Griot'ed the red Ci from head to toe...

[The HACK]

I'll bet Doug will appreciate this 'cause he has the same 'Ci before, no?

Washed, clayed, polished, IHG, paste wax, polished window and cleaned up the interior. OMG I can't believe how freakin' dirty the interior is, there's like spilled drinks in the cup holder, all kinds of candy wrapper and just JUNK all around the little crevices in the car. I can tell you that she does not care nearly as much about keeping her car clean as I do, I had to use an entire clay bar to clean off enough junk to start polishing the car. Even at that, usually when I do the blue Ci the polishing pad stays relatively clean, doing the red car the polishing pad came out a nasty, nappy dark grey from all the junk the clay bar didn't pick up.

Did the whole car inside out with Griots product, the car wash, wheel cleaner, claybar, machine polish 3, interior cleaner, and fine glass polish. IHG was applied between the polish and wax.

Quick note: Do the glass polish before the paint. I polished the glass last (for some stupid reason) and the residue from the glass polish settled on the treated surfaces (after wax) and overnight it's kinda "bonded" to the wax and left these minute specs that only I can see.

But the red Ci looks STUNNING when it's clean and properly treated. I'll take pics tonight or tomorrow if she leaves the Ci at home and takes the Z4.

[Rob]

Hmm. I Griot'ed this weekend too. A red '48 MG. I will also post pics when I get them downloaded form the camera. Come to think of it, I don't think I have posted the finish repair I did to my dad's red '99 CLK, either. We can have a red car Griot'ed picture fest!

[Doug]

Yup, your wife and I had nearly the identical car. I'm sure it looks awesome HACK!

[The HACK]

Hmm. I Griot'ed this weekend too. A red '48 MG. I will also post pics when I get them downloaded form the camera. Come to think of it, I don't think I have posted the finish repair I did to my dad's red '99 CLK, either. We can have a red car Griot'ed picture fest!

When are you going to Griot the Tabasco car? :D

[clyde]

Yup, your wife and I had nearly the identical car. I'm sure it looks awesome HACK!

Was yours a slushpuppie too?

[clyde]

these minute specs that only I can see.

I hate that. I think we're all subject to it, though.

[Rob]

Hmm. I Griot'ed this weekend too. A red '48 MG. I will also post pics when I get them downloaded form the camera. Come to think of it, I don't think I have posted the finish repair I did to my dad's red '99 CLK, either. We can have a red car Griot'ed picture fest!

When are you going to Griot the Tabasco car? :D

I Griot'ed Tabasco once already, but I didn't have time to take pics. He needs a wash badly, so perhaps this weekend . . . A real big red car Griot'ed picture fest.

Side note - the checker flag roof makes waxing a biatch . . .

[The HACK]

Hmm. I Griot'ed this weekend too. A red '48 MG. I will also post pics when I get them downloaded form the camera. Come to think of it, I don't think I have posted the finish repair I did to my dad's red '99 CLK, either. We can have a red car Griot'ed picture fest!

When are you going to Griot the Tabasco car? :D

I Griot'ed Tabasco once already, but I didn't have time to take pics. He needs a wash badly, so perhaps this weekend . . . A real big red car Griot'ed picture fest.

Side note - the checker flag roof makes waxing a biatch . . .

Probably can't use the random orbital on that. Or try the paste wax, and pre-heat it in the microwave for ~5 minutes first. It's easy to apply and get off, you just need to let it sit for about 1.5hr-2hrs to set before removal.

[The HACK]

Yup, your wife and I had nearly the identical car. I'm sure it looks awesome HACK!

Yeah, it was sitting in the garage next to the Z4 and boy, with it all cleaned up it looks sharper than the Z4 (the Z4 was DIRTY).

It took me from 9:00am to 4:00pm to finish the red Ci. Boy was I freakin' SORE last night and this morning. :(

Another trick that saved some time, was using the clay bar right after I rinsed off the soapy water before I dried it up. I have the hose ready to keep the surface well lubricated with SOFT water (new house has water softener AND constant shades).

