[Rayscott]

Originally Posted by SerenVoX

Lots of really good advice on here. An older gentlemen that had sold me my M235i had told me he won several car shows in his days and swear by stuff called 3M Imperial Hand Glaze. I havnt tried it yet but I will when I get into more detailing.

Glaze is primarily designed to hide hide swirls and holograms. They fill in the high areas caused by these culprits which reflects light. The glaze fills in these high spots. It is not permanent and the best way to hide these issues is by polishing. Certain glazes will enhance your finish slightly especially if the paint is dark. I used a glaze on my 228ix Estoril and a black Ferrari and it did nothing. Put on several thin layers of a good polymer coating to really pop the shine.

[BentZero]

Originally Posted by crabu2

So now I'm thinking clay towel.. I can't believe there's knock offs on ebay for a few buck.. I watched a few videos too.

Can anyone tell me how good they work? Are those chinese knock offs even worth a few bucks to try?

Just get a good one on Amazon dude. They're not expensive at all. It works great too. I clayed my wife's 10 year old car and couldn't believe how smooth it was when i was done.

Here's the one I have.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[BentZero]

This thread reminds me that there's no one true answer to this question besides "Do whatever makes you happy and whatever you have time for." I do wholeheartedly recommend Xpel. I drove straight from the BMW Performance Center to shop 15 mins away to get my partial installed. I wish I had done a full frontal wrap.

This thread has me excited for the full detail I'm about to do this weekend. Zero is due for another sealant job. Stripping current wax, two layers of sealer and then re-wax. Plus I'm installing an AA8. It'll be a new car come Monday.

[E46 Fan]

http://store.carcareonline.com/

Also, great How-to Articles

http://store.carcareonline.com/howto_articles.aspx

I tend to stay with the german products (P21s wax, paint cleaner, wheel cleaner, and shampoo (car wash), and super absorbing drying towel). I also like the Sonax car wash shampoo.

Use a Lambs wool wash mitt. Get a separate one for wheels (doesn't need to be lambs wool)

2 or 3 buckets, like others have recommended.

Also, I prefer Invisible Glass in aerosol cans for windows.


Unlike what others have posted, I Strongly recommend against regular use of a clay bar. While it is great at removing paint overspray and other major finish issues, it actually removes some of the finish. If you do it too much, there will be nothing left.

And for tires/rubber/dash I prefer 303 Aerospace Protectant. It is low-gloss and maintains a clean look. (also great for plastic kayaks, and other outdoor plastics regularly exposed to UV light.

[BentZero]

Oops, I didn't mean to imply that you clay regularly. I've done it once on my car and it's a year old. Look up the plastic bag test in terms of trying to determine if you need to clay or not. Frankly, the thought of dragging a bag over my car makes me cringe, but whatever.

That said, if you use a good lube you should be okay. Insufficient lube will cause marring.

[Sypher]

Originally Posted by Rayscott

You nailed it. Send some pics.

Mine's white so it's harder to see finish than with a darker car, but the paint was smooth as glass when finished.