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Thread: Touchup and Detail Process?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Northeast PA
    Posts
    53
    My Cars
    M6 (2013)

    Touchup and Detail Process?

    Howdy, folks.

    I recently bought a '13 M6 coupe in Sakhir Orange, and as will happen with pre-owned cars, there are a couple tiny chips and scratches on the hood, and also some road rash on the rocker panels and behind the front wheel wells.

    My plan is to fix those, and eventually seal with Kamikaze ISM. I've read the Detailing 101 post but have some questions and would like for you experts to offer your opinions.

    Touch Up Paint: I purchased two sets (both aerosol and pen) of color match paint from Automotive Touchup and got the whole shootin' match - primer, base coat and clear coat. However, if there are other better products you'd recommend, I'll buy those instead. I want to "do it once, do it right" where this is concerned. Yes, I do have fiberglass pencils for the tiny chips, and will pick up 800 and 1000 grit paper when the time comes.Since the rash is fairly light, would you say that I need to go down to the primer, or just cover the clearcoat? Also, when re-spraying, is it necessary to use the primer, or can I just go straight to the basecoat since it's going on top of an existing layer of paint or clearcoat?

    Preparation: Since I have to deal with a little paint care, would you guys recommend I do that first before doing any sort of cleaning/detailing, or should I clean the car first? Are there any recommendations on how long to wait after remediating with the paint before I proceed with the rest of the job? IOW, should I wait a while - for example a week - to let the touchup paint cure, or is it good to go in a day?

    Detailing: Having read the 'Detailing 101' thread, I'm confused about the order in which clay is to be applied. I understand that after washing, the purpose of clay is to remove embedded grime that would be abrasive and cause swirls when polishing. But if I'm going to be using a polish which is an abrasive itself, would it not make sense to clay the car again after polishing and before the Kamikaze sealant?

    Wax / Sealant: I presume that the Kamikaze ISM should be applied immediately after polishing - and possibly using clay again per my question above. But would it not make sense to wash after polishing to sheet away any leftover abrasive and re-clay, or am I over-thinking this and just making more work for myself?

    Anyway, that's all I have for now. Please chime in with your recommendations. For the most part, this car looks like it just rolled off the factory line other than those couple issues, and I want this car to stay looking this way for a long time to come.

    Thanks in advance!

    IMAG0197.jpg IMAG0201.jpg
    Last edited by RKBAMAN; 04-30-2018 at 07:52 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Northeast PA
    Posts
    53
    My Cars
    M6 (2013)
    Quote Originally Posted by RKBAMAN View Post
    Howdy, folks.

    I recently bought a '13 M6 coupe in Sakhir Orange, and as will happen with pre-owned cars, there are a couple tiny chips and scratches on the hood, and also some road rash on the rocker panels and behind the front wheel wells.

    My plan is to fix those, and eventually seal with Kamikaze ISM. I've read the Detailing 101 post, but have some questions and would like for you experts to offer your opinions.

    Touch Up Paint: I purchased two sets (both aerosol and pen) of color match paint from Automotive Touchup and got the whole shootin' match - primer, base coat and clear coat. However, if there are other better products you'd recommend, I'll buy those instead. I want to "do it once, do it right" where this is concerned. Yes, I do have fiberglass pencils for the tiny chips, and will pick up 800 and 1000 grit paper when the time comes.Since the rash is fairly light, would you say that I need to go down to the primer, or just cover the clearcoat? Also, when re-spraying, is it necessary to use the primer, or can I just go straight to the basecoat since it's going on top of an existing layer of paint or clearcoat?

    Preparation: Since I have to deal with a little paint care, would you guys recommend I do that first before doing any sort of cleaning/detailing, or should I clean the car first? Are there any recommendations on how long to wait after remediating with the paint before I proceed with the rest of the job? IOW, should I wait a while - for example a week - to let the touchup paint cure, or is it good to go in a day?

    Detailing: Having read the 'Detailing 101' thread, I'm confused about the order in which clay is to be applied. I understand that after washing, the purpose of clay is to remove embedded grime that would be abrasive and cause swirls when polishing. But if I'm going to be using a polish which is an abrasive itself, would it not make sense to clay the car again after polishing and before the Kamikaze sealant?

    Wax / Sealant: I presume that the Kamikaze ISM should be applied immediately after polishing - and possibly using clay again per my question above. But would it not make sense to wash after polishing to sheet away any leftover abrasive and re-clay, or am I over-thinking this and just making more work for myself?

