Products safe to leave in the garage over the winter

D

DETAILKING

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Man this 325i sedan has a lot of black trim on it. It took a long time to dress it all.



Anyhow, I dressed all the rubber and plastic as usual, but a funny thing happened....it didn't soak in and dry like it usually does, and when it rained the day after, it streaked down the car and windows. I suspect that the dealer used some kind of dressing (silicone maybe) that was not washed off with my dawn wash. What do you guys recommend to deep clean the rubber moldings (something I can do without the fear of stripping wax on adjacent body panels), so that the rubber dressing has a better base to bond too?
 
Are you talking about the trim above the windows? BMW calls in "shadow-line trim" and it comes with every 325i with sports package.



I would just treat it as a painted surface.



~BW
 
I know what you mean about the streaking. I treat all my black trim pieces and have tried 303, pinnacle rubber/trim, and even Z-16. After a rain, or alot of dew, i get the streaks. I've tried dawn, hi-intensity, and even alcohol to pre-clean, but no luck. I'm open for suggestions as well.
 
If you are sure it is some kind of a dressing inhibiting bonding, I would first try isopropyl alchohal (sp?) or Eimann Fabrik Hi-Intensity. If that doesn't work, try 3M General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner, #08987. I haven't found anything I can not remove with this product. (Ahh... I sound like Sal talking about his glass polish.)



Speaking of the Zaino glass polish, has anyone used it? I have some kind of mild scratch and also some residue that Eagle One Glass cleaner cannot remove. Would anyone reccomend this to me?



Is the application hard? Thanks.



~BW
 
It works great. Use very little...a nickel sized amount on a cloth will do one side window. Rub it in hard, like you are using rubbing compound on a car. Keep going till the glass sqeaks.....then buff off with a cotton towel, and windex the window.



thanks for the tips....I would hate to have to do this after detailing the car, but I guess I have to deep clean the trim........
 
Looks much cleaner and you simply wax it. Check it out.

At_Alki_1.jpg
 
That 3m cleaner removes anything thats oil based i think, I've tried to use it to take coffee out and didn't dent it than when I used water, it came right off=)
 
We have a 2000 323i (Sport Package). A week ago did the AIO/SG/Blitz routine. I AIO'd everything, including the black trim around the side windows and the black trim aorund the belt line. Looks great. Washed the car this weekend for the first time and Clear Pearl'd everything (including all the black trim). Still looks great.
 
Very nice!



One question. That black material around the window ( not the rubber, the part that mates with the roof) do you treat it like a regular painted panel? My beretta has stuff like that, it's not quite like the body panels, cause it continues to where the door actually seals shut. I'd show you a pic If I had a digicam. Another reason I'm asking is it has a few scratches in it from the previous owner (key marks) and I was afraid to try 3m rubbing compound for fear of making it worse, cause it's not quite like a regular painted surface.



Any suggestions?

Mike
 
I've always stored all of my stuff inside over the winter months, but I'm wondering whether some product types can weather the cold without being damaged. I'm thinking of APCs, degreasers, dressings, shampoos, and glass cleaners. What do you guys think? Can these products be left in the garage?

Felix
 
I take anything liquid/paste inside. Pretty much everything else stays outside. I had a clay bar freeze once. Seemed to work fine next spring.
 
FJF said:
I've always stored all of my stuff inside over the winter months, but I'm wondering whether some product types can weather the cold without being damaged. I'm thinking of APCs, degreasers, dressings, shampoos, and glass cleaners. What do you guys think? Can these products be left in the garage?

Felix
Click to expand...

Very good question. I am in the same boat. I think I will just take everything in.
 
bmw5541 said:
Very good question. I am in the same boat. I think I will just take everything in.
Click to expand...

As I mentioned in the original post, I've brought everything inside in the past. This said, I have left a couple of things out by mistake - a dressing and a shampoo - with no ill effect. On a purely intuitive level, it makes sense for these products to survive the cold. At the same time, I'd hate to take the chance with all of my dressings/shampoos/cleaners/etc and lose a substantial investment. Maybe I'll leave a few samples on the garage over the winter and see how well they do.

Felix
 
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