[Haywire]

First off, i think this is a wicked service youre providing and thank you very much for taking time out of your day to help us out

I have a piano key interior in my coupe, the other day i went to detail my car for the first time and realized there was a chip in the clear (that i didnt put there) its not extremely deep, you cant feel it all that well when you rub your finger over it, but if you were to run your nail past it, you would hear it clip a bit.

I was just curious, is there anything I could use to smooth that out, a light buffer solution, ANYTHING to get that thing out of my line of vision, or is it best for me to let a pro do something like this.

As of right now, i have done nothing more but try to rub it out with my finger, obviously its not working...or i wouldnt be here now LoL.

any tips on a possible fix, or am i pretty much screwed...thanks in advance.

Haywire.

[Saigon]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Many leather products do help enhance the leather scent or have some scent to it. I use Poorboy's Leather Stuff, which has a pleasant leather scent to it. Also, when I perform the complete Leatherique process it's more of a natural leather smell compared to an artificial leather smell from Poorboy's Leather Stuff. I've heard good things about the Zaino leather products as far as smell goes, but don't have any personal experience with them.

New car smell is actually your adhesives off gassing into your interior. There's not really anything you can do to maintain that part of your interior scent.

George

thanks!

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Haywire

First off, i think this is a wicked service youre providing and thank you very much for taking time out of your day to help us out

I have a piano key interior in my coupe, the other day i went to detail my car for the first time and realized there was a chip in the clear (that i didnt put there) its not extremely deep, you cant feel it all that well when you rub your finger over it, but if you were to run your nail past it, you would hear it clip a bit.

I was just curious, is there anything I could use to smooth that out, a light buffer solution, ANYTHING to get that thing out of my line of vision, or is it best for me to let a pro do something like this.

As of right now, i have done nothing more but try to rub it out with my finger, obviously its not working...or i wouldnt be here now LoL.

any tips on a possible fix, or am i pretty much screwed...thanks in advance.

Haywire.

Haywire, thanks for the post and kind words. Just to clarify, you're talking about the clear coat on your piano trim piece is scratched? I wouldn't advise going too aggressive trying to remove the scratch, it may cause more harm than good. If anything, try a mild polish, such as ScratchX, which can be found at any local store, and apply a little bit of elbow grease to it. Work in a tiny area and monitor your results before attempting to buff the entire scratch. If it's helping improve the scratch continue to apply more product and work it over the entire scratch. The problem with coated trim pieces is usually the coating isn't as thick as your paint's coating, so it's easy to wear right through it. It's tough to evaluate the situation 100% without actually seeing it. Good luck, keep us posted on how you make out. Thanks again for the kind words.

George

[Haywire]

its more of a chip than a scratch, i think im pretty much screwed but ill give your advice a shot. when you see the miniscule size of this chip, you would probably slap me across the face with a wet sham

thanx again,

Haywire.

[mjd]

George,

First, thanks all for the time you spend answering all these questions and making us all more informed about detailing.

A few more...

1) Based on your recommendation (and last year's Deatiled Image sale on the PC 7424 buffer) I finally was able to do my spring detail the buffer way. When it came to the sealant step (using Poorboy's EX-P) I was amazed how much product was left in the pad (Lake Country Blue) when it came to cleaning it out... seemed like quite a lot and quite a waste. Am I doing anything wrong or is this normal? Previous step was Menzerna FPII and buffer was set to speed 3 for the EX-P.

2) While the FPII worked great while the car was new, my waterless wash technique during the winter left quite a few swirls/very minor scratches (probably didn't move to new MF towel soon enough) that did not come out with the FPII. What would you recommend to precede the FPII? or should I be increasing the FPII pressure and the speed (used 5 setting)?

3) What do think of applying Natty's Blue with the buffer? I applied by hand but wonder if it's any more/less effective with the buffer? What speed and pad?

Again, thanks for answering questions (and setting me up with all the products I mentioned... btw, love PB's Spray & Wipe... great stuff with so many different uses).

[BayerischeMW]

do you plan on carrying Duragloss products? they're great (durability and price) for my daily driver which is parked outside all year round.

also, are you able to get the gallon sized products from Chemical Guys?

thanks!

