Orbital/Circular application tips for speed cleaning.

Mine has leatherette, but I believe on leather models, it's on the front of the seats, armrest, door inserts, and steering wheel. I have seen some non- ///M steering wheels that are covered with a hard vinyl instead though.



Does the car have the sports package?
 
premium package. I prefer the seats in the sports package, and it handles a little tighter on winding roads. I like the wood trim in the premium package, and it rides a little softer. I found it to be a tough choice. I happen to find a very low mileage used one in steel blue at a good price.
 
Oh okay... then I don't think the steering wheel of non-sports package 3-series are leather wrapped. I know for a fact that 5-series non-sports steering wheels aren't.



How does the material of the steering wheel feel? Hard, or is it like the seats?
 
You can get both the Premium package and the Sport pacakage together. I think they discounted one because of some overlap but I have them both. The SP seat is really nice, but for longer drives the firmness is not as comfortable and the tight suspension is great for handling but compromise the luxury feel of the ride. They should give you both seats and make the suspension adjustable! That would probably be a $15K option though..... :bounce



H
 
wheel is a lot nicer that the stock one. I have been thinking of upgrading to an M3 steering wheel, it is a lot plusher, thicker grip, and has thumb rests for comfortable driving.



I find the sport seats comfortable. I hvae not taken a long drive yet though, so I am not sure how they feel after 3-4 hours of driving. As for the suspension, the car kind of hops more than it glides over bumps......the trade off is well worth it in my opinion, these car out handle almost anything on the road if you know how to drive it correctly........



My favorite thing about the sport seats is the length adjustment. Look at the drivers seat compared to the passanger seat. The bottom extends for great leg support...



<img src=http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1575126&a=13451053&p=51399032>
 
I do not think that anyone asked what year BMW you were talking about. I have a 1989 325is. The cars either had leather, vinyl, or cloth seats. I have the lovely leatherette (not very fun in hot sun).



The materials are pretty universal throughout the car. The seats and door pannels are typically of the same material. The rest of the interior parts tend to be vinyl or plastic.



I would use Lexol or the Klasse interior kit. The Klasse does a great job, and is not greasy. Best of luck.
 
the ability to tailor the suspension on board is the way to go. And your right, it would likely be an expensive option.



That steering wheel with the sports package is much better than the regular one. It was one of the first things I noticed when I was test driving the 3 series.
 
Hey guys could use some advice here. I work for a used car dealership, detailing primarily sports cars/Range Rovers. I say detailing, but today everything changed. My bosses came at me with a list of things they wanted to speed up, so that I could do more cars for them in a day. Typically I've been doing full detailing of a sports car in 2 days, and Range's in 2 1/2 days.

Now I have a note from them that reads, "Quantity over Quality, 2 cars expected a day." This basically means, no more clay bar-ing, no more vinyl dressing, door jams, or anything up close and personal with the car. Just wash, apply wax, machine polish, and push it out the door after the interior is done.

They're the bosses, so I have no problem doing what they want, despite changing my day entirely to more of a speed operation. Now to get things going faster, I have a question for you all involving wax application. My biggest concern, is preventing too much splatter, and to much work, and I want to cut it down so that things get done quick.

I have an orbital polisher, and a circular polisher. Lately I have been placing an "X" of wax across the circular polisher, and doing it section by section. Moderate speed and moderate splatter cleaning this way. With the orbital, I do the same thing more or less, and there is less splatter, but a slower working speed. I then tried applying the wax first to the car with an applicator, and then taking the circular polisher to the car, without anyway wax on the pad. This seemed to actually create more splatter.

SO, whats the best tool to use, and the best method to apply my wax to the car, and do a quick job, while minimizing splatter so I can clean up quicker? Apply the wax to the pad, or to the car? Thanks for the advice.
 
Splatter should be a non-issue if you apply product correctly. If you cannot pick up a bead with a rotary, use the orbital only. Apply the wax to the pad, smear it around a section of the car, then switch it on and apply a thin, even coat.

This is really a technique issue. However, if you feel you have done everything and you still get splatter, try a different wax. Something a little thicker may not sling as much.


Good luck. Let us know how things go for you.
 
BretFraz said:
Splatter should be a non-issue if you apply product correctly. If you cannot pick up a bead with a rotary, use the orbital only. Apply the wax to the pad, smear it around a section of the car, then switch it on and apply a thin, even coat.

This is really a technique issue. However, if you feel you have done everything and you still get splatter, try a different wax. Something a little thicker may not sling as much.


Good luck. Let us know how things go for you.
Click to expand...

+2 on all that ^ :judge:

Man, sounds like you have a hack GM :scared:
 
t

I'm pretty sure you're right about the technique thing. I was told to apply the wax while the polisher is on, not while off, so that might be causing some of those issues. But I'll slow it down and apply it while off, and hopefully that does the trick. And yeah I agree, hack GM to take quantity over quality, but whatever I guess.
 
Jaredfromsubway said:
Now I have a note from them that reads, "Quantity over Quality, 2 cars expected a day."

I have an orbital polisher, and a circular polisher. Lately I have been placing an "X" of wax across the circular polisher, and doing it section by section. Moderate speed and moderate splatter cleaning this way. With the orbital, I do the same thing more or less, and there is less splatter, but a slower working speed. I then tried applying the wax first to the car with an applicator, and then taking the circular polisher to the car, without anyway wax on the pad. This seemed to actually create more splatter.

SO, whats the best tool to use, and the best method to apply my wax to the car, and do a quick job, while minimizing splatter so I can clean up quicker?
Click to expand...

Wow, what a bummer, but I know the kind of owner you have (I had a similar job on a used car lot maaaaany years ago - same kind of boss).

Your job has TOTALLY changed - now you need a FOUR FOLD INCREASE in productivity which will take new tools, different products and learning new techniques.

Washing: pressure washer for sure.
Soap: tough one...need one that rinses off easily without residue.
Blower / drier: an absolute MUST to quickly remove water, especially around trim, emblems, etc.

I would not use wax. Instead I would use a quality sealant (easy-on, easy-off) applied by hand or use a wipe-on walk-away type sealant. While the products are more money up front, they go a long way (apply very thin) and you make up in labor savnigs...time is money in business.

If I needed a machine, I would use a Flex 3401 VRG (there's a reason MB uses the Flex on the assembly line). I have used my Flex to apply Black Fire Wet Diamond but comparing the total time/amount of product used to doing the BFWD by hand, I now do it by hand.

Regards,
GEWB
 
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