[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by e90fun

how do i get rid of a ball point pen ink stain?

i left it in my passenger seat over the weekend and it blew up and leaked all over the seat.

Ughhh.....ink is really difficult to remove sometimes impossible to be done safely just depends on the seat, ink and how much it penetrated the surface. I start off with my normal leather cleaner (Leatherique Prestine Clean) and then I move on to something like the 303 Cleaner & Spot Remover. I only use this product to spot treat bad stains like this, spray it on a microfiber towel and wipe with light to medium pressure. The DI Brushes Leather and Vinyl Scrub Brush can help work this product in to the grooves of the leather as well. If that doesn't work you may need to search for the Leather Masters product that helps with ink stains but unfortunately we don't carry that item. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.




Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by thetedderbear

Ok so my question is a little. I do detailing jobs in my town, plus like to keep my own car in optimum condition, and am also looking at upgrading my garage area where I detail. What lighting setups do you professional detailers use, IE what kinds of lights, where are they placed, etc. Some suggestions for a good setup on a fairly small budget would be great. I have a stand with halogen lights on it already, I'm looking more at overhead lights, permanent stuff.
Thanks!

I would suggest getting several good fluorescent light sets and getting some of the better hand held lights for close inspections. The Brinkmann Maxfire Dual Xenon Swirl Finder Spotlight and Brinkmann TuffMax Dual LED Pivot Spotlight are what I use afterward to ensure I'm getting the results I need.




Hope this helps!

Greg @ DI

[zanth119]

Hi Greg,

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

1.) I would personally rather the dealership did nothing than their prep. Generally dealerships use products that look great and protect for days maybe a few weeks best case, so it's not worth it for the harm they are almost guaranteed to do. I know it's cold but maybe just do an ONR wash (Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine New Formula (ONR)), clay and protect with the Optimum Opti-Seal & Free Yellow Foam Applicator. This process would be so much safer and more complete. If you have to skip the clay you should still be relatively fine since it's new. If you don't have access to a garage maybe you could borrow a friends for a few hours. If you still let them do their process I would still recommend the Opti-Seal but for maximum durability you'll want to strip off whatever they put on first.

This is a great idea, I can definitely do the wash and spray seal with little issue!

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Afterward apply the Zaino sealants with a blue pad to protect and enhance the shine. Is it worth layering a wax on afterward it's really a personal opinion. Some sealants look fantastic on their own but some owners want the deepest gloss possible and more protection so a wax is helpful to them. If interested the Dodo Juice Blue Velvet Hard Wax is an amazing wax but if you need to save some money the Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax is an outstanding value.

What alternatives to the Z2 Pro, Z6 & Z8 combination would you suggest? I'd like to play with other products on the E91 as a test bed, and then possibly adopt on the E46. Maybe a seal that looks pretty good without wax, but looks even better with? I think I'd like to try the Poorboy's wax out on the first full detail, and then skip on the next to evaluate the difference.

Thanks again, getting attention like this from a pro is a great service to the board community (as an E90post newbie, still learning all the perks of membership)

[thetedderbear]

Thanks Greg!

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by zanth119

Hi Greg,



This is a great idea, I can definitely do the wash and spray seal with little issue!



What alternatives to the Z2 Pro, Z6 & Z8 combination would you suggest? I'd like to play with other products on the E91 as a test bed, and then possibly adopt on the E46. Maybe a seal that looks pretty good without wax, but looks even better with? I think I'd like to try the Poorboy's wax out on the first full detail, and then skip on the next to evaluate the difference.

Thanks again, getting attention like this from a pro is a great service to the board community (as an E90post newbie, still learning all the perks of membership)

Glad to help out!

If you want an awesome looking sealant that you don't have to use a wax afterward with the Blackfire Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant is definitely my pick. It looks amazing and protects for months while easy to use. If you wanted to you can layer a wax over it but it's not necessary. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[zanth119]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Glad to help out!

If you want an awesome looking sealant that you don't have to use a wax afterward with the Blackfire Wet Diamond All Metal Sealant is definitely my pick. It looks amazing and protects for months while easy to use. If you wanted to you can layer a wax over it but it's not necessary. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

Hi Greg,

Was looking for a seal for the paint, seems the Metal Seal above is mainly used for wheels. Did you mean the "Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger" product?

