July 4th Weekend Detailing

[gofast182]

Inspired by the fine work gregk24 does I'll share what I worked on over the weekend. I've been waiting for months for a combination of dry weather (hard to come by in NJ this spring) and free time to apply a ceramic coating to our new X5. It finally came together this weekend and I applied Polish Angel Cosmic V2. Ceramic coatings are not known for all-out gloss but I chose this coating because of a generous amount of TiO2 along with the SiO2, trying to prioritize relative gloss over longevity (12mo instead of 24mo like some claim). I started on the evening of the 3rd when I removed the wheels, cleaned them, and treated them with their own ceramic coating (Pinnacle Black Diamond). Wheel removal was a must for such a thorough cleaning. On the morning of the 4th I was out at 7am to start the rest of the prep... clean the jambs, wash, iron remover, wash, clay, wash. After all of that it was time to polish using my new Rupes LHR15 Mk. III and the Polish Angel Invincible Primer. The Rupes made quick work of it compared to my PC (bigger pad and longer throw) and the Invincible Primer was an extremely mild polish, I think it was more about a chemical base. After all of this prep. it was ~12PM and it was now time for the first application of Cosmic V2. It went on like a thick paint sealant with the supplied applicator which was nice compared to some other coatings which are very liquid. Wait 2hrs, remove, and apply a second coat. Wait 2hrs, remove, and hit it with Cosmic Spritz to accelerate the cure. At this point it was about 5PM. Around 7PM I noticed the first signs of dew starting to form so I backed it into our garage and scratched one of the fender flares on our new baby, ugh. Anyway it was a long involved process and it looks pretty good (there are products I know would give it more gloss but that's not 100% what I'm after here). Only time will tell if it was worth it. On Sunday I did my biannual detail on my 340i using Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0. A quality sealant and a black car at dusk are much more conducive to gloss shots than a white car earlier in the day. Here are pics of both cars.

 

[Bud]

All I can say is dedication. No way would I tackle that project. Beautiful vehicle's.

 

[PlzRepond]

Great job! Beautiful cars 👍🏻

 

[PimTac]

Very nice. White is a hard color to pop but your efforts and the Polish Angel did the trick. A nice pair of clean and glossy vehicles.

 

[gregk24]

Beautiful vehicles, and excellent job! Nice dogs in the background too.

 

[2010Civic]

You're supposed to wait 2 hours before wiping off the coating? Seems like a long time. Both cars look great!

 

[daves87rs]

Looks good!!

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by 2010Civic

You're supposed to wait 2 hours before wiping off the coating? Seems like a long time. Both cars look great!

Thanks! Yes, don't forget its not a wax or even sealant so it has different cure times associated with it. 2hrs between applications is what Polish Angel recommends.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by gregk24

Beautiful vehicles, and excellent job! Nice dogs in the background too.

Thanks, up close I'm not sure they're as good as yours (at least my 340) but I appreciate the compliment!

 

[gofast182]

In case anyone was wondering: Products used: Wheel cleaning: Meguiar's D111 Shampoo Plus Sonax Full Effect Wheel Cleaner Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner Tuff Shine Tire Clearcoat (not applied in some of the pics) Finish prep.: Meguiar's D111 Shampoo Plus McKees 37 Iron Remover Pinnacle Ultra Poly Clay Polish Angel Invincible Primer LSP/Coating: Polish Angel Cosmic V2 (X5) Polish Angel Cosmic Spritz (X5) Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant 3.0 (340i) Tools: Grit guards Various brushes Chenille wash mitt (wheels only) Merino wool wash mitt Absorber chamois Painter's tape (X5) Rupes LHR Mark III DA polisher (X5) Supreme 530 microfiber Scangrip i-view headlamp (X5)

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by PimTac

Very nice. White is a hard color to pop but your efforts and the Polish Angel did the trick. A nice pair of clean and glossy vehicles.

Thank you!

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by PlzRepond

Great job! Beautiful cars 👍🏻

Thank you!

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by Bud

All I can say is dedication. No way would I tackle that project. Beautiful vehicle's.

Thank you!

 

[JHZR2]

IMO you'll never get a ton of gloss on a white vehicle, but yours looks great. You must have been sore after all that!

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by JHZR2

IMO you'll never get a ton of gloss on a white vehicle, but yours looks great. You must have been sore after all that!

Thank you. There are a couple others here who do quite well with white, too, although they're not using a coating. Maybe a little in the upper arm but not bad, I've been pretty active this spring which was a benefit.

 

[Mr Nice]

Nice job. For me, I use Trutle Wax dry & wax spray.

 

[Rat407]

 

[mister_two]

What about the S2K

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted by mister_two

What about the S2K

It got new tires, new front brake pads, and a wash (it was a BUSY weekend). It's going to Lime Rock Park tomorrow for a track weekend with NASA Northeast.

 

[gofast182]

So over the weekend I did my first wash since applying the coating. The first thing I noticed is how non-slick it is compared to a wax or sealant. It almost makes you question whether anything's there but the intense beading gives it away. There were some droppings/fallout on the hood from a tree near where the car is parked, the coating didn't stop this from drying to the finish and needing some extra agitation to remove. Same for a few bugs on the front. Overall the car was pretty easy to clean, about as easy as I'd expect with a good sealant. Overall it's behaving like a paint sealant so far. I guess the measure will be if it still behaves like a paint sealant long after the paint sealant would've degraded. The shine is nice...