Polish for BMW black sapphire metallic?

C

chris719

New member
I have a new '08 M roadster with Black Sapphire Metallic paint that has some very light swirl marks and minor spot marring. I plan to pick up a PC or UDM and some pads/polish to get rid of them, but I'm not sure what polish would work best for this paint.



I know that the jet black BMW's have an extremely soft clearcoat, but I read on another forum that the black sapphire metallics may have a hard ceramic type clearcoat. With that in mind, I'm having trouble deciding between Menzerna 106FF/FA and PO85RD, and what pads to use with them. The swirls are minor, and I definitely do not want to create haze or micromarring, but I'm not sure that the PO85RD will have enough cut. A friend of mine has some leftover FPII, however it seems that the PO85RD and the 106FF have more cut and finish better.



Any suggestions on what polishes/pads to use would be very helpful.



Thanks,

Chris
 
Hi Chris,

I use 106FF on my sapphire black Z4. Works well for me, then Klasse AOI followed by a Wax. Depending on what you use for a final coat, you can play with bringing out the metallic flakes.
 
chris719 said:
I have a new '08 M roadster with Black Sapphire Metallic paint that has some very light swirl marks and minor spot marring. I plan to pick up a PC or UDM and some pads/polish to get rid of them, but I'm not sure what polish would work best for this paint.



I know that the jet black BMW's have an extremely soft clearcoat, but I read on another forum that the black sapphire metallics may have a hard ceramic type clearcoat. With that in mind, I'm having trouble deciding between Menzerna 106FF/FA and PO85RD, and what pads to use with them. The swirls are minor, and I definitely do not want to create haze or micromarring, but I'm not sure that the PO85RD will have enough cut. A friend of mine has some leftover FPII, however it seems that the PO85RD and the 106FF have more cut and finish better.



Any suggestions on what polishes/pads to use would be very helpful.



Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...



< BSM is far from a ceramic clear coat, but it is however much harder than the JB. Depending on how "light" and "minor" they really are, 106 may work, but I would think you might need something with a little more bite. FPII has hardly any cut whatsoever. It is a finishing polish. Try the 106FA and see. If it doesn't work, you can go more aggressive. You may have to make a few passes. Just make sure you go slow (about an inch per second), use speed 6 and use a little pressure to break it down completely.
 
Get more suggestions at e90post detailing subforum:



Wash, Wax, Detailing and Exterior repairs - E90Post - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum





Reposted from e90post, from FMINUS, who quotes picus:



How to Score an...... FMINUS

Everyday I get at least one PM from the the members of this forum, (not counting the numerous ones from other forums) asking me "what kind of wax is best for my XXX car?" I dont find this as a dumb question, because it does seem like a logical one, I myself have once asked this question.



A couple of the detailers on this forum and numerous others have posted on this topic, but Ill do it again!



Think of the ending result as a score on a weighted school exam. The polishing is worth 90 points and the wax is worth 10.



So even if you get Zymol Solaris and the paint is horrible, you end up with a 10% on your test.... equaling.... an FMINUS



I hope this helps. (or it may of been more confusing LOL)



and I quote Picus below...





Quote:

Originally Posted by picus

I own Mystery, Vintage, Concours, Concorso, Ital, have a few Dodo samples, 50/50, Vic Wax, blah blah blah; the wax he uses doesn't make a lot of difference. The major issue for you is the paint correction. 95% of the end result will depend on the detailers skill with a rotary. Don't get caught up in wax hype; sure Vintage is rad, but if they screw up the prep it won't matter if they coat it in pure white carnauba picked from trees that bloom every ten years during a full moon; it will still look like ***.



__________________



It's all in the paint correction, before the LSP. :hifive:
 
you can use just about anything and it will be better than not wacing it at all. the main thing with a black car is streeking. the streeks will make it look bad but it will still beed. i've noticed some people like Workstaff and some like zano. zano is mail order. you cant find it in stores anywhere. i looked all over Kmark and they didn't have it. i asked a csm and they didn't even know what i was talking about. whatever you use just put it on and let it dri. then wipe it off after its dri. i use a beech towel. dont use the same rag that you used to put the wax on to take it off. it will be dirty. theres a new wacs ive heard about called mothers. it leaves a hard finish. hard like diamonds.
 
