[Zen_Bodhi]

Hi Greg

First post on this forum and really a newbie at car care.

I have a 330Ci that I mangled the paint on a few years back with some bad (stupid) washing and waxing.

Today I just took delivery of a 2006 M3 with 25k miles and I don't want to repeat the same mistakes as I did with the 330Ci.

I am never going to be a fanatic about washing / waxing my car but I would like it to look nice. I would pay a good detailer in my area (Pittsburgh) to do it for me every now and again but I don't know of any.

Questions.....

1. Do you (or does anyone else) know of a reputable place in Pittsburgh PA where I can take my car for detailing?

2. What basic things do I need need to do this stuff myself. I would pick most of it up on your site so PM me if you don't feel comfortable sending me direct links to this post.

I already have a cleaning mitt and bucket, I assume I need another bucket for rinse and a grit guard. What else? Car shampoo, leather cleaner, window cleaner etc? Do you have a basic kit of products on your site or maybe some other site that you would recommend?

3. I have had (and washed obviously) plenty of cars in my days but never one that I cared about like this car. Could you give me a few pointers, tips, steps that most "normal" people miss or mess up when taking care of a car's interior and exterior? By normal I mean, people (like me) who don't put a lot of time into this stuff as a profession or regular hobby. I would like to go up one level from the average person on the street washing their mini-van but not to the level of a pro.

Thanks for your help. While I have not read every post on this thread the pages and pages that I have read have been very helpful!!


Mike

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by woodpecka

Hi Greg,

I got my first buffer, a PC 7424 with a set of 6" LC pads. Should I worry to use bigger pads than the one mention into your post?

Also, I just got from you the Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II. Is it too aggressive if I want to keep my wax and sealant? (i.e. washing the car between 2 detailing)

thanks

Eric

Eric,

Congrats on the new PC I'm sure you'll love it. You'll get great results with the 6.5" pads so no worries there. The Maxi Suds II does not strip off any sealant or wax so it's a great maintenance shampoo. If you have any other questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Zen_Bodhi

Hi Greg

First post on this forum and really a newbie at car care.

I have a 330Ci that I mangled the paint on a few years back with some bad (stupid) washing and waxing.

Today I just took delivery of a 2006 M3 with 25k miles and I don't want to repeat the same mistakes as I did with the 330Ci.

I am never going to be a fanatic about washing / waxing my car but I would like it to look nice. I would pay a good detailer in my area (Pittsburgh) to do it for me every now and again but I don't know of any.

Questions.....

1. Do you (or does anyone else) know of a reputable place in Pittsburgh PA where I can take my car for detailing?

2. What basic things do I need need to do this stuff myself. I would pick most of it up on your site so PM me if you don't feel comfortable sending me direct links to this post.

I already have a cleaning mitt and bucket, I assume I need another bucket for rinse and a grit guard. What else? Car shampoo, leather cleaner, window cleaner etc? Do you have a basic kit of products on your site or maybe some other site that you would recommend?

3. I have had (and washed obviously) plenty of cars in my days but never one that I cared about like this car. Could you give me a few pointers, tips, steps that most "normal" people miss or mess up when taking care of a car's interior and exterior? By normal I mean, people (like me) who don't put a lot of time into this stuff as a profession or regular hobby. I would like to go up one level from the average person on the street washing their mini-van but not to the level of a pro.

Thanks for your help. While I have not read every post on this thread the pages and pages that I have read have been very helpful!!


Mike

Mike,

Congrats on the new M3 I'd be happy to help you care for it. Unfortunately I don't know anyone in the Pitt, PA area who is top notch, but I can help you with your own work. I understand you don't want to spend all day detailing but you'd like to get maximum results from the time you can invest. I'll outline a process that is quick but highly effective.

Wash/Dry
Washing and drying is where a lot of swirls can come from so it's important to use good technique with quality products. The detailing guide washing and drying section is a great place to help you improve your results. I'd recommend getting DI Packages Washing and Drying Starter Package or just individually pick up the items you need listed in this kit if you already have some.