Also, any recomendations for a QD alternative to Z6?

Thanks again!

[crazydrummer]

Hey been having a real problem with our new m3 and my friends 335i (lemans blue and interlegos blue respectively). Recently we have noticed what looks to be like "pitting" or thousands of little "dots" in the paint work (Mostly on horizontal surfaces). Looks like someone poked the pairs thousands of times with a needle. Tried everything down to a suburf with optimum compound to remove them. The suburf defiantly made them a lot less noticeable but still there. What could these be? Am I safe to hit them with another pass or two of suburf. It's weird because they only recently became noticeable. Both cars had been polished by me when we first got them and the dots weren't there. I'm baffled

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by zanth119

Hi Greg,

Was looking for a seal for the paint, seems the Metal Seal above is mainly used for wheels. Did you mean the "Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger" product?

Also, any recomendations for a QD alternative to Z6?

Thanks again!

You are absolutely correct, I meant to say the Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger, my apologies. If you want to clean the surface and add just a bit of shine the Chemical Guys Speed Wipe (Anti-Static) Quick Detailer is a great choice. If you want more protection from a spray on product the Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray with Polycharger is a very nice choice. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by crazydrummer

Hey been having a real problem with our new m3 and my friends 335i (lemans blue and interlegos blue respectively). Recently we have noticed what looks to be like "pitting" or thousands of little "dots" in the paint work (Mostly on horizontal surfaces). Looks like someone poked the pairs thousands of times with a needle. Tried everything down to a suburf with optimum compound to remove them. The suburf defiantly made them a lot less noticeable but still there. What could these be? Am I safe to hit them with another pass or two of suburf. It's weird because they only recently became noticeable. Both cars had been polished by me when we first got them and the dots weren't there. I'm baffled

Sorry to hear about this issue. It sounds like this is not overspray or any kind of contaminants on top of the clear coat, you seem sure it's beneath the surface. My guess would be that it could be a bad paint job and there are tiny pinholes aka solvent popping. Unfortunately if this is the case no amount of polishing will fix it because there is no paint there to be polished, the surface is actually missing some of the paint. If this sounds way off base please take some pictures and I'll do my best to provide more insight on what may be the situation here.

Greg @ DI

[zanth119]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

You are absolutely correct, I meant to say the Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger, my apologies. If you want to clean the surface and add just a bit of shine the Chemical Guys Speed Wipe (Anti-Static) Quick Detailer is a great choice. If you want more protection from a spray on product the Blackfire Deep Gloss Spray with Polycharger is a very nice choice. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Greg @ DI

Sounds great, thanks Greg, looking forward to testing out in the Spring

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by zanth119

Sounds great, thanks Greg, looking forward to testing out in the Spring

Glad to help and don't hesitate to ask any other questions.

Greg @ DI

[Aacaron]

Hi Greg, I recently purchased some products from you including Menzerna Super Finish Polish SF 4000. I have a 6.5' orange and white pad for my porter cable. I Had my car prepped by the dealer (should have passed on it) and I have noticed some very light hazing on the corner of the rear bumper. Car is space grey.
I plan to use the polish with the orange pad first and then follow up with the white pad. Do you think this process will be abrasive enough to remove the hazing?
Thx in advance

[nitehawk]

Hi Greg!

Q: I recently acquired this car and noticed that it has some type of substance caked on along the roof seal. Looks like it's from a bad detail job from the past. What is it (polish?) and how do I get rid of it? It has a very dry, chalk like texture.

PS. I'm just entering into the detailing world and will be doing a lot of reading on your site over the upcoming months. I look forward to acquiring a full line of detailing products once I better get a grasp of everything

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by Aacaron

Hi Greg, I recently purchased some products from you including Menzerna Super Finish Polish SF 4000. I have a 6.5' orange and white pad for my porter cable. I Had my car prepped by the dealer (should have passed on it) and I have noticed some very light hazing on the corner of the rear bumper. Car is space grey.
I plan to use the polish with the orange pad first and then follow up with the white pad. Do you think this process will be abrasive enough to remove the hazing?
Thx in advance

Sorry to hear about the dealer prep, unfortunately there bad work is all too common. As for the solution it's really hard to say without seeing it and ultimately just testing a combo out. You may want to just start off with the white pad and the SF4000 it's a great combo that has a good chance to remove the haze. If it doesn't work step up to the orange pad as you mentioned before. If that doesn't work you can step up to an orange pad and the Menzerna SI 1500 or the Meguiar's M105.

