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Subject: It was a ton of work, but worth it...polished woodgrain on center console Author: stygian7 : member since September, 2004 : 1533 posts Posted on: 2005-03-20 01:16:02

Here are the before photos:







I used 3M Swirl Mark Remover. This is what Zaino suggests on their website for scratches that their z5 won't take care of. Mine had some pretty deep scratches, but I once used a rubbing compound on my father's e65 that was to heavy and spent hours repairing the damage. For that reason, I didn't use a heavier cut compound, though it probably would have saved me some effort.



Here are the after photos. You can see what a difference this made. I can see my cat's scratch post and read my t-shirt in the reflection.




The job took me about 2 hours of actual work time. More like three if you count all the time spent getting fresh beers off the porch. I finished off the job with a coat of zymol (I sent my zaino to my father and haven't had a chance to re-order since). I will treat it with Zaino when I get around to ordering. Since it has a clearcoat, I figure I can protect it the same way I would the rest of my car's finish. Now I'll just have to be carefull not to ever touch it.
-Kevin

• It was a ton of work, but worth it...polished woodgrain on center console (pic) - stygian7 2005-03-20 01:16:02 (20221 views)
  • I tried it with this stuff too! WORKS GREAT!!! (nt) - tornnight 2005-04-14 22:21:16 (1759 views)
  • Re: It was a ton of work, but worth it...polished woodgrain on center console - Rich 2005-03-21 08:27:42 (1485 views)
    • 3M Swirl Mark Remover and Hand Glaze (pic) - Rich 2005-03-21 08:59:54 (2936 views)
  • Re: It was a ton of work, but worth it...polished woodgrain on center console - beemer7 2005-03-20 19:01:36 (1101 views)
  • BTW, avoid paper towels and windex on your wood trim - imolatony 2005-03-20 14:52:24 (1108 views)
  • Re: It was a ton of work, but worth it...polished woodgrain on center console - olson 2005-03-20 13:15:30 (863 views)
    • e38.org link to disassembly (url) - stygian7 2005-03-20 22:42:56 (981 views)
  • I wax mine about once every 2 months or so. You don't have to remove - Gary 2005-03-20 12:01:16 (1637 views)
  • Where did you buy the 3M products at? (nt) - dwightf 2005-03-20 09:15:30 (1039 views)
    • PepBoys has them (nt) - zigor911 2005-03-20 13:23:45 (913 views)
  • There is no danger you will fade off all the protective coat ? (nt) - brosen 2005-03-20 08:47:00 (968 views)
    • I bought the 3M at the local Murray's Auto. Any auto parts store should have - stygian7 2005-03-20 13:01:08 (865 views)
  • That looks great! Follow up question on the 3M product (pic) - M.Wong 2005-03-20 01:38:17 (1610 views)
    • 3M products are the raw material of other name wax and polishes (nt) - Claudio 2005-03-20 19:52:27 (1007 views)
    • Thanks for the feedback Kevin and David! (nt) - M.Wong 2005-03-20 15:11:49 (656 views)
    • I've used the 3M Imperial Hand Glaze on the wood trim and it works very well - davidc 2005-03-20 14:14:03 (1070 views)
    • The Swirl Mark remove is inbetween FCut and IHG - CG 2005-03-20 02:10:16 (1034 views)
      • Hey CG, we need to talk, My car is in need of some - itsstock 2005-03-20 02:14:50 (716 views)
        • Excellent job! The before & after pics really show how - sealbeach740 2005-03-20 11:06:53 (732 views)
          • This, of course, belongs under stygian's original post...! (nt) - sealbeach740 2005-03-20 18:43:42 (649 views)
            • It's funny to hear someone call me Stygian...that's my childhood cat's name. He - stygian7 2005-03-20 22:46:34 (525 views)
              • 22 years! He (she) must have been a well cared for indoor cat. (nt) - sealbeach740 2005-03-20 23:13:11 (596 views)
                • Ironically, he ate cat chow and came & went as he pleased. Loved to decapitate - stygian7 2005-03-21 02:41:14 (585 views)
        • Sounds good, as I need some help with brakes - CG 2005-03-20 02:24:59 (563 views)
          • Craig, Noubar - count me in if I can help! I love the DIY stuff!! (nt) - sealbeach740 2005-03-20 23:14:04 (529 views)
    • Sorry, I don't know how the different products compare. I just put my faith in - stygian7 2005-03-20 02:01:32 (623 views)
  • Very nice results! (nt) - davidc 2005-03-20 01:32:59 (597 views)
  • How aggressive is the 3m compound you used? I have scratch's - itsstock 2005-03-20 01:23:04 (884 views)
    • It's pretty light. I just did the 3M and then the zymol. The zymol didn't - stygian7 2005-03-20 02:04:59 (936 views)
      • Re: It's pretty light. I just did the 3M and then the zymol. The zymol didn't (nt) - pdef1949 2005-04-15 05:07:13 (838 views)
  • forgot to mention that I used a sharpie to fill in the black on the ashtray - stygian7 2005-03-20 01:18:24 (882 views)