[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Hapbob

It is a hot one here today. Will go out for ice cream this evening.
I hate to get bugs on the front for a 30 mile drive. Wish I had the secret to clean off easy without full wash.
Hap

Get XPEL clear wrap on the full front, and ceramic pro everywhere else. Total cost will be between $2-3k.

Then, whenever there are bugs, all you will have to do is to spray some waterless wash and clean the front. Will take less than 15 minutes for your car to be bug free every time.

Well worth the investment.

Oh and you will never ever have to wax your car again as well!! just a simple soap wash with FILTERED water

If you'd like to save money, then skip the clear wrap and just get ceramic pro everywhere on the car. Same as above. Only hand wash or waterless wash for cleaning bugs.

[Hapbob]

I see ads for ceramic polishes ? Is it a replacement for good old wipe on wipe off wax ? It is the greatest thing now for the car finish? Any disadvantages compared to wax ? Tons of wax still advertised and I own at least 20 different Kinds in the garage cupboard!
Thanks for education
Hap

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Hapbob

I see ads for ceramic polishes ? Is it a replacement for good old wipe on wipe off wax ? It is the greatest thing now for the car finish? Any disadvantages compared to wax ? Tons of wax still advertised and I own at least 20 different Kinds in the garage cupboard!
Thanks for education
Hap

You might find the Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash/Wax/Detailing/Exterior Restoration & Repairs) forum useful, as it's devoted to this sort of thing: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=576.

Just a suggestion – I haven't used the forum myself.

[BEM-S4]

Originally Posted by dradernh

You might find the Cosmetic Maintenance (Wash/Wax/Detailing/Exterior Restoration & Repairs) forum useful, as it's devoted to this sort of thing: https://www.2addicts.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=576.

Just a suggestion – I haven't used the forum myself.

Tons of YouTube videos on the topic as well. Hours and hours of information.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by BEM-S4

Tons of YouTube videos on the topic as well. Hours and hours of information.

Yeah, I've looked at a fair amount of it, too. However, I've yet to do anything with the exterior of my car except run it through a touchless car wash.

Truth be told, I haven't done anything to a vehicle exterior in over two decades. Just too damm lazy anymore – both to do it, and to take it somewhere to have someone else do it.

Still, paint correction, XPEL (or the equivalent), and whatever comes after that are on my to-do list for this car. I'm still buying performance bits, though, so I'm in no hurry.

[Sisyrx]

Bavsound Ghost subwoofer install done today! Audio sure whomps now.

[AleksanderSuave]

installed friday night but whos counting.

and e30 tune to go with it.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Hapbob

I see ads for ceramic polishes ? Is it a replacement for good old wipe on wipe off wax ? It is the greatest thing now for the car finish? Any disadvantages compared to wax ? Tons of wax still advertised and I own at least 20 different Kinds in the garage cupboard!
Thanks for education
Hap

Hey Hap,

So I had to educate myself on this as well. You see my wife and I will never ever have the time to wax and polish and do all that shit ourselves. Secondly getting it professionally done is a hassle as well. You have to take the car, drop it off bla blah blah

You know how you see these expensive cars looking all showroom new all the time? Basically they have either done ceramic coating or clear wrapping, or both.

So, XPEL clear wrap is a plastic wrap that goes on your car. Ceramic coating is, as the name implies, a coating. The most cost effective combo is getting XPEL on the front (complete hood and bumper, the windscreen frame of the convertible and the side view mirrors, and the front fenders) AND doing ceramic coating on the rest of the car.

Ceramic Pro is the only ceramic coating brand I trust; they are the biggest and they have a lifetime warranty. Plus it goes on your CARFAX as a positive!

XPEL clear wrap is the only brand that boasts a partnership/endorsement with BMW and you see their ads all the time in the BMW CCA magazine.

You will never have to wax or polish again! Bugs will slide right off with some ONR and elbow grease

And, and... your car will always look showroom new.

(Sorry to hijack the thread guys!)

