New forum member.. new car. Need advice!

[cdetail]

First off, I want to state that I am new to the forum. My name is Claire and this is my first post. I have shopped at Autogeek Online so I am familiar with some products and I own a DA polisher and Meguiar's microfiber correction system. I have also read a lot of Mike Phillip's writeups as well as other user's posts. I am used to detailing cars that have such bad paint that I could afford to experiment with them.


I am posting this because I purchased a new car. Not sure if the manufacturer makes a difference, but it is a JET BLACK 2014 BMW 5 series. I don't think I would be as nervous if it weren't for the fact that the car is black, which is a color I love for cars... It freaks me out reading some of the horror stories regarding maintaining and correcting black paint. I would say the paint has moderate imperfections. Really nice and shiny in general, but I notice a lot of swirls when looking closely, which probably resulted from it being on the lot or the wash at the dealership before I drove it home.


My other concern is some of the Autogeek write ups/reviews are older and from a couple of years back... I see so many new products now available that weren't being offerred back then, not to say they are no longer relevant but wondered if I should sub some of those products for newer ones--also since I am referring to a specific color and condition.


In summary, I want to make sure the products I use are not too aggressive since it is a new car. One of the tenets that Mike Phillips seems to reinforce is using the least aggressive option that allows you to still accomplish the task. But I also want to make sure that the paint gets decontaminated and i don't end up just putting a wax/sealant coat over paint that needs correction (or worse, inflicting more damage).


Does anyone have any recommendations, suggestions, or advice? I really appreciate it in advance. I would also like to reiterate that this all new to me so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions or may not be familiar with some techniques that are common sense to professionals and enthusiasts. I am used to polishing and waxing paint on cars that are so oxidized, it required the aggressive compounding, polishing, and waxing. I just want to make sure that won't be overkill on my new BLACK car.


Also, in my research, I couldn't find much on what product to use for wood trim on the interior? All purpose cleaner? And there are some chrome-looking/shiny metal bands that go around the windows on the exterior of my car (though I do not know the exact material). Is there anything to protect that or keep it looking its best?


I will try to post up some pics when I can figure it out. Just want to get my questions out to you guys with the weekend coming up. I'm excited to get educated by some responses. :) Thank you very much all!

[Guessless]

Whatever products you end up choosing, remember to start off with the least aggressive pad & polish combo, if you see it didn't correct enough then work your way up the latter very gradually.

As for the wood trim I'm pretty sure it has a coating on top, something like a urethane coat, so it's not bare wood. If so I'd soak a MF Towel in the shampoo bucket you use for washing the car, before you wash the car though, ring it and then clean the wood pieces and dry it with a clean MF towel, if it's really dirty/Oily put a drop or two of a PH Neutral car shampoo on the damp MF towel. I'd be hesitant to use strong stuff like APC right off the bat, I'd leave the stronger stuff as a last resort, even then I'd try to weaken the APC to it's lowest recommended ratio.

That's just me though, someone else may have better suggestions.:xyxthumbs:

[Guessless]

I forgot to say :welcome:to AGO

And for the chrome parts outside, many of the sealants state they can be used on Chrome too.

[cdetail]

Whatever products you end up choosing, remember to start off with the least aggressive pad & polish combo, if you see it didn't correct enough then work your way up the latter very gradually.

As for the wood trim I'm pretty sure it has a coating on top, something like a urethane coat, so it's not bare wood. If so I'd soak a MF Towel in the shampoo bucket you use for washing the car, before you wash the car though, ring it and then clean the wood pieces and dry it with a clean MF towel, if it's really dirty/Oily put a drop or two of a PH Neutral car shampoo on the damp MF towel. I'd be hesitant to use strong stuff like APC right off the bat, I'd leave the stronger stuff as a last resort, even then I'd try to weaken the APC to it's lowest recommended ratio.

That's just me though, someone else may have better suggestions.:xyxthumbs:

Thanks Guessless! I really appreciate the feedback... And btw, you are my first acquaintance here on AGO. :)

[Guessless]

My pleasure, hopefully others will get on this thread and give you more useful advice.:props:

[jamesboyy]

Welcome to autogeek, you sound like you stay on top the condition of your paint, and begin that its brand new I would use
a all in one product something like Menzerna Power Finish the reason for this suggestion is that it wont remove too much "skin" clear coat, and keep the swirling down to a minimum lastly always do a test spot on a inconspicuous part of your vehicle as for your wood you would want to treat it as wood(even if its not) with that said you can just simply use a interior cleaner on a plush microfiber and wipe in one direction also you will want to apply a sealant to it protect it, as for your exterior trimming you will want to apply a sealant to that too

[5jjt]

Hello Claire; I foresee a future for you of trying to remove those little cobwebbs in the paint that seem to remain no matter what you do. I think I read Mike Phillips stated it something like this :"It's very hard to achieve a perfect finish (jeweling w/ a rotary)on a black colored car. Many would agree that the imperfections (that make peoplewant to pull their hair out over) can be filled with a filler, and won't show themselves untill the car is washed a few times anyways."
Research a good filler/hider product for dark colors.
Secondly, that chrome trim piece you asked about; I would carefully coat it with a wax that would not stain anything white around it. Otherwise, just coat the surrounding black rubber/trim in dressing before you decide to wax it.
Welcome to AG, and congrats on the new car.

[mwoolfso]

First off, I want to state that I am new to the forum. My name is Claire and this is my first post. I have shopped at Autogeek Online so I am familiar with some products and I own a DA polisher and Meguiar's microfiber correction system. I have also read a lot of Mike Phillip's writeups as well as other user's posts. I am used to detailing cars that have such bad paint that I could afford to experiment with them.

