Pad and Abrasive advice for 2013 BMW 3 in Estoril Blue, Noob alert

[hairy]

Hello fellow detailing enthusiasts,

I have a 2013 BMW 3 series in the beautiful Estoril Blue 2 which has never seen anything more aggressive than Meguiar's cleaner wax. Consequently, it is covered in swirls, water marks, rock chips, and love rubs from life with kids as my daily driver (that's the garage light above in the picture, not a bright LED flashlight). I plan on purchasing a Griot's garage G9 DA and taking a wack at cleaning it up. I feel like im drinking from the fire hose though, and could use your advice. While I appreciate the sentiment of needing to do a test panel, I really dont want to by 6 different pads and abrasive combos. I was hoping to narrow it down a little.



My car: 2013 BMW EB2, lots of swirls, scratches, love rubs
Wife's car: 2018 Chrysler Pacifica, dark grey metaillic, light swirling, some light scratches (particularly on the hood where she chose to store a cardboard box of oranges....)

My goals: get the majority of the swirls and light scratches out of the BMW, knowing I probably wont get the deeper scratches. Willing to do a 2 step correction process, but not looking for Uber 50$ a bottle product.
Pacifica goals: get the swirls and light scratches out, 1 step correction.

Ive read that BMW have pretty hard paint (but not always). I cant find any info on the Pacifica's top coat.

My plan for the BMW:
Wash and clay bar
Cut: 5 inch Uro fiber 50/50 with GG Fast Correcting Cream (open to recommendations here!)
Polish: Lake Country white foam polish pad or something similar (LC green? rupes yellow?) with (GG perfecting cream? 3D One? Turtle Wax ceramic AIO?)
Protect: Griots 3 in 1 ceramic spray on wax (or turtle wax ceramic, graphene, i dont know)

Would like to use some similar combo on the Pacifica:
Wash and clay bar
1 step: either use the cut pad with the polish compound, or the polish pad with the AIO.
Protect with Griots 3 in 1

What do you think? Can i get some combo here that will work across the board? Am I crazy? Any tips on A pillars or places I cant get the 5 inch pad on?
Thanks guys!

One of the kids "helping" <3

[Mike Phillips]

H


Cut: 5 inch Uro fiber 50/50 with GG Fast Correcting Cream (open to recommendations here!)

First - Welcome to AutogeekOnline!



Second - If it were me, I would start by testing how much correction I can get using a foam pad over a fiber pad. Fibers, that is each and every single individual fiber, are abrasives and the each will CUT the paint. This is great for fast defect removal - when you need it - but it also leaves micro-marring in the paint.


Micro-marring is another way of saying scratching.



So I would test foam first and see if you can get the level of correction you desire from a foam pad first. If you can't... you can always get MORE aggressive and use a fiber pad.


See my article here,

Fibers are a form of abrasive - Foam Pads vs Microfiber Pads by Mike Phillips

[Mike Phillips]

Ive read that BMW have pretty hard paint (but not always). I cant find any info on the Pacifica's top coat.

My plan for the BMW:
Wash and clay bar
Cut: 5 inch Uro fiber 50/50 with GG Fast Correcting Cream (open to recommendations here!)
Polish: Lake Country white foam polish pad or something similar (LC green? rupes yellow?) with (GG perfecting cream? 3D One? Turtle Wax ceramic AIO?)
Protect: Griots 3 in 1 ceramic spray on wax (or turtle wax ceramic, graphene, i dont know)

The Griot's Garage Fast Correcting Cream is good stuff. I would try it with a foam cutting pad, maybe foam polishing pad.

From what I can see in this picture, paint looks decent.




Follow up with the Griot's Garage Perfecting Cream and either a foam polishing or foam finishing pad, not sure without doing a Test Spot what combo will work the best.

For sealing the paint, get some more opinions... there's so much good stuff on the market today.

[TTQ B4U]

Can' speak to the polisher as I use Flex units that never stop. However, an Orange Lake Country Pad and some polish are all that's needed. I personally advise to just grab some CarPro Essence, Orange LC Flat Pads and have at it. Then simply coat it with Cquart UK 3.0 Easy as anything to use.

Your paint is in great shape overall and will correct easily. This X5M in Carbon Black was far worse and corrected extremely well with the above.

[TTQ B4U]

This M5 was in worse shape too. Same combo as noted above.

[hairy]

Thanks Mike and TTQ (go buckeyes btw) for your input. Mike that was a great article on foam vs fiber.

I should probably take your sage advice and start less aggressive. Griots has a nice g9 kit for $199 that contains:
G9 Random Orbital Polisher
BOSS Correcting Cream, Pint
6.5" Orange Foam Correcting Pads, Set of 2
Ceramic 3-in-1 Wax, 22 Ounces
Microfiber Plush Edgeless Towels, Set of 6

Maybe ill buy some orange and green/white LCC pads and start there. Think that would be sufficient for a 1 step for my car, if my paint isnt in as bad of shape as i thought?

And wow, that m5 is absolutely gorgeous.

[hairy]

So I bought that combo above: Griot's G9, correcting cream, and ceramic 3 in 1 wax. I also purchased the 5" backplate, 6 LC SDO orange pads, 3 SDO black pads, a pad brush and cleaner.

I guess ill start with a black pad and CC, and if that doesnt work, ill try the orange pad and CC. If neither of those work, ill come back and ask microfiber vs blue SDO as the next step.

Thanks for your guys input!

[TTQ B4U]

So I bought that combo above: Griot's G9, correcting cream, and ceramic 3 in 1 wax. I also purchased the 5" backplate, 6 LC SDO orange pads, 3 SDO black pads, a pad brush and cleaner.

I guess ill start with a black pad and CC, and if that doesnt work, ill try the orange pad and CC. If neither of those work, ill come back and ask microfiber vs blue SDO as the next step.

Thanks for your guys input!

Go with orange you'll be fine. I've done two more BMW's since this post. Pics coming.....

[Mike Phillips]

Mike that was a great article on foam vs fiber.

Thanks. I see lots of experts in the forum world yakking and yakking and yakking about microfiber pads but I've never seen a single other person explain it DEEP.

So I bought that combo above: Griot's G9, correcting cream, and ceramic 3 in 1 wax. I also purchased the 5" backplate, 6 LC SDO orange pads, 3 SDO black pads, a pad brush and cleaner.

I guess ill start with a black pad and CC, and if that doesnt work, ill try the orange pad and CC. If neither of those work, ill come back and ask microfiber vs blue SDO as the next step.

Thanks for your guys input!

Good collection.


One more tip... when doing a Test Spot, it's usually best to test on a horizontal surface that you can look down on when inspecting. Normally the horizontal surfaces take the brunt of most day-in, day-out wear-n-tear so if your process fixes the horizontal surfaces it's very likely it will also fix all the vertical surfaces too.