[Rob]

Hmm. I Griot'ed this weekend too. A red '48 MG. I will also post pics when I get them downloaded form the camera. Come to think of it, I don't think I have posted the finish repair I did to my dad's red '99 CLK, either. We can have a red car Griot'ed picture fest!

When are you going to Griot the Tabasco car? :D

I Griot'ed Tabasco once already, but I didn't have time to take pics. He needs a wash badly, so perhaps this weekend . . . A real big red car Griot'ed picture fest.

Side note - the checker flag roof makes waxing a biatch . . .

Probably can't use the random orbital on that. Or try the paste wax, and pre-heat it in the microwave for ~5 minutes first. It's easy to apply and get off, you just need to let it sit for about 1.5hr-2hrs to set before removal.
]

Wax on the vinyl doesn't look very good. I used the tire and rubber conditioner based on the advice of Liz (from Griot's) and that worked ok.

Do you mean paste wax by hand or by orbital polisher? I don't think the orbital polisher will ever be able to touch the roof of that car unless I decide to take the flag off the roof. I have been thinking about trying the paste wax anyway. My brother tells me he puts it on with the orbital polisher and that it lasts a lot longer than BOS. It just doesn't look as glossy. Big deal on my white cars . . .

[The HACK]

Wax on the vinyl doesn't look very good. I used the tire and rubber conditioner based on the advice of Liz (from Griot's) and that worked ok.

Do you mean paste wax by hand or by orbital polisher? I don't think the orbital polisher will ever be able to touch the roof of that car unless I decide to take the flag off the roof. I have been thinking about trying the paste wax anyway. My brother tells me he puts it on with the orbital polisher and that it lasts a lot longer than BOS. It just doesn't look as glossy. Big deal on my white cars . . .

His assessment would be correct. The paste wax doesn't look as glossy initially but last a lot longer. After about 4 month of parking the blue Ci outside it's still got some reminent of paste wax, enough that I just need to rinse and dry the car and it'd look sharp.

Where the paste wax really shine, is if you LAYER it or use it in combination with a glaze like IHG. Putting IHG underneath the paste wax make it seem "wet" all the time. IHG also gives it that luster that's hard to achieve with wax alone. I'm thinking of getting 3M's Imperial MACHINE Glaze and see if it gives the same result, since the hand glaze part of Imperial Hand Glaze is taking the most time time and I really can't afford (or my back, actually) to IHG the bottom half of the car, so I just do the top facing part and anything above the body-colored molding. Oddly enough, I have tried IHG underneath BOS wax and the result is about the same amount of shine as the paste wax.

[lemming]

i want pictures, man.

this is a big fat tease w/o 'em.

[The HACK]

i want pictures, man.

this is a big fat tease w/o 'em.

:roll:

Car's under shade so the exposure was off, but bear with me...

http://www.studio2321.com/carstuff/br323ci/driverside.jpg

http://www.studio2321.com/carstuff/br323ci/front.jpg

http://www.studio2321.com/carstuff/br323ci/pass_side.jpg

http://www.studio2321.com/carstuff/br323ci/in_garage.jpg

http://www.studio2321.com/carstuff/br323ci/in_garage2.jpg

[lemming]

that first picture says it all. the reflection off of the door and rear panels is pretty awesome.

i've not tried the griots carnuba. so you guys (most of you) like that better than the BOS wax?

[clyde]

that first picture says it all. the reflection off of the door and rear panels is pretty awesome.

i've not tried the griots carnuba. so you guys (most of you) like that better than the BOS wax?I used BOS wax on my wife's Altima once when it was a little over two years old. For the most part, the only time the car was washed was when it rained, etc (was not treated nice). It had plenty of scrtatches and so on. And it was black. i was pretty happy for what I got out of it.