Welcome to the game!!!!

I am posting this because I purchased a new car. Not sure if the manufacturer makes a difference, but it is a JET BLACK 2014 BMW 5 series. I don't think I would be as nervous if it weren't for the fact that the car is black, which is a color I love for cars... It freaks me out reading some of the horror stories regarding maintaining and correcting black paint. I would say the paint has moderate imperfections. Really nice and shiny in general, but I notice a lot of swirls when looking closely, which probably resulted from it being on the lot or the wash at the dealership before I drove it home.

Congrats!!!

My other concern is some of the Autogeek write ups/reviews are older and from a couple of years back... I see so many new products now available that weren't being offerred back then, not to say they are no longer relevant but wondered if I should sub some of those products for newer ones--also since I am referring to a specific color and condition.

Try not to overanalyze along those lines. Use a general guideline that if AGO carries it in their store it has very good quality and a following - you can always spend more money than you should but you cannot go wrong on any manufacturer.

In summary, I want to make sure the products I use are not too aggressive since it is a new car. One of the tenets that Mike Phillips seems to reinforce is using the least aggressive option that allows you to still accomplish the task. But I also want to make sure that the paint gets decontaminated and i don't end up just putting a wax/sealant coat over paint that needs correction (or worse, inflicting more damage).

Does anyone have any recommendations, suggestions, or advice? I really appreciate it in advance. I would also like to reiterate that this all new to me so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions or may not be familiar with some techniques that are common sense to professionals and enthusiasts. I am used to polishing and waxing paint on cars that are so oxidized, it required the aggressive compounding, polishing, and waxing. I just want to make sure that won't be overkill on my new BLACK car.

Wolfgang Twins for polishing and a complement of polishing and finishing pads. I would get a Surbuf Microfiber pad as well when you need more aggressive polishing on any unsightly scratches that need more ooomph.

If you start off with this kit you are on the right path for sure. And for the record you can ask as many questions as you like. We are all here to help each other!

Wolfgang Porter Cable 7424 Swirl-Free Kit (http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-porter-cable-swirl-remover.html)

Also, in my research, I couldn't find much on what product to use for wood trim on the interior? All purpose cleaner? And there are some chrome-looking/shiny metal bands that go around the windows on the exterior of my car (though I do not know the exact material). Is there anything to protect that or keep it looking its best?

For wood trim you can look at this.... Wolfgang Cockpit Trim Sealant (http://www.autogeek.net/wolfgang-cockpit-trim-sealant.html)

CarPro PERL is another good all-around product and may have a lower TCO compared to the WTS.

For the chrome bands on the exterior side of the windows you can simply wax it along with the paint.

I will try to post up some pics when I can figure it out. Just want to get my questions out to you guys with the weekend coming up. I'm excited to get educated by some responses. :) Thank you very much all!

See above and here are other for you to consider:

Decontamination --> CarPro IronX
APC --> Megs APC+ (I use 15:1 for interior cleaning and 4:1 for wheels) and while more expensive I hear Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus is awesome for BMW wheels and eliminating brake dust.
Dedicated Wheel Cleaner --> Sonax Wheel Cleaner Plus
Wax --> Collinite 845 or 915 or Dodo Juice Supernatural Hybrid

[UglyBetty]

First off, I want to state that I am new to the forum. My name is Claire and this is my first post. I have shopped at Autogeek Online so I am familiar with some products and I own a DA polisher and Meguiar's microfiber correction system. I have also read a lot of Mike Phillip's writeups as well as other user's posts. I am used to detailing cars that have such bad paint that I could afford to experiment with them.


I am posting this because I purchased a new car. Not sure if the manufacturer makes a difference, but it is a JET BLACK 2014 BMW 5 series. I don't think I would be as nervous if it weren't for the fact that the car is black, which is a color I love for cars... It freaks me out reading some of the horror stories regarding maintaining and correcting black paint. I would say the paint has moderate imperfections. Really nice and shiny in general, but I notice a lot of swirls when looking closely, which probably resulted from it being on the lot or the wash at the dealership before I drove it home.


My other concern is some of the Autogeek write ups/reviews are older and from a couple of years back... I see so many new products now available that weren't being offerred back then, not to say they are no longer relevant but wondered if I should sub some of those products for newer ones--also since I am referring to a specific color and condition.


In summary, I want to make sure the products I use are not too aggressive since it is a new car. One of the tenets that Mike Phillips seems to reinforce is using the least aggressive option that allows you to still accomplish the task. But I also want to make sure that the paint gets decontaminated and i don't end up just putting a wax/sealant coat over paint that needs correction (or worse, inflicting more damage).


Does anyone have any recommendations, suggestions, or advice? I really appreciate it in advance. I would also like to reiterate that this all new to me so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions or may not be familiar with some techniques that are common sense to professionals and enthusiasts. I am used to polishing and waxing paint on cars that are so oxidized, it required the aggressive compounding, polishing, and waxing. I just want to make sure that won't be overkill on my new BLACK car.


Also, in my research, I couldn't find much on what product to use for wood trim on the interior? All purpose cleaner? And there are some chrome-looking/shiny metal bands that go around the windows on the exterior of my car (though I do not know the exact material). Is there anything to protect that or keep it looking its best?


I will try to post up some pics when I can figure it out. Just want to get my questions out to you guys with the weekend coming up. I'm excited to get educated by some responses. :) Thank you very much all!

Clay, m205 or all in one, seal......