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  #1  
Old 04-11-2010, 06:41 PM
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New Undertaking

Well in two days I'm going to detail my E70, and I had a couple of questions for the veterans.

Since this X5 has some pretty dull paint (black), I bought mothers 3 stage wax/polish, which will require 3 separate applications. I've also bought the mothers clay bar kit for prepping the surfaces. I've already cleaned out all the mud, and will take the pressure washer & sheepskin mitts to it again before any work will be done on it. Once it's washed I will bring it in the garage to dry it off and complete the other work.

My first question is, does the plastic bumpers, and other plastic parts (like the divider between the front and rear windows, get the clay bar and the waxes like everything else, or should special consideration be given to them?

The general consensus is when using a random orbital buffer, light application is the best, should I avoid putting too much pressure down on it?

For smaller areas like the a-pillars and any other harder to reach spots, will a microfiber cloth + the wax/polish work good doing it by hand, or is the orbital polisher the only way I should do it.

Lighting wise, what is the optimal conditions to ensure that I'm addressing any light swirl marks, and not killing my paint at the same time? I was planning on using some halogen painting/work lights, and using a handheld florescent work light to inspect individual areas. Could this be done better?

If anyone has any helpful tips on ensuring a quality job, please feel free to give any advice.
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Old 04-11-2010, 07:07 PM
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DO NOT put the wax on the black plastic pieces, you'll end up ruining them. The best bet for that is either armor-all (which washes out after the first rain) or use a product called "Black-Wow" either one works.

I'm not sure about the buffing, someone with more experience can chime in
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Old 04-11-2010, 07:21 PM
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The plastic parts should not need a clay bar, as the clay bar is designed for pulling contaminants out of paint and not plastic. I don't think the plastic will pick up any contaminants anyway, so no harm will be done even if you do go over the plastic.

When using a buffer, I find just the machine's weight too light. Put moderate pressure on the buffer, but not too much so the machine wants to bog and slow down. You can use a buffer to polish A pillars with a smaller pad and backing plate or it would be too clunky. Doing it by hand is also an option, but the reason for a machine to do this job is the even pressure applied throughout the process.

Lighting with halogen work lamps and a hand held fluorescent light would be fine for looking for swirls. A well lit area would help too, so it isn't only your work lights guiding you.
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Old 04-12-2010, 12:37 PM
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Plastic

Do the bumpers fall into the black plastic category? Or do those get waxed like everything else. I was already planning on avoiding the matte black areas on the bumpers that are used around the exhaust and all that.

Last edited by Xenon; 04-12-2010 at 08:09 PM.
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Old 04-12-2010, 07:25 PM
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How long the " Black -Wow" last? First rain too or longer?

Thanks,
Kin
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Old 04-12-2010, 08:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abwmma View Post
How long the " Black -Wow" last? First rain too or longer?

Thanks,
Kin

apparently far longer, I havent used the product myself, but i've heard great results

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Old 04-13-2010, 12:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Xenon View Post
Well in two days I'm going to detail my E70, and I had a couple of questions for the veterans.

Since this X5 has some pretty dull paint (black), I bought mothers 3 stage wax/polish, which will require 3 separate applications. I've also bought the mothers clay bar kit for prepping the surfaces. I've already cleaned out all the mud, and will take the pressure washer & sheepskin mitts to it again before any work will be done on it. Once it's washed I will bring it in the garage to dry it off and complete the other work.

My first question is, does the plastic bumpers, and other plastic parts (like the divider between the front and rear windows, get the clay bar and the waxes like everything else, or should special consideration be given to them?

The general consensus is when using a random orbital buffer, light application is the best, should I avoid putting too much pressure down on it?

For smaller areas like the a-pillars and any other harder to reach spots, will a microfiber cloth + the wax/polish work good doing it by hand, or is the orbital polisher the only way I should do it.

Lighting wise, what is the optimal conditions to ensure that I'm addressing any light swirl marks, and not killing my paint at the same time? I was planning on using some halogen painting/work lights, and using a handheld florescent work light to inspect individual areas. Could this be done better?

If anyone has any helpful tips on ensuring a quality job, please feel free to give any advice.

You can clay bar the windows and all the smooth trim. The plastic parts that are rough is not going to allow the clay bar to glide across the surface, so don't clay there. Use black wow or other brand plastic/ rubber product. I use Adams VRT.

It is important to use the proper polisher pad for each step. Look at Detailer Domain site and you can see the different pads.
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