New convertible delivery question

[thl70]

About to take delivery of a 135i convertible in Mineral White and Tobacco Brown soft top!

I live about a mile from the coast in San Francisco with frequent fog and high winds. Its not uncommon to walk out in the morning and the street looks as though its been raining all night. Since we only have a 1 car garage the 135 will be park outside. The wife gets first dip of the garage even though I am the one with the newer car. On top of this, I have a messy 9 yrs old, a small dog and I do a run/walk on the beach every morning! Granted the dog will be in a crate while in car, I still get lots of sand into the cabin. Now I generally do a pro full-detail once a year and a lite detail in between. My 9 years old Saab wagon still looks excellent today with the interior looking almost brand new. Although the Saab having only started parking outside during the last year, I am already starting to see much more environmental damage on the exterior.

My question is this. Other than my yearly detail regiment, are there anything I should do to the 135 while still new to minimize damages in the future? BTW, I do not wash my own car but use a brush-less car wash. I know that's a BIG no no around here but I just do not have the time or the patient to do it anymore. I do spray a quick detailer on after the wash though!

Thank you for any advices out there!

[cheshirecat79]

The touchless wash isn't terrible- it's much better than anything that uses a physical tool to scrape dirt off the paint. My fear is that, post-wash, you may be pushing surface debris across the top of the vehicle when you're applying the detailer that wasn't fully washed off by the touchless wash. Barring that, it's not that big of a deal- it saves time but it's not very cost-efficient.

Anyway, I'd personally suggest the following:
- Clean/protect the interior surfaces with 303 Aerospace
- Seal the leather with Ultima Interior Guard Plus
- Protect the top with Raggtop
- Seal the corrected/decontaminanted exterior with Opti-Coat 2.0

OP, how bad is the salt around you from being so close to the water?

[thl70]

Originally Posted by cheshirecat79

The touchless wash isn't terrible- it's much better than anything that uses a physical tool to scrape dirt off the paint. My fear is that, post-wash, you may be pushing surface debris across the top of the vehicle when you're applying the detailer that wasn't fully washed off by the touchless wash. Barring that, it's not that big of a deal- it saves time but it's not very cost-efficient.

Right... Maybe a hose down before I take it to the wash? I guess I'll find out soon enough!

Originally Posted by cheshirecat79

Anyway