Hey Mike: Got a "new car" article?

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glen e

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I looked thru your articles and did not see a important subject for many of us. I an taking delivery of a new BMW 2012 Z4 this Tuesday and wanted your opinion on what to do. I am going to do the baggie test and see if it needs clay. After that - an AIO (BF TPnS) and then Crystal Seal and poly spray.

But I think the dos and don'ts would make a good article!
 
glen e said:
I looked thru your articles and did not see a important subject for many of us. I an taking delivery of a new BMW 2012 Z4 this Tuesday and wanted your opinion on what to do. I am going to do the baggie test and see if it needs clay. After that - an AIO (BF TPnS) and then Crystal Seal and poly spray.

But I think the dos and don'ts would make a good article!
Click to expand...

Do yourself a favor and call your dealer right now and tell under no circumstances are they to remove any plastic/paper covering the car and they are not allowed to touch the paint at all.

NO WASHING. Seriously, dont let em touch it. They will no doubt be more than eager to give a DISO for free.
 
timaishu said:
Do yourself a favor and call your dealer right now and tell under no circumstances are they to remove any plastic/paper covering the car and they are not allowed to touch the paint at all.

NO WASHING. Seriously, dont let em touch it. They will no doubt be more than eager to give a DISO for free.
Click to expand...

Totally agree.
 
glen e said:
...taking delivery of a new BMW 2012 Z4 ... After that - an AIO (BF TPnS) and then Crystal Seal and poly spray.
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If it's new from the factory does this fall under the 90 day paint curing period?

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
 
_Raven said:
If it's new from the factory does this fall under the 90 day paint curing period?

Sent from my SPH-D700 using Tapatalk
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no...acc to bmw.....and dealer agrees to leave it alone - I have an "in" - I am retired corporate BMW of NA so I know the dealer will do as asked... they are great friends...
 
Thats good. Hopefully they actually listen.

Did you get the soft or hard top?
 
Am I thinking of the Z3 then? I know for a fact they do, or alteast used to have a soft top option.

Anyways, I was just curious as I think they are pretty ugly as soft tops but look very sexy and sleek as hard tops.
 
timaishu said:
Am I thinking of the Z3 then? I know for a fact they do, or alteast used to have a soft top option.

Anyways, I was just curious as I think they are pretty ugly as soft tops but look very sexy and sleek as hard tops.
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terrible soft top as a z3
z4 is very nice
 
Hello all,

I'm a first time poster and have looked and looked for similar articles but couldn't find one. So here it goes (with apologies to the OP for hijacking this thread):

Took delivery of a new BMW 328i hardtop convertible in Deep Sea Blue last month. Unfortunately I did not know enough about telling the dealer to not touch the car, so they did their thing :(.

The car is what would be considered in excellent condition with few (if any) swirls or imperfections and will be a daily driver that is kept outdoors in my driveway on Long Island. So I have a question that I need help with:

Should I polish the car at all after the first wash and clay? If yes, with what? If no, should I do anything else?

I am also planning to seal and wax the car, probably with Blackfire's Fire and Ice combination, but am considering other products. This isn't a show car but I want to keep it looking nice.

Thank you in advance,

KenR
 
glen e said:
I looked thru your articles and did not see a important subject for many of us. I an taking delivery of a new BMW 2012 Z4 this Tuesday and wanted your opinion on what to do. I am going to do the baggie test and see if it needs clay. After that - an AIO (BF TPnS) and then Crystal Seal and poly spray.

But I think the dos and don'ts would make a good article!
Click to expand...

Sorry I missed the Glen, must have posted it while I was offline with a project. Next time if you don't see me reply in a timely manner shoot me a PM with the link to your thread.

:xyxthumbs:

KenR said:
Hello all,

I'm a first time poster and have looked and looked for similar articles but couldn't find one. So here it goes (with apologies to the OP for hijacking this thread):

Took delivery of a new BMW 328i hardtop convertible in Deep Sea Blue last month. Unfortunately I did not know enough about telling the dealer to not touch the car, so they did their thing :(.
Click to expand...

Do you see swirls in the paint now? Like car wash swirls, or buffer swirls?



KenR said:
The car is what would be considered in excellent condition with few (if any) swirls or imperfections and will be a daily driver that is kept outdoors in my driveway on Long Island. So I have a question that I need help with:

Should I polish the car at all after the first wash and clay? If yes, with what? If no, should I do anything else?
Click to expand...

What you do is evaluate the finish and it's your evaluation that tells you what to do matching the current condition of the paint to your expectations and goals for the paint. Some people want a flawless show car finish some people don't care if the paint has swirls as long as it has a coat of protection, so your goals determine what you do to the paint after you determine what's wrong.


KenR said:
I am also planning to seal and wax the car, probably with Blackfire's Fire and Ice combination, but am considering other products. This isn't a show car but I want to keep it looking nice.

Thank you in advance,

KenR
Click to expand...

Get a copy of my book, it goes over everything you want and need to do..

Paperback





Do you own any type of polisher?


:)
 
Mike,

Thank you for your prompt response.

I only have a Ryobi 6" rotary (no laughs please :rolleyes:). And I plan on ordering your book. Will be able to give the car a detailed look see in a day or so to see if the swirls are really evident. Because it will be an everyday car and I can't spend hours every weekend, flawless would not be that practical for me. But the bottom line is that want the Bimmer to look better than wash, wax and forget. I have spent a decent amount of time in the past working on my cars to make them look good (have even gotten some playful comments from neighbors in the past about the amount of time spent on them). I just want to get it right with this car.

All the posts I have read since I joined have been great and are helping me a lot with my decisions. It's just that polishing thing that is stumping me.

P.S: Ooh! Just found your "Go with the Flow" flowchart. Now this should help too!
 
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
If you going to only use a rotary, read through these and get some Menzerna SF 4500 – Super Finish Polish


New Flex PE14 - How to use ONLY a rotary buffer to finish out hologram free?


Hologram Free with a Rotary Buffer

The 10 @ 10 technique for picking up a bead of product with a rotary buffer


Menzerna - New Names and Product Numbers


How to correctly fold and use a Microfiber Towel



:buffing:
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I shall look into it. I haven't ruled out a DA. It will all depend on if I need to polish the car. If I need something more than Dodo Juice Prime or Menzerna PO85RD then I will spring for a Griot.
 
KenR said:
I shall look into it. I haven't ruled out a DA. It will all depend on if I need to polish the car. If I need something more than Dodo Juice Prime or Menzerna PO85RD then I will spring for a Griot.
Click to expand...

Well, first wash and I detected a few minor swirl marks (emphasis on "minor"). I'm going to spring for a Griot and would like to use a Menzerna product probably followed by a Wolfgang sealant and then wax. If PO85RD is not available should I go to the Super Finish PO106FA or Micro Polish PO87MC? I am leaning towards the PO87MC. Is there any other product I should consider?

I will still wash and clay first.
 
KenR said:
Well, first wash and I detected a few minor swirl marks (emphasis on "minor"). I'm going to spring for a Griot and would like to use a Menzerna product probably followed by a Wolfgang sealant and then wax. If PO85RD is not available should I go to the Super Finish PO106FA or Micro Polish PO87MC? I am leaning towards the PO87MC. Is there any other product I should consider?

I will still wash and clay first.
Click to expand...

Oops. Looks like the PO87MC is out of stock. If 106FA is good for a new BMW then I'm set.
 
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