Edit: yes, totally a replacement for all that waxing and polishing crap. Who has time for that? And yes, this is the best thing you can do for your car. Most shops who do this well do this on ferraris, lambos, porsches... and our beloved bimbims

[Maynard]

I think those clear wraps are like the plastic covers that your aunt kept on the couch. They work, but are perhaps worse than not being covered. Especially the partial-panel sheets - just horrid looking. If you aren't picky enough to really do your own detailing, just use a good poly sealant (or ceramics) and use a detail spray with each wash (I use the Griots line). You wax 1 or 2 times a year (perhaps an additional hour, if that), rest is just wash and dry. Leave the Carnuba and paint-clay for the hobbyists who like doing it. They make a spray-on bug shield that works pretty well too, but you still need to wash the whole thing.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Maynard

I think those clear wraps are like the plastic covers that your aunt kept on the couch. They work, but are perhaps worse than not being covered. Especially the partial-panel sheets - just horrid looking. If you aren't picky enough to really do your own detailing, just use a good poly sealant (or ceramics) and use a detail spray with each wash (I use the Griots line). You wax 1 or 2 times a year (perhaps an additional hour, if that), rest is just wash and dry. Leave the Carnuba and paint-clay for the hobbyists who like doing it. They make a spray-on bug shield that works pretty well too, but you still need to wash the whole thing.

No no! Go check out the XPEL line. I have Alpine white; I also have only the front wrapped. You can imagine it would have given me a heart attack if the front was even a smidge weird looking... but no, you can't tell. Putting on a wrap is a work of art. You can go to one of those shops which do this for cheap and quick, or you can go to a guy like mine who only touches high end cars and takes his sweet time doing the job of a wrapping god.

I was like you too; never a fan of putting my car in a condom... till I saw his work!

[Maynard]

I'd have to admit that I haven't really gone looking, so perhaps there are great looking versions out there (or, more accurately, invisible options). What I have been shown leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps that is why it was being noted by the owners, though (mostly at track days, where people are sort of glad to have the protection, but knowing it will only pay off once they strip the plastic off). I'd certainly want to see somebody's work first, to be sure it still looks good to you.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by Maynard

I'd have to admit that I haven't really gone looking, so perhaps there are great looking versions out there (or, more accurately, invisible options). What I have been shown leaves a lot to be desired. Perhaps that is why it was being noted by the owners, though (mostly at track days, where people are sort of glad to have the protection, but knowing it will only pay off once they strip the plastic off). I'd certainly want to see somebody's work first, to be sure it still looks good to you.

Oh dude I totally get it. I recoiled at the idea of putting a clear wrap on the car till I started looking around at what the Ferraris and McLarens were doing, not the Corvettes or the Porsches.

You will be surprised how easy it makes life while giving you that permanent showroom sparkle. It is insane.

[Winemaker2]

Take a look at my post on page 139. The right-side picture shows the Xpel wrap front quarter panel vs the waxed door. From two feet away you can't tell it's a wrap. And the stuff really works well, actually amazing when you can remove tree sap or bird crap stains with isopropyl alcohol. My dog tried to dig his way through the hood when we were on vacation when a mouse had entered the engine compartment. A pot of hot water poured direct on the hood and I watched with amazement the nano-technology work its magic and the wrap repaired itself.

[TheSniper]

I ordered these over the weekend in a 19x8.5 squared set up with +38 offset.

I'm on Dinan lowering springs with the Dinan front and rear sway bars and the bump stops.

[Ron Jeffries]

I had a clear wrap on my 135is, not the whole front, mostly just the forward-facing bits. After a couple of years you could see at the boundary that the plastic had yellowed differently from the paint. I'm sure it would have been unnoticeable had I had the whole front done, back to the doors.

On my M240, I was going to have it done but the installer insisted that I drop it off for a day or two and I wasn't willing to do that, at least in part because there was no reasonable transportation from his shop. So I went without. So far, no harm, but it only takes one stone to change that story.

[GoldfishRT]

I have mixed feelings about clear-bra, after working in a shop that specialized in the stuff. It definitely slows the aging process at first by blocking rocks and other debris from ruining your paint.

However, I also found that after 4-5 years, occasionally street parkers would have to have it taken off because it would start yellowing and cracking pretty aggressively (yes, even good 3M or xpel). While it saves your paint from chips, as the material hardens the bra, itself will chip. It's also just an absolute nightmare to remove.

Because most people elect to not wrap an entire piece in the stuff, you also end up with an unsightly line after removal where the film was. It does protect from UV, and as a result anything not covered in it ends up a different color.

