I recently acquired an 07 GPW S and have taken the plunge on ordering the following:

Porter Cable 7424
5 inch Backing Plate
2 - 5.5 inch Uber Flat Pad Green (med polish)
2 - 5.5 inch Uber Flat Pad Blue (final polish)
2 - 5.5 inch Uber Flat Pad Black (wax/sealant/glaze)
Adam's Clay Bar and Detail Spray
Menzerna Auto Shampoo
Menzerna Intensive Polish PO91E
Menzerna Final Finish
Big Blue III Super Drying Towel
Uber Microfiber Towel Blue 16x24
Blackfire Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection with PolyCharger

I've never used a PC and was simply looking for some advice. I took a few snap shots of the finish (hopefully it may provide a starting point). The front bumper has been repainted by the last owner, very poorly it seems. I'm not sure if any products will help, but its worth a try until I can get the body shop to fix it. Also, the car has some slight swirls and I believe it needs some more protection as the water droplets are not small. I've done a little research (which hopefully shows in my chosen products). If you guys could help me out, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

 

welcome to the car and to our board!!

i suggest that you start by watching some of the how to polish videos in our how to thread (top of our board). also some good articles there to read also.

from your pics the paint looks dull. first step is to wash and dry the car. second step is to inspect... that includes feeling the paint- it is likely that your paint will have some roughness. if so, clay would be the next step. if not, or after the clay, then the car would be inspected for swirls- you have already indicated that it has some, so a polish would be the cure, and your porter cable is the right machine.

i really think that you will be able to bring that paint back to better than new, and probably can give up the need for a body shop.

post back any more questions, especially after you check out the how to info.

i would be amiss in my duties if i forgot to ask you to get pics of your process and especially of the after detail. post em up and then pm me for your wacko badge- you will have earned it !!

 

sestk, you may find these internet links helpful:

Internet Resources for Detailing Newbs

 

thanks for the advice guys. The factory paint itself is not dull, just dirty haha. The front bumper repaint is terrible as its dull and does not match, not even close, as you can see from the pics. I'll take some pics throughout the process: the pics I have now are terrible sorry.

Does anyone have any experience with the Blackfire wax? I've been looking for a synthetic wax that will provide adequate protection without sacrificing shine. I'm a college student so I don't have a ton of time to wax every month - so it seems carnuba is out of the question.

 

You may find this this recent review of Blackfire sealant of interest.

 

As ever, Wanabe offers good advice.

Great product choices by the way. A good friend of mine just checked out the Blackfire stuff, and he told me he likes it just as much as Jetseal. Which is high praise coming from him.

 

Thanks for the review akimel. In the polishing/clay steps, do you usually do the entire car or just areas of roughness or swirls, respectively? I guess its hard to analyze the paint from dig photos but is intensive polish routinely needed? I'm assuming that the pads correlate to each polish - the green being the intensive one? Also, I've heard of some people only using the final finish and using a wax over it. Is this a complete remedy for some? Thanks again for the help.

 

The idea is to use the least invasive method possible.

Try your Micro Polish, and see if it produces results you're happy with. If it doesn't, move up to your Intensive Polish. You just have to try things and see. We're not being purposely vague, there's just a lot of trial and error involved in this stuff.

There's no relationship between pad color and intensity of cut. We're all on our own there. And the companies that make pads are all over the place on colors, so that's no help either.

Again, I'm not being purposely vague, there's just a lot of "try it and see" stuff involved.

 

Oh I see, I'm just a little hesitant - don't wanna jack anything up haha. Well, the PC package came from detailer's domain so maybe has some advice on the colors . Usually clay the entire car or just areas that feel rough?

 

^clay the whole thing: you'll be surprised at what u find!