New bmw 328xi coupe detailing questions

[odonnellb]

Okay my brother just got a silver bmw 328xi coupe and it is absolutely stunning, my dad has a 645ci bmer and i would take the looks of this one over it any day, its awesome. I had my brother ask the dealer not to detail it or anything so i could use my stuff to clean it, didnt want those dealership swirls to start already. Unfortunately the message he left never got through to whatever department details the cars, so they did it for him, and they suprisingly did a good job. However they did tell him that his paint is waterbased, and should never be put through car washes, which is pretty obvious that you never want to put any car you care about through a car wash, but I have to be honest i dont know enough about paint to know what water based is. I am honestly a little embarrassed to even be posting this! I just wanted to make sure i am completely safe detailing the car using my pressure washer, cyclo polisher, and claying it. I am almost positive i can, but can someone educate me a little bit on if i should be doing anything different than the detailing i have been doing over the past year or two that i learned about on this site. (wash, clay, polish, wax, seal routine) or if i need to be prepared for something different with this paint.

Thanks for the help and i will post pics of the beauty once i can get my first detail on it!

Brendan

[danforz]

i have a space grey 328 and treat it like any other car.... i foumd that SG didnt do much but two coats of natty blue realy helped

[theshineshopm3]

wash, clay and finish, leave out the pressure washer . a car is not designed to be pressure washed. i own a 2005 m3 and do alot of bmw and i don`t even own a pressure washer

good luck!

mike

[Seankf1105]

yea pressure washers should be used on houses, driveways, etc but not on cars :nervous2:

[imported_Detailing Technology]

I like to use a pressure washer when I plan to compound/polish a car. I`d bet to say 90% of high volume shops use pressure washers. For a hobby detailer, like most here, a pressure washer isnt a must.



You dont need to hold the tip of the gun 2" from the surface of the car when using the pressure washer. You can hold it about 24-30" away from the finish and get a great powerful mist. You also will be able blow out your wheel wells, suspension, exhaust, and underbody with it.



Paint can be "dislodged" if you hit a chip on a improperly prepared surface or a repaint and make it much worse.

[imported_themightytimmah]

However they did tell him that his paint is waterbased, and should never be put through car washes, which is pretty obvious that you never want to put any car you care about through a car wash, but I have to be honest i dont know enough about paint to know what water based is.



The new water-based paints are softer than the old oil-based ones. I`ve had nothing but headaches with these new paints. You`ll want to wash carefully, use good MFs, and glaze. If you want to go a glaze-free route, Menzerna`s polishes tend to work best. Quite honestly, the new paints are terrible.