Polished + Gtechniq EXO v2

[Gray_Panther]

The car has 25k miles on it and has opti-coat protecting it for the past 20k miles and it really started to show signs that it wore off end of the summer last year. I still maintained my disciplined car wash techniques and it has paid off these three years as there were minimal amounts of light swirling. I would gauge that the status of the paint was at 90% defect free and after polishing I brought it up to 96.33% (Repeating of course).

I decided to use Gtechniq's coating solution because I am truly impressed with their G1 coating for the windshields as it has withstood the relentless salt barrages for two full winters in upstate NY with my GTI. I figured if the reviews were great for EXO, then I would give it a try!

I took my time with this as I had a three day weekend, and Greek Orthodox religion doesn't celebrate Easter until May 1st. Discounted chocolates, major key to success!!!

The products I used were:
Porter Cable PC7424
3 Polishing Pads
2 Cutting Pads
Sonax Perfect Finish 3/6 Polish
Gtechniq EXO V2
Optimum No Rinse Wash
Meguiars Clay
ONR Clay Lube
60/40 Isopropyl Alcohol
New MF Towels
Blue Painters Tape

I began with prepping the car for surgery by giving it a thorough ONR wash and then claying the entire vehicle. After letting it sit overnight to make sure everything was dry, I taped off the exterior trim to protect it from the polishing process. This is important as it keeps the pads clean and the rubber trim damage free. Here are some pictures of the paint as bare it could be at the time:





I was satisfied with polishing the car using Kevin Brown's method of prepping the pads. During the polishing process it is good practice to keep the pores of the pads free from clearcoat and polish buildup. The more the pores are open the greater the cutting effect to level the paint. (Note: This is my observation, and I could be wrong since I am a weekend warrior afterall)

Here are the afters of the paint inside the garage with the spot light:




After each panel that was polished, some needing two rounds, the are was wiped to remove the residue and then cleaned with the isopropyl mix toremove any remaining oils to leave the paint as bare as possible. It was then brought out for the true test of any detailer...the sun test:








The car was then coated with Gtechniq EXO v2, and let me just say that the coating process was a breeze. It came with an applicator pad that you could slide your fingers into so that it wouldn't fall off. The process took much longer than expected since it was my first time using the product (2 hours), but it was simple. Dab the product on the pad, horizontally apply it by spreading it evenly, buff off immediately with one towel and finally buff any remaining residue with another towel.

I will post better pictures in the sun, but for now here are some post-coating shots:




Wheels will be tackled next weekend, along with the exhaust tips and the interior!
I am still blown away at how gorgeous and mesmerizing the DSB paint looks when it is defect free. The color spectrum ranges from green to purple depending on how the light hits it. I just wish contaminates didn't fill the air or water so that it would stay immaculate forever, but that defeats the purpose of appreciating it when it is clean!

[swagon]

Very nice, Sir. Nothing like a shiny blue BMW.

I'm going to tackle the DSB paint in a month. It's been two years since I did a full paint detail on it; it's not as smooth as it used to be, there are some light swirls and scratches from nails here and there.

I have a Soft99 Authentic carnauba wax that I'll put on it this week when I am changing the tires. I've also bought their Fusso Coat sealant that last pretty long so that steered me away from coatings for a while...

How much time did you spend polishing the car btw?

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by swagon

Very nice, Sir. Nothing like a shiny blue BMW.

I'm going to tackle the DSB paint in a month. It's been two years since I did a full paint detail on it; it's not as smooth as it used to be, there are some light swirls and scratches from nails here and there.

I have a Soft99 Authentic carnauba wax that I'll put on it this week when I am changing the tires. I've also bought their Fusso Coat sealant that last pretty long so that steered me away from coatings for a while...

How much time did you spend polishing the car btw?

Nails?

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Nails?

Around the door handles and on the trunk. I don't know how it happens...

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by swagon

Around the door handles and on the trunk. I don't know how it happens...