Greg @ DI

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

Hi Greg!

Q: I recently acquired this car and noticed that it has some type of substance caked on along the roof seal. Looks like it's from a bad detail job from the past. What is it (polish?) and how do I get rid of it? It has a very dry, chalk like texture.

PS. I'm just entering into the detailing world and will be doing a lot of reading on your site over the upcoming months. I look forward to acquiring a full line of detailing products once I better get a grasp of everything

Most likely it's some dried up polish, sealant or wax. The longer it's been on the surface the more challenging it will be to remove. If it was very fresh almost any light degreaser could remove it but as the sun bakes it in it gets harder. I typically use the Poorboy's World Trim Restorer a few times and it's usually pretty successful. Hopefully this will do the trick for you as well.

Greg @ DI

[taibanl]

Rock chips on my ROCKer panel; slightly smaller than pencil eraser.

I have the OEM paint stick + clear.

Is there a way to make it disappear (i.e. apply in stages; wet sand, continue)?

Thanks!

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by Detailed Image

Most likely it's some dried up polish, sealant or wax. The longer it's been on the surface the more challenging it will be to remove. If it was very fresh almost any light degreaser could remove it but as the sun bakes it in it gets harder. I typically use the Poorboy's World Trim Restorer a few times and it's usually pretty successful. Hopefully this will do the trick for you as well.

Greg @ DI

Thanks for the input Greg. I will add that to the list

[Detailed Image]

Originally Posted by taibanl

Rock chips on my ROCKer panel; slightly smaller than pencil eraser.

I have the OEM paint stick + clear.

Is there a way to make it disappear (i.e. apply in stages; wet sand, continue)?

Thanks!

The larger it is obviously the harder it is to take care of. It's very challenging to make touch up look work flawless. You are on the right track a light wet sanding will likely be necessary before you apply it. After that apply nice thin coats followed up by a light wet sanding, possibly more coats and then more wet sanding. Lastly you'll want to polish the area so you remove any haze from the wet sanding and it will feel smoother. If you have any questions please let me know.

Greg @ DI

[F1Senna]

Quick question - I have a blue water metallic e90 and am looking for a good sealant + wax, my main concerns are:

1. It rains A LOT here - every 2nd day so I'd like a product that sheets off the water and maintains the shine well

2. I'm currently looking at the Blackfire wet diamond as the sealant and the poorboys natty blue paste wax, but I read that the PB is more for darker paint? The blue water metallic paint is light so not sure if this product is correct?

3. Any other products on your site that you would recommend : microfiber towels and applicator products for the sealant + wax

Thank you!

[Detailed Image]

1 + 2.) I think you are on the right track with the Blackfire Wet Diamond with Polycharger first and then a wax layered on top of it. The Poorboy's World Natty's Blue Paste Wax looks great on all colors it just seems to be at it's absolute best when it's on darker colors, but it should look great on the light blue as well. If you want some of the best protection that looks amazing on blue paint the Dodo Juice Blue Velvet Hard Wax is a favorite of mine. I've always liked the extended protection their waxes offer and very tight water beading.

3.) I would apply each one with a separate CLEAN applicator, the DI Accessories Yellow Foam Applicator Pad or the Lake Country Red Foam Applicator Pad are both great. Wait at least 15+ minutes before buffing off the excess product with a CLEAN microfiber towel. For sealants and waxes I can typically use about 1 - 2 towels per coat I remove, therefore I'd suggest getting 2 - 4 of the DI Microfiber All Purpose Towels.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be happy to help.

Greg @ DI

[DUI Elite]

Is it bad to powerwash the car every other day?

I do to keep the salt off but I'm wondering if I'm doing more harm than good.

Also I have marks from tree sap that got on my car in the fall. I've since cleaned the area, but it looks like those older cars that have failed clear coats. I haven't tried clay bar or wax on it to get it off yet but would these likely get the crap off?

[taibanl]

Greg,

A local dealer used some armor all type product that has turned my soft leatherette into a harder shiny vinyl. Is this reversible?

I hope to come visit you on my way back to syracuse next month.