Help!

[Woob]

:wait After hearing yesterday there would be a car show in NC (Korman Autoworks for any BMW peeps here) I decided to quickly detail despite not having my EX-P (Which I can wait for since i have a whole load of other stuff waiting).

I picked up a Mothers Clay bar kit to try it out. The yellow clay was somewhat small, but it worked well. Wasn`t to sticky, and could be folded well. Way better then the Meguiars Retail clay kit (but I think they just updated to a new version). Used clay with Meguiars Quik Detailer and wiped off with a WW

Here is what I did on the hood after S&W ( which i love)

SSR1 with a Terry cloth
PwC with a cloth app (i couldn`t find my other yellow app)
EX with yellow app
s100 with yellow app

All removed with generally clean MFs

However I didn`t see immediate result. Take note I was in a rush and in a garage with horrible lighting, but it doesn`t seem right at all. I would like to be ready for saturday, but the car seems "nice" now.

Take a look at the pics and notice the dark areas. It doesn`t seem right at all.

[Woob]

Another of just the car, horrible lighting / quality, but the camera is only a 1.3 megapixel and it was running on the least quality for size matters.

[Woob]

Car is relative clean, or I hope. Please suggest any possible problems. I`m thinking it needs a stronger polish or cleaning.

Thanks ! :jump

[Poorboy]

From what i can gather from your description and pictures, you need to go back and slow down...
Your cotton towel and applicator are showing dirt and you may need another application with SSR1 ...
Did you do all these step in a row without waiting?:dunno

[Woob]

SSR1 with a Terry cloth - Worked in for 5 mins, seemed weird since the pink solution hardened and just stained
PwC with a cloth app (i couldn`t find my other yellow app) - liquidy, but i worked with it for 5 mins
EX with yellow app - applied waited 15 mins
s100 with yellow app - quick on / off

I waited some, but I was rushing it, sorry to say. I`m excited thats all.

When I used the ssr1 it applied on very thinly (almost s100 like oily). Am I removing oxidation or dirt? Do I need more? It doesn`t seem like I will get it powdery.

[Poorboy]

you should be doing small sections by hand in a back and forth until it disappears...it looks like you wiped it on...you need to do some serious rubbing by hand...that`s why many people use pc`s...it`s real work not just wiping on and off...it could easily take an hour to do a hood well that is not in great shape to start..that`s just polishing:eek

[awd330]

Silva - First thing... relax and take a deep breath.

Now, it sounds like Steve is correct in suggesting that you may need to go back to the SSR1 step. When you say you worked it for 5 minutes, how big an area did you work? One panel or the entire car? The 5 minute timeframe is about how long one can expect to buff one neglected panel with a PC. As Steve said, it will take much longer by hand. You may also have to do 3 or 4 applications to get results similar to one application by PC.

PwC doesn`t have to be worked so hard. Just one application with a little elbow grease should be fine. EX should just be wiped on. Wait 30-60 minutes before wiping off. S100 should not be applied for at least one day after EX. I prefer to wait a week.

[Woob]

Then is that black stuff contaminants or just the clearcoat? I notice it on all my apps.

:beat I`m not ready for the show!

[awd330]

Originally posted by Woob
Then is that black stuff contaminants or just the clearcoat? I notice it on all my apps.

That looks like the type of dirt that normal washing does not remove. That`s the purpose of using paint cleaners and polishes - they remove this type of surface contamination. By the time you get to the PwC step, you should not be seeing any more of this dirt on your applicators. Keep cleaning/polishing until the surface is clean.

Do you have anything stronger than SSR1? If you do, it may be time to break the stuff out.

By the way, how long did you spend on the entire SSR1 to S100 process?

[Poorboy]

Originally posted by Woob
Then is that black stuff contaminants or just the clearcoat? I notice it on all my apps.

:beat I`m not ready for the show!

If your car is clearcoated then it`s dirt in the finish, if it`s not clearcoated then it`s oxidation....
there should be nothing coming off either way when you have really finished polishing....

as far as being ready for the show....it`s not about winning but pride in your vehicle...do the best you can and still go...

as you get the finish better and better, each show you go to will bring out more pride

[awd330]

Originally posted by Poorboy
If your car is clearcoated then it`s dirt in the finish, if it`s not clearcoated then it`s oxidation....

A 2001 3-series with original paint should have a clearcoat.

[Woob]

Yep looks like the prep is massively important. Now I know! Lessons learned. Its an open house, so I don`t wanna show up with a dirty car, but I got S&W! If I can, I will just SSR 2 as much as I can tomorrow with a nickel / panel and just keep rubbing back and forth even if it seems weird. I need a powdery haze. Thanks for everything guys. hopefully I see all in the chat room

[JimS]

Sounds like you don`t have a PC and you need one. If $$ is a problems consider having a friend or two pool your money and share it.

[Woob]

I do know some people on DC that have a PC, but I don`t think I will get to use it in time. We will see what happens today.

[awd330]

Silva - If I remember correctly, you have Pro Polish. Right? If so, try using that as your oxidation remedy. That might be a better first step for you than SSR2 if you don`t have a lot of swirls to remove.