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      04-04-2008, 06:57 PM   #1
MDCTFTW
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1st Detail on new car ... any thoughts?

Did you guys let the dealer prep your car before taking it home? I hear they do a horrible job in terms of swirls and such. Anyone go through a specific list of stuff they do when they get a new car? I'm thinking about telling my CA not to even take the shipping tape off until I get there.

Also, what products do you guys use?
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      04-04-2008, 10:49 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by MDCTFTW View Post
Did you guys let the dealer prep your car before taking it home? I hear they do a horrible job in terms of swirls and such. Anyone go through a specific list of stuff they do when they get a new car? I'm thinking about telling my CA not to even take the shipping tape off until I get there.

Also, what products do you guys use?
My dealer uses a professional detailing shop, but in the rush to get me the car they didn't on mine. On a new car, there is no need for claying or polish. After a through washing, only a wax product is needed. I'm old school and prefer carnauba wax. I use Malm's Extreme Concentrate paste wax (http://shop.malms.com/Qstore/Qstore....J01070560309J1) at $125/can, but it's good for like 8 jobs because it takes very little. If you have a darker color you could consider a paint sealant system like Zaino, but those can be a PITA.
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      04-04-2008, 11:23 PM   #3
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I'm not letting my dealer prep my car, especially since its jet black which shows every swirl, scratch, etc. Here's a helpful thread from our sister forum on how to do your own new car prep:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41760
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      04-05-2008, 09:17 AM   #4
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Detailing a new car is a very important step as you may really damage your "new baby". It really all depends on what the dealer did on it. The idea is that they do not try to wax it or put any other product on it.

The first step is to wash the car, as you would do it in any car. It's important to to scrub the tape or glue residuals, as this can produce scratches. (this is a mistake that a lot of rookie washers make at the dealers).

The second step is the CLAY. I can't emphasize enough on how important this process is. Why? Well, because you will need to get rid of all the tape residuals, glue and even rail dust. Make sure that you use enough lubricant for it.

Polishing? >Well, it depends on the paint. Using a light polish like Zaino's ZPC is recommended. If you do not polish, and the dealer waxed the car, you will need to get rid of it with a 50/50 solution of isopropyl alcohol and water.

After that, you can go ahead and seal/wax the car. In general, sealants are recommended for light colors and waxes for dark colors because the last one gives a nice "wet" look. You can also seal the paint and then apply a layer of caranuba wax on top of it.

The rest is as usual...
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      04-05-2008, 09:20 AM   #5
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For more info on the wax/seal check this post
http://www.m3post.com/forums/showthr...84#post2431381
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      04-05-2008, 11:53 AM   #6
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Great, thanks guys. I did see a couple posts on E90post, but was also wondering what people with M's are doing. I think I'm going to have the dealer to absolutely nothing on mine. Claying isn't too hard it's the polishing I'm a bit worried about. I hope the new car doesn't need polishing. I need to basically pick up all the products I'd need for the job so might as well do it right the first time.

Oh BTW, the M will be Space G.
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      04-06-2008, 02:16 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MDCTFTW View Post
Great, thanks guys. I did see a couple posts on E90post, but was also wondering what people with M's are doing. I think I'm going to have the dealer to absolutely nothing on mine. Claying isn't too hard it's the polishing I'm a bit worried about. I hope the new car doesn't need polishing. I need to basically pick up all the products I'd need for the job so might as well do it right the first time.

Oh BTW, the M will be Space G.
A layer (or 1 of zaino) with 5050 wax on top of that will make it look wonderful. You should use a light polish before that process.
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      04-15-2008, 03:49 PM   #8
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If you are capable of doing it your self do that if you would prefer to find some one you know will do a good job do that, i see alot of new cars come from dealers with quite swirled paint work, if you wash and take care while removing any transport wax it is IMO better to do that than have them do it

James B
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