Newbie has two question

I

imported_RyDawg

New member
I recently purchased a '02 BMW 540, black with tan leather interior. After visiting this forum, I made several purchases (this stuff isn't cheap!) and am ready to detail for the first time. I would welcome any advice as this is all new to me. I imagine I may not need to do some work as the car is new.



Here's what I purchased:



Pinnacle Bodywork Shampoo

Chenille Wash Mitt, Wash Pads

Klasse All-In-One

Pinnacle Souveran

Miracle Towel (dumb question, but which side of this do I use)

Eimann Fabrik Clear Vision

Viper Glass Cleaning Cloth

Pinnacle Leather/Vinyl Cleaner

Pinnacle Leather Conditioner

303 High Tech Fabric Guard

303 Aerospace Protectant

P21S Wheel Cleaner

Polyfoam Wax Pad

Terry Pad

Pinnacle Crystal Mist Detail Spray



Another dumb question, but what should I use to dry the car. I've used terry towels but most are small and seem to leave cotton fuzz on the car, in particular, on the rubber where the window meets the door.



I'm ready to go to work. What should I do? Thanks.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by melhads [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>...Another dumb question, but what should I use to dry the car. I've used terry towels but most are small and seem to leave cotton fuzz on the car, in particular, on the rubber where the window meets the door.[/b]</blockquote>
Hello fellow San Franciscan,
I posted recently about drying my car also. Majority of the guys said to use my Absorber (others have the Water Bandit) and a microfiber towel to finish off the streaks that The Absorber leaves.

I used to use terry towels also and it would leave lint also.
 
Nice purchases! Personally, I dont like either the absorber or the water bandit. I use a blower and MF towels only.....thats just me though! As for the MF towel, dont think it matters what side you use....I like the side that feels a little more plush personally. Make sure to check for tags and rip them off......



I noticed you picked up the Klasse AIO but not the SG....you might want to try the SG after the AIO one of these days...alot of people on the forum, including myself, really like the results.....



As for tips, biggest piece of advice I would give is to give yourself plenty of time and dont rush.......



Either way, have fun and good luck.
 
I use a leaf blower sometimes and other times absorber followed by a MFs.



DO not drag anything on the paint and you are less likely to induce swirls etc.
 
i use the absorber and love it. my car is black so i've got to be really careful with it... and MT's to finisg up any drops left.

i too bought the p21s wheel cleaner at first, and while it works pretty well, it's expensive compared to say, EF Hi, which in my opinion works better, costs less.

great selection of products though.

search the forum dor 'drying' and 'black car' and you'll get some great tips on washing and drying your new car.

for me, technique is far more important than product on black.

good luck!
 
I like The Absorber. It may leave a streak sometimes, but if I go over it again the streak disappears. It doesn't scratch, it absorbs like crazy and it has seemed to last so far. Easy to clean, too. I bought a California Water Blade but returned it after reading too many posts about scratching.
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by Airball50 [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>I noticed you picked up the Klasse AIO but not the SG....you might want to try the SG after the AIO one of these days...alot of people on the forum, including myself, really like the results.....
[/b]</blockquote>
Melhads you are all over dude! I wouldn't change a thing but I would add one thing, the SG, because it will make the shine you get from the AIO last longer. It's not essential but I think it is worth the extra effort. If you do go with the SG I highly recommend applying it by hand with an MF applicator.

You are going to dig the results you get by doing it yourself! :bounce

http://store4.yimg.com/I/classic-motoring_1657_2346391 http://store4.yimg.com/I/classic-motoring_1666_2199541
 
Here’s what I would do (unabridged) with your stuff for the outside (someone else do the wheels and out side ;)) Right away, I would recommend you either apply the AIO with foam or a microfiber covered sponge if you have one.



You didn’t get Pinnacle Paint Cleansing Lotion with your Souveran order? (cause it looks like you have the whole Souveran kit, or it might have been cheaper to order it)



Use the wheel cleaner on your wheels. You might have to use a wheel brush, or tooth brush or whatever to get them clean. (I would use AIO on them after or as I am AIOing the body of the car, but you can’t use the same sponge or applicator)



Wash your car, with the PBS. You may want to wash with Dawn before the PBS in order to get rid of some old wax.



Dry the car with your miracle towel (you will also need it to remove the AIO if you only have one, but it’s okay you can use it damp for the AIO). If you only have 1 mt then you will have to either wring it really well and go over a few times or use something else first (like a good quality plush 100% cotton towel) and then finish up with the Miracle Towel.



Wet your applicator and wring it out as much as possible. (foam or possibly the terry, check to see if it scratches with the AIO) Apply 1 coat of the AIO. I like to start with the important parts: hood, roof, trunk. Then do the upper side panels, back/front, and then finally the lower panels. Inspect your applicator/sponge constantly and check to see if it gets contaminated. If this happens either flip it or rinse and wring it.



With AIO use about a nickel size and try to spread it over a large area. I like to use long strokes in the direction of the way air would flow over the car if you were driving it. I wipe in a big “w� and then overlap the wiping slightly. With AIO it’s a cleanser so you can really work it in if you want (as opposed to just laying on a coat).



After you get through the whole car, then take a break, for 20 minutes or so.



You don’t really need to remove the AIO haze, cause there shouldn’t be a lot if applied the correct (small amount).



Go over your car again, following the panel order if you like, and always checking your sponge for contaminants (rinsing and wringing the applicator as necessary). Concentrate extra on the “rough� spots and any visible spots etc.



Take a 20 minute break (or longer) and then buff off the AIO haze. If your MT was still wet from drying your car, wring it out big time! And use it to wipe off the haze. It is better to have a fresh towel to do the final wipe of the haze.