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by mjd

George,

First, thanks all for the time you spend answering all these questions and making us all more informed about detailing.

A few more...

1) Based on your recommendation (and last year's Deatiled Image sale on the PC 7424 buffer) I finally was able to do my spring detail the buffer way. When it came to the sealant step (using Poorboy's EX-P) I was amazed how much product was left in the pad (Lake Country Blue) when it came to cleaning it out... seemed like quite a lot and quite a waste. Am I doing anything wrong or is this normal? Previous step was Menzerna FPII and buffer was set to speed 3 for the EX-P.

2) While the FPII worked great while the car was new, my waterless wash technique during the winter left quite a few swirls/very minor scratches (probably didn't move to new MF towel soon enough) that did not come out with the FPII. What would you recommend to precede the FPII? or should I be increasing the FPII pressure and the speed (used 5 setting)?

3) What do think of applying Natty's Blue with the buffer? I applied by hand but wonder if it's any more/less effective with the buffer? What speed and pad?

Again, thanks for answering questions (and setting me up with all the products I mentioned... btw, love PB's Spray & Wipe... great stuff with so many different uses).

Thanks for the kind words mjd, greatly appreciated.

1) Regarding the amount of EX-P that came out of you blue pad, how much product was used? I typically recommend using 1oz or less when you protect a mid sized car with some sealant. The easiest way I've found to monitor how much product you are using is to pour some sealant into a 2oz dispenser bottle. The spout on our 2oz dispenser bottles is significantly smaller than the PBW spout. I typically will use 3 tiny drops on the pad to cover a typical working area. It also allows you to accurately judge how much product was used for the coat of protection.

2) For the swirls and imperfections that remain on your paint, I'd first try upping the speed and pressure first to see if that improves your results. Also, shrink your working area and make more passes over each part of the paint. For example, if you were working in 2' x 2' area, try a 12" x 12" area instead. Move the buffer at 1" per second and apply ~15lbs of pressure to the head of the buffer (if it bogs down, back off until it doesn't). Try to pass over each part of the 12" x 12" area at least 6 - 8 times before moving onto the next area. If that isn't giving you better results, consider moving up to Menzerna Intensive Polish with an orange light cutting pad for some more bite.

3) Natty's Blue will be best applied when done by hand. Here's a great guide on how to get the most out of Natty's Blue Paste Wax.

Spray & Wipe is a great product, glad to see you've enjoyed it. If you have any other questions on anything, please do not hesitate to ask. Thanks again for your support even when the site was slow!

Originally Posted by BayerischeMW

do you plan on carrying Duragloss products? they're great (durability and price) for my daily driver which is parked outside all year round.

also, are you able to get the gallon sized products from Chemical Guys?

thanks!

No plans as of yet for Duragloss products. We already started stocking some gallons of CG products. As of now we got in Citrus Wash & Gloss and JetSeal109. As we figure out which CG products are in demand from our customers, we'll be adding more gallon sizes in the future. We're there any products in particular you were interested in? Hope all is well, great to hear from you!

George

[mjd]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

1) Regarding the amount of EX-P that came out of you blue pad, how much product was used? I typically recommend using 1oz or less when you protect a mid sized car with some sealant. I typically will use 3 tiny drops on the pad to cover a typical working area. It also allows you to accurately judge how much product was used for the coat of protection.

2) For the swirls and imperfections that remain on your paint, I'd first try upping the speed and pressure first to see if that improves your results. Also, shrink your working area and make more passes over each part of the paint.

3) Natty's Blue will be best applied when done by hand.

George

Thanks George... I was definitely using too much EX-P... probably close to 3oz which is approx. what I cleaned out of the pad at the end. Appreciate the guidance (and the pointers on the polish & wax steps) which I will implement next time around. I will certainly spend some more time reading the Detailed University forum on the DI website.

