Newbie from Pittsburgh! Need advice on New Jet Black BMW

[mikstr]

Thanks Guys! For the advice & suggestions! Yes I had a week moment going for the JB? I purchased the car from Bobby Rahal BMW in the South Hills as I am located in South Pitt. I Discussed the TST with them today & they assured me that they have trained detailers that properly prepare the car etc... I saw a 2015 7 series completed & it was fantastic. Correct me if I am wrong but the end result is the people that are working in the dealership.

So has anybody had any experience with BR BMW South Hills? Supposed to take it on Thursday...

One last question if it does not come out to my liking I feel that the dealer would stand behind it & make it correct rather than some independents that I read horror stories about. The car is garage kept but I travel very frequently so its at the airport outside as well.

I just want to make the right choice from the beginning.

Thanks Guys Tom

[JSFM35X]

What are they charging. If it is anything close to what you can get from a top level detailer, I would NOT do it at the dealer. I was the new car prep guy for a big dealer while I was in high school as a summer job 3 years in a row.. When the sales guy sold 3M scotch guard for the interior I was given a 6 dollar bottle of aerosol spray and told to hit all the fabric. No training, no checking no nothing.

I would hold off on the dealer and research a pro in your area. I never heard of the TST but dealers carry items nobody else does. Main reason is you cant get them anywhere else and they can charge you for something that is essentially a blind item. I am not big on dealer detailers. Be swindled by them before when my detailing IQ was lower. They glazed a black car and it looked mint until I washed it a few times.

Thanks Guys! For the advice & suggestions! Yes I had a week moment going for the JB? I purchased the car from Bobby Rahal BMW in the South Hills as I am located in South Pitt. I Discussed the TST with them today & they assured me that they have trained detailers that properly prepare the car etc... I saw a 2015 7 series completed & it was fantastic. Correct me if I am wrong but the end result is the people that are working in the dealership.

So has anybody had any experience with BR BMW South Hills? Supposed to take it on Thursday...

One last question if it does not come out to my liking I feel that the dealer would stand behind it & make it correct rather than some independents that I read horror stories about. The car is garage kept but I travel very frequently so its at the airport outside as well.

I just want to make the right choice from the beginning.

Thanks Guys Tom

[Ronkh]

...

One last question if it does not come out to my liking I feel that the dealer would stand behind it & make it correct rather than some independents that I read horror stories about.
Thanks Guys Tom

Seems like your mind is made up.
Then why bother asking us?

Do what you`re gonna do. You`ll probably be back asking us who can correct the hack job

[JSFM35X]

Sounds about right. I love the people who ask advice, decide to go another route and come back for help after they get hacked.

Seems to happen a lot in the detailing business.

Seems like your mind is made up.
Then why bother asking us?

Do what you`re gonna do. You`ll probably be back asking us who can correct the hack job

[Ronkh]

Sounds about right. I love the people who ask advice, decide to go another route and come back for help after they get hacked.

Seems to happen a lot in the detailing business.

I`m just old and crotchety, I guess

[WAXOFF]

Don`t put that crap on your car. I`m in the South Hills and used to work for BMW for 25 years. Just makes them a lot of profit. There is no force field to protect black. Had one black car myself and won`t own another but I do detail them. If you have some fine scratches get 3M ultra fine polish #3 and then top with Pinnacle Souvran. I used this combo on my son in laws 2010 Camaro SS and it came out perfect. He had let it sit outside in his yard all winter and was covered with bird crap and dirt.

[The Driver]

For the money your spending it`s just dumb, if you want high end protection at that cost go get modesta bc 05. Otherwise you are literally throwing your money away.

[fostarica]

Hey Tom -
These guys are right. I know you saw the other BMW with that TST coating, but do you know how long that look is gonna last? I`d be skeptical of a product that I`ve never heard of, especially at that price point. Why not go with something tried and true, like opti-coat? Talk to Evan and see where that gets you.

It sounds like you`ve made up your mind, but keep OC in mind. It`s a great option. Search around here for opti-coat. You`ll be amazed!

Your car is gorgeous. Why not keep it that way?

[mikstr]

Thanks Again Guys!

I am not convinced that getting this service done is the best move & I still have time to cancel my appointment for Thursday. This is why I really appreciate all of you sharing your thoughts. I have done research as well before seeking advice & its very tough to find any detailers in the South Hills that apply any type sealant. The company TST 5000 appears to be a local Pittsburgh based company. I watched the Demo video & basically its leaving me with less confidence in the product I have to say. It also worries me that I cannot find out that much about it on the web. You would think if what was great you would read about it? You would think if it sucked you read about it?

At this point I am about 90% seriously saying screw it! I will do it the old fashioned way but with some high quality products as previously mentioned (Thanks Again)

I already purchased from the Autopia Store all I will need to get my wash game up to speed.... Hell I think I just spent as much cash as I would on the Damn Coating!

Thanks Tom

[KBsToy]

Thanks Guys! For the advice & suggestions! Yes I had a week moment going for the JB? I purchased the car from Bobby Rahal BMW in the South Hills as I am located in South Pitt. I Discussed the TST with them today & they assured me that they have trained detailers that properly prepare the car etc... I saw a 2015 7 series completed & it was fantastic. Correct me if I am wrong but the end result is the people that are working in the dealership.

