Have had the car for 3 days now... some questions, and observations!

[nineofspades]

Sorry, some of these questions are going to sound pretty anal.. but it's my first new car, and I just want to keep it nice

Questions:
1) What is the proper way to park the car on a hill? (e.g. Leave in gear, turn off car, let off brake, pull handbrake..? -- or should i pull handbrake before letting off brake?)
2) What to apply to full leather dash to protect it. My car sits in the sun 24/7 (no garage at work or home). I'm thinking of leather master vital + protection.
3) Does anyone have any suggestions for towelettes I can keep under my seat or something, so if I get in my car with dirty/sweaty/greasy hands I can wipe them off?
4) Birds have already waged war with the car. Is the best plan of action keeping clean microfibers & ONR in the trunk. Spray ONR and wipe off with microfiber?
5) To get it detailed/coated with CQuartz or not..?? $1200 from a reputable detailer.

Some scatter-brain Observations:
1) Chick-fil-a drive thru teenager told me my car was beautiful. . I'll take it!
2) I spent 3 minutes parking my car just right in my driveway, and my wife told me i was going to wake up the neighborhood children that were sleeping . At 7pm.... And i just have a non-zcp stock exhaust
3) Performance center delivery is totally worth it.. They do a top-notch job. Plus it helps scratch the itch to push the car before break-in is over.
4) ....but i went WOT in 2nd and ... it scared me
5) I'm pretty sure this car could drive itself with all the lane-changing nannies it has in it.
6) Hard wired escort radar detector with blendmount, and on way home from work today car in front of me got nailed, but I had 10+ seconds off full alarm to slow down. Best decision ever. Detector fits in perfect with interior, almost looks stock.
7) Full leather SS, is . Truly looks like a luxury car inside with the beautiful contrast. Great recommendation to go full-leather by everyone here.
8) Was deciding between SS and YMB.. Never was able to see YMB in person before I ordered, and was worried it would be too flashy for me. Drove one at the performance center. Yes it's flashy, and yes its beautiful... didn't come across like the Smurf color it sometimes does in pictures.

... more to come when I think of em.

[Who's on first]

$1,200 is high for detail and full (inside and out) CQuartz Finest.

What part of the country are you in?

I had detail, full paint correction, inside and out in CQuartz Finest, infrared'd properly.

$950

One guy, 5 days.

[anesthetize]

Congrats on your new ride!
1. Not sure if this is proper procedure but I tap console lever to left, pull handbrake then hit ignition switch on dash twice. Has worked for me through 2 DCTs (E90 and F80). Don't worry, it'll become second nature.

[nineofspades]

Originally Posted by Who's on first

$1,200 is high for detail and full (inside and out) CQuartz Finest.

What part of the country are you in?

I had detail, full paint correction, inside and out in CQuartz Finest, infrared'd properly.

$950

One guy, 5 days.

South Carolina... It's actually opticoat, not cquartz.. not sure if that makes a difference. The quote was for 'new-car prep' which included a one-step paint-correction. He said it took him ~15-20 hours on the last BMW he worked on. He also claimed opticoat 'sets' the price, not him. Not sure if that's BS or what?

[Who's on first]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

South Carolina... It's actually opticoat, not cquartz.. not sure if that makes a difference. The quote was for 'new-car prep' which included a one-step paint-correction. He said it took him ~15-20 hours on the last BMW he worked on. He also claimed opticoat 'sets' the price, not him. Not sure if that's BS or what?

No doubt it's a lot of hours. I could not have been more impressed.

Not sure about setting the price. Maybe.

But that would be just for the coating.. Not the detail and paint correction.

Then again, maybe that's a fair price around your area.


Doesn't hurt to shop around.

Compare Opti & CQ

Both have their pluses and minuses.

Figure out what's best for you.

I did CQ, doesn't last as long 2-3 years... But has a higher gloss. That's what I learned anyway.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

Sorry, some of these questions are going to sound pretty anal.. but it's my first new car, and I just want to keep it nice

Questions:
My car sits in the sun 24/7 (no garage at work or home).

Get a windshield sunshade and tint you windows!

Originally Posted by nineofspades

2) I spent 3 minutes parking my car just right in my driveway, and my wife told me i was going to wake up the neighborhood children that were sleeping . At 7pm.... And i just have a non-zcp stock exhaust

Even in efficiency mode?

Originally Posted by nineofspades

4) ....but i went WOT in 2nd and ... it scared me

It's not going to kill the life of the engine, don't worry. Some people are of the "Drive it like you stole it" right out of the gate mentality. If you slip up and red line a few times, its fine.

