Cleaning and Polish advice

[pawalsh]

I have a 2004 BMW that has spent the last 1/2 of its life outdoors in NYC. It gets a wax couple of times year. The paint still looks good but is losing some of it shine. There are some light swirls on the hood and trunk but otherwise it is in ok shape. I'm looking for good protection since this car will continue to live outdoors and also to restore some of the lost shine. I'm planning to start with a wash and clay and from what I have read NXT would be the way to go for the final step for maximum protection.
My question is what product(s) to use between the clay and wax steps. I have some ultimate polish but wonder if I need a swirl X or UC or some other product instead. I have a DA and have no problem using it or elbow grease. Attached are a couple of photos but apologies for the quality - I'm afraid it may not help much. Note, there are some white streaks appearing on the hood in the photo - they are not permanent - not sure what they are but are long gone.
Any suggestions much appreciated.

[Murr1525]

Re: Cleaning and Polish advice

If you want to look at removing swirls, then you will certainly want the UC.

However, if you just want to look at a solid detail for a shine, then this would be the most basic:

1. Wash
2. Clay
3. ColorX
4. Wax - Ult. Wax will have the most durability.

5. Maintain - Ult. Quick Wax after future washes.

If you wanted to work on the swirls more, then we can discuss that as well.

In addition, I would consider looking at the TRIX from CarPro. It is a nice tar/metal dust remover that you would use after the wash, before clay.

[ChevyNick]

Yeah x2 on what murr said. Honestly if you don't have a DA polisher, just live with the fine swirls imo. It's a lot of work to do it by hand and can get frustrating if you don't have lots of patients. If you love working small areas with quite a bit of elbow grease then go for it.

If you can't find ColorX then I suppose the Megs Cleaner Wax will be a good substitute.
Ultimate Wax will provide longer protection than NXT.

[Murr1525]

Re: Cleaning and Polish advice

It's a lot of work to do it by hand and can get frustrating if you don't have lots of patients.

Hmm... that would be something for doctors to recomend... go out and detail my car to get your medecine.

[ffboy]

Re: Cleaning and Polish advice

Ultimate Compound, SwirlX are paint cleaners. UC is the most aggressive, so you may want to test a small area before using it for the entire car and also see if SwirlX may be enough for the amount of swirls you have.

Ultimate Polish is like SwirlX (maybe swirlX is just a ted more aggressive) but with more polishing oils. It will add more shine and depth, and add even more shine after the initial compounding steps.

For protection, NXT 2.0 is proven, but no longer the most durable. Ultimate Wax is the most durable, but read up about it. Some have unpleasant experiences with it especially the liquid, some have fantastic results.

[pawalsh]

Re: Cleaning and Polish advice

Many thanks for the suggestions. Since I have ultimate polish and it is not very aggressive I will try it after clay and see how it looks. I did not know that UW gave better protection that NXT - I will definitely look in to it. Since my car lives its entire life outdoors it needs as good protection as I can get.

[Murr1525]

Re: Cleaning and Polish advice

Sure, Ult. Polish is very good.

You would just want to do two coats of wax after it.

[ChevyNick]

It's a lot of work to do it by hand and can get frustrating if you don't have lots of patients.

Hmm... that would be something for doctors to recomend... go out and detail my car to get your medecine.

Not sure I follow this lol, did I use the wrong patience... I think I did...

[Murr1525]

Re: Cleaning and Polish advice

Yup..