Need help picking pads and polishes

[DrMickael]

Hello everyone !

I'm a detailer amateur from France

I getting step by step into the detailing world, I got what I need to clean the car, now I'm ready for polishing.

I got a BMW 5 series, I heard they have pretty hard clear coat. The car is in a pretty good condition for 120.000 km (75.000 miles), it's mostly micro scratches, as you can see after cleaning and waxing :












Some scratches are deeper, nothing too bad, enough to keep me awake at night !









Only one major problem :





I spotted this pack :

DAS-6 v2 Dual Action Polisher - Menzerna Kit

do you think it's a good starter pack in my case ?

Thanks a lot !

[Mike Phillips]

Hello everyone !

I'm a detailer amateur from France

Hi DrMickael,

You posted this "post" or "message" in this thread,

Noobie detailer, help me pick a polish.


Nothing wrong with that but it would be better to start you OWN THREAD, that's what this is, a thread. When I came into work this morning I found your thread in the "Moderation Queue" to be approved. It was probably put there because you included a link as a brand new member.

I approved the post and then MOVED it to create you your own thread. Hope you don't mind. You'll get more help and better answers with your own thread versus tagging onto someone else's thread.


Welcome to AGO!

[expdetailing]

Hi Dr.,
It seems like a good kit. Menzerna makes excellent polishes. I can't speak to the quality of the polisher, not the pads. Have 6 cutting, & 6 polishing pads if you are going to do a two-step. If you don't think you need to compound/cut the whole car, then get fewer cutting pads. However, get 6 polishing pads because the whole car needs polished. It's good to have more pads. Cleaner pads produce better results. And, research "How to clean your pads on the fly." Don't forget clay, or clay substitute.

Welcome to AGO!

[SWETM]

Instead of the DAS-6 v2 polisher I would go with the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher. The biggest difference is the power from the PRO polisher with a 900W electric motor vs the v2 650W. It's what is often the difference between Griots Garage 6 polisher and Porter Cable XP polisher. Where the GG6 is more recommended cause of it's more power from the electric motor. What it does is that it's much easier to maintain the pad rotation when polishing. And the little cost difference is worth to be going the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher.

Menzerna has great polishes. Often the combo of HC400 compound and the SF3500 finishing polish is what you only need most of the times. Not that the PF2200 is any good and I have it myself. But with a light cutting polishing pad you can get the HC400 to be less aggressive and be like a medium cut polish. The Menzerna pads I have only heard good things about them.

I would also recommend to go with the 5"/125mm backing plate and pads to that backing plate. The benefit with these polishers is you get both the 5"/125mm backing plate and the 6"/150mm backing plate when you buy them as only the polisher. It's much easier to maintain the pad rotation and also a little more aggressive when you polishing. And trust me you will want that on your BMW. Often if compounding is needed and with a polisher like this. You would need a mf cutting pad or a wool cutting pad for DA polishers. Since your paint don't seems to be a total mess with scratches and swirls. It's can work with the foam cutting pad. And as recommended above 6 pads of each is a good amount to start with.

And again go with the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher and you will be very satisfied with it. Also think of getting a 3"/75mm backing plate and pads. To use with your polisher on the smaller and hard to get to places on your car. Maybe 3 of each pads as you get to the 5"/125mm backing plate.

Hope it helps you some.

And the 8mm free spinning DA polisher is not available in the EU for 220v-240v from PC XP polisher and the GG6 polisher. Would be the Meguiars MT320 dual action polisher but it's double the cost. And then it's more reasonable to get a direct driven DA polisher as the Flex VRG3401 or the Rupes Mille. Or the longthrow polishers combo with a mini polisher. So hope it's okay to mention this for another international forum member like me with the 220v-240v electric outlets as standard.

Welcome to the forum!

/ Tony from Sweden

[Paul A.]

When I got my first BMW I sampled quite a few different brands of products and found the Menzerna products to work the best for my needs on my paint. I continue to use them today.