I would then layer on 1 coat of SG (for future reference), every day or so, waiting 20 minutes before buffing and waiting about a day before reapplying, waiting 20 minutes before buffing and waiting about a day before reapplying, etc J

Some use 3 coats of SF back to back, allowing probably an hour in-between coats, and that’s fine too. If at any time your car gets dirty between coats you need to wash (or at least wipe if dusty) You don’t want to apply SG with dirt on your paint (check your sponge it will be the best indicator of how “dusty� your car will be).



Wait a week to apply the Souveran, personally I think you can apply it over just the AIO. Because everyone in my family uses AIO only and it protects their cars for 6 months. They don’t get into all that glaze stuff ;)



Wash your car with the PBS, two bucket method, wipe dry with the MT.

Apply the Souveran one panel at a time and then remove with a soft cloth (mf or cotton) as soon as each panel is finished.



Wash your car weekly, correctly, then dry with the MT making 1 pass, and then making a final pass with the MT and your quick detailer. Do this weekly and apply the Souveran probably tri-weekly and reapply the Klasse possible 6 months from now.



HTH :D Steve
 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote' >

<em class='bbc'>Originally posted by olivher [/i]
<strong class='bbc'>

Hello fellow San Franciscan,
I posted recently about drying my car also. Majority of the guys said to use my Absorber (others have the Water Bandit) and a microfiber towel to finish off the streaks that The Absorber leaves.

I used to use terry towels also and it would leave lint also. [/b]</blockquote>
I do the same thing on my 2001 330i (same paint). Absorber and follow with two small Viper MF towels to get the rest of the water in the door jams, under the trunk lid and engine cover as well.

I have no swirls!

Congrats on the very nice car!!!!!
 
I use the California Water Blade to wipe the windows dry. Then the entire car gets "blotted" with an Absorber... never "wipe" the paint with it. I finish with a spritz of either OG Show-Off or Z6 on a MT.



I had a picture somewhere showing this process, but I lost the disk.
 
I just did my 02 ML320 as well - with only 5 miles on it at delivery, I purposely didn't drive it much in order to make sure it got a proper detailing first.



Wife wasn't too happy - since we picked up our new car unwashed (the dealer was a little surprised to hear someone wanted to pick up a new car dirty, but what did he care - it's my money :)



I used almost the same products - except I also did the Klasse SG (and highly recommend you do it as well) - but more importantly - I clayed the car first.



I checked around as to whether or not you should even bother claying a new car. Opinions were mixed (aren't they always?) - but truthfully - on my white car, I could *see* the rail dust. Claying took away these small impurities - and when I was done, it was painfully obvious that claying the car was the right way to go.



I used the Mothers Gold Clay Bar kit. Just make sure to wash when you're done claying to get all of that sloppy QD off.



Enjoy the new car!
 
John -- very smart to have taken delivery of the car dirty.

melhads -- I would add: clay; Dawn; and a 200 mph electric <em class='bbc'>blower[/i]
 
I would add a stack of YoSteve's MF towels and either Stoners Invisible Glass or Eagle One 20/20 for cleaning glass. And you might want to spring for a bottle of Vinylex for the tires if you want a slightly shinier look to them than 303 gives. Oh yeah, get yourself a Water Bandit from Wizards...it's similar to the Absorber but many here say its better. And lastly, try getting an increase in your home equity credit line, cuz if you start doing everything that we tell you, you're gonna need it!!!! ;)



H
 
bigboyhf, home equity loan haha, lmao! :D



John, I cant stand raild dust :mad: I don't go next to any rails! I got each and every one of mine off with PPCL, I tried Mother's clay but it didn't work much for me. I'll probably try a better brand next time, but I have so many coats of SG the rail dust better just stick to the SG!
 
I have a new porter cable 7424 and have a couple of questions before use. I will be using it to remove some minor scratches on clear coat with menzerna intensive polish with an orange pad, do I need to mist the pad first with water or a lubricant?? Also should I first mist the pad when I polish, using white pad and blackfire polish, and apply wet diamond using gold pad??
Would also like to polish my windshield to remove water spots, etc. and have on hand some AutoGlym glass polish, can I use a orange or white pad for this and not damage the glass? Thanks for your help.
 
Henry said:
I have a new porter cable 7424 and have a couple of questions before use. I will be using it to remove some minor scratches on clear coat with menzerna intensive polish with an orange pad, do I need to mist the pad first with water or a lubricant?? Also should I first mist the pad when I polish, using white pad and blackfire polish, and apply wet diamond using gold pad??
Would also like to polish my windshield to remove water spots, etc. and have on hand some AutoGlym glass polish, can I use a orange or white pad for this and not damage the glass? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

Welcome to TruthInDetailing :partaaay:

I personally do not mist my pads. If one gets gummed up, I grab another one and keep moving

You will be fine with the orange and white pads. I would however add a few yellow and black ones to your arsenal

You can use the orange or white on your windshield. Always remember to start with the least aggressive method first and go from there. Also, be sure and tape up your trim really good around your windshield

Happy Fathers Day. Hope to see you around :wizard:
 
+1 to Flash's response. I find that Menzerna polishes have enough oils and liquid "stuff" that they are moist enough for me without any pad misting. Remember good, firm pressure with the PC and slow overlapping passes. Work small areas, check for results and do it again if you're not happy.

I've buffed several windshields in the past and it works just fine. Again, like Flash said you might want to try the white pad first with the AutoGlym polish and go from there.

Good luck and enjoy it!
 
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