Rate my approach to sapphire black paint

[Mussie]

BMW 650i sapphire black:



- Wash car with Armor All Car Wash
- Clay
- Strip existing wax with dishwashing liquid
- MENZERNA HEAVY CUT HC400 250ML W/ RUPES COARSE BLUE CUTTING PAD
- Follow up with Ultimate Compound with a soft yellow finishing pad
- Finish with Meguiars ultimate quik wax

Questions:
- Is this cutting combo TOO harsh for the light swirls as in the pic?
- Is dishwashing stripping still a thing ?lol
- Do i need to apply quick wax with a pad or hand?

[Zubair]

Skip the dishwashing liquid and the Ultimate Compound.

Test spot with a medium polish first to see if you getting the desired results if not step up to 400.

Use a proper sealant or wax with some durability in it, if you into spray type lsp's give CarPro Reload a look, spray on and wipe off.

[Mussie]

Skip the dishwashing liquid and the Ultimate Compound.

Test spot with a medium polish first to see if you getting the desired results if not step up to 400.

Use a proper sealant or wax with some durability in it, if you into spray type lsp's give CarPro Reload a look, spray on and wipe off.

Tried using just ultimate compound with coarse blue pad with no luck.

[Paul A.]

My sapphire black responds really nice to FG 400. Did you try that yet?

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

My jet black BMW loves FG400 for correction. Follow it up with SF3500. Seal it with Menzerna Power Lock, Carnauba Lock, Wolgang, BlackFIRE, Pinnacle, McKee's 37, etc.

[Angus]

Another SBM owner here to concur with Mike and Puckman's suggestion of Menzerna's FG 400 correction abilites. Wonderful stuff.

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

My sapphire black responds really nice to FG 400. Did you try that yet?

My jet black BMW loves FG400 for correction. Follow it up with SF3500. Seal it with Menzerna Power Lock, Carnauba Lock, Wolgang, BlackFIRE, Pinnacle, McKee's 37, etc.

Another SBM owner here to concur with Mike and Puckman's suggestion of Menzerna's FG 400 correction abilites. Wonderful stuff.

BMW's love Menzerna...

[swanicyouth]

Not great IMHO.

You want to finish with Ultimate Compound and a soft pad?

I would just stick to a proven system. There are many reliable ones from WG, Optimum, Menz, Sonax, Griot's, Rupes, etc...

When you cobble various stuff together - results are less predictable IMHO. I guess that is fine, if you have the time (and the desire) to play around with it.

For me, I'd just rather do it successfully the first time and have stuff on hand I know will work.

If it was me, I would go with Optimum or WG compounds, followed by their respective polishes on a non Rupes machine. If it was Rupes, I would just use all their stuff. That's what works for me on my BSM BMW.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Mussie]

My jet black BMW loves FG400 for correction. Follow it up with SF3500. Seal it with Menzerna Power Lock, Carnauba Lock, Wolgang, BlackFIRE, Pinnacle, McKee's 37, etc.

What kind of pad did you use to apply the power lock (and the FG400, SF3500 out of interest) ?

[Mike@DedicatedPerfection]

What kind of pad did you use to apply the power lock (and the FG400, SF3500 out of interest) ?

I run the Menzerna range with my 3401 with Lake Country Hybrid pads.

FG400 on Hybrid wool or orange foam, SF3500 usually on the white Hybrid, and the LSP's on the black pads.