New Car Protection Detail
Picking up your new car should be a happy and special occasion. Referred to me directly by the local BMW main dealer after the customer enquired about application of coatings to the car. I advised BMW strictly not to touch the car before handover to the customer and explained to the customer why. This meant that when collecting, the car was far from clean and I fear a little to my clients disappointment. However it was all for good reason!
I arrived at the clients house the day after collection and the photos below from before speak for themselves in terms of the level of dirt and grime that can build up during transportation and prior to your collection.
Two days work ahead of me first things first was to remove as much of the surface dirt and grime before making any contact with the bodywork. I layed down a nice thick layer of snow foam and left it to dwell for several minutes. Using a Hog Hair brush i gently agitated the snow foam in some places where small amounts of dirt had gathered to ensure they were removed then rinsed the car down. Tackling the wheels first Car Pro Iron X was applied to remove Fallout, rinsed off then reapplied for thorough cleaning with a variety of brushes. After completing each wheel the wheel arches were cleaned and degreased with Auto Finesse Verso.
Wheels and arches now better than new it was time to move onto the other fiddly spots, engine bay, door shuts and around the sun roof. Using a variety of products, techniques and tools I spent some time removing dirt form transit, glue from the factory that had run out of panel creases and parts and small spots of grease that had flicked around the engine bay. Panel glue was also removed from the door shuts and the bottom folds of the doors. Extremely un-sightly it still baffles me how the dealerships feel its acceptable to leave the glue visible. After around 2 Hours i was finally satisfied that all the arches, wheels, engine bay and shuts were now clean I laid down another layer of snow foam to ensure I had removed as much of the loose dirt and grime as possible. Onto the washing stages, the all important two bucket method was used throughout the vehicle to safely clean the exterior. This was then rinsed, Fallout remover applied and then rinsed and clayed using a clay mitt. The car was then rinsed again and ready to be dried. The decontamination stages are one of the most essential on a new car, theres often a misconception that just because its a new car and that it hasn't been driven it won't have gathered an contaminants, this couldn't be further from the truth!
Dried safely with Auto Finesse Aqua Deluxe towels and Metro Vac Blaster the car was ready to be taped up and inspected. All plastics, rubbers and delicate trims were taped prior to polishing to prevent them being damaged during the polishing stages. Paint depth readings were taken and the lights were switched on. After inspecting the whole car I was pleased to report that there were no major defects whatsoever just a small build up of swirls and light marring. Having done some research and worked on several BMW's of late I had a good idea of the best combo that would work most effectively but as we all know every car is different so I tried a few first before settling for my combo of choice that safely and effectively removed the swirls. I spent in total around 12 Hours polishing to ensure that every defect was removed. Perhaps a little more time than was needed but i felt it necessary to ensure the car was faultless.
Once the polishing stages were completed, I untaped and wiped down the bodywork with Car Pro Eraser to remove all traces of polishing oils any other chemicals left over that could react with the coatings. The glass was cleaned, exhaust tips polished and any surfaces being coated were prepared for the coatings. Moving onto the coatings Car Pro C-Quartz UK for the paint, G-Techniq G1 and G2 for the glass and G-Techniq C1 Alloy Wheel Armour for the wheels. All coatings were layered twice to ensure optimum protection and left to cure in appropriate temperatures for 24 Hours to ensure the coatings had correctly bonded. Once the exterior was finished I dressed the engine bay with Aerospace 303 Sealant and moved onto the interior.
The interior is just as important as the exterior and my new car protection detail ensures all interior surfaces receive the same level of protection as the exterior. I opted for G-Techniq L1 for the leather and G-Techniq l1 Smart Fabric for the matts and carpet. I hoovered the interior first to remove loose dirt, then moved onto cleaning the leather. Cream leather is by far the best colour leather in my opinion but it can be an absolute nightmare to keep clean! There was already some dye transfer on the drivers seat so I worked my way around the leather with Dr Leather Leather Cleaner to deep clean the pores of the leather and remove any traces of dye transfer prior to the application of L1. L1 will prevent further discolouration and dye transfer to the leather during its lifespan. Matts were then removed and l1 Fabric was liberally applied to protect the matts and carpets meaning that liquids will now sit on the surface of the fabric and not saturate it.
After hours of meticulous detailing the car was complete, the lights were turned off and the car was moved outside for photos and final inspection ready for handover. I thoroughly enjoyed this Detail, the clients were extremely hospitable and friendly and the car was an absolute pleasure to work on. Being an enthusiast himself the owner wanted some advice on how to care for the coatings and best procedures for safe washing. After giving guidance on procedures and products the handover was complete and another new car was looking as it should have two days earlier when leaving the dealership!
