fuenfer

My 997S will be here this week, and I've asked that the dealership not wash/wax the car (in fact, I've asked them to leave on the plastic sheets). I decided that I needed to prep the car as I saw some of their new black 911s that already had some swirl marks. Anyway, I was hoping to get some advice from you guys regarding this issue -- I've been detailing cars for many years now, but this will be the first time taking delivery without prep. Will there be adhesive that I will need to remove? At this point, I was thinking of washing, claying, polishing & waxing (P21S) the car. Any steps that I'm missing here? Thanks in advance for any advice.

JFScheck

The dealer still needs to prep the car (initialize the stereo, check fluids, pressures, etc.)... I would ask them to be gentle and remove everything and just wash it.

I use P21S only, would use a cleaner polish before hand perhaps but you don't need the clay...

Larry Harris

I would urge you to clay the car. I remember how rough the paint was on my 997. Washing alone did not take the accumulated debris off the paint. The clay did! Easy to use and a sense of accomplishment when done. Then protect the near perfect paint with your favorite polish/sealer/wax.

jjporsch43

Have a Black 05' S. Had dealer wash of with hose and not do anything else. They complied. have seen a lot cars screwed up by "dealer detailers". Agree. Do it yourself.

John J in SA

Eric - Plug Guy

Do NOT clay the car!

Do NOT allow them to clean the car!

I took my '04 C4S Cab right from the parking lot, filthy, covered in paper, goo, etc. They checked the mechanicals, etc and let me ride.

Spent a few weekends getting all the goop off, and let me tell you - there is no better feeling when looking at the paint 18 months later.

I let the paint age 2 months before I did anything to it. If your paint has buildup, just wash it for the first month. Then decide if you need clay to remove the impurities and crud buildup.

My Guards Red Cab looks like it was just painted. I keep Rejex on it every other month or so, and it is detailed in some very (****) specific methods that keep it scratch/swirl free.

But do NOT let the dealer TOUCH the finish. Just drive it home dirty. My favorite exercise was detailing that puppy from new. Don't even have them wash it.

MJones

I did it all myself in '02 and again in '05.
Thats the way I wanted it.

OCBen

If you can get them to deliver it the way MJones had his delivered, that's the way to go. Any residual adhesive can be removed with a product like 3M Adhesive Remover. Clay it thoroughly to remove airborne contaminants that have adhered during the long transport, contaminants such as rail dust (from the factory to the loading docks) and other pollutants. Polish with a premier polish such as 3M's Imperial Hand Glaze to get that show car wet look, and preserve that wet look with the P21S wax. For more tips on the subject, you might find the following thread helpful, if you haven't already read through it:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-forum/223192-a-primer-on-waxing-for-those-who-really-really-need-help.html

Oh, you don't need to allow the paint to cure at all. The paint is already cured at the factory under intense high heat. No need to delay adding protection.

nkhalidi

I think the quality of PDI depends on the dealer. My black 997 has zero swirls. The paint is immaculate to my eyes. Of course, I'm no expert, but as Jack said in Sideways: "tastes pretty good to me." I looked at the cars in my dealer's showroom to evaluate their detailing/PDI methods, and they all looked terrific; I knew they would do the same for my car.

FlyingLow

You Porsche owners are weird

JFScheck

I guess it does depend on the dealership. Here, Rockville does a great job! Oh well...

fuenfer

I also examined my dealership's preparation, in particular, a brand new black 997 C4S that they'd just put in the showroom. The preparation wasn't terrible, but there were a small number of swirl marks visible under the fluorescent lights, which got me thinking that I should do my own prepping.

Thanks for all the advice -- I think I'm on the right track.

Sobe

Many dealers take a buffer to the car and then you get the swirl marks . I would want it just like this ...........

fast1

One lesson I learned many years ago is that if you are a fanatic about your car's finish, don't buy a black car. Silver is the color that hides imperfections the best. I've seen many, many black cars and they all have imperfections that can be seen in the right lighting. The clear coat finish on black cars magnifies the smallest imperfection. Of course silver cars have the same imperfections, it's just that they are much harder to detect.

boolala

You know the best thing for the **** retentive Porsche owner (who has replaced the **** retentive cook on SNL) is to not even remove the white protective film. Just drive the car like it is. There's always the danger of damaging the paint finish if you're too agressive removing the film. Those wheel covers on the last picture above are particularly handsome and, no doubt about it, your car will look unique and other motorists will think you are driving a disguised future model.

NVRANUF

Its' a frikkin car, and despite our **** efforts of maintaining, enhancing and preserving a "like new" paint finish, elements of road rash will ensue if you should choose to drive the thing........ as it was meant to be driven.
That said, it doesn't mean I enjoy seeing the evidence of a well driven car.