My standard 2 step on higher mileage BMW's is Menz HCC 400 followed by SF 3800. It's a killer combo for cut then gloss.

Because Menzerna seems oily or "moist" you get a longer work time than other products. Because of that, though, I insure a good panel wipe is done and then add your favorite wax/sealant or coating.

[pdube]

I don't know about pads(I'm old school and wax by hand) but I can give you tips on polishes.I just finished cleaning my 2007 Roush mustang and did the following with great results.First washed it ,stripped off old wax.Then I Clayed the car,next used Klasse All in One polish.Next did a coat of Klasse Sealant,waited till next day and did another coat of sealant.Next day finished with a coat of Pinnacle Sovereign Paste wax and WOW!! What a shine,good luck.

[DrMickael]

Hi DrMickael,

You posted this "post" or "message" in this thread,

Noobie detailer, help me pick a polish.


Nothing wrong with that but it would be better to start you OWN THREAD, that's what this is, a thread. When I came into work this morning I found your thread in the "Moderation Queue" to be approved. It was probably put there because you included a link as a brand new member.

I approved the post and then MOVED it to create you your own thread. Hope you don't mind. You'll get more help and better answers with your own thread versus tagging onto someone else's thread.


Welcome to AGO!

Thanks for putting it in the right place

Can I edit the first post ? Some pictures are missing from the original post

Hi Dr.,
It seems like a good kit. Menzerna makes excellent polishes. I can't speak to the quality of the polisher, not the pads. Have 6 cutting, & 6 polishing pads if you are going to do a two-step. If you don't think you need to compound/cut the whole car, then get fewer cutting pads. However, get 6 polishing pads because the whole car needs polished. It's good to have more pads. Cleaner pads produce better results. And, research "How to clean your pads on the fly." Don't forget clay, or clay substitute.

Welcome to AGO!

Instead of the DAS-6 v2 polisher I would go with the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher. The biggest difference is the power from the PRO polisher with a 900W electric motor vs the v2 650W. It's what is often the difference between Griots Garage 6 polisher and Porter Cable XP polisher. Where the GG6 is more recommended cause of it's more power from the electric motor. What it does is that it's much easier to maintain the pad rotation when polishing. And the little cost difference is worth to be going the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher.

Menzerna has great polishes. Often the combo of HC400 compound and the SF3500 finishing polish is what you only need most of the times. Not that the PF2200 is any good and I have it myself. But with a light cutting polishing pad you can get the HC400 to be less aggressive and be like a medium cut polish. The Menzerna pads I have only heard good things about them.

I would also recommend to go with the 5"/125mm backing plate and pads to that backing plate. The benefit with these polishers is you get both the 5"/125mm backing plate and the 6"/150mm backing plate when you buy them as only the polisher. It's much easier to maintain the pad rotation and also a little more aggressive when you polishing. And trust me you will want that on your BMW. Often if compounding is needed and with a polisher like this. You would need a mf cutting pad or a wool cutting pad for DA polishers. Since your paint don't seems to be a total mess with scratches and swirls. It's can work with the foam cutting pad. And as recommended above 6 pads of each is a good amount to start with.

And again go with the DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher and you will be very satisfied with it. Also think of getting a 3"/75mm backing plate and pads. To use with your polisher on the smaller and hard to get to places on your car. Maybe 3 of each pads as you get to the 5"/125mm backing plate.

Hope it helps you some.

And the 8mm free spinning DA polisher is not available in the EU for 220v-240v from PC XP polisher and the GG6 polisher. Would be the Meguiars MT320 dual action polisher but it's double the cost. And then it's more reasonable to get a direct driven DA polisher as the Flex VRG3401 or the Rupes Mille. Or the longthrow polishers combo with a mini polisher. So hope it's okay to mention this for another international forum member like me with the 220v-240v electric outlets as standard.