Originally Posted by nineofspades

6) Hard wired escort radar detector with blendmount, and on way home from work today car in front of me got nailed, but I had 10+ seconds off full alarm to slow down. Best decision ever. Detector fits in perfect with interior, almost looks stock.

I'm interested in your setup. Do you have a pic?

[nineofspades]

Originally Posted by jmg

Even in efficiency mode?

I was in Sport+ . If i wanted it to be quiet i would buy a tesla.

Originally Posted by jmg

I'm interested in your setup. Do you have a pic?

Will get some pics for you tomorrow, it's dark now.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

I was in Sport+ . If i wanted it to be quiet i would buy a tesla.

Lol, I absolutely have to be in efficiency. My garage is detached, but my son's bedroom overlooks the courtyard, so it resonates!

[nicknaz]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

S
4) ....but i went WOT in 2nd and ... it scared me .

congrats on your new ride. I miss those days, when the added power was a novelty.

Now WOT in 2nd makes me wonder about a 3000lb / 600whp used z06....

[DE Urlaub]

Cool and Congrats! Looking forward to pix of your SSII!!!

[Vitacura]

Would love to see pics, especially of your Full Leather SS interior.

[Oliver Queen]

I highly recommend getting some type of coating if you park outside, all that bird crap and dirt will be so much easier to remove and way less headaches! Also when I park, I pull up the handbrake, shut off the car while it's in D, and then I release the brakes

[Blksnowflake]

Lots of info but driving through drive-thrus to get fatty foods and compliments will eventually lead to a wheel getting curbed negotiating around that tight area. I walk in and out to burn a few calories getting my fatty foods and avoid curbing a wheel.

[nineofspades]

Originally Posted by jmg

I'm interested in your setup. Do you have a pic?

Here's a shitty iPhone pic for you from my drive into work this morning

[DaBean]

Answers:
1) What is the proper way to park the car on a hill? (e.g. Leave in gear, turn off car, let off brake, pull handbrake..? -- or should i pull handbrake before letting off brake?) There is no correct way; I turn the wheels to the curb, pull handbrake, and then release brakes. However, I don't pull handbrake on flats (from track habits)
2) What to apply to full leather dash to protect it. My car sits in the sun 24/7 (no garage at work or home). I'm thinking of leather master vital + protection. Get a full tint, including windshield
3) Does anyone have any suggestions for towelettes I can keep under my seat or something, so if I get in my car with dirty/sweaty/greasy hands I can wipe them off? I keep baby wipes in the glove box for that very reason
4) Birds have already waged war with the car. Is the best plan of action keeping clean microfibers & ONR in the trunk. Spray ONR and wipe off with microfiber? Get a shotgun and fight back! jk, yes, that plan will work
5) To get it detailed/coated with CQuartz or not..?? $1200 from a reputable detailer. Do CQuartz yourself - it's not that hard

Some scatter-brain Observations:
1) Chick-fil-a drive thru teenager told me my car was beautiful. . I'll take it! You eat in your car?

[cprx7]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

Here's a shitty iPhone pic for you from my drive into work this morning

nice spot for radar detector

[jmg]

Originally Posted by nineofspades

Here's a shitty iPhone pic for you from my drive into work this morning

I've never mounted a radar. Where are you running the power to?

[firedown31]

Originally Posted by jmg

I've never mounted a radar. Where are you running the power to?

It's just a tap into the wires going to the rear view mirror.

[mdefalco25]

I'm a detailer on the side and depending on which Opti coating he is using, it is indeed a fact that they set the price to which he should apply it at. It's why I don't use Opti anymore and switched to cQuartz. Both very good products IMHO.

Originally Posted by nineofspades

South Carolina... It's actually opticoat, not cquartz.. not sure if that makes a difference. The quote was for 'new-car prep' which included a one-step paint-correction. He said it took him ~15-20 hours on the last BMW he worked on. He also claimed opticoat 'sets' the price, not him. Not sure if that's BS or what?

[nineofspades]

Originally Posted by DaBean

1) Chick-fil-a drive thru teenager told me my car was beautiful. . I'll take it! You eat in your car?

.. nah, I was just picking it up to take home. I used to sneak a fry or two in my old car, but will have to refrain from now on. Chick-fil-a has the most efficient drive through i've ever seen, so I pretty much never go in.

Originally Posted by jmg

I've never mounted a radar. Where are you running the power to?

I went with the Blendmount solution (BMW-007 model) & mirror-tap (MirrorTap MTX Series Power Cord with Inline Fuse). Total was $152 shipped, so not cheap, but when you've spent this much already... I think you should do it right and not have cords lying everywhere.