San Angelo

[007MCoupe]

Originally Posted by r4gs

atm, waiting on bmw of san antonio to agree to a fix under warranty, though what i'd really be happy with is if advantage bmw in houston (where i bought cpo-ed) would agree to pay for a respray AND i can have it done locally.

met a friendly mechanic who owns his own transmission shop near lake amistad and he recommended a local bodyshop affiliated with brown automotive (GM + nissan) in del rio. he'd helped me with my cdv swap and is also mechanically certifying my car for the h2r track day, and is lending me his expensive helmet and radar detector for the trip (i've actually just ordered a valentine one for myself since they seem to hold exceptional resale value anyway).

what minor work does ur bumper require? i'm presuming it'll be a respray since reflector delete via molding would require a full respray + blend.

oh, if anyone's interested in coming down to the h2r track next saturday to check things out and back a fellow bmw up, that'd be great! I AM STILL ALONE, and in the novice group with SEVEN camaro SSes! i found their thread on camaro5 forums.

just rock rash on the lower parts of the bumper, couple big rock chips, a couple of clips on the insde that hold the grills in place are missing and a ding in the middle of them, below the roundel that's chipping and looks like it's starting to crack out. once i can't live with it any longer i'm going to get a new one, whether OEM or not haven't decided. we'll see what i can afford at that time.

[r4gs]

oem m bumper will set u back about $600 brand new, and maybe half that used. this will be sans any paint so u'll have to tag on the paint to that. oem will also have holes where the kidneys and reflectors are. other aftermarket front bumpers will probably cost about the same or more, but not familiar here.

respray + molded front reflectors will set me back $400, and i'm trusting guaranteed satisfaction or it'll be completely redone. of course, i'm researching into ways to further protect after getting my front bumper redone, such as a clear bra and some really good sealant. bugs are extremely acidic cos of their diet and climate here, so i'm guessing tt's what is ruining my clear coat on the front bumper.

edit: i should add tt a comprehensive car care regiment would further help with protecting the finish. i'm very particular - optimum no rinse wash and meguairs quik detailer every sunday, + sonax on wheels every two weeks, + pinnacle ultra poly clay and meguairs quik wax every month. claybar is awesome and really makes waxing so much easier!

[007MCoupe]

I've read about the clay bars, and I haven't felt anything that would require the use of one. How do you apply it?

I put a good two coats of Pinnacle carnauba wax after stripping and polishing the old stuff about a month ago. I've been using the Meguiar's quik wax weekly after washing. I love that stuff, it looks really wet. I also use the Sonax, but I still find myself having to wipe off some leftover residue. Do you see that at all?

As for the reflector delete, crfine had his done on his oem bumper and also has the clear bra. he's in/around phoenix, IDK how close that would be for you down there. I've got a little bottle of IB paint for the little chips, just so it isn't discolored, I just haven't had the confidence to do it yet.

[r4gs]

clay bar is just that, a piece of moldable automotive clay. spray a small patch with something slippery, preferably clay specific lubricant, and use little to no force rubbing back and forth. once the piece of clay glides glass smooth, all the impurities are out. u'll be amazed how much smoother ur finish feels after a simple claying. once a month is already pretty excessive but the pinnacle one i got is meant specifically for these kinds of frequent, light applications. i clay before waxing just so i don't apply a new coat of wax atop an older coat which contains impurities, thus trapping even more impurities. over a long period of time, these could build up as very fine specks and slight discoloration.

phoenix is pretty far to travel just to get reflector delete. i've full faith after speaking with the body shop boss here and he's done up an enormous number of cars, including tons of brand new camaros he says always come in cos 'some teenagers just don't know where to draw the line'. the facilities are pretty extensive and he has two enclosed paint rooms, and confidently guaranteed me paint match, minimal orange peel, perfect work and will redo everything if i am not satisfied. now that's a pretty sweet deal.

still working on getting either advantage bmw or bmw of san antonio to address my front bumper, but hopefully i can get the work done 3rd party and have bmw pay for it under warranty.

edit: haven't had much residue with sonax, just rinse thoroughly? granted i use it fortnightly and sparingly each time, so my wheels aren't dripping with the stuff. it's powerful enough as is and i just simply use a wheel brush to agitate lightly.

[007MCoupe]

awesome. keep me posted on what you find out and get done with your bumper. Hope it turns out well.

I use a little bit of SONAX at each wash (usually Saturday mornings) and it gets in there and bleeds but after I rinse it off with the 'center' setting on my water nozzle there's just a light residue left over here and there. Could just be my nit-pickiness with this car lol

seems like everything is happening on the 21st this month!! Good luck on your HPDE!

Happy Friday the 13th to everyone

[r4gs]

nobody else really posts in this thread!

anyway, sonax tends to be of a more viscous texture due to its chemical composition when bonded with iron compound dust and other impurities, making it more difficult to wash off. use sparingly, as u've put it, and give it a bit of agitation with a simple wheel brush. i find this thins the solution with marginal increase in effectiveness overall and makes it easier to wash off too.

i must preach at this point that optimum no rinse car wash is ALL u ought to be using to wash ur car! i will never waste my time with the lousy 75 cents high pressure hose for 3.5 minutes on base ever again.

[007MCoupe]

yeah, it's cool though. i created this thread when I first got the car and then starting seeing a couple M3s and Z4s around town.

I don't use the wash racks around town, I have my hose and bucket. When I run out of soap I might try that no rinse stuff. seems interesting to me. does it leave spots or anything?

[r4gs]

absolute no spots, no residue, no swirl marks, no effort required pretty much! this is all i do:

1. panel-by-panel, starting with roof, use a generously soaked wash mitt and go over the surface left-to-right-to-left repeatedly once.
2. rinse in same bucket of solution, then wring to between dry and moist, and go over the surface in the same motion once more.
3. use a microfiber towel to wipe dry immediately.

it uses powerful chemicals that bond with dirt particles et al and creates a suspended emulsion kind of effect tt prevents swirling and scratching. it cleans amazingly well and leaves a very slick finish. highly, highly recommended.

check this out:

btw, how do i embed videos in posts?

[007MCoupe]

Hmm...i'll definitely check that stuff out next.

IDK how to embed apparently...lol