Ouch! =/

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Esteban

Ouch! =/

Those can be buffed out, but stone chips cannot. Fuck, Esteban, you reminded me that I should order a touch up kit and wet sand the two stone chips on the hood. Fucking little stones jumped from the hood on the windshield, leaving damage on both.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by swagon

Those can be buffed out, but stone chips cannot. Fuck, Esteban, you reminded me that I should order a touch up kit and wet sand the two stone chips on the hood. Fucking little stones jumped from the hood on the windshield, leaving damage on both.

Sorry to hear.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by swagon

Very nice, Sir. Nothing like a shiny blue BMW.

I'm going to tackle the DSB paint in a month. It's been two years since I did a full paint detail on it; it's not as smooth as it used to be, there are some light swirls and scratches from nails here and there.

I have a Soft99 Authentic carnauba wax that I'll put on it this week when I am changing the tires. I've also bought their Fusso Coat sealant that last pretty long so that steered me away from coatings for a while...

How much time did you spend polishing the car btw?

Thanks swagon, it took me 9-10 hours to polish the entire car. I didn't think it would take that long but the garage temps were low 40's and My mind was slow from the cold. Also, I wanted to be very thorough and do a better job than last time.
I definitely need to order more pads. 3 polishing pads barely were enough.

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

I definitely need to order more pads. 3 polishing pads barely were enough.

Polishing Pads: How Many Do I Need? by Zach McGovern

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage

Polishing Pads: How Many Do I Need? by Zach McGovern

Funny you posted that link since I read it a couple days ago. I also don't have a tool to brush off polish and clearcoat from the pad to keep the pores open. Would an old toothbrush work?

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Funny you posted that link since I read it a couple days ago. I also don't have a tool to brush off polish and clearcoat from the pad to keep the pores open. Would an old toothbrush work?

Yeah, an old tooth brush would work better than nothing. Any medium bristle brush will work. You can pick up a pad cleaning brush whenever you need some more pads if needed.. they are inexpensive.

-Zach

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by swagon

Very nice, Sir. Nothing like a shiny blue BMW.

I'm going to tackle the DSB paint in a month. It's been two years since I did a full paint detail on it; it's not as smooth as it used to be, there are some light swirls and scratches from nails here and there.

I have a Soft99 Authentic carnauba wax that I'll put on it this week when I am changing the tires. I've also bought their Fusso Coat sealant that last pretty long so that steered me away from coatings for a while...

How much time did you spend polishing the car btw?

Thanks swagon, it took me 9-10 hours to polish the entire car. I didn't think it would take that long but the garage temps were low 40's and My mind was slow from the cold. Also, I wanted to be very thorough and do a better job than last time.
I definitely need to order more pads. 3 polishing pads barely were enough.

[bmw1racer]

All that wonderful work on the car, yet you insist on having that Transformers roundel on your trunk...

[Converted1]

Kali anastasi.
Nice work!

What makes you continue to use clay bar instead of moving to nanoskin products? I've used clay for years but nano looks pretty interesting. I ask because I already bought it and will be using it soon.

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Converted1

Kali anastasi.
Nice work!

What makes you continue to use clay bar instead of moving to nanoskin products? I've used clay for years but nano looks pretty interesting. I ask because I already bought it and will be using it soon.

A word of caution from someone who uses Nanoskin / synthetic clay products very regularly.... I do not recommend these for general maintenance decontamination. The nanoskin/speedy prep towel products will mar the surface in most instances. If you have a lighter colored vehicle you likely will not see it, but we have always easily seen the marring on darker finishes. With that in mind, we only use synthetic clay products if we are polishing the vehicle. They are a tremendous time savings, and the marring is usually easily removed.

If you do not intend to polish the vehicle, a ultra fine grade clay bar is going to be more gentle and have less of a chance of leaving visible marring on the paint.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by Converted1

Kali anastasi.
Nice work!

What makes you continue to use clay bar instead of moving to nanoskin products? I've used clay for years but nano looks pretty interesting. I ask because I already bought it and will be using it soon.

