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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs > Ask a Professional Detailer...



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      03-20-2012, 10:55 AM   #1563
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DSB335d View Post
My apologies if this has been addressed already.

Anyway I have a couple spots (bird crap) on my '11 335d. I hand wash it once a week and noticed a couple spots where the paint is slightly hazy where bird crap had been on the car. I picked up a med grit clay bar (clay magic) and also the recommend clay lube (49 body shine). I was very liberal with the spray as I used the clay bar on the 2 spots.( this is after I hand washed the car)

It left some very fine scratches where I used the clay bar.

How do I go about properly removing these fine scratches?

Thanks for any help.
Jason
medium leaves marring on my car too. is yours jet black by any chance?
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      03-20-2012, 05:39 PM   #1564
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Deep sea blue. How do you remove the marring?
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      03-20-2012, 11:48 PM   #1565
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either use a less aggressive clay or you'll have to use a light polish every time.

i only clay when i intend on polishing, so it's not a biggie for me.
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      03-21-2012, 01:30 AM   #1566
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Greg, I recently got my car vandalized and my lights also got keyed. They are not so deep but enough to notice. How can i remove these? Please help. Thank you.
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      03-22-2012, 10:07 AM   #1567
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DSB335d View Post
My apologies if this has been addressed already.

Anyway I have a couple spots (bird crap) on my '11 335d. I hand wash it once a week and noticed a couple spots where the paint is slightly hazy where bird crap had been on the car. I picked up a med grit clay bar (clay magic) and also the recommend clay lube (49 body shine). I was very liberal with the spray as I used the clay bar on the 2 spots.( this is after I hand washed the car)

It left some very fine scratches where I used the clay bar.

How do I go about properly removing these fine scratches?

Thanks for any help.
Jason
Jason,

Sorry to hear about the bird droppings. In general I only recommend the fine grade bar combined with a wash for these situations. A medium grade bar is more commonly used for excessive tar, paint overspray, etc., because they are prone to marring the paint. To remove any ultra fine scratches or etches from bird droppings I would use the same polishing process. Start off with a light polish and use a more aggressive one as needed. So I'd suggest starting with the Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205 and moving up to the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105 as needed. After the surface is clean apply a few small drops on a foam applicator and buff it on with medium arm pressure or use a buffer ideally. As soon as you are done you can wipe away the polish with a clean microfiber towel and inspect the results. If it's not enough move up to the M105 with medium to firm pressure in a circular arm motion. That should take care of the marks if not a buffer will need to be used with these same polishes before moving up to a wet sanding but hopefully neither is necessary. Good luck!

Greg @ DI
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      03-22-2012, 10:14 AM   #1568
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mr.e90 View Post
Greg, I recently got my car vandalized and my lights also got keyed. They are not so deep but enough to notice. How can i remove these? Please help. Thank you.
Very sorry to hear it, that is really terrible. If you can easily feel the marks with your finger they may be too deep to be buffed out and a body shop may be needed. If they are not too deep my recommendation is basically identical to the above post.

"So I'd suggest starting with the Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205 and moving up to the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105 as needed. After the surface is clean apply a few small drops on a foam applicator and buff it on with medium arm pressure or use a buffer ideally. As soon as you are done you can wipe away the polish with a clean microfiber towel and inspect the results. If it's not enough move up to the M105 with medium to firm pressure in a circular arm motion. That should take care of the marks if not a buffer will need to be used with these same polishes before moving up to a wet sanding but hopefully neither is necessary."

For the headlights the process is basically the same. Check out these articles if you want to see it more in depth.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...s-on-a-budget/
http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...ation-process/

I hope this info helps and I hope you somehow catch these vandals. Maybe pick up one of those motion sensitive night cameras that hunters use. Take care!

Greg @ DI
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      03-26-2012, 12:27 PM   #1569
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Hi Greg - getting ready to do the first full detail on my E91 this weekend. As you recommended, will be sealing with the Blackfire Wet Diamond, and then want to try a coat of Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax (Blue) on top. I want to apply the wax with the PC 7427 XP, and I have the black (AKA grey) LC pads. Can you advise on the following, please?

What's the best way to get the paste wax onto the pad, and how much should be used per panel?

What speed should the PC be set to?

How much hand pressure on the PC should be used?

Any other tips for a waxing newb would be helpful. Thanks!
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      03-28-2012, 07:27 AM   #1570
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Hi Greg,

Quick question, how should one store their clay bar to keep it like new and prevent it from drying up?
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      03-28-2012, 09:19 AM   #1571
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Hi Greg,

Quick question, how should one store their clay bar to keep it like new and prevent it from drying up?
I store mine in a zip-lock bag and that seems to keep the clay fresh.
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      03-28-2012, 10:09 PM   #1572
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zanth119 View Post
Hi Greg - getting ready to do the first full detail on my E91 this weekend. As you recommended, will be sealing with the Blackfire Wet Diamond, and then want to try a coat of Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax (Blue) on top. I want to apply the wax with the PC 7427 XP, and I have the black (AKA grey) LC pads. Can you advise on the following, please?

What's the best way to get the paste wax onto the pad, and how much should be used per panel?

What speed should the PC be set to?

How much hand pressure on the PC should be used?