Welcome to the forum!

/ Tony from Sweden

Thank you guys for the advices ! I'm planning to do it at the end of July so I have time to plan everything.

I'm definitely gonna compare different polisher, I just don't want to spend to much on it, maybe 200/250€ for everything.

I hear what you say about backing plate size, my main concern is the hood because of cat scratches. The car's surfaces are quit "flat", not like Japanese cars who have more edges and sharp angles in bumpers, so I guess I'll first try with regular pad size and maybe later get smaller pad and backing plate if need to go more into details. See :

Bumpers are quit good, it's mainly wash swirls and light scratches from bags and stuff like that, so mostly in flat surfaces.

It's a bit complicate for newbies to understand every subtleties as the combination of pad and compound, size of pad and everything. Plus the fact that it's not my native language (also sorry if my English is not perfect).
Sadly in France detailing is not that of a thing, we don't have any store with heavy choice and direct customer advice. We have detailing professionals but they're there to do the work, not to tell you what to buy to do it yourself (understandable).

[Mike Phillips]

Thanks for putting it in the right place

Just trying to help you get the most help.

Can I edit the first post ? Some pictures are missing from the original post

I think there's a one hour limit for editing posts or threads. When I first came to Autogeek back in 2009 we had some trouble makers that abused their privileges so the Moderators tightened down the time limit to keep them honest. Because they are long gone, I can look into changing the limit.

It's a bit complicate for newbies to understand every subtleties as the combination of pad and compound, size of pad and everything.

Plus the fact that it's not my native language (also sorry if my English is not perfect).

Sadly in France detailing is not that of a thing, we don't have any store with heavy choice and direct customer advice. We have detailing professionals but they're there to do the work, not to tell you what to buy to do it yourself (understandable).

Thank you for trusting the help you'll get on this forum and taking the step to join.

[DrMickael]

I think there's a one hour limit for editing posts or threads. When I first came to Autogeek back in 2009 we had some trouble makers that abused their privileges so the Moderators tightened down the time limit to keep them honest. Because they are long gone, I can look into changing the limit.

Ok ! I couldn't edit my previous post as they were submitted to moderation, the one hour limit was well passed. But no prob !

Thank you for trusting the help you'll get on this forum and taking the step to join.

Thanks for the warm welcome

I did my shopping list :
- DAS-6 PRO Dual Action Polisher
- 1x Lake Country Yellow
- 2x Lake Country Orange
- 4x Lake Country White
- 2x Lake Country Blue
- Carpro Eraser 1L
- Autofiness Glide Clay Lube
- Valetpro Yellow Clay Bar (already have a yellow one at home, don't remember the brand)
- Menzerna Super Finish SF3500
- Menzerna Fast Gloss S400

For pads I tough : 1 yellow because there are a very few heavy scratches, 2 orange for swirls and post-yellow, 4 white for polishing, 2 blue for confort while waxing. Am I correct ?

I already have Iron X for decontamination and some tar removers, a lot of regular microfibers, 3 thiccc 40*40cm microfibers, foam cannon and everything for washing

[DrMickael]

A quick feedback ! Thanks again for those who helped me pick the products.

After a deep cleaning we can really appreciate how many swirls there are. I didn't saw there were so many under natural light and waxes.

(huge white spots are a reflexion from the ceiling)

A 50/50 video :

A few spots aren't perfect, I couldn't do it better. Still much better than previously.

Before :

After :

You were right, the clear coat seems hard, I only had results with yellow hex logic pad + Menzerna HC400.

I only did the hood because a lack of time, I'll do the entire car this summer.
Yet I'm truly happy with the results and I'm exited to do the rest of the car. Also applying wax is far easier and product-saving with the polishing machin

I had a problem with dust while using the heavy compound, it seems normal from what I read on the Internet. Yet it was a pain in the neck as I couldn't swipe it of (it was very small grains) so I had to use a lot of IPA