontamination- Nanoskin, WG Paintwork Polish Enhancer with MF applicator (hand)
Paint Prep- WG Glaze (has some abrasives) 7424XP, speed 4.5 and White hex-logic pad *this step gave me trouble.
Glaze- CG EZ Creme Glaze 7424XP, speed 3 or 4, blue hex logic
Protection- Menz sealant wax, 7424XP, speed 4, blue hex-logic pad/ black foam applicator and hand for tight spots (wheels/Metel) M-seal
Topper- V7
Trim- TW Endurashine and WG Exterior Trim Sealant
Tires- DP Tire Gel
Undercarriage- CG BareBones

Before
Front

Side


IronX
[IMG]

After
Front *couple of views trying to capture a reflection on white




Oblique


Side


Wheel/tire


Learning points- my technique with DA is improving, but needs some work. When using the WG Glaze there where multiple areas where is was a PITA to remove and sometimes I had to use the polish enhancer to remove and then redo it. I either went too fast, wrong pad or worked too long. Either way it was dried into the paint.
I want to correct my paint, but after the trouble I had with the WG glaze, I can see that I need more DA time.
The TW Endurashine was more difficult to use than expected i.e. to get even application. I'm using on air dam (bumper) otherwise going to get WG paint sealant; very easy to use. The biggest surprise was the menz sealant wax. It was very easy to use, and a little goes a long way. All in all, I just followed Mike's advice for white cars "its all about contrast"..make the white as white as possible and the black as dark as possible.
Thanks for looking!

[Rod73]

It looks great! Just did mine, going to put post it this week. Even though I am getting better with the porter cable, I too can definitely improve. I can really relate to where you are right now

[tenblade2001]

I'm still trying to work out the problem with the glaze.

[QuinGold]

Decontamination- Nanoskin, WG Paintwork Polish Enhancer with MF applicator (hand)
Paint Prep- WG Glaze (has some abrasives)...

Wondering why you use the WG Paintwork Polish Enhancer with the claying step and before polishing? I'm reading their booklet, and the PPE says "micro-fine fillers settle into light swirls and scratches to create a smooth uniform surface" - it tries to create "glassy smooth" paint ready to take the Deep Gloss Paint Sealant.

I plan to do this order, but correct me if I'm wrong
clay
WF Finishing Glaze
WF Paintwork Polish Enhancer
WF Fusion Wax

[Paul A.]

Looks beautiful to me! Nicely done.

[Ebg18t]

Looks great!! Clean white German paint always looks so good.

How many pads did you use with the WG Glaze? I had issues when the pad was getting too warm with certain products. Make sure you change pads often to keep them from getting caked & hot under certain conditions. I use 4-6 pads for each step on the process.

[Marc08EX]

Looks good! The white looks glossy.

Very nice ride BTW! I love the E9x M3's...

Here's an Alpine White F30 I detailed before..
Detailed: 2012 BMW F30 328i - Alpine White

[tenblade2001]

Decontamination- Nanoskin, WG Paintwork Polish Enhancer with MF applicator (hand)
Paint Prep- WG Glaze (has some abrasives)...

Wondering why you use the WG Paintwork Polish Enhancer with the claying step and before polishing? I'm reading their booklet, and the PPE says "micro-fine fillers settle into light swirls and scratches to create a smooth uniform surface" - it tries to create "glassy smooth" paint ready to take the Deep Gloss Paint Sealant.

I plan to do this order, but correct me if I'm wrong
clay
WF Finishing Glaze
WF Paintwork Polish Enhancer
WF Fusion Wax

Reading the description, it sounded like a paintwork cleanser..along the lines of p21S. So, I used it after the "claying" to remove any contamination that I might have missed with claying. I think it would remove the glaze if you put it on after. In fact, I know it will. When the the glaze was stuck on and I couldn't remove it, I used a little of the polish enchancer and it took it right off.

[tenblade2001]

Looks great!! Clean white German paint always looks so good.

How many pads did you use with the WG Glaze? I had issues when the pad was getting too warm with certain products. Make sure you change pads often to keep them from getting caked & hot under certain conditions. I use 4-6 pads for each step on the process.

I thought about that as well b/c of the way the glaze was acting..like paste wax that had been applied to a hot surface. But there were areas on my first pass where it was doing this. I'm wondering if I tried to apply too thin and made too many passes?

[tenblade2001]

Looks good! The white looks glossy.

Very nice ride BTW! I love the E9x M3's...

Here's an Alpine White F30 I detailed before..
Detailed: 2012 BMW F30 328i - Alpine White

Marc, I subscribed to that thread. That was another example that gave me hope for my white car!