What to do with a car with "Paint Protection" from delivery?

[Surly]

Hi all:

As a brief intro - I used to be quite proficient at detailing, inside and out. Life circumstances have left me with little time the last 5-6 years to really keep up with anything. Some of my product knowledge is stuck in the mid-2000s, to be honest, and I haven`t done a great workup on my vehicles since 2012 or so. I still keep them clean and care for them and they look better than most, but the landscape has really changed.

Right now my main concern is a 2011 BMW in Space Grey Metallic. It was purchased with a paint protection package which I surmise to be one of the major sealants/coatings of the day applied by the dealer after a quick polish. I should also mention that it comes with a "paint protection warranty" that`s still in effect - I guess if something like bird droppings mar the finish they polish and re-seal or whatever it takes to correct the damage. Note that I`m not talking about StoneGuard film - it has that too.

It`s first few years it sat in a garage. The last few it`s been a daily driver (which is all I have, and I still care about). It overnights in a garage but spends 60% of week days parked in a commuter train lot so it sees some elements. It`s only up to about 30k miles at this point so is "like new" in many ways.

So far I`ve only thrown P21S/S100 wax (I told you I was in the dark ages) on top of the coating when I have time (which isn`t as often as I`d like). I have switched from clay to one of those prep mitts and it actually makes it happen more often. I have started thinking about things like a polish with something like Menzerna SF4000/4500 to make things pop a little more (I`m accustomed to darker colours that really shine) but I`m also wondering about the original sealant....

1. Is this coating just going to wear off slowly like a wax and I can polish and re-seal/wax?
2. Is it important to try to identify which coating this dealership used?
3. Should I be attempting to remove the original coating through some process?
4. Could polishing partially remove it and really make it look like crap? Or are these things durable enough to take a 4000/4500 polish?
5. How will I know when the original coating has worn off or failed? Is it going to look a little like failing clear coat? Or will water just stop beading?
6. What coating/sealant/wax should I replace it with?

So many threads on what coating to use - not so many on what to do with them later I`d rather the car didn`t come with this, but that`s not something I can go back in time and change. While it isn`t flawless, it isn`t in need of correction, which I why I was only thinking of a pass to `jewel` and then re-seal/coat/wax. Or, do I just leave it alone.

Thanks for reading and for any advice.

[ShaneB]

Do you happen to know the name of the product the dealer used?

youre going to find that many of us here will HIGHLY recommend you not take the car to a dealership for any type of detail work, and definitely NEVER let them touch your car with a polisher.

Without knowing the details exactly, I`d think your "protection package" was long gone within the first year of owning the car. There`s a reason real detailers will charge upwards of $1000+ to install a long term coating that offers a warranty.

[Surly]

Do you happen to know the name of the product the dealer used?

youre going to find that many of us here will HIGHLY recommend you not take the car to a dealership for any type of detail work, and definitely NEVER let them touch your car with a polisher.

Without knowing the details exactly, I`d think your "protection package" was long gone within the first year of owning the car. There`s a reason real detailers will charge upwards of $1000+ to install a long term coating that offers a warranty.

1/ I have no idea - not even sure I could find out. I guess one of my questions is - is it important to know or should does "X" process remove them all?

2/ I didn`t choose to do this, the original purchaser did, so the car has it, and I need to move forward from where I am. For what it`s worth, they don`t seem to have done anything "wrong". No swirls, holograms, or other trauma, and it looks pretty good (for silver).

3/ It wasn`t cheap. At all. And did/does have a warranty. For all I know the selling dealership outsourced to a "real detailer" for this. This is why I`m not just going at it willy nilly. From what I can see, water is still beading but not really strongly from the original coating. It still feel smooth overall but benefits from a prep mitt wipe down. Of course depending on what it was, maybe "beading water" isn`t one of its characteristics and it`s no indication of whether the coating is still intact?

