DA Polisher Kit & advice for a Newbie

[Ed Doe]

Hi guys,

Hoping the detailing gurus on here might be able to help me with recommendations (and hopefully links too!) to a good starter DA Polisher Kit/Pads/compounds/waxes, as well as any advice/pro-tips for a bit of a newbie in this department!!

Bit of background - the car has at some point in the last ~4years had a fair chunk of money spent by previous owner on a proper professional detail & ceramic coating, however the last owner before me appears to have subsequently washed it with a sandy sponge - it's swirl central - and this is particularly obvious being that it's a dark-coloured car!

I am not looking for absolute perfection - I drive the car and use it hard, it certainly isn't a councours example or a show-queen, but with this pesky (but necessary) lock-down only set to continue, it would be nice to address the paint and try and correct it as much as possible whilst I cannot drive it!

Do I need any specific compounds/pads to remove the ceramic coating & cut back the swirls? Is my life going to be made a lot harder by the ceramic coating? Any pro-tips gladly welcomed from those who actually know a thing or two about this stuff! :lol:

Pic (with forgiving lense/lighting) for Attention!



Thanks in advance

Ed

 

[tomscott]

I bought this comes with pads to get you going.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Meguiars-MT320PADKIT-Dual-Action-Polisher/dp/B0169PTTXI/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=maguires+da&qid=1586176846&sr=8-2

Using the "ultimate" products and they are readily available from Halfords, not the best stuff in the world but its certainly very good.

Good place to learn is from AMMONYC he has a youtube channel with loads of great vids. Leaned most of what I know from their, bought it to sort my 996 which was also a little bit worse for wear being a 16yo car. Made a huge huge improvement.

Unfortunately im still working otherwise the Z would be getting some love.

The rupes is also a great DA too, but at the time everywhere seemed out of stock so got the Mags one from Halfords and got started that day.

 

[mjennings23]

Best option for BMW paint honestly is Microfibre pads rather than foam, they cut a lot faster on the very hard paint, Meguairs do a series of pads and compounds to go with them, depending on how deep you want to go you may well be happy with a single stage cutting pad and D300 cutting compound.

 

[saj77]

A recent post...which mentions Meguiars and microfibres as being best.
https://z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=121032

 

[IRD]

saj77 is referring to my post. This was my first attempt at DA polishing with equipment I bought from ‘Clean Your Car’. They were very helpful and the service was excellent. If you read the post it gives details of what I bought etc. After one attempt I am still very much a novice but if you want any more information about my experience give me a shout.

 

[Angelus666]

Definitely spent time stripping the paint of the coating first, apparently not all that easy depending on the exact coating. If you don't the residue will have a negative impact on the pads when cutting. Don't bother with foam pads, a waste on Z4 paint, microfibre pads all the way. You'll need multiple 3in pads and plate though as 5in is just too big for the panel contours on the MC.

 

[baconJazz]

I have a feeling that if the vehicle has previously had a ceramic coating , this will have to be removed professionally . I was told by a professional detailer that it would have to be sanded off before any more future correction work was carried out. You should make a call and speak to a detailing company before you invest in expensive equipment . If you do buy a DA polisher the DAS 6 pro is a very popular tool recommended by enthusiasts and pro's alike . As well as a 5' backing plate you also have an option to fit a 3' one for the smaller/tighter areas of the Bodywork .

 

[ph001]

If the car is showing bad swirls SUBSEQUENT to the ceramic coat I would suggest the ceramic coat was at the lower end of the quality spectrum and hence will remove easily with a good pad and heavy cutting compound.

