Need recommendations- clearcoat safe paint cleaner/compound
05-11-2009, 09:30 PM
#1
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Need recommendations- clearcoat safe paint cleaner/compound
I picked up my 328is late last year, and I've since waxed it twice. It's due for it again, judging by the (lack of) beading of water. I'm not comfortable waxing the car as is, and I'm much more of a mechanical guy than a cosmetic whiz.
Here's the situation with the paint- it's a great 10-20 foot car with plenty of shine and no clearcoat issues, but it has some trunk/bumper scratches, general swirl marks, and contaminants that you get from daily use. This is my first clearcoat car- 944 Guards Red was pretty straightforward to maintain.
What I want- it's a daily car, so I'm not extremely worried about swirl marks (I'll be fixing the chips and scratches). My main goal is to maintain the clearcoat integrity, since '90s BMW paint (like some Porsche colors) tends to cloud, bubble, or generally look bad in some cases. I know nearly everything is "clearcoat-safe" but I'm still not entirely sure.
I used P21S products to take care of my old 944, so I have P21S Gloss-enhancing Paintwork Cleanser. This seems good for cleaning, but I believe it's slightly abrasive. I've never used a clay bar. Not sure where I should go from here. The car has a lot of summer highway use, and sits outside nearly all the time (college student, I can't help this
), so I imagine it'll need a good amount of paint cleaning in the future. I just don't want to get into a cycle of compounding/waxing, then burn through the clear coat.
Advice?
Here's the situation with the paint- it's a great 10-20 foot car with plenty of shine and no clearcoat issues, but it has some trunk/bumper scratches, general swirl marks, and contaminants that you get from daily use. This is my first clearcoat car- 944 Guards Red was pretty straightforward to maintain.
What I want- it's a daily car, so I'm not extremely worried about swirl marks (I'll be fixing the chips and scratches). My main goal is to maintain the clearcoat integrity, since '90s BMW paint (like some Porsche colors) tends to cloud, bubble, or generally look bad in some cases. I know nearly everything is "clearcoat-safe" but I'm still not entirely sure.
I used P21S products to take care of my old 944, so I have P21S Gloss-enhancing Paintwork Cleanser. This seems good for cleaning, but I believe it's slightly abrasive. I've never used a clay bar. Not sure where I should go from here. The car has a lot of summer highway use, and sits outside nearly all the time (college student, I can't help this
), so I imagine it'll need a good amount of paint cleaning in the future. I just don't want to get into a cycle of compounding/waxing, then burn through the clear coat.Advice?
05-22-2009, 09:36 AM
#2
LArge topic,
Ive tried severial waxes, none of them cheap.
So far the best ive tried is mothers Carbuna wax/cleaner. I use it every second/third mo.
My ride is black and shows swirls easily.
The Mothers is very easy to apply. You dont need a buffer.
Ive tried severial waxes, none of them cheap.
So far the best ive tried is mothers Carbuna wax/cleaner. I use it every second/third mo.
My ride is black and shows swirls easily.
The Mothers is very easy to apply. You dont need a buffer.
05-23-2009, 11:01 PM
#4
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I picked up my 328is late last year, and I've since waxed it twice. It's due for it again, judging by the (lack of) beading of water. I'm not comfortable waxing the car as is, and I'm much more of a mechanical guy than a cosmetic whiz.
Here's the situation with the paint- it's a great 10-20 foot car with plenty of shine and no clearcoat issues, but it has some trunk/bumper scratches, general swirl marks, and contaminants that you get from daily use. This is my first clearcoat car- 944 Guards Red was pretty straightforward to maintain.
What I want- it's a daily car, so I'm not extremely worried about swirl marks (I'll be fixing the chips and scratches). My main goal is to maintain the clearcoat integrity, since '90s BMW paint (like some Porsche colors) tends to cloud, bubble, or generally look bad in some cases. I know nearly everything is "clearcoat-safe" but I'm still not entirely sure.
I used P21S products to take care of my old 944, so I have P21S Gloss-enhancing Paintwork Cleanser. This seems good for cleaning, but I believe it's slightly abrasive. I've never used a clay bar. Not sure where I should go from here. The car has a lot of summer highway use, and sits outside nearly all the time (college student, I can't help this ), so I imagine it'll need a good amount of paint cleaning in the future. I just don't want to get into a cycle of compounding/waxing, then burn through the clear coat.
Advice?
Here's the situation with the paint- it's a great 10-20 foot car with plenty of shine and no clearcoat issues, but it has some trunk/bumper scratches, general swirl marks, and contaminants that you get from daily use. This is my first clearcoat car- 944 Guards Red was pretty straightforward to maintain.
What I want- it's a daily car, so I'm not extremely worried about swirl marks (I'll be fixing the chips and scratches). My main goal is to maintain the clearcoat integrity, since '90s BMW paint (like some Porsche colors) tends to cloud, bubble, or generally look bad in some cases. I know nearly everything is "clearcoat-safe" but I'm still not entirely sure.
I used P21S products to take care of my old 944, so I have P21S Gloss-enhancing Paintwork Cleanser. This seems good for cleaning, but I believe it's slightly abrasive. I've never used a clay bar. Not sure where I should go from here. The car has a lot of summer highway use, and sits outside nearly all the time (college student, I can't help this
), so I imagine it'll need a good amount of paint cleaning in the future. I just don't want to get into a cycle of compounding/waxing, then burn through the clear coat.Advice?
After claying, use the p21s paint cleanser you already have, it's not as abrasive as you think. Then use the p21s carnauba or 100% carnauba as your final wax. Both product are easy to use and the 100% will last a bit longer. Hope this helps.