So has anybody had any experience with BR BMW South Hills? Supposed to take it on Thursday...

One last question if it does not come out to my liking I feel that the dealer would stand behind it & make it correct rather than some independents that I read horror stories about. The car is garage kept but I travel very frequently so its at the airport outside as well.

I just want to make the right choice from the beginning.

Thanks Guys Tom

If this is the way you are going to go read their guarantee and get it writing that they will stand behind their product. I bought a MB from BR in the north hills and I watch them put the product on and they did a good job but that was awhile back .

Just make sure you do it right the first time. You also might want to ask if they do any correcting, polishing before putting on their product.

Good Luck ...

This might help
Seal Out the Winter

[Ronkh]

Thanks Again Guys!

I am not convinced that getting this service done is the best move & I still have time to cancel my appointment for Thursday. This is why I really appreciate all of you sharing your thoughts. I have done research as well before seeking advice & its very tough to find any detailers in the South Hills that apply any type sealant. The company TST 5000 appears to be a local Pittsburgh based company. I watched the Demo video & basically its leaving me with less confidence in the product I have to say. It also worries me that I cannot find out that much about it on the web. You would think if what was great you would read about it? You would think if it sucked you read about it?

At this point I am about 90% seriously saying screw it! I will do it the old fashioned way but with some high quality products as previously mentioned (Thanks Again)

I already purchased from the Autopia Store all I will need to get my wash game up to speed.... Hell I think I just spent as much cash as I would on the Damn Coating!

Thanks Tom

The products you bought will last, and you can do it many many times over, not just a one time hit and run

[Scottwax]

Is it too late to take it back and get sapphire black? BMW dealership nearest to me actively tries to talk people out of the jet black at this point because of complaints.

But since returning your car is not an option at this point, find someone to apply Opti-Coat Pro or if you have some detailing experience, polish it yourself and apply Optimum Gloss-Coat. Both will cure harder than your car`s clear coat and make it much easier to live with. And no dealer washes, no brushes at the coin-op wash, no tunnel washes, no California dusters and no detail sprays unless the car has just been washed, especially if you decide to stick with more conventional paint sealants or waxes.

[Stokdgs]

Tom,

Something that I should have asked you, way back at the beginning of this Thread - what is your tolerance to not "perfect" Jet Black Paint ???

If it does not have to be "perfect" every time you look at it, then this will not be hard to figure out what you want or need to do here..

Dealer applied Anything - in my experiences - Never any history, specific details regarding the product, A Lot of Flashy Brochures, etc.,

My biggest question - How often does my car have to come back to have this re-applied ???

2nd biggest question - Who is going to be doing this and how much experience do they have ???

3rd biggest question - How come I have to keep coming back at least once a year for this, and why do I get charged more money each time ???

If you are ok with having to go back and forth to a place where really Experienced Detailing is NOT always if ever available, then the Dealership may be a good place...

If you want to work with your car paintwork and learn along the way, it is possible to accomplish this, but it will not be easy as looking at a YouTube Video, and now think you are experienced..

I personally would still put a good coating on the perfectly finished paintwork, and be done with worrying about how the paint is going to look because it will be under the coating, and the hardness of the coating will be more than the paintwork sans coating..

I have a couple of Jet Black M5`s on my website that came in so scratched, they looked like a very dirty dark gray color, and they left looking like these rolling black mirrors, absorbing all light including the sun around them..

So, at whatever level of tolerance you decide you want to have for this stunning color, there will be a solution..

You will be fine...

Merry Christmas !
Dan F

[mikstr]

I have to say Thanks again for all of your advice as this has been truly educational. I have canceled the service choose to learn more & go it on my own for the time being. The more I learn how to take care of the paint the correct way the less damage will be done.

I actually enjoy taking care of the car & want to have the satisfaction of doing it myself as well. I am starting with the Blackfire kit for now.

Thanks to all for your great advice & guidance!
Tom

[Accumulator]

mikstr- I`m quite confident that you dodged a bullet by deciding to *not* let the dealership apply the TST (my limited experience with their product was basically a matter of "cleaning that [stuff] off and redoing the car properly).

You`re right about it boiling down to the individuals doing the work (and the resources available to them), but the odds were stacked against you.

WORK ON YOUR WASH TECHNIQUE. That`s the most important thing as most marring is induced during the (well-intentioned) wash/dry process. Different people have different opinions about what wash method is best, but whatever you do I urge you to make it a highly reasoned-through process. If nothing else, NEVER move your wash medium across the paint in long, sweeping/arcing motions; if you do get some marring, you don`t want it to be some two-foot long scratch. Get *all* the dirt off before you dry; if you drying towel gets dirty that means it was grinding dirt into your paint.

Give the whole thing a lot of thought- the dirt on your car is abrasive. If you press it against the paint (say, by pressing down on a wash mitt) and then move it, it`ll behave like sandpaper and mar up your paint.