Kali anastasi! Oti eipe autos^
I put more trust in my claybar for bi-annual maintenance.
Still waiting to take better pictures, but it just snowed hard yesterday!

[bmw1racer]

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage

A word of caution from someone who uses Nanoskin / synthetic clay products very regularly.... I do not recommend these for general maintenance decontamination. The nanoskin/speedy prep towel products will mar the surface in most instances. If you have a lighter colored vehicle you likely will not see it, but we have always easily seen the marring on darker finishes.

Does this apply to the nanoskin sponge as well?

I use the nanoskin sponge every six months or so and I haven't noticed any marring... That said, my car is Alpine White, so maybe the marring isn't as obvious.

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by bmw1racer

Does this apply to the nanoskin sponge as well?

I use the nanoskin sponge every six months or so and I haven't noticed any marring... That said, my car is Alpine White, so maybe the marring isn't as obvious.

Yes... and yes, it will not be easily visible on white.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Gray_Panther

Thanks swagon, it took me 9-10 hours to polish the entire car. I didn't think it would take that long but the garage temps were low 40's and My mind was slow from the cold. Also, I wanted to be very thorough and do a better job than last time.
I definitely need to order more pads. 3 polishing pads barely were enough.

I've spent more on mine, I think. The paint was bad (for such a young car). Used Menzerna FG400 + CG orange hex pad and then Sonax Perfect Finish on white and black hex pads.

[Converted1]

Zach,

Thanks for the info. Why were nano products so widely promoted a few years ago? Was it before anyone realized the damage they were doing? I purchased them but haven't used them yet. I've used clay magic for years with great results, but when Nano came out, it looked like a faster process. I have a Space Grey 135i and Candy White Beetle Turbo. Would you recommend using the Nano only on the beetle? I guess I'm asking what are the instances where you still uses nano products.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Originally Posted by Greg@DetailedImage

A word of caution from someone who uses Nanoskin / synthetic clay products very regularly.... I do not recommend these for general maintenance decontamination. The nanoskin/speedy prep towel products will mar the surface in most instances. If you have a lighter colored vehicle you likely will not see it, but we have always easily seen the marring on darker finishes. With that in mind, we only use synthetic clay products if we are polishing the vehicle. They are a tremendous time savings, and the marring is usually easily removed.

If you do not intend to polish the vehicle, a ultra fine grade clay bar is going to be more gentle and have less of a chance of leaving visible marring on the paint.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com

[SixBanger]

Good job! Get rid of the polisher and grab a Rupes. You'll thank me later.
Myles

[Greg@DetailedImage]

Originally Posted by Converted1

Zach,

Thanks for the info. Why were nano products so widely promoted a few years ago? Was it before anyone realized the damage they were doing? I purchased them but haven't used them yet. I've used clay magic for years with great results, but when Nano came out, it looked like a faster process. I have a Space Grey 135i and Candy White Beetle Turbo. Would you recommend using the Nano only on the beetle? I guess I'm asking what are the instances where you still uses nano products.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

Chris,

They still are widely promoted... and should be! They are great products.

We use nanoskin mitts/towels on almost every vehicle we work on. It saves an incredible amount of time and money since we can "clay" a car in under 30 minutes and we do not have to buy clay bars all the time. These synthetic clay substitutes are amazing for quick and easy decontamination, but the only stipulation is that you should polish the car after use. The same suggestion is often made even when using traditional clay bars as you can mar the surface, however the marring is typically more visible and more likely with the synthetic clay in my experience.

So, if you are prepping a car for polishing/paint correction the nanoskin products are the best choice in my opinion! Otherwise, a fine grade or ultra fine grade clay will do great for routine maintenance when you do not plan to follow up with polishing.

Let me know if you've got any other questions.

Zach McGovern
Detailed Image Ask-A-Pro Blog Author
www.AttentiontoDetailingPeoria.com