Protection
After washing you'll want to protect the paint and since you seemingly don't want a long process let's use an AIO product, which essentially cleans, shines and protects all in one step. The Klasse All In One (AIO) is a great product that will help you get great results in less time. You only need about one ounce per coat so don't go overboard with product. Pour a few small drops on your CLEAN Lake Country Red Foam Applicator Pad (or any foam app) and buff it on with light to medium pressure. Wait at least 15 minutes and then hand remove the excess with a CLEAN DI Microfiber All Purpose Towel (get at least two of them). When you are done the paint should be shinny and well protected for months to come. If you can repeat this process every 3 - 4 months that would be great. You can also use this product on the headlights, glass and wheels for protection.

Interior
We have a great package deals on some products that will help you care for the entire interior safely and effectively. Check out the DI Packages Interior Starter Kit and let me know if you have any questions, it should be exactly what you need.

Let me know if you have any questions I'm happy to help!

Greg @ DI

[NJ Krish]

Hello Greg,

Another newbie here with auto care =].

I just recently purchased a beautiful BMW 328xi Coupe Jet black with Coral red interior. The outside has A lot of noticeable swirl marks but not as bad.
The interior is pretty good looking. I have this small/big spot on one of the red seats. Its hard to describe it and doesn't come up correctly on pictures. It does not look like a stain but more of a faded color from the original color. I tried to use Zaino Z-9 Cleaner with the soft tip brush. But nothing would budge and its still there with some faded marks around it. Could that be something wrong with the dye of the seat itself and would I need professional detailing? I will try to get a picture of it in bright sun to see if it will be captured. Thanks for all your help! Also would you happen to know any detailers in the Central NJ area?

-Krish

Here is the picture, taken when it was not very bright made it easier to capture.

[woodpecka]

Originally Posted by Njzkrish

Hello Greg,

Another newbie here with auto care =].

I just recently purchased a beautiful BMW 328xi Coupe Jet black with Coral red interior. The outside has A lot of noticeable swirl marks but not as bad.
The interior is pretty good looking. I have this small/big spot on one of the red seats. Its hard to describe it and doesn't come up correctly on pictures. It does not look like a stain but more of a faded color from the original color. I tried to use Zaino Z-9 Cleaner with the soft tip brush. But nothing would budge and its still there with some faded marks around it. Could that be something wrong with the dye of the seat itself and would I need professional detailing? I will try to get a picture of it in bright sun to see if it will be captured. Thanks for all your help! Also would you happen to know any detailers in the Central NJ area?

-Krish

Here is the picture, taken when it was not very bright made it easier to capture.

If cleaning doesn't work, you can redye..

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Njzkrish

Hello Greg,

Another newbie here with auto care =].

I just recently purchased a beautiful BMW 328xi Coupe Jet black with Coral red interior. The outside has A lot of noticeable swirl marks but not as bad.
The interior is pretty good looking. I have this small/big spot on one of the red seats. Its hard to describe it and doesn't come up correctly on pictures. It does not look like a stain but more of a faded color from the original color. I tried to use Zaino Z-9 Cleaner with the soft tip brush. But nothing would budge and its still there with some faded marks around it. Could that be something wrong with the dye of the seat itself and would I need professional detailing? I will try to get a picture of it in bright sun to see if it will be captured. Thanks for all your help! Also would you happen to know any detailers in the Central NJ area?

-Krish

Here is the picture, taken when it was not very bright made it easier to capture.

Just to update the community Krish and I exchanged a few e-mails and in short I recommended he contact Leatherique directly. George from Leatherique stated "It looks like you may have sprayed some window cleaner or something with harsh ingredients in it and it caused discoloration of your surface. The discoloration does not look like anything you can clean out. I would suggest a small Coral dye and prepping agent to correct the color." Hopefully this helps anyone else who was curious.

Greg @ DI

[woodpecka]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Just to update the community Krish and I exchanged a few e-mails and in short I recommended he contact Leatherique directly. George from Leatherique stated "It looks like you may have sprayed some window cleaner or something with harsh ingredients in it and it caused discoloration of your surface. The discoloration does not look like anything you can clean out. I would suggest a small Coral dye and prepping agent to correct the color." Hopefully this helps anyone else who was curious.

Greg @ DI

I used this dye in the past, very powerful and precise in term of BMW colors.

http://www.dynamixdyes.com/

[AC Schvantzer]

Hi Greg,

First of all I just wanted to thank you for the wealth of information in this thread. As a newcomer to detailing (and this forum), it is great to have a resource like this to help navigate all the products, tools and processes that can often seem overwhelming to newbies like myself. Thank you.