As mentioned - if some of these top tier coatings are so durable, I don`t even know how to remove it safely, or if I should bother.

[Mike lambert]

If you have the warranty I would see if it needed regular visits to the dealer for re applications? If that was not done you have no warranty! At this point I would polish the car to make it as defect free as you can and go with a product like polish angel glass coat. About 2 years durability and extremely easy to apply. Hope that helps!

[ShaneB]

If it was installed properly and still showing characteristics of being there (beading/sheeting) I wouldn`t bother removing it unless you specifically want something else.

Most coatings can be removed via compounding or polishing (by machine, hand would take FOREVER). So if you polish it you probably will strip the coating, if not at a minimum severely degrade it.

If you could figure out what the coating is specifically then you`ll be able to get more information on how to care for it. Many coating suppliers offer booster products to help extend the life of the coating (carpro Reload for example).

The coating will eventually wear off on its own but depending on which one it could take years. For example crystal serum from Gtechniq I believe says 5-7 years. I personally had Gtechniq Exo V2 on a couple parts of my car (never finished the job, too busy) and over a year and a half later with ZERO maintenance, the coating is still there. While the beading characteristics were all but gone, I could still see that the coating was there as after a thorough decon the paint was still slick.

It can be hard to tell with coatings. They can lose their beading properties yet still be on there. if you`re really just worried about the uncertainty of it all, then as I said earlier a good compounding/polishing will remove the coating.

[Accumulator]

The days of "all dealer-applied paint sealants are junk" are over, some of them are OK now.

Surly- If it looks OK, sheds contamination, and resists etching from bugs/birds, then I`d just leave it be. IF the dealership can do the Refreshing without causing new issues, then you might want to get the $`s worth out of it. Sounds to me like you`re basically happy with it.

What did you mean by "it benefits from a prep mitt wipe down?" Like a nanoskin? If that`s the case, I`d wonder why it doesn`t shed contamination better, might suspect it`s not doing its job very well.

I do find that "looks pretty good...for silver" a bit odd, IMO silver vehicles are utterly dazzling, literally blinding in bright sunlight. Not what I`d call a "boring color" at all, *if* done right.

[rlmccarty2000]

Some silvers are more gray in color and not very "metallic". I believe the BMW silver is one of those that is more gray than silver (metallic).

[Surly]

If it was installed properly and still showing characteristics of being there (beading/sheeting) I wouldn`t bother removing it unless you specifically want something else.

Most coatings can be removed via compounding or polishing (by machine, hand would take FOREVER). So if you polish it you probably will strip the coating, if not at a minimum severely degrade it.

If you could figure out what the coating is specifically then you`ll be able to get more information on how to care for it. Many coating suppliers offer booster products to help extend the life of the coating (carpro Reload for example).

It can be hard to tell with coatings. They can lose their beading properties yet still be on there. if you`re really just worried about the uncertainty of it all, then as I said earlier a good compounding/polishing will remove the coating.

All good to know. There is evidence the coating is still there. I haven`t tried IPA wipedowns to stress test it but water still beads and contamination resistance is higher than I`m accustomed to with my standard products (like P21S carnuba) on past cars in identical operating/parking/living conditions. My house, job, parking and commuting routine are largely unchanged throughout my past 3 cars.

It`s not so much uncertainty. If I throw some P21S on top it beads like a champ. A quick prep towel wipe down and it`s quite smooth. Not quite like freshly decon/ clay and polish, but probably "best in the parking lot" (a phrase I`ve seen here and like) except for brand new cars. What I wanted was to hit it with some SF4000 to get more shine, but not if it sent me down a rabbit hole of partially removed coatings and making things worse instead of better.

The days of "all dealer-applied paint sealants are junk" are over, some of them are OK now.
Surly- If it looks OK, sheds contamination, and resists etching from bugs/birds, then I`d just leave it be. IF the dealership can do the Refreshing without causing new issues, then you might want to get the $`s worth out of it. Sounds to me like you`re basically happy with it.

