RNBRAD

You know I have used Cali dusters for years, just did my 550 front to back the other day. My cars, especially my truck sits for long periods of time and just gets dusty in the garage. I hate pulling out a really clean car except the windshiled and everything has a fine layer of dust on it. I'll grab the Cali duster and hit it once over. Now will I say a duster isn't doing damage? Nope. But I highly doubt using a relatively clean one, even scrutinizing under high intensity fluorsecents, which I have, that you would notice any fresh swirls. I've scrutinized it several times with no visual proof. It still to this day makes me feel uncomfortable about it. I still feel washing and drying the car is just as bad though. My show truck nore car is swirl free, but the extent of the swirls is very light if any. I do go to truck shows and hit my black truck with the duster several times a show, I've never really noticed out in direct sun that the duster did anything to the paint. Having said that, there has been times when I look at it wondering "where those damn swirls come from"? lol. To whatever extent of the damage is, visible or not, I think they are still worth using. Honestly though I have a pretty discerning eye and have not seen a problem. I do think towel drying is not a good idea. I need to try a shamee (spelling?), only problem those pick up dirt and hold it, sheesh just can't win. Oh, also get you a small swiffer duster for the interior if it is black. Those things are awesome!!!

K-A

Thanks! Yeah, I really wanna use it. My car will be waxed at every wash (I have a wash/wax combo I'm gonna use when I wash the car that in my experience so far has worked very well, in cleaning the car and then leaving a nice slippery-feeling coat of wax on it), so I'd hope that could help ease any negative effects of a Cali Duster if there were any.

I've always used Chamois ("Shamee"), but my way of washing my F10 will be different so it'll require all Microfibers.

I just purchased 6 VERY plush Microfibers. I really thought the MF's I was using on my cars before were plush.... these new ones I got you could sleep on! Lol. Hopefully they'll take care of the paint nicely. I just have to make sure to wash them right, and always scan them to ensure no particles are on them before I swipe the car with them, as that can obviously ruin everything.

RNBRAD

Wow, I've never butchered a words spelling that bad, I wasn't even close. I blame the Shamwow commercial.

mbuster25

[QUOTE=RNBRAD;5544221] Hand washing is a big no no!!! If you can't wash a car with high pressure water and not touch it to get it clean, then get ready for significant swirls.
QUOTE]

I think opposite. Hand washing - done properly - should be the safest form of car washing while the high pressure is a no no.

Arrie

K-A,

Do you wash/wax your car every day, twice a week, just once a week?

Seems like owning a black car is a major pain. I would never have time to own one...

K-A

I haven't even gotten started with my own care-process with this car. It's been an endless battle since I got it. First the tint shop got spray all over it the day after I got it, so I couldn't really enjoy it in a totally clean state after the Dealer detailed it. Then I made the mistake of taking it to a Hand Wash (told myself it'll be my ONE treat while I had the car, as I'd wash it myself afterward, terrible mistake) and they swirled the hell out of it. Then I took it back for them to "fix", which opened up a whole other can of worms, as they buffed it improperly and put holograms all over it, therefore now I had a 3 week old car that'd been buffed twice already.

I actually washed it once, but I did a purposefully half-arsed job as it was just over a week before I took it to get a true Paint Correction.

Now that I have a relatively "clean slate", I can start my own upkeep on it, and see how I do myself.

I plan to wash it probably once every other week, ideally, we'll see though. It's a short Lease, but pretending that I'd have this car for a long time (or any black car for that matter), I'd probably do the best I can do on my own, and pay $200-$300 every 6-12 months for a Paint Correction (clay, polish, buff if needed, seal, etc.).

Arrie

I just bought a Chrysler Town & Country minivan for my wife to drive. It is Black but I don't think I will have to do all that what you are going to do to your black drive...

I will have it waxed probably once yearly and washed at non-contact washes just because it has the old fashioned antenna on it??? I can't take it to a wash with brushes / hanging strips.

Very impressive van in all though.

thekurgan

I'd have a pro correct it and apply one of the new nano sealants like the Quartz stuff. I've been hearing pretty good things about it being tough and very scratch resistant.

ImInPA

K-A will soon learn that owning a black car is a lifestyle choice. Especially if you you like your car clean.

K-A

I've already figured that out, lol. Been spending more on detailing and detailing products on this car already than I did my previous 3 cars combined. lol.

Kurgan: Thanks, I'll look into those as well.

RNBRAD

[quote=mbuster25;5544588]Hand washing is unavoidable in instances where the car is so dirty that you have to literally rub the dirt off breaking its surface tension hold on your paint. I have never hand washed my benz or show truck nore will I if I can avoid it entirely. It is just impossible to take any technique that "touches" the dirt and pushes it over the surface of your clear coat and not cause micro marring, I say it's impossible!! We can lessen the effect with good technique, frequent rag changes, bucket water, good lubricating suspension soaps, etc.. but we can't avoid it entirely. Best method to avoid it even more so, is high pressure water. This does not work as good as hand washing because it uses less abrasive friction. So if a person can remove whatever soil on the surface of your paint without actually touching it, your way better off. My black Honda civic I was meticulous, I would power wash the big stuff off then hand wash it, still would spider web the finish. There's just no technique to avoid it 100%, and main reason I drive my Benz only on good weather days. When it gets dirty enough where I literally have to touch the surface to clean it, I'm going to see the swirls, no question.

