[kickingcpass]

I picked up a CPO 2017 330xi almost 2 years ago. I paid a little more for the Imperial Blue over Caramel leather unit instead of silver/white/gray over black.

I've now got some swirl marks and the paint just doesn't have a deep gloss to it anymore. I used the Turtle Wax Black Box system on my ex's Range Rover to great effect - looked brand new.

Has anyone tried any of the colored waxes or polishes? I'm a DIY guy and just don't want to send this out to be corrected if I can do it myself.

Thanks!

[Billfitz]

DIY correction isn't difficult at all, just time consuming. I use Menzerna 400 compound with a rotary buffer, then 2500 and 3500 polishes with a dual action, topping it off with Jescar Power Lock.

[Desertnate]

Depending on the condition of the paint, you may not need anything as aggressive as Menz's 400.

Agree a good polishing is in order and you can do it yourself with a little investment in tools, pads and a some polishing liquids.

I use a dual action polisher (these days a Giots Garage G15). As for polishes I've been successful using Wolfgang's Swirl remover on a polishing pad, Blackfire Compound (a milder compound compared to Menz 400) on a polishing pad, and a few lighter polishes on a cutting pad with good results in one step. I recently tried Griots BOSS line of polishes and have found them to be outstanding. For pads, I've been happy with Lake Country's offerings.

Here's the first heavy polishing I had to do with my car when I brought it home from the dealer. It was in pretty rough shape and I'm certain the previous owner only ran it through the automated car washes. https://thecargeek.net/full-detailing-a-2016-bmw-435i/

[kickingcpass]

I appreciate the recommendations and the detailed blog post about your process. I'm always cautious about using polish isn't compounds on clear coat paint even though I know they're clear coat safe. The issues that afflict my paint are almost identical to yours, the prior owner took great care of the car but I'm pretty sure only ever ran it through automated non touchless car washes.

Now I just need to pick a day before winter sets in and get to work.

[Billfitz]

Menzerna 400 is usually necessary the first time you do the job, especially if the finish has deteriorated. After that if you do it yearly 2500 and 3500 is sufficient to keep it looking good.

[Newman1]

If you’ve never paint corrected, a dual action polisher will be the safer tool to start. Test a panel using the least aggressive polish and pad to give you the results you want, then proceed from there. But unless you learn the proper wash and maintenance methods, your paint will go back to being swirled and dull. For all of our vehicles, I do an initial paint correction and coating, then maintain it properly so I don’t have to polish it annually. Each time you polish, you’re effectively leveling the clear coat around the swirls to make them less visible, and your clear coat from the factory is generally the thickness of a 3M post-it note from new. You shouldn’t need to polish that frequently unless you’re not properly washing and drying the rest of the year, and possibly risking clear coat failure each time you polish and remove more clear.