Basically. The whole notion of available/REQUIRED refreshing wasn`t one I thought of. I have all the original sale paperwork. I probably can`t dig through it for a week or so but I will go read it all again concerning the paint stuff. As someone pointed out - maybe I`m supposed to be in there every 12-24 months for top-ups. Again, not that I`d choose this route if it was my new car purchase, but I have to start where I am and proceed from there. I honestly think that this coating may have "saved" the car from my lack of time budget for detailing over the last couple of years.

What did you mean by "it benefits from a prep mitt wipe down?" Like a nanoskin? If that`s the case, I`d wonder why it doesn`t shed contamination better, might suspect it`s not doing its job very well.

Yes - like a nanoskin. I forget just which one I bought but it was the "fine" variety. I have been impressed at how well it has shed contamination compared to my past experience, so I think it`s doing OK. One time when I knew I hadn`t done any serious paint care for a good long spell I hand washed and felt it and thought "not too shabby". I`ve only used the nanoskin on this car twice.

As hinted to above - when I had done nothing but wash it for many months, the contamination situation felt better to my hand than 1-2 months after a major "once a year" strip-decon-clay-polish-wax session on past cars back when I had more time. So I think it`s doing something.

I`ve noticed water beading is weaker, but after a good hand wash nothing has really degraded about its appearance.

I do find that "looks pretty good...for silver" a bit odd, IMO silver vehicles are utterly dazzling, literally blinding in bright sunlight. Not what I`d call a "boring color" at all, *if* done right.

Well - I`m used to darker colours. Like BMW "Barritz Blau", BMW "Sparkling Graphite" and Porsche "Dark Slate Grey". I love looking at my cars from any angle and seeing mirror reflections of the ground in the side panels and doors. BMW "Space Grey Metallic" is darker than silver, and lots of the "there`s nothing better than silver" crowd like it, but it just doesn`t reflect. That`s why I want to jewel it and see what happens. I thought my "Sparkling Graphite" car couldn`t get any better looking - then I used the SF4000 and was really amazed.

If you have the warranty I would see if it needed regular visits to the dealer for re applications? If that was not done you have no warranty! At this point I would polish the car to make it as defect free as you can and go with a product like polish angel glass coat. About 2 years durability and extremely easy to apply. Hope that helps!

Well noted and I will investigate. Didn`t even cross my mind

Some silvers are more gray in color and not very "metallic". I believe the BMW silver is one of those that is more gray than silver (metallic).

It looks like a medium-grey car. There`s not a lot of sparkle unless you`re close. The fleck is pretty fine. As above I wanted to see what SF4000 could do.

I`ve found a generic picture of a BMW in Space Grey which I`ll attach here.

Thank you to all who have responded to help me out. I only have a PC 7424, and have moved to 3" pads for more power. I`m not convinced my equipment will even give this coating the good compounding it would need to be thoroughly removed. Either I hit it with SF4000 in a half hearted attempt to pump up the shine or maybe leave it another year until I see signs of coating issues. I will check all the paperwork and see if boosters are required or available.

[RaskyR1]

The days of "all dealer-applied paint sealants are junk" are over, some of them are OK now.

Surly- If it looks OK, sheds contamination, and resists etching from bugs/birds, then I`d just leave it be. IF the dealership can do the Refreshing without causing new issues, then you might want to get the $`s worth out of it. Sounds to me like you`re basically happy with it.

What did you mean by "it benefits from a prep mitt wipe down?" Like a nanoskin? If that`s the case, I`d wonder why it doesn`t shed contamination better, might suspect it`s not doing its job very well.

I do find that "looks pretty good...for silver" a bit odd, IMO silver vehicles are utterly dazzling, literally blinding in bright sunlight. Not what I`d call a "boring color" at all, *if* done right.