Any other tips for a waxing newb would be helpful. Thanks!
I would suggest a black or blue pad to apply the BFWD. In general paste waxes like the Natty's Blue Paste Wax are meant to be applied by hand. You could try to spread a bit of the wax on the face of the pad I feel you'll waste a lot of time and product. Instead I would just simply recommend applying it by hand or pick up the Poorboy's World Liquid Natty's Blue Wax instead. This liquid wax can be applied by hand or with a buffer and a blue or black pad.

In general I apply sealants and liquid waxes at speed three. No pressure is needed for these products, polishing is the step that requires some pressure. Your goal is to evenly apply a nice thin coating.

If you need more tips don't hesitate to ask questions or check out our detailing guide and our Ask a Pro Blog. Hope this helps!

Greg @ DI
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      03-28-2012, 10:14 PM   #1573
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nitehawk View Post
Hi Greg,

Quick question, how should one store their clay bar to keep it like new and prevent it from drying up?
Store the clay bar in an air tight container like this one - DI Accessories Clay Bar Storage Container. Before sealing it spray the bar with some clay lube and then store it out of direct sun at room temperature. It should be fine if you follow this basic precaution. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI
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      03-29-2012, 12:05 AM   #1574
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What's the best cleaning/conditioning product for Fox Red leather currently in the market?
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      03-29-2012, 09:42 AM   #1575
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Greg,
Great info and thanks.
I just took delivery of a 328i demo. the interior plastic had a couple of spots where the black plastic, had some white "scrape marks" on them. (like what gets on the door sill shoes marks) I tried some interior cleaner I had laying around. Didn't work. What can I use to restore the black in the plastic?

thanks
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      03-31-2012, 07:20 AM   #1576
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Detailed Image View Post
I would suggest a black or blue pad to apply the BFWD. In general paste waxes like the Natty's Blue Paste Wax are meant to be applied by hand. You could try to spread a bit of the wax on the face of the pad I feel you'll waste a lot of time and product. Instead I would just simply recommend applying it by hand or pick up the Poorboy's World Liquid Natty's Blue Wax instead. This liquid wax can be applied by hand or with a buffer and a blue or black pad.

In general I apply sealants and liquid waxes at speed three. No pressure is needed for these products, polishing is the step that requires some pressure. Your goal is to evenly apply a nice thin coating.

If you need more tips don't hesitate to ask questions or check out our detailing guide and our Ask a Pro Blog. Hope this helps!

Greg @ DI
Cool, thanks Greg, weather isn't cooperating this weekend, but I'll post up pix when I get her shined up, really appreciate all the advice. Also, thanks for the info on the training, should you guys ever offer in the future keep us posted...
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      04-01-2012, 03:58 PM   #1577
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What's the best cleaning/conditioning product for Fox Red leather currently in the market?
I personally recommend the Leatherique Prestine Clean and Leatherique Rejuvenator Oil combo. It does a great job of cleaning and conditioning the leather. Use some extra product on older seats and use a bit less to maintain newer seats. Check out this step by step guide if interested in learning more with before and after pics - http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...r-care-how-to/. I hope this helps and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

Greg @ DI
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      04-01-2012, 03:59 PM   #1578
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zanth119 View Post
Cool, thanks Greg, weather isn't cooperating this weekend, but I'll post up pix when I get her shined up, really appreciate all the advice. Also, thanks for the info on the training, should you guys ever offer in the future keep us posted...
Glad to help and when the weather gets better we hope to hear about your results.

Greg @ DI
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      04-04-2012, 06:19 AM   #1579
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Great thread thanks for the help !

I have a 2006 e90 with black Dakota leather. It is my daily driver and have alot of oil build up on the seat. My rear seats are extremely dry and seem to throw off a slight white. How can I take care of this ?
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      04-06-2012, 11:10 AM   #1580
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scuff gloss black grille

This is a whitish paint scuff/scratch on plastic gloss black grille. superficial. caused by some part of a bicycle landing on my car.

Any detailed image products for this issue?
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      04-06-2012, 11:42 AM   #1581
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From the photos that looks like it went through the paint coat and is showing the primer.....

Have you tried to hand rub the area with a polish to see how it reacts?

Plastic will react differently that paint so go easy as its super easy to twist the paint on platic parts, the edges of the grills are also super thin with paint, so watch them.

I would suggest 105 by hand to see, what polishes do you have?

Cheers,
GREG NICHOLS
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      04-06-2012, 03:29 PM   #1582
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg Nichols View Post
From the photos that looks like it went through the paint coat and is showing the primer.....

Have you tried to hand rub the area with a polish to see how it reacts?

Plastic will react differently that paint so go easy as its super easy to twist the paint on platic parts, the edges of the grills are also super thin with paint, so watch them.

I would suggest 105 by hand to see, what polishes do you have?

Cheers,
GREG NICHOLS

I have not tried/own any polishes. only car wash and elbow grease.

by "105" , you mean meguiars 105 polish?

thanks for the assist
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      04-06-2012, 03:30 PM   #1583
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Originally Posted by rogerdiaz View Post
I have not tried/own any polishes. only car wash and elbow grease.

by "105" , you mean meguiars 105 polish?

thanks for the assist
yes, sorry for the jargon.

What polishes do you have right now? Lets try them first.

GREG
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      04-07-2012, 03:55 PM   #1584
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So I finally found this page and it has tons of useful info...thanks.
http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/
I did have one question so far, why the different recommendations for sealant depending on the application? Is the BFWD, not a good idea if applying by hand? I've got lots if reading to do and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.
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