[Doug]

I find the Carnauba a bit easier to buff off. I use it on my Alpine White cars since the brown color of the BOS does tint the color of them. The Carnauba is a blue/purple and leaves the car a more true white.

[The HACK]

that first picture says it all. the reflection off of the door and rear panels is pretty awesome.

i've not tried the griots carnuba. so you guys (most of you) like that better than the BOS wax?

I had to adjust the circular polarizer on the lens just to get the glare out of the door panels enough to get a decent shot.

The paste wax works well for my cars, it makes the blue BLUER and the red on the bright red redder for some reason. I like to layer BOS on top of the paste wax, the paste wax is easier to apply and easier to take off, and last a little bit longer, while the BOS, once layered on top of the paste wax, gives it a deep TEXTURE difficult to obtain with just one type of wax alone. It's weird, that's been the best combination I've found so far.

[ZHPhil]

The paste wax works well for my cars, it makes the blue BLUER and the red on the bright red redder for some reason. I like to layer BOS on top of the paste wax, the paste wax is easier to apply and easier to take off, and last a little bit longer, while the BOS, once layered on top of the paste wax, gives it a deep TEXTURE difficult to obtain with just one type of wax alone. It's weird, that's been the best combination I've found so far.

Hmmm....maybe I am f'ed up but I did the reverse application. I did BOS first then topped it off with the Griot's carnuba paste. The shine was incrdeible and very deep. See trunk lid example.... :cool: Any one else have thoughts on wihich order is best for black :?:

http://forums.bimmerevolution.com/album_pic.php?pic_id=195

[nate]

Did you get a new house?

[Doug]

I've never applied one over the other, just multiple coats of the same thing.

[ZHPhil]

Did you get a new house?
You talking to me :?: That picture was taken at my cousins.

[The HACK]

Hmmm....maybe I am f'ed up but I did the reverse application. I did BOS first then topped it off with the Griot's carnuba paste. The shine was incrdeible and very deep. See trunk lid example.... :cool: Any one else have thoughts on wihich order is best for black :?:


That shine is amazing, I'd have to try that once. And it sort of make logical sense, since the BOS will provide superior shine while the paste wax will protect the shine longer. I just stuck with the paste first, BOS second routine because it worked well for me.

A properly detailed black car is simply stunning.

[ZHPhil]

That shine is amazing, I'd have to try that once.

Thanks :thumbup: I will be attempting to repeat it next week. As a test, I think I will do the hood using your method to compare.


And it sort of make logical sense, since the BOS will provide superior shine while the paste wax will protect the shine longer. I just stuck with the paste first, BOS second routine because it worked well for me.

A properly detailed black car is simply stunning.

That was my thought as well...........black is beautiful, I just hope my back holds up for the full monty treatment :paranoid:

[nate]

Did you get a new house?
You talking to me :?: That picture was taken at my cousins.

no, to HACK....

[ZHPhil]

Did you get a new house?
You talking to me :?: That picture was taken at my cousins.

no, to HACK....

:oops:

[The HACK]

Did you get a new house?
You talking to me :?: That picture was taken at my cousins.

no, to HACK....

Yeah, about 4 months ago. Just been semi-quiet about it online. I think I may have posted something about it here ONCE.

[lemming]

Did you get a new house?
You talking to me :?: That picture was taken at my cousins.

no, to HACK....

Yeah, about 4 months ago. Just been semi-quiet about it online. I think I may have posted something about it here ONCE.

jeezus.

you do all of that work to wax a car? BOS AND carnuba paste wax!?!?!?!??

good grief.


good thing you posted that picture. i've been stalking you for awhile now, and i couldn't figure out which house out of the three it is. now i know.

;)

[ayn]

your garage is so clean and neat. the walls in mine aren't even painted yet.