I've always owned a black vehicle, owned my 1st in 1989 and had as many as 4 at one time. I currently own 2, so I'm pretty familiar with what causes swirls, holograms, star bursts etc.. Silver and white car owners as well as lighter colors, will probably never notice it, at least not like a black car owner.

hyperion667

good point about the towels......I have soooo many friggin' towels it's nuts....
and when I wash them I always use some Dawn and a little bleach too.....dawn takes the grease right away!
some rags I only use a couple of times......wheels....tailpipes.....the really dirty stuff.....
deadbeat is being detailed as I type

bob2011

All the haters in this thread make me want to punch myself in the face........... seriously go kick some cans on the freeway............ But great looking car KA!

220S

My cars are more fun to drive than to stare at. imho, unless you participate in concours events and own a collectible, just drive the thing and enjoy it. Otherwise it ends up owning you instead of the other way around.....

hyperion667

can you post a video of that?

K-A

Thank you very much, sir. I appreciate your level headedness and nice words! And haha, well put, I felt like doing the same.

Brad: Can you explain more about a high-pressure wash? Never really heard about it, at least not in a way where I can fathom it actually cleaning (and self drying without spots?) a car. And btw, your E looks stunning!

MBNUT1

No truer words. I had a black on black 06 E350 4matic. Beautiful car that I got compliments everywhere I went. But I was a total slave to it.

RNBRAD

Thanks. Just the self serve bay at your local car wash or pull into a Water Wizard 2.0. In other words, touch less car washes. Use spot free rinse, then you can use the blo dryers to dry your car, self serve and automatic.. Sure there may be a few spots here and there, nothing some quick spray detailer won't fix. I generally encorporate some towel drying, but inevitably there will be water flowing out your mirrors and creases before you get home anyway.

BM2BZ

how about something like this ?

http://www.costco.com/.product.11762...ketingItemName

RNBRAD

I have something similiar to that. They are absolutely awesome for spot free rinse. I use mine to wash and rinse my truck engine (all chrome). The spray pressure isn't very good, but for rinsing, don't need much, it's the washing dirt off that's the hard part.

K-A

That De-Ionizing water thing looks pretty cool, but damn expensive!

I don't have a driveway with hose handy, so I'm gonna have to use this Waterless Wash/Wax thing I've used before that does both surprisingly very well, and worked great on my last car.

RNBRAD

Hey KA, just curious as I think Harmon works with BMW much like MB. Does your dash have that weird looking mesh plastic like your W212 did?

K-A

Hmm, I know what you're referring to on the W212 and never knew what hell that was, lol (so it was speakers?).

I don't *think* my F10 has any mesh plastic on the dash and it's just a smooth surface, but will check when I go out tonight.

The F10 has a really high end (and expensive) Bang & Olufsen sound system with those crazy looking raising speakers/tweeters Option, and there was one available when I got this car, but I chose this one (with the Harmon system I believe) since it had Sport Auto Transmission option (awesomely tuned 8-Speed for very responsive and fast shifts, with paddles) and M Sport.... and of course black.

RNBRAD

I was just wondering. Was reading about how Harmon through Mercedes design uses the plastic weave panel to capture and cancel sound reflections off the glass in the W212. I always wondered why it looked wierd kind of like speaker grill mesh. Also wonder how in the world the car is so "dead". I mean literally very little sound reflection in the interior.

You get to listen to the B&O? I've heard the one in the Gulwing was not all that it was cracked up to be. Problem is a lot of these big name companys build the OEM drivers but of less quality than their standard consumer products. But as everyone knows I've been thrilled with the HK, especially as a starting plkatfrom, it's just needed some tweaking. I'm going to open up the doors soon. I have 24 sq/ft of Dynamat Extreme coming in the mail. I might replace the mids in the doors while I have the panels off and see if I can improve on the OEM ones a little.

Also I believe if you have the HK system, you have some of the exact same drivers as the W212. The tweeters for sure.

K-A

Interesting. The system definitely sounds comparable/similar to my W212 *I think*, it miiiight sound a a bit better actually, but haven't really put much attention into it. I wonder what most people like better between the two. If I'm not mistaken the F10 has more speakers than the W212? I do know that stuff like call quality via Bluetooth and stuff like that sounded immediately noticeably better in the F10.

I haven't heard the B&O actually.

On another note, I had a little taste of some potential "BMW problems" tonight.

We were driving to a belated VDay destination, and all of a sudden I hear a "pop" and my interior chime comes on as well as the interior lights. I thought I ran over something or my trunk popped open.... turns out my rear driver side door popped open.... on the freeway at like 75 MPH. It didn't actually swing open, it just unlatched from the full latch position. Very odd as I closed that same door earlier in the day and it was obviously shut, perhaps I didn't push it hard enough but still is no excuse for it to pop open when it was in fact in a fully latched position.

I hope this car doesn't remind me why BMW in all its successful might to impress me so thoroughly, can be a temperamental date itself.