I am not sure how they happened, but the picture below shows one of two quarter sized areas on my hood. It is almost as if someone hit it with a piece of fine grade sandpaper.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

Would you mind a) diagnosing the severity of the scratch and b) offering your suggestion to remedy the problem.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[x3man1994]

DI,

This is my list-
http://www.detailedimage.com/Cart-Saved/921954911/


Do you guys see that I forgot anything?
I have some shitty amour-all silicon based exterior dressing I need to finish off, I also have a clay kit with some detail spray.

I also need to get some spray bottles, and some 5 gallon buckets

Anything else you would suggest? Keep in mind that I am 17 and don't have a ton of money, I'm going to use this stuff to start up a small detail business just to cover material costs.

Here is a video of the first car that we did, my dads

Please don't hate, saying that I don't know shit, because I do I have been reading a ton about all this stuff.

Also can I please do local pickup, I don't have the money for shipping?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by AC Schvantzer

Hi Greg,

First of all I just wanted to thank you for the wealth of information in this thread. As a newcomer to detailing (and this forum), it is great to have a resource like this to help navigate all the products, tools and processes that can often seem overwhelming to newbies like myself. Thank you.

I am not sure how they happened, but the picture below shows one of two quarter sized areas on my hood. It is almost as if someone hit it with a piece of fine grade sandpaper.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/phot...eat=directlink

Would you mind a) diagnosing the severity of the scratch and b) offering your suggestion to remedy the problem.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

Thank you for the kind words and as always I'm happy to help when I can. It's tough to say exactly what happened there, may have a very tiny/light sanding job, could just be a scuff as well. I would start off with a wash and a clay bar just to clean the area up. After that start off with a light polish (Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205) and use a more aggressive polish if needed like the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105. I think the M105 with some good arm pressure has a good chance to buff it out. If that doesn't work send me some pics of it again and we'll go from there. Generally the next step would be to do a light wet sanding followed by the polishes I just recommended but let's discuss it first. Good luck and keep us posted!

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by x3man1994

DI,

This is my list-
http://www.detailedimage.com/Cart-Saved/921954911/


Do you guys see that I forgot anything?
I have some shitty amour-all silicon based exterior dressing I need to finish off, I also have a clay kit with some detail spray.

I also need to get some spray bottles, and some 5 gallon buckets

Anything else you would suggest? Keep in mind that I am 17 and don't have a ton of money, I'm going to use this stuff to start up a small detail business just to cover material costs.

Here is a video of the first car that we did, my dads

Please don't hate, saying that I don't know shit, because I do I have been reading a ton about all this stuff.

Also can I please do local pickup, I don't have the money for shipping?

I believe we were exchanging e-mails last night so lets continue the conversation via e-mail.

We do have a shipping promotion ($4 flat rate) and 10% off with the coupon code July4Ship so that will help you with s/h (min spend $50).

Take care!

Greg @ DI

[rup]

Hi,
Been recommended to ask in here...

I had a can of holts tyreweld in the boot/trunk when i lowered the roof (on my z4), somehow the can got punctured and the foam went all over the boot and some onto the beige headliner.
Really annoyed as roof shield was down ok (else roof wouldn't lower) so bad design by bmw, and a warning to all here don't put anything liquid/foam in the boot!
Managed to clean boot but headliner still stained.
Does anyone know of a good cleaner for the tyre weld? Believe it's latex based. Tried warm water, helped a bit but still stained. Tried BMW upholstery cleaner, still stain there.
Thanks

[Detailed Image]

Oh man I'm so sorry to hear about that. I typically would use something like the 303 Cleaner & Spot Remover with a very soft brush or cloth. If that doesn't work or if you want to step up to the P21S Total Auto Wash which is a citrus based degreaser that is another one of my favorites. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

[rup]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Oh man I'm so sorry to hear about that. I typically would use something like the 303 Cleaner & Spot Remover with a very soft brush or cloth. If that doesn't work or if you want to step up to the P21S Total Auto Wash which is a citrus based degreaser that is another one of my favorites. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

Thanks for the advice, ordered a bottle of total wash, will advise how i get on. BTW, the bmw cleaner didnt help much.
As it's latex based, hopefully it'll bio-degrade anyway!