 

[mad4slalom]

Hi, I too have a carbon black MC, as you say the dark colours do show swirls a lot , mine is pretty good ,what amazes me is how that lacquer gets scratched in the first place, as it is so hard to polish marks out, if you as I did flat a scratch out with 1500 w and dry then you have a hard job mopping out the 1500 scratches. I ended up buying 2/3/5and 7000 wet and dry. Still need advice on the best pads and compounds to use, have seem some using a 3000 grit pad ona da wet. Any thoughts, I bought various roar compounds and waxes last year ready for a serious paint birthday when the mood takes me, Any advice on which pads people have had best results with appreciated. Happy detailing

 

[Ed Doe]

Just an update to this - I bought an 85quid halfords own da polisher - great bit of kit and perfect for my needs.

Summary of my cleaning process:

Bilberry juice wheels
Bilberry juice whole car
Rinse
Snowfoam
Rinse
2 buckets + wash mitt and ag shampoo
Rinse
Dry with large microfibre towel
Clayed the whole car with ag clay bar and rapid detailer
Rinsed
Dried with large microfibre towel
Cut the clearcoat back with Meguiars ultimate compound and da (used the medium pad if anyone's interested - mostly fine on 4000rpm but some deeper scratches required the 5000rpm cutting speed). Most panels were a couple of passes but some needed three.
Hand applied collinite 457 super double coat
Buffed with Halfords polisher
Repeated wax and buff process to achieve 2 complete wax coats.
Dressed tyres with Meguiars tyre shine.

Took a while, but really worth it, paint is gleaming now!




Before cutting:

After:

 

[flimper]

Looks good Ed

 

[Ed Doe]

Thanks Mark! She's not perfect by any means but I'm dead chuffed with how the paint has come up, very smart for a track car!!

 

[Angelus666]

Nice, those wheels look absolutely spot on, probably my favourite wheel for the MC, do you have spacers on them?

 

[Wyldie85]

Looking great Ed! Hard work paid off

 

[MrPT]

Great job, Ed. Carbon Black sounds tough to keep presentable but the rewards are huge - car looks amazing.

 

[Needanothercoupe]

Hi guys,

Hoping the detailing gurus on here might be able to help me with recommendations (and hopefully links too!) to a good starter DA Polisher Kit/Pads/compounds/waxes, as well as any advice/pro-tips for a bit of a newbie in this department!!
That looks lovely, I have that colour. My old z had similar coloured wheels and on my 600+ mile drive in the van working yesterday was thinking about embarking on cleaning mine as it has swirls etc but I’d be doing it by hand I know it won’t work properly but surely will improve it
Bit of background - the car has at some point in the last ~4years had a fair chunk of money spent by previous owner on a proper professional detail & ceramic coating, however the last owner before me appears to have subsequently washed it with a sandy sponge - it's swirl central - and this is particularly obvious being that it's a dark-coloured car!

I am not looking for absolute perfection - I drive the car and use it hard, it certainly isn't a councours example or a show-queen, but with this pesky (but necessary) lock-down only set to continue, it would be nice to address the paint and try and correct it as much as possible whilst I cannot drive it!

Do I need any specific compounds/pads to remove the ceramic coating & cut back the swirls? Is my life going to be made a lot harder by the ceramic coating? Any pro-tips gladly welcomed from those who actually know a thing or two about this stuff! :lol:

Pic (with forgiving lense/lighting) for Attention!

IMG_20190803_122204.jpg

Thanks in advance

Ed

 

[tomscott]

Looks fantastic! Great job

 

[Ed Doe]

Nice, those wheels look absolutely spot on, probably my favourite wheel for the MC, do you have spacers on them?

Thanks for all the nice comments chaps! I'm not big into detailing but have to say it was rather satisfying, and really chuffed with the end result!

Angelus thanks man, I love them too! no spacers - the specs are: Apex EC7 18x8.5 ET35 front and 18x10 ET25 rear. Kinda wish the fronts were 9j just for a bit more concave but heyho!

Also been a little tempted to refurb them in a dark gold colour similar to the lotus gold... Would rather spend the money on trackdays when they finally reopen though.

 

[Angelus666]

Those in gold would look awesome....with the right sunlight hitting the blue metallic spec it would look Clio Williams esq