[BayerischeMW]

thanks for the swift reply George!

i'm especially looking for their Bare Bones undercarriage spray in gallon size. aside from that, i need a mild car soap that foams decently for weekly use - will CG Maxi Suds II fill these criterias? if so i'm interested in a gallon of that as well. i use Meguair's NXT soap now since it's available locally for a decent price, but i hear it's a bit strong and harsh on sealants/waxes, do you know anything about this?

i'm planning on placing an order soon with you soon for some products, but there is no rush for the Bare Bones as i'll be using it closer to the winter. i really need to think each order through thoroughly since shipping to me is pretty costly, hehe. i recommend you as an international vendor though, great to deal with both before and after and good shipping rates and packing. you rarely get contacted by a vendor months after your purchase with questions about how the products were etc.! for international customers, customer service is almost more important than prices..

thank you again, you've provided me with lots and lots of great info through the years!

[fidozoom]

Sorry to repost this - I did not see this sticky before I posted. Thanks in advance for your help and advice on this.

Recently during service at my dealership they managed to put a small chip in the paint. After much discussion they decided they will fix it. It is on the A Pillar right above the driver's head on the right side. It is very small but I have kept my car in great shape without any paint chips so I wanted to get this fixed.

My dealer wants to paint the full A-pillar and some part of the roof to fix this. Do you think that is excessive? The other option is to just touch it up but then it will stand out. Am I making it worse by getting a full paint job on the A-pillar. Please advice.

Here are some photos of the chip:

http://picasaweb.google.com/fidozoom/BMWPaintChip

Thanks in anticipation,
Balan

[arabbmw]

Hey George,

What happened is i Zainod my car using Z-aio and 2 layers of z-2 pro. I bought both bottles used from someone here on the forum. I used pretty much all the Z-2. The results were great. 5 days later someone hit my car and i have to get a new door new bumper and a lot of new paint. What do you reccomend i do? should i wash the car with dawn and strip everything off? should i redo just the parts that got redone? Also, what would be good to use over the Z-aio? i dont really want to spend anymore money on zaino and unless i can find it used again, i was thinking of using s100. Any tips and comments will help.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by BayerischeMW

thanks for the swift reply George!

i'm especially looking for their Bare Bones undercarriage spray in gallon size. aside from that, i need a mild car soap that foams decently for weekly use - will CG Maxi Suds II fill these criterias? if so i'm interested in a gallon of that as well. i use Meguair's NXT soap now since it's available locally for a decent price, but i hear it's a bit strong and harsh on sealants/waxes, do you know anything about this?

Unfortunately, I'm not too familiar with the NXT shampoo. I've heard good things about Maxi Suds II and plan on adding that to our Chemical Guys collection with our next order.

i'm planning on placing an order soon with you soon for some products, but there is no rush for the Bare Bones as i'll be using it closer to the winter. i really need to think each order through thoroughly since shipping to me is pretty costly, hehe. i recommend you as an international vendor though, great to deal with both before and after and good shipping rates and packing. you rarely get contacted by a vendor months after your purchase with questions about how the products were etc.! for international customers, customer service is almost more important than prices..

thank you again, you've provided me with lots and lots of great info through the years!

Thanks for the support and recommendations, greatly appreciated

Originally Posted by fidozoom

Sorry to repost this - I did not see this sticky before I posted. Thanks in advance for your help and advice on this.

Recently during service at my dealership they managed to put a small chip in the paint. After much discussion they decided they will fix it. It is on the A Pillar right above the driver's head on the right side. It is very small but I have kept my car in great shape without any paint chips so I wanted to get this fixed.

My dealer wants to paint the full A-pillar and some part of the roof to fix this. Do you think that is excessive? The other option is to just touch it up but then it will stand out. Am I making it worse by getting a full paint job on the A-pillar. Please advice.

Here are some photos of the chip:

http://picasaweb.google.com/fidozoom/BMWPaintChip

Thanks in anticipation,
Balan

Balan, it really depends on the reputability of the shop. I'd ask to see some of their work both on repaints and touch ups and make your decision based off of that. Sometimes shotty touch-ups can stand out more than the chip itself, but on the other hand, not matching the color on repainting the entire panel can be even worse. Personally, I'd probably opt for a quality touch up repair and try to make the best of it.

