Melbourne Red E92 M3 First Aid

[Michaelsones]

Hi Mike, thanks for all the info you provide. I am new to this forum but not new to detailing. However, I am a very cautious detailer and need some advice on a specific situation. I purchased a 2013 BMW M3 last Thanksgiving. The car is Melbourne Red. The paint did not pass the baggie test so I clayed it with Pinnacle Ultra Poly. I switched to the Pinnacle clay because I had clayed my previous Sapphire Black X5 with Wolfgang clay that left micro marring. The Poly clay did not remove all the contaminants; it seemed to remove about 50%. I continued on with Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover on an orange pad and followed up with the pinnacle final polish topped with Souveran as per one of your videos and because I’m a Pinnacle freak. I’m using a Flex 3401 and a Rupes Mini with Lakecounty pads.
The paint still had swirls and scratches in the clear coat….
Question 1 – Is the Pinnacle Poly clay too mild? I bought a fine and medium Nano towel and thought I would start with the fine to see if I can get the paint to pass the baggie test. Can I use Pinnacle Bodywork shampoo double mixed as a lubricant for these clay towels?
Question 2 – Is this paint particularly hard and do I need to be more aggressive? I’m about to start over and compound it with the Pinnacle Advanced compound and follow up with the swirl remover, final polish, and Souveran. I’m probably going to test the whole process on the trunk first before I do the whole car. What do you think?

[Eric@CherryOnTop]

1) Probably. That's the trade off you get with detailing clay. The more aggressive stuff removes all the bonded contaminants, but tends to micro-marr as you experienced. The finer grade removes less contaminant but doesn't always get it all. Generally, it's advised to plan at least one polishing step after claying. The most time-effective thing to do is use the heavier grade clay expecting that you'll get some marring, then polish to remove the marring. I usually use soapy water right out of my wash bucket as a clay lubricant. No need to dry the car after rinsing, just load up the paint with some soapy water and get to it.

2) If you used Advanced Swirl Remover and an orange pad and still had swirls then your paint is probably on the harder side. Gonna need to step up the aggressiveness of you compound / pad. Try Buff and Shine Microfiber pads on your 3401, I've always felt they work really good on that machine. The best way to do these things is to do a test spot first and check the results. If you like what you see, move on. If not, another test spot with another combo. This way you aren't doing the whole car with a process you won't find favorable, only to realize you have to start all over and do it again. You also probably don't need to do all three steps of polishing you listed, I would leave out the final polish. If you have hard paint then the swirl remover should leave an acceptable finish ready for the wax.