[ALL4_3SERIES]

Greg,

Just picked up my BMW the other day and I wanted to ask some questions. I was told by the German dealer to not wax or polish the car for two months after pick up so that the paint can finish curing, have you heard of this before? Also, I live in Germany and do not have a garage. I would like to polish my car and follow up with a sealant and possibly wax after that (DoDo Diamond White, since car is Alpine White), but I have no where to park the car out of the elements. Is there any other way to do this? My street is lined with trees so little bits of leaves and things will fall onto the paint. Any help with this?

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by rup

Thanks for the advice, ordered a bottle of total wash, will advise how i get on. BTW, the bmw cleaner didnt help much.
As it's latex based, hopefully it'll bio-degrade anyway!

Thank you for the purchase and good luck. Remember to test this product on s small (least visible) area first to ensure it's working as intended. You can also dilute it down if you want to be even more safe, but it is considered to be a gentle degreaser by most. Good luck!

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by ALL4_3SERIES

Greg,

Just picked up my BMW the other day and I wanted to ask some questions. I was told by the German dealer to not wax or polish the car for two months after pick up so that the paint can finish curing, have you heard of this before? Also, I live in Germany and do not have a garage. I would like to polish my car and follow up with a sealant and possibly wax after that (DoDo Diamond White, since car is Alpine White), but I have no where to park the car out of the elements. Is there any other way to do this? My street is lined with trees so little bits of leaves and things will fall onto the paint. Any help with this?

If the car is coming from the factory it should be baked dry which only takes a couple of days and it should be long since finished by the time it gets to you. Factory paint can be easily baked dry because the panels are exposed with no plastic trim or gas in the tank. When a car is repainted at a body shop you often need to wait 1 - 3 months for it to cure normally. Therefore unless your vehicle was re-painted you should be able to clay, polish, seal, wax, etc. virtually right after it's made. As for the process I'd suggest washing with the ONR and using a pop up tent to help shade and somewhat protect the vehicle. The only other option I know of is requesting to borrow a friends garage for the day. Let me know if you have any other questions.


Greg @ DI

[AC Schvantzer]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Thank you for the kind words and as always I'm happy to help when I can. It's tough to say exactly what happened there, may have a very tiny/light sanding job, could just be a scuff as well. I would start off with a wash and a clay bar just to clean the area up. After that start off with a light polish (Meguiar's Ultra Finishing Polish M205) and use a more aggressive polish if needed like the Meguiar's Ultra-Cut Compound M105. I think the M105 with some good arm pressure has a good chance to buff it out. If that doesn't work send me some pics of it again and we'll go from there. Generally the next step would be to do a light wet sanding followed by the polishes I just recommended but let's discuss it first. Good luck and keep us posted!

Greg @ DI

Greg - Thanks for your input, I'll be in touch!

William

[x3man1994]

I just Bought the grout Sponge from you guys, made by lake country. Is that sponge safe to use, or would I wash mit be better?

[churchillps]

I just purchased a 2009 Sapphire Metallic 335 coupe which looks like it was fairly well cared for, but not especially well. There are some small swirls, one 2 inch by 2 inch area with very small circular scratches (that I hope are only in the CC), a few chips on the edge of driver door, and some deeper, but still not horrible, scratches on the lower front bumper (aero kit) where the previous owner apparently parked into some curbs.

I took the car to a well reviewed "detailer" in San Antonio. I wad skeptical when it was only $200, and it appears to just be a wash, wax, and maybe glaze.

I'm extremely meticulous in caring for my cars, and time commitment is not an issue. I'd rather do everything myself as well. I'd like to keep my car looking the best as I possibly can. I feel like I have a sufficient grasps of what each product does, but with so many recommended routine out there I'd love if you could suggest a personalized schedule for me (especially if there's something special I should do for the first detail, and then any regimen for the future).

Also, any advice about the chips/scratches would be greatly appreciated as well.

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by AC Schvantzer

Greg - Thanks for your input, I'll be in touch!

William

Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you again!

Greg

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by x3man1994

I just Bought the grout Sponge from you guys, made by lake country. Is that sponge safe to use, or would I wash mit be better?

Yes it's safe, highly effective and it's durable. Let it soak in your shampoo and water mix for a minute and then start using it. Good luck!

Greg @ DI