Z4-forum.com

Steve84N wrote: ↑Sat Nov 11, 2017 9:56 pm LSD is how you go sideways, LSP is Last Stage Protection.

Looks decent and yes a DA is worth it. Can get a reasonable one for £40-£60. Most of the fundamental shine comes from the paint being swirl free rather than the product on top so it's worth machine polishing to get that mirror finish.

Exactly ! It's what you do to the clearcoat before applying any seal/wax etc that is the key to achieving a great result. I would recommend Thanatu55 that you watch some of White Details videos on YouTube to see what is possible. I've been involved in valeting/detailing either professionally or personally for 32 years and Jim White is the best I've ever seen. He will certainly give you some food for thought.

There seems to be very many combinations to use to get a great shine. I am currently going through a phase of:

Clay mitt
Poorboys Scratch Remover (I have the 1 & 2 compounds and think that I really need the 2.5)
Poorboys Black Hole
Poorboys Natty's Black Paste Wax

I don't have any recent pics but did the whole routine a couple of weeks ago, by hand, and it sure made a difference. Rotary polisher could well be on by Xmas list.

You'll be fine with a DA but if you're worried just start with some relatively soft pads and a polish with a mild cut. You'll seen realise how harmless it is and want for more power from a harder pad/harsher compound. I can recommend Sonax EX 04-06 as a one step polish.

As said though you'll be starting again so depends on whether you can face it.

Good thread and great looking finish on the Zed, what are the wheels? Love the look of those.

I may take the plunge and invest in a DA myself, the finish i get by hand using bilt hamber gear is decent, but swirles remain. Would be nice to polish them out properly.
I'd practice on our runabout micra before going for it on the zed

The wheels are BBS LM reps and thanks

My paintwork isn't too bad, a few stone chips on the bonnet and annoyingly a couple of marks on the drivers side rear quarter but I've never noticed any swirls when I've been cleaning.

+1 for using a DA polisher, it would take a month of Sunday’s to remove swirls by hand. Get a microfibre pad to stand a fighting chance of polishing the rock hard bmw clear coat & the difference in clarity is marked
Rob

I am a 100% complete novice at detailing but really impressed with the job you have done. My Z4 is ruby black in colour and I'm really looking forward to seeing it at its best, and its by reading articles like this, and all the feedback, and links to other websites that I'm building my knowledge and confidence to give detailing a go. First though, I'm thinking of getting a basic detailing job done by a professional and hopefully stay with him and watch how its done for real and see if I can pick up any pointers.

dont bother with a pro on a 'cheap' car like a Z4...get some YouTube video watched and you'll be fine if you have a degree of common. You'll need £250 invested in a good DA some good pads and polish and it'll look great after you've put in a few hours work.

I'm in the process of completing a full detail on my E89
I'm using a DA, a DAS6 Pro with hexlogic pads and meguires 105 & 205 compounds.
An orange pad with 105 and 6 passes is removing 98% of the swirls and scratches, I am following this with a black pad and the 205, then a waxing pad with a paint cleaner. To provide the LSP I'm using Sonax Polymer Netsheild. This is giving me about as much gloss as I can expect from Alpine White paint.

As Rob pointed out BMW clearcoat is very hard, so using a DA with a high cut compound is unlikely to cause any damage unless the car has been polished many times and the clearcoat is getting a bit thin. I did have mine checked with a paint depth guage and does not look like mine had ever been machine polished before. So I do have plenty to work with.