Originally Posted by arabbmw

Hey George,

What happened is i Zainod my car using Z-aio and 2 layers of z-2 pro. I bought both bottles used from someone here on the forum. I used pretty much all the Z-2. The results were great. 5 days later someone hit my car and i have to get a new door new bumper and a lot of new paint. What do you reccomend i do? should i wash the car with dawn and strip everything off? should i redo just the parts that got redone? Also, what would be good to use over the Z-aio? i dont really want to spend anymore money on zaino and unless i can find it used again, i was thinking of using s100. Any tips and comments will help.

If you're redoing the repainted areas, you have to give it 90 - 120 days time to cure before covering it with a sealant or wax. If you don't allow the paint to cure properly, you risk damaging the finish. I'd wait to detail the car again until the cure time has passed. You can use a wax over Z-AIO, but keep in mind it certainly will not be as durable as the Z-2 on the other parts of the car. S100 is a great wax that you can pick up locally at many bike shops.

Sorry for the delayed replies guys.

George

[arabbmw]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Thanks for the support and recommendations, greatly appreciated



Balan, it really depends on the reputability of the shop. I'd ask to see some of their work both on repaints and touch ups and make your decision based off of that. Sometimes shotty touch-ups can stand out more than the chip itself, but on the other hand, not matching the color on repainting the entire panel can be even worse. Personally, I'd probably opt for a quality touch up repair and try to make the best of it.



If you're redoing the repainted areas, you have to give it 90 - 120 days time to cure before covering it with a sealant or wax. If you don't allow the paint to cure properly, you risk damaging the finish. I'd wait to detail the car again until the cure time has passed. You can use a wax over Z-AIO, but keep in mind it certainly will not be as durable as the Z-2 on the other parts of the car. S100 is a great wax that you can pick up locally at many bike shops.

Sorry for the delayed replies guys.

George

Thanks a lot for the reply, ill wait on doing anything but..

Will washing the car be ok? I use either Megs Nxt wash or Megs gold class. Do i have to worry about anything?

[OtherAggie]

Hey George! Got my latest order today - that was fast! Your service rocks. Thanks for the extra sprayer!

In your opinion, what's the best way to clean & shine the wood trim in my e90?

How many times can I seal my car with a 16oz bottle of JetSeal?

Thanks in advance!!

[Pike]

Hi George, I've had the full arsenal of Griots products for years now, but am looking to move to a syntheic sealant, now that I'm valuing durability over all else (I live in NM now and the elements here are pretty harsh).

I'm looking for suggestions on the products I'll need to buy that I probably don't already have (obviously the sealant, but also certain finishing polishes, cleaners, detailing sprays, etc?).

Currently, I have a RO polisher, umpteen griots polishing and waxing pads, plenty of microfiber polish and wax removal cloths, waffle drying cloths, griots clay, wheel cleaner, griots car wash, 3M adhesive remover, griots 1/2/3 fine to coarse polishes, griots wax, detailing spray, and a few other odds and ends.

In terms of making the switch to a synthetic sealant, what will I need that I don't have? I want to make sure I get the right products to be compatible with the sealant.

Thanks,
David

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by arabbmw

Thanks a lot for the reply, ill wait on doing anything but..

Will washing the car be ok? I use either Megs Nxt wash or Megs gold class. Do i have to worry about anything?

Yep, you can always wash your car even after a repaint. You should have nothing to worry about.

Originally Posted by OtherAggie

Hey George! Got my latest order today - that was fast! Your service rocks. Thanks for the extra sprayer!

In your opinion, what's the best way to clean & shine the wood trim in my e90?

How many times can I seal my car with a 16oz bottle of JetSeal?

Thanks in advance!!

Thanks for the positive feedback.

Your wood trim has a coating over it. If you really want to get the trim looking shiny, give it a wipe down with a quick detailer and a microfiber towel and apply a very thin coat of the Jet Seal on it. This will give it some added gloss.

I typically use about 1oz of product for a mid sized vehicle. If you use about the same as me, should last your about 16 applications. I pour my products in a 2oz dispenser bottle so I can accurately monitor how much product I'm using and with the smaller spout have more control of the amount used.