Thanks for the info, guys. Although, I think someone needs to lay off the crack pipe. :lol





Edwards944 said:
you can use just about anything and it will be better than not wacing it at all. the main thing with a black car is streeking. the streeks will make it look bad but it will still beed. i've noticed some people like Workstaff and some like zano. zano is mail order. you cant find it in stores anywhere. i looked all over Kmark and they didn't have it. i asked a csm and they didn't even know what i was talking about. whatever you use just put it on and let it dri. then wipe it off after its dri. i use a beech towel. dont use the same rag that you used to put the wax on to take it off. it will be dirty. theres a new wacs ive heard about called mothers. it leaves a hard finish. hard like diamonds.
Click to expand...
 
Not trying to hi-jack the thread,but I am wondering the same as CHRIS719. Menzerna 106FA 87MC or PO 85U polish for a 2008 infiniti G35 in platinum graphite? Only minor swirls and for old wax removal.
 
chris719 said:
Thanks for the info, guys. Although, I think someone needs to lay off the crack pipe. :lol
Click to expand...





Couldn't agree more LOL! Whew was all I could think!



Actually, some of the newer black Bimmers have hard clear coats. I've recently done a black 750Li and a same year black 760Li (lots of sheet metal...acres!) and they both had hard clear.



I'd probably stick with the Menz 106 and see how long it takes. Also, 3M is marketing a product called SCR (Scratch Resistant Clear) polish, but I haven't tried it yet. I'll probably get a sample to evaluate.



Toto
 
I've worked on a couple BSM M's, all of them were on the soft side of average. I think 106ff will do a lot of good for cleaning up the imperfections. Maybe some SIP just in case you run into a RID. As for the LSP, experiment. :) I think OptiSeal and OCW look great on BSM, and it's cheap and easy.
 
Thanks Picus. Do you think there would be any benefit to using PO85RD and a finishing pad after using the 106FF? I know they have the same gloss rating, but...
 
I think P085RD has higher gloss than 106FF but I haven't tried it out for myself. Go ahead and try it out yourself. You will never know until you do.
 
Chris,

106 should be fine, I don't think you would actually benefit from 85RD any more than 106FF/FA.... Best thing is to try it, take your time, and read through the invaluable information here on the forums. SIP is good if you really have a lot of correction to do, but I would still start with the 106 or 85RD first.
 
I normally follow 106ff with 8rd or FPII, but it is definitely not required; just make sure to prepsol after 106ff to make sure you've got all the marring out. I agree with chp, start with 106ff, see how it goes, and if you need to move up to SIP go for it, then finish with 106ff.
 
Totoland Mach said:
Actually, some of the newer black Bimmers have hard clear coats. I've recently done a black 750Li and a same year black 760Li (lots of sheet metal...acres!) and they both had hard clear.
Click to expand...



BMW started using Powered Clear Coats on 5, 6 & 7 series around 05-06. Very similar to Mercedes CeramiClear (hard). It's supposed to have much less VOC than traditional water borne paints & is supposed to be more durable.
 
So, you have a UDM. If you do not have lots of experience with polishing, I would use polishes more geared for UDM /RO type polishers and pads. 106FF/FA and 85RD are great polishes but work best with rotary, however, with time and experience, they work just as well with a UDM/RO polisher, just takes more time. That's why I suggest most RO users to use a polish more suited to that type of polisher. Once they gain more experience, they change to more esoteric polishes or ones made for rotary use.



Don't forget 3M Ultrafina does well in finishing.



Pads, Start with an Orange pad, get a Green pad, then full polish and finish pads.



With the UDM, you'll have to take your time to do any real correcting, but if the finish is good with very light marring, you'll do fine. It's matching the pads/polish to the finish you have to correct, or finish. Always start mild and work up. This goes to both pads and polishes.



With a good pad and finish polish, you'll get that finish blinding glossy. From there, go to your LSP.



I use 106FF/FA and 85RD often, but I use a rotary mostly. These are good polishes, but if you choose to seal as opposed to wax, make sure you wipe down the finish with an IPA or wash to strip the lube oils from any polishes used prior to sealants. If using a wax, go right to the wax.



Deanski
 
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