    Anyway, that's all I have for now. Please chime in with your recommendations. For the most part, this car looks like it just rolled off the factory line other than those couple issues, and I want this car to stay looking this way for a long time to come.

    Thanks in advance!

    IMAG0197.jpg IMAG0201.jpg
    Wow. Nobody?

    Sent from my SM-T813 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    1,433
    My Cars
    1999 BMW M3 Coupe
    I tried the pens and went back to the OEM BMW touch up paints with the brush. It's easier to apply, in my opinion. My process is to apply multiple coats of touch up to the chip/scratch as necessary to completely fill it, let it dry for a week, wet sand with 1000-1500 grit until it's smooth, hit it with some polishing compound to take out the scratches, and then repeat the process for the clear. If you're talking about spraying a larger area, I can't help you there, sorry. I'd take it to a pro for that.

    Yes make sure the car is clean where you're painting. Either wash the car, or hit the area in question with quick detailer spray and a cloth. As I mentioned above, you want to let the paint dry for at least several days before wet sanding. It needs to be hard, otherwise it will goop up and make a mess when you get it wet.

    You shouldn't need to clay after polishing. There shouldn't be anything for the clay to take off at that point.

    Yes you should wash all the polishing compound off thoroughly before applying any wax or sealant. As I said above, no need to clay again unless you enjoy it and want to.
    1999 M3/2/5 - Titanium Silver - Track/Weekend Toy


  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Northeast PA
    Posts
    53
    My Cars
    M6 (2013)
    Quote Originally Posted by TostitoBandito View Post
    I tried the pens and went back to the OEM BMW touch up paints with the brush. It's easier to apply, in my opinion. My process is to apply multiple coats of touch up to the chip/scratch as necessary to completely fill it, let it dry for a week, wet sand with 1000-1500 grit until it's smooth, hit it with some polishing compound to take out the scratches, and then repeat the process for the clear. If you're talking about spraying a larger area, I can't help you there, sorry. I'd take it to a pro for that.

    Yes make sure the car is clean where you're painting. Either wash the car, or hit the area in question with quick detailer spray and a cloth. As I mentioned above, you want to let the paint dry for at least several days before wet sanding. It needs to be hard, otherwise it will goop up and make a mess when you get it wet.

    You shouldn't need to clay after polishing. There shouldn't be anything for the clay to take off at that point.

    Yes you should wash all the polishing compound off thoroughly before applying any wax or sealant. As I said above, no need to clay again unless you enjoy it and want to.
    I'm going to give a try at the aerosol spray myself, since I've already paid for it.

    For the areas that will be sprayed (behind the wheel wells and on the rocker panels), how much of the existing finish would you remove? Is it sufficient to just smooth off the current clear coat, or do I need to sand down to the base coat... or deeper?

    Also, would you say that its necessary to use primer on an existing finish, or can I skip that step since there's already adhesion to the base surface?


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  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sidney, B.C.
    Posts
    1,483
    My Cars
    99 M Coupe
    In response to your detailing 101 question, wash first. That'll get rid of the surface dirt.
    Then clay. That'll get rid of embedded bits that you can feel with your fingertips when you lightly brush the surface.
    Then compound/polish. Then your coating.
    The abrasives in your compound/polishes are a million times finer than the abrasives embedded in your clearcoat so even though they're both technically abrasive, there's nothing common between them at all.

    Imagine the difference between 40 grit sandpaper and 2000 grit sandpaper. Then extend the difference a thousand times more.

    So, clay after washing and be done with that step.

    Filling in paint chips:
    I've done it quite often. Use the little bottles of paint. Use a very, very small artist's brush combined with a magnifying glass to see what you're doing. I use one of those strap-on head magnifiers and the neighbours laugh at me when I do touchups. 4 or 5 light coats should bring the dried paint above the surrounding surfaces. The acrylic touchup paint dries way quicker than paintbooth paint so 24 hrs later, after it's dry, you can start the sanding phase. Wet sand the overage with 1500 or 2000 grit paper. That'll bring the surface back down level with the surrounding areas. It'll also leave the affected area dull and lifeless looking. Don't worry, this is normal.

    A dab of Meguiars ScratchX2.0 on a cloth will polish the dullness back to super shine. Or just leave the dullness until you polish the car. The polishing step will restore the shine to the affected area too.

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