Finish Dilemma

[fred7821]

I have a 2008 550i Sport and it is JET BLACK in color. As everyone knows a black car is a pain the ass to keep clean and swirl free.

I am extremely OCD about my car and its finish. I literally wash it 3 times a week by hand using microfiber wash mitt and the two bucket method. I use only Meguiars products, I am very happy this product line and have been using it for years.

I wax my car regularly using my orbital roughly twice a month to keep that shine and the mirror look that I want. I use #26 High Tech Yellow Wax. This is probably one of the best waxes I have ever used. It makes my car shine perfect. In the sunlight there is no swirls visible whatsoever.

My dilemma is after I clean my car to perfection, and is spotless, I would go drive to the gas station for example and notice my car is filled with very minor swirl marks. I guess the florescent lights shows all the imperfections in the paint. What am I doing wrong? Is there anything I can do to eliminate these minor swirls?

The question is how does it look swirl free in the sunlight and then whenever you change to florescent light or incandescent light it still shows swirls.:bawling:

This is driving me crazy insane, AM I using the wrong products or what?:mad::mad:

Can someone please shine some light on my problem, :confused:

Thanks for your help

[POof540i]

It sounds like you need to polish the paint.

[Ilovemycar]

^Probably what he said. If it looks good in sunlight, perhaps ignore it when under different artificial lights? If you want it to be mirror-glass-smooth no matter the lighting, you may have to spend quite a bit for the halogens that pro detailers use (to check your polishing work). Even the 3M Sun Gun is pricey enough (and IIRC some people complain about battery life?).

BWM black is BMW's softest paint, and according to some, it might be the most ridiculously soft of all paints regardless of brand.

With the above in mind, I might try instead changing out your MF mitts for nice* sheepskin mitts, and not only that, multiple mitts (a nut would have 6 mitts or something, but maybe you could try, like, three . . .). Dedicate one for the lowest parts of the panels, etc.

A Gilmour foam gun is about $35, and can let you pre-lubricate some of the grime off without worry of mechanically applying the soap where you might start to abrade with surface dirt. Follow up with your two bucket method. If you want, you can foam it, let sit for 2-6 minutes depending on weather (do not let it dry), rinse, foam, continue.

To dry, you can try air drying, whether Metro Vac or leaf blower. Some people use deionized water. If you dry with MF, I suggest the softest kind, use of QD while drying, trying to blot as much as possible instead of wiping.

I hope you find some of these ideas useful. I've heard #26 is a good wax, that is not talked much about. Good luck.

[dboy11]

You need to remove the old wax and polish the paint. Washing your car three times a week, is going to create swirls no matter how careful you are, its the nature of the beast.

Natural lighting is forgiving in some cases, indoor lights like the florescent or halogens (I work with halogens) they are unforgiving of any defects. Which helps you to create a better over all finish.

Couple of things to remember while maintaining your jet black car ( I've owned two and detailed countless) You have to get use to a few swirls in the paint, I know its not easy. Bet a JB car is no easy color to maintain as a DD car. Secondly a good glaze applied after you've polished, before waxing will help to fill in what minor swirls are in the paint. Glazes are great IMO for perfecting the finish and will add even more POP to the paint (commonly used on show cars)

The glaze that I use for JB and dark color is Poorboys World Black Hole.

[3ismagic#]

You should spend more time driving your car than washing. 3 times a week is crazy. Cut it back to no more than once a week (every other week would be better).

[ard]

Agree- you will need to completely strip the wax off the paint- then polish ('swirl remover, menzerna SIP, etc) then wax or zaino/polymer to protect.

You cannot avoid swirls- touch the paint and it will scratch. It is a never ending effort to minimize the scratches, but once or twice a year they will need to be addressed. Careful with washing and wash mitts. If you can use DI water and skip the towel drying (use a blower) this will be ideal.