New car treatment

[Chan Bates]

I have a two week old (my possession) 2003 BMW Z4, Merlot (dark) red. The day I picked it up I had a Clear Bra put on the front bumper area, 24" up the hood and back on the front 1/4 panels, on the rocker panels, and a strip behind the rear wheels. I know not to put any treatments on the Clear Bra yet.

I have been lurking here for about two months getting ready to treat this car right, but I am new to the levels of car care many of you maintain. I have read the Mequiar and Proper Care site recommendations on car care. They are extensive.

Upon various recommendations here, I have received two bottles of Leatherique for my beige (off white) leather interior. **Should I treat this new leather now, or just keep it clean and treat it in six months or a year? Any concern with applying these products to such light color leather?**

I also have good quality SMR, microfiber towels, top maintenance kit, polish and wax on the way to me by mail. I have washed the car three times by hand with a cheap, locally purchased mf towel, and I already have some very minor "swirl" marks, hardly "scratches". I also have an orbital machine, although not super high quality. It's the end of winter here, and I drive the car to work every day, so it gets dirty.

Since the car is new, I want to start right.

**Should I use the swirl remover first, and by hand or machine? Which application media (sponge, wool, terry cloth, etc.)?**

**Polish next, same questions. One coat sufficient?**

**Wax last, same questions.**

**At what point should I do maintenance, other than gentle washing, of the tan convertible top?**

Lastly, I am a little confused w/ maintenance after waxing. There are products to spray on to keep it nice (travel/parking dust?), other than a full wash? And this is where the micro-fiber towels really help?

Thanks in advance. CB3

[PBalla]

in 87, i washed the car every other weekend, (for few years to follow) only a few rust spots now still clean (look for pics soon)...wax, good for 6 months, it depends what type u get, some work better by hand, some not.

sorry i can't answer many other things.

[GKGreen]

Ok...first off, congratulations on the Z4. My first advice would have been do not let the dealer touch it because 99/100 times, they have a buffer jockey put swirls in it. Anyway, once the weather clears up, this is my suggestion.

1. Wash with dawn, or non-wax soap. Eimann Fabrik Powerwash plus is good, but Dawn is cheap and works well.
2. Clay the entire car. This will get off all the crap from transporting the car and the winter debris/salt.
3. Wash it again to get all the clay residue off.
4. Polish- you shouldn't really need anything too abrasive, I would suggest P21S/S100 GEPC/SEPC, same stuff and also available at your local Harley Davidson store. Also, I just got my Clearkote order, www.clearkote.com and I absolutely love their product, so in this case you could use their Vanilla Moose Wax.
5. Wax- you have got many options here. If you want it to really pop, then a carnauba wax would be very good. Again, locally you can get S100 Carnauba wax from your local Harley dealer and it is the exact same stuff as P21S wax which sells for $10 more. You could also look into Pinnacle Souveran, very pricey, but in many peoples mind, worth it. You could also opt for a polymer wax, Clearkotes Moose Wax is very good in combination with their Vanilla Moose or something like Blackfire, Klasse or Zaino. These will last longer than the Carnauba's, but might lack some depth in the shine.

After you are done, smile because it will look really good. Make sure you invest in some good MF towels. www.pakshak.com is a great place to buy those. A good QD spray is also a good idea to maintain the shine between waxings. You should also get something for the soft top. I like the Ragtopp combo CMA sells.

Anymore questions, ask or you can also download the e-book for $10 at www.autopia.org and it has a wealth of knowledge in it. Have fun with the new toy.

[PBalla]

anyone know of a site that compares cars using all these diff waxes with pictures?