I'm not the kind of person that cares too much so at the end of the day, I found it not worth it to install on my cars unless I wanted them kept for only a short while. Otherwise, I just live with the rock chips and a small touchup pen.

Ceramic coat is great though. Would recommend that to anybody who can't find the time or doesn't care to spend every weekend washing their car. Ceramic coat + touchless wash = great looking car with minimal effort. Great for those of us without garages. I still wax over it regardless. It's like the entire car is covered in rain-x.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by GoldfishRT

I have mixed feelings about clear-bra, after working in a shop that specialized in the stuff. It definitely slows the aging process at first by blocking rocks and other debris from ruining your paint.

However, I also found that after 4-5 years, occasionally street parkers would have to have it taken off because it would start yellowing and cracking pretty aggressively (yes, even good 3M or xpel). While it saves your paint from chips, as the material hardens the bra, itself will chip. It's also just an absolute nightmare to remove.

Because most people elect to not wrap an entire piece in the stuff, you also end up with an unsightly line after removal where the film was. It does protect from UV, and as a result anything not covered in it ends up a different color.

I'm not the kind of person that cares too much so at the end of the day, I found it not worth it to install on my cars unless I wanted them kept for only a short while. Otherwise, I just live with the rock chips and a small touchup pen.

Ceramic coat is great though. Would recommend that to anybody who can't find the time or doesn't care to spend every weekend washing their car. Ceramic coat + touchless wash = great looking car with minimal effort. Great for those of us without garages. I still wax over it regardless. It's like the entire car is covered in rain-x.

If you wax over ceramic pro you are robbing the ceramic coating of its shine and finish. Jesus. If you really want to do something, apply another coat of ceramic coating and that's it.

Absolute silliness to wax over ceramic coating. Please feel free to Google this: "Can I wax over ceramic coating?". Feel free to post on Reddit /r/autodetailing NO ONE will recommend waxing as it kills the coating and essentially defeats the purpose of getting ceramic coating in the first place. You also get these terrible TERRIBLE raised spots.

With ceramic coating, you do it once, and you do it right, and then continue to renew your coating every year or so.

Also, clear bra is NOT for street parkers. Or for folks who don't have access to filtered water. I guess that would apply to ceramic coating as well. If you are short on cash, skip the bra or worse yet that half-bra, and get a coating. If you park on the street, nothing will protect you.

[GoldfishRT]

Originally Posted by BimBimM2

If you wax over ceramic pro you are robbing the ceramic coating of its shine and finish. Jesus.

Chill out.

I'm not DA'ing some thick wax, constantly rubbing off the coating. Quick detailer is all I use. I don't care about shine, I care about protecting my car from the Colorado sun. Besides, it's a 2 series not a 458.

Edit: Anyway if it's still wrong, I'll stop when I get it. The people who put on my ceramic on the last car said it was fine.

[BimBimM2]

Originally Posted by GoldfishRT

Chill out.

I'm not DA'ing some thick wax, constantly rubbing off the coating. Quick detailer is all I use. I don't care about shine, I care about protecting my car from the Colorado sun. Besides, it's a 2 series not a 458.

You are right, I totally need to chill out I re-read my post and I sounded so preachy. Let's have a glass of lemonade.

[GoldfishRT]

Originally Posted by BimBimM2

You are right, I totally need to chill out I re-read my post and I sounded so preachy. Let's have a glass of lemonade.

No worries. I understand the passion - buddy of mine has a Porsche who's super into making his car the shinniest on the block. It's definitely noticeable how nice it looks, you'd never guess it had 80k on the clock, but it's also an insane amount of work so I can't blame him for being equally passionate. He used to freak about me using one bucket to wash my cars haha.

[TheSniper]

I had my M235i ceramic coated. Not quite as happy with it as I thought I would be. But I also may have been expecting too much.

If it protects the paint and finish, then I can live with that.

I guess I was expecting it to stay cleaner longer in between washes and all that.

[4Hockey4]

I spray Griots "Best Show Detailer" after a drive, works great for bugs, dust and light road dirt. (you could hit with light hose spray, then wipe with above)

SerenVox, those Titan 5's look sick, can't wait to get my black ones.