first time waxer m3

[gagashby]

so i ended up gettting extremley lucky and ending up in a 2003 carbon black m3 for my first car:D:D. i have always been obssesive about cleaning things but i have never waxed a car. the car is carbon black(black with alot of blue flake) and has horrible swirls. i bought the black box from turtle wax which has a pre wax cleaner, black wax, and detailer spray, and meqiars swirlx. i am planning on washing the car at a self-service car wash and then dry it with a leafblower, and an absorber. but with the other things i mentioned which part should i use first, also how much pressure should i use. i also have a sears giant car polisher thing, but since im new to this should i do it by hand. im doing it in a heated business with a drain so i could use water again if i needed to. im a noob at this so please give me feedback thanks! if any one wants to come out to hammond, indiana and lend a hand it would be greatly appreciated lol. thanks!Feed back please

[supercharged]

I would not use Turtle wax waxes, polishes, and so one. After all, this is a M3, not a tempo...
Invest in some good polishes, I strongly recommend Menzerna NANO polishes (PO106FF, SIP aka PO85rd 3.02), or Wolfgang 3.0 polishes which are made by Menzerna. A good sealant is a must. Check out Duragloss #601/#105 combo for max durability and ease of use, or Wolfgang 3.0 DGPS for super easy application and good durability. Top it off with a quality wax. If money is not an issue - Wolfgang Fuzion would be my choice. Best if you get all this stuff in a kit - saves you a few bucks.

[dublifecrisis]

Gagshby-Supercharged is right.

The sears buffer or doing it by hand is not likely to yield the results you're looking for. You CAN certainly make a good improvement by claying, polishing then sealing/waxing your bimmer but getting those swirls out and making a black car look perfect is going to require not only better polishes (like Menzerna) but also a machine polisher like the flex DA or Porter Cable and some various polishing pads.

You said you were passionate about cleaning things and it sounds like you have a car that deserves the best. Check out the how to videos on this site featuring pinnacle products. These are great how to videos.

read read read read everything you can.

You can use what you if needed-your car will look good, or even great

Spend a little while on this site and invest in the right tools and practice and your M3 can look brand spanking new inside and out.

Welcome!

[jamores23]

gagashby, I am working on my personal e46 m3. I have Menzerna polishes - SIP, Nano, and PO85rd. My M has swirl marks also everywhere. I have the interlagos metallic blue so i'm on the dark side with you. This isn't the first car I do so I kinda know what I am doing and when I don't I come here and ask. If you just was and wax your M especially with turtle wax you will not get what your looking for. I just ordered m105 which is a compound and a purple foam wool pad for my rotary. The SIP on a lake country orange pad removed most the swirls but there are just a few scratches it wouldn't take off, So thats why I stepped up to a compound, by the way m105 comes today :) I started another thread all based on my m3 look it up it titled "polishing techniques" You will find alot of info and pics of my car there. Make your car look nice the right way after all you ARE driving a beautiful car.I would go with wolf gang fuzion which is quite expensive, or you can go with pinnacle souveran paste wax. I would Use wolf gang deep gloss paint sealant 3.0 Put two layers and top it off with souveran, fuzion, or poorboys natty wax-- Awesome wax also smells like bubblegum Im going to eat it one day. Its alot of info you ask me i will help you and so will everyone else that I have learned from on here. :cheers:

[AudiTTman]

Ohh yes the M3!! About your paint, mine is black with a lot of gold flake. Your blue flake will deffinately look amazing if you buy a Menzerna Ceramic Kit. Your Carbon Black will love you forever if you use these products. Sealing your car and waxing it will give it the final shine you only see in show cars. I use 4 Star Ultimate Paint Protection Sealent and Pinnacle Sig Series II wax.

Just on the curious side, (and in no way wanting to be intrusive lol) how did you end up with such an amazing first car ??!!! haha.

[gagashby]

well ever since i was 7 i raced motocross, so i was always around cars and motorcycles. when i was like 12 i fell in love with evos and i would stay on the forums all day looking at them and once my parents found the insurance rates on the evo, that would always be a dream lol. then i bought a wrecked stage 3 srt-4, but we ended up selling it once it was fixed,because at the end of the day no matter how many horsepower u have, ur driving a neon. well i found a great deal on a 2003 carbon black m3 about an hour and a half from my house, and i convinced my mom to buy it. she first said it was to nice to me but i said to her mom if u dd a lexus and have an amg for a weekend car why would u want me to ride around in anything less lol, and i also have to commute from indiana to downtown chicago for high school. i am extremley lucky to get this car but i cant stand walking into the garage and just seeing swirl city on my hood. i have read up alot and i like the wolf gang deep gloss paint sealant alot. besides the polishing tool itself what products could i use that together would cost less then 125 and make the car looook dripping wet. is there anyway i could get those products with a polisher for under 225? thanks for the replies !

[gagashby]

so i need your guys help now we returned the turtle crap and i have two options.
1:get my car detailed by somebody
2: do it myself
do you think a first timer with a polisher could yeild some decent results with the wolfgang deep gloss concours kit + swirl remover. or if you are a detailer in chicago you could pm me or email me at gagashby@gmail.com lol :D:D:Dhttp://us.st1.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/Img/trans_1x1.gifthanks guys!

[lgtspecb]

It's tough to do any harm to it by hand or with a pc (or udm or flex) and you will most likely make it look better with a nice shine, but be prepared to spend some time doing it and putting up some cash. The PC and concours will do you well, but throw in some good car wash, a new mitt, a clay bar and a few extra towels.

Or you can go the simple route and drop the car off with a fellow detailer and pick it up in a few hours (or have them do it while your working). It will cost you less than buying all the tools to do it yourself and the car will look great, but you wont feel proud of your achievement, and it is a reoccurring cost, whereas buying the products yourself will last at least 4 - 5 details.

Read through the forums here, and the guides on autogeek.net or autopia and just decide if its something you want to do or not.