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View Full Version : Polish or Sealant/Wax (No Swirls)



Them3
07-18-2013, 09:18 AM
Hello everyone, first post on Auto Geek Online. I am new to detailing with a machine polisher and I just had a quick question. My vehicle is a 2013 BMW M3, Lemans Blue Metallic Paint. It arrived in September 2012, its a daily driver, and is parked in a Garage at night. The car has never been to an automatic car wash, and I have been pretty good with washing the vehicle every 2-3 weeks. I use the two bucket method with grit guard to wash the car.

I clayed the car for the first time two days ago. There are virtually no swirls and the paint is seemingly in excellent condition apart from a few daily driving wear and tear rock chips on the front bumper.

I applied Menzerna SF 4000 with a white pad to the entire hood with the Porter Cable. I followed the instructions here: Dual Action Orbital Polisher Guide: how to remove swirls, scratches, & oxidation with an orbital buffer. Porter Cable 7424, foam pads, backing plate, (http://www.autogeek.net/dual-action-polisher.html). I definitely noticed an improvement but I wouldn't say it was a significant improvement. This made me question if I need to polish the paint at all.

My question is, if the paint is in very excellent condition, do I need to polish the vehicle with the SF 4000? Can I just go right to the sealant phase and apply a coat of Blackfire Wet Diamond Sealant with the Porter Cable at speed level 3 with a blue finishing pad?

Cheers

kl2oo0
07-18-2013, 10:20 AM
no need to polish if it's in excellent condition. you may consider going over the car with a clay bar first (check with baggie test)

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Them3
07-18-2013, 01:10 PM
no need to polish if it's in excellent condition. you may consider going over the car with a clay bar first (check with baggie test)

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

Thanks :-). I did clay it on Tuesday and its been in the garage since. I think I will go straight to the sealant.

cleanmycorolla
07-18-2013, 01:33 PM
You may want to use a paint cleaner get the surface really clean first. Plus it helps LSP's bond a little better