I have seen some using actual ceramic coatings now but some are still stuck in the stone age. I was just talking with a friend who is having his car undercoated at the place I worked at in the mid 90`s. We used to apply Auto Armor for the paint protection, after just a wash, nothing more. He said today they are applying Wolfgang Paint Sealant 3.0 for the 5-7 year paint protection warranty!!! Lol

[Accumulator]

Some silvers are more gray in color and not very "metallic". I believe the BMW silver is one of those that is more gray than silver (metallic).

Yeah, I`ve had/detailed that color. Still...just not boring when done right IMO. Eh, sorry...I sound like a [jerk]

Surly- Hey, that`s great feedback, thanks. It *does* sound like the coating is working pretty well for you, and I`m not one to argue with success and/or look for new problems/more work.

I do wonder whether the coating might diminish the appearance *just enough* to make it less impressive-looking, but I don`t want to make a mountain out of a molehill either.

I wouldn`t try to do it with that PC (I have two of `em). I`d see about having it refreshed, which might be required anyhow.

I do think that using the nanoskin probably degraded the coating to some extent, so I`d do that right before any future refreshments.

Can`t help but wonder how a really good polishing might bring out just enough more "oomph" to make it really impress ya

Oh, FWIW, I tried that P21s on my Rhodium Silver Metallic Jag (old ss metallic lacquer...talk about a "slightly metallic gray that`s really blah"...NOT, mine`s wonderful and people with the same paint just shake their heads ). I hated its look so much I could hardly stand it, would`ve stripped it off had I not been putting it into long-term hibernation. Sometimes a very minor factor makes all the diff to one person out of a hundred...of zero consequence unless that person is you.

[Mike lambert]

Auto armor, went to school with that guy, around here they get $700 for that wax!

[Mike lambert]

They sell the mechanical side chemicals and give the detail shop that stuff!

[Accumulator]

RaskR1- I used to think all Dealership-applied stuff was [crap], but I`ve backed off that since (some) products these days apparently are All That. But yeah...heh heh, some of the stuff I hear like that about various coatings helps me continue with my conventional LSPs

[RaskyR1]

Auto armor, went to school with that guy, around here they get $700 for that wax!

Stuff was crap IMO.

[Surly]

Surly- Hey, that`s great feedback, thanks. It *does* sound like the coating is working pretty well for you, and I`m not one to argue with success and/or look for new problems/more work.

I do wonder whether the coating might diminish the appearance *just enough* to make it less impressive-looking, but I don`t want to make a mountain out of a molehill either.

I wouldn`t try to do it with that PC (I have two of `em). I`d see about having it refreshed, which might be required anyhow.

I do think that using the nanoskin probably degraded the coating to some extent, so I`d do that right before any future refreshments.

Can`t help but wonder how a really good polishing might bring out just enough more "oomph" to make it really impress ya

Agreed - it is doing something, no doubt about that.

I`ve been thinking about ditching the PC and getting a GG6 or GG Boss15 or something. The Canadian price tag for a new one makes me cringe a little, considering my PC doesn`t even have that much mileage on it. This is especially cringe-worthy if I`m more or less deciding to "let it go" with the coating for now.

I think I`ve used the nanoskin twice, each time as prep for P21S. First wipe has slight resistance, follow up is smooth as glass. It`s my first time with a nanoskin-type product - soooo much easier to use than clay. In the end, the nanoskin+P21S added very noticeable pop so overall it was worth it.

I will look at the paperwork to see about booster/touch up requirements or options then decide what to do. The PC with LC white and grey was certainly enough on previous vehicles for SI1500, PF2500 and SF4000 (one time only) and then annual touch ups with SF4000.

It is frustrating to possibly even already have the equipment and product to make the car look better, but be unsure if a whole lot of work will result in any improvement, or what the status of the product already on there is. A minor issue in the grand scheme of things of course. I suppose I could hit something like the trunk lid with what I propose to do and see what happens.