[The HACK]

jeezus.

you do all of that work to wax a car? BOS AND carnuba paste wax!?!?!?!??

good grief.


good thing you posted that picture. i've been stalking you for awhile now, and i couldn't figure out which house out of the three it is. now i know.

;)

Alan is that you? :roll:

You can't really put both wax on at the same time. You need to let the first layer CURE over a 24 hour period and then put on the 2nd layer. With a base layer of wax it becomes progressively easier to put on the next layer since a little goes a very long way.

[lemming]

jeezus.

you do all of that work to wax a car? BOS AND carnuba paste wax!?!?!?!??

good grief.


good thing you posted that picture. i've been stalking you for awhile now, and i couldn't figure out which house out of the three it is. now i know.

;)

Alan is that you? :roll:

You can't really put both wax on at the same time. You need to let the first layer CURE over a 24 hour period and then put on the 2nd layer. With a base layer of wax it becomes progressively easier to put on the next layer since a little goes a very long way.

right now i'm using all blackfire and the new menzerna "full molecular jacket" stuff from Classic Motoring. I have a full Griots Kit that came with the Porter Cable polisher. i think i'm bored with the blackfire and may just use griots on the z06 since it's garaged.

the two other cars, however, that are exposed to the elements will always get blackfire or menzerna. protection first, shine second there.

i had no idea you were actually being stalked. sorry. bad joke.

[Mathew]

Yeah, about 4 months ago. Just been semi-quiet about it online. I think I may have posted something about it here ONCE.

Have you painted the walls yet?

Mint Grun? ;)

[The HACK]

Yeah, about 4 months ago. Just been semi-quiet about it online. I think I may have posted something about it here ONCE.

Have you painted the walls yet?

Mint Grun? ;)

The ceilings are about 20 foot high. NO f**kin' way I'm going to paint 20' tall walls by myself.

We decided to buy a whole bunch of 30" x 40" canvases and paint them various colors. So far I've collected about 6 canvasses that I've painted in a dark, navy like blue and a maroon color and hung them up in the hall ways and living rooms. I figure another dozen would complete the decor.

When I get enough fund in the home improvement piggy bank we'll just hire someone to pain the inside of the house in a light yellow or a very light and de-saturated orange. Right now is TOO white for my taste.

[The HACK]

i had no idea you were actually being stalked. sorry. bad joke.

Stalked? Not really. Don't worry about it.

If I am REALLY worried about stalkers I wouldn't have started the SoCalTechSessions.

[Rob]

Yeah, about 4 months ago. Just been semi-quiet about it online. I think I may have posted something about it here ONCE.

Have you painted the walls yet?

Mint Grun? ;)

The ceilings are about 20 foot high. NO f**kin' way I'm going to paint 20' tall walls by myself.

We decided to buy a whole bunch of 30" x 40" canvases and paint them various colors. So far I've collected about 6 canvasses that I've painted in a dark, navy like blue and a maroon color and hung them up in the hall ways and living rooms. I figure another dozen would complete the decor.

When I get enough fund in the home improvement piggy bank we'll just hire someone to pain the inside of the house in a light yellow or a very light and de-saturated orange. Right now is TOO white for my taste.

Did you ever get a compressor? I have a (very cheap) paint sprayer for the compressor if you ever decide to have a go on your own.

[The HACK]

By the way, I have a stinking suspicion about that supposed "memo" that someone posted on 'Fest about how certain 2000 Bright Red is a one stage paint and does not have clear coat.

There was a few scratches on the bumper from my wife's adventures on the freeway and parking lots of L.A. and I was able to spend some time with the orbital to buff out the scratches, using some Machine Polish 3 and a lot of patience and the random orbital on "6" setting. Guess what? Not a sign of red on the buffer, not a single fleck of red pigment anywhere to be found on either the buffing pad or the microfiber polish removing cloth. NOTHING. To have removed those scratches I would've had to buffed out SOME of the paint, so whatever it is that I buffed out it is CLEAR COAT.