Hope this helps, thanks again for your support.

Originally Posted by Pike

Hi George, I've had the full arsenal of Griots products for years now, but am looking to move to a syntheic sealant, now that I'm valuing durability over all else (I live in NM now and the elements here are pretty harsh).

I'm looking for suggestions on the products I'll need to buy that I probably don't already have (obviously the sealant, but also certain finishing polishes, cleaners, detailing sprays, etc?).

Currently, I have a RO polisher, umpteen griots polishing and waxing pads, plenty of microfiber polish and wax removal cloths, waffle drying cloths, griots clay, wheel cleaner, griots car wash, 3M adhesive remover, griots 1/2/3 fine to coarse polishes, griots wax, detailing spray, and a few other odds and ends.

In terms of making the switch to a synthetic sealant, what will I need that I don't have? I want to make sure I get the right products to be compatible with the sealant.

Thanks,
David

David,

Thanks for the post. To make the switch to using a synthetic sealant, the short and sweet answer is you really only need to buy the sealant. You can certainly still use the same clay and polishes you are using if you are happy with them. What I would suggest to you though is before applying the sealant, give your car a wipe down with an Isopropyl Alcohol & Water (50/50) mixture. This will remove any oils that may have been left behind with the polishes that could potentially hinder the bonding process of the sealant.

There are many good sealants out there to choose from, a very popular one amongst the e90 crowd is Chemical Guys Jet Seal 109. This is very easy to apply and remove, great durability and the finish looks stunning on any colored paint.

You can opt to top Jet Seal with the Griot's wax or another carnauba wax if desired. This can enhance the finish as well as adds another layer of protection. As the wax protection diminishes, the sealant will be left behind to protect your paint. If you go this route, reapply your wax on top roughly once a month.

If you end with the sealant, and you're looking for a product to maintain your sealant with after maintenance washes, consider picking up some Chemical Guys Blitz. This is designed to work specifically over a sealant, such as Jet Seal, and will enhance the depth and gloss of the paint.

If you have any other questions on anything or would like some product recommendations to replace some of your Griot's products, please do not hesitate to ask.

Keep us posted on how things turn out for you.

George

[BayerischeMW]

i placed an order on your page a few days ago, hope you'll ship it soon - i really need that foam gun

is P21s Total Auto Wash identical to S100 Total Cycle Cleaner?

thanks!

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by BayerischeMW

i placed an order on your page a few days ago, hope you'll ship it soon - i really need that foam gun

is P21s Total Auto Wash identical to S100 Total Cycle Cleaner?

thanks!

I saw the order come through, thanks again for your continued support. The order has already shipped and is on it's way out to you. Regarding the Total Auto Wash and Total Cycle Cleaner, I know the P21S and S100 lines mirror each other, but I don't know for sure if it's the exact formulation or not.

Thanks again.

George

[Haywire]

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146590

sorry for the poor quality.

[SpecC]

Hey George... did a full detail on my car with a fine grade clay bar and 106POFF and a white pad at 1100 RPM. i taped up the trim in that area, so I couldn't really get to that piece. I clayed most of it off and the glass part was easy with a razor blade. Do you have any other suggestions on how I can take that off? Right now, I don't think it looks good for my paint...

thanks in advance, George!

[Neurorad]

Originally Posted by SpecC

Hey George... did a full detail on my car with a fine grade clay bar and 106POFF and a white pad at 1100 RPM. i taped up the trim in that area, so I couldn't really get to that piece. I clayed most of it off and the glass part was easy with a razor blade. Do you have any other suggestions on how I can take that off? Right now, I don't think it looks good for my paint...

thanks in advance, George!

What the heck is that?

George, I use Pinnacle Leather Cleaner & Conditioner (single product). I tried the separate cleaner and conditioners, but this seems to work just as well. Do you sell a similar 1-step product?

Also, +1 on Duragloss products - big fan of the 901. You should reconsider carrying them.

[BayerischeMW]

thanks George! hehe, i see i should've waited a little before ordering the Gilmour and gotten the free CWG

*anxiously awaiting the Gilmour*