Maintaining Black Paint!! (Part 1)

["Manuel Paredes" <ddrk1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Okay everyone, since the rains are starting to dissipate and the sun is 
starting to shine I decided I would finally post this on the board.  It's 
time to shine up them dark bimmers!!  I was going to try to summerize what 
everyone sent me but it's just too much and some of these tips are good the 
way they were sent to me so here they are.

Manuel Paredes
95 325i (crippled)
L.A. BMWCCA

P.S. I am not responsible for any damage you do to your vehicle.

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Part 1

                      Maintaining black paint


Hi Manuel.
Not sure what a Kragen wash mit is, but if it's that polyester one,
get rid of it.  It scratches the paint.  You need to get the sheepskin (or 
fur,for that matter) wash mit.  Also, sounds like you're using stuff that is 
available from a Kmart of sorts.  Meguiars stuff sold in those retail stores 
is second rate.  They make a whole set of other products for the pros.  
These can be obtained from Larry at http://www.carcareonline.com.  He has a 
lot of info there about caring for paint as well as other stuff.

About drying the car, I'd stay away from using a chamois to dry the car.  
Think about it.  It's so thin and flat that if you have any residue dirt 
that didn't come off in the washing process that it would get rubbed around 
on the paint surface.  Instead, use the old trick of removing the nozzle and 
running a nice stream of water slowly from top to bottom.  The key is to get 
the water to sheet off the paint and leave less water to mop up.  After 
that, use a 100%
cotton towel to dry off (remember, stay away from towels made in 3rd world 
countries...they contain polyster even though they say 100% cotton).  Use 
Cannon brand or Fieldcrest (sp?) towels available at Macys.  This is all 
covered in that website I gave you. As for maintaining paint smoothness, you 
might want to consider a clay system. It's really nice.  Also, check out 
http://www.zainobros.com.  I use their products and like it very much.  They 
have UV blockers as well as anti-static properties so dust just glides off 
when driving.

HTH,Chester

Manuel,
I use Hi-temp products to remove swirls and found nothing beats it (I have 
tried Meguiers, etc. and although they work, I usually do not find they work 
as well and some other products are awfully harsh on the finish with actual 
abrasives). I also have used every polish or wax known (seemingly anyways).  
I prefer Pinnacle over Zymol products with Blitz Wax as a runner-up.  Over 
all of these I prefer Finish First Polish (not a wax but synthetic clear 
coat protection).  Not very well known but provides the most durable 
long-lasting
protection with very good shine.  Easier to use than wax and much 
moredurable. If you want any more information regarding these products, 
please feel free to write or call me at 216-420-4366.  I used to detail cars 
(before I left college for a "real" job) and continue to enjoy making cars 
look there best. I also still obtain certain hard to find products for 
friends and family as I am a dealer for certain products (like Finish 
First).  I do not make any money currently from my auto supply work but do 
it as a favor to certain
auto enthusiasts.

Best regards,Rich


Hi Manuel,
How are you doing?  I think your car is black like mine.  I feel like I have 
a pretty good system for minimizing micro scratches. Here's what I do:

1) I wash with Meguair's #00 (hi tech wash)  I've used a few soaps and
haven't noticed a major difference from one to another.  I'd say that
you ought to pick one based on price, availability, and smell!
I use a sheep skin mit from griot's garage.  It is hugely different
from the mit I bought at pep boys.  It is much softer, and seems to
stay cleaner.  I use it on the paint on the upper body of the car
(everything above the side rub strips.)  Below I use an old cheapy mit. I 
keep em seperate b/c the bottom of the car tends to have the really gross 
stuff that I don't want on the good part of the car.

2) I dry with a synthetic chamois.  I hate how chamois's get old and
ugly very quickly.  griot's sells them at a reasonably cost.

3) I do final dry with a cotton towel.  I only use a clean towel.
After the chamois it usually only takes one small towel to dry the car.

4) I keep the car covered as much as possible.  I actually pick up most of 
my scratches from putting on the cover.

5) I use 3m imperial hand glaze to polish the car.  It is the easiest
to apply / take off, of any polish I have tried to date.

6) I will use a clay bar 1 - 2x per year to give the car a freshlypolished 
look.

7) Blitz wax every 1-2 months.  This stuff give a finish as good as
zymol in 1/3 the time.  Highly recomended.  It usually takes care of
most small scratches.

8) In between washings I will use Meguair's final inspection to cleanoff 
dust. Scratches will still appear, but these products have worked well on 
mycar.

Good luck,
Bill Isaacson
94 325i blk on blk (big mistake!)


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