Oh. I should try that next time I wax my xB. Bunch of cracks to get wax in on it.

 

Thanks for the comments all. There were about 100 photos, but both my brother's camera and mine were having trouble focusing (stock lenses are crap)
As for taping, it's a pain in the butt, but you thank yourself after...

 

What camera were you using? I've got a D70s with the stock lens.

Btw, you do know the trick for manual focusing right? I learned this from my video background.

Set camera to manual focus. You frame your shot, then zoom all the way in on a distinct part of the car in the frame of your original framing. Manually focus till it's sharp. Then pull back wide to the original framing and the shot will be in focus. As long as the camera is tripod mounted or the camera position doesn't change, this technique works great. I know how difficult it is to focus on a reflective object.

Another thing to do is put a piece of tape or some other contrasty object on the car--focus on that, focus lock, remove that object, and take the picture.

Richard

 

Did I ever mention that I hate to tape? Well I do and I won't . Instead of buying $120 worth of blue tape and spending 15 hours taping, I'll avoid the cracks and rubber bits or get the toothbrush out with Wizard or use Q-Tips. I also found that the smaller 4" pad helps a lot when doing the boot area and the pillars & top of windshield on the convertible. Also the smaller pad makes the bonnet valleys and bumpers very easy.
Did I ever mention that I hate to tape? Well I do and I won't.

Brendan - even with the other cars, this is a great picture!

 

I can see taping before polishing with the PC - which I intend to do. But just for waxing.... nah. I can't even justify (for myself) using the PC to apply Epic on the MINI - the waxable area is SO SMALL.... especially the cabrio... seems like I'm getting good results with hand application and removal...

Now the Town and Country is another matter...

 

re: MINIMaybee and taping
I like taping! It's fun and well a roll of 1" tape will cost about $4 at Home Depot. A single roll will tape off 4 to 5 MINIs, so the amount of cost per MINI is relatively low.

For those going to AMVIV or the Dragon, I'll show you how I tape. =)

re: BlimeyCabrio

Keep in mind why you use the PC.

1.) Remove fine scratches and swirls
2.) Putting on an even thin layer of wax over the whole car
3.) Removing the wax without instilling any scratches---great for Jet Black paint.

Areas like the window pillars can be polished with the PC. The mirror caps too. The bumpers on my Jet Black MCS are always getting swirled.

Using a PC is not always about speed or amount of paint surface, it's about the benefits it offers and if those benefits aren't significant enough, then by all means, do it by hand.

 

Do you use the PC with M80 on the chrome boot handle, chromed plastic bumber strips, and chrome door handles and headlight trim?

 

I find that polishing chrome with M80 and the PC isn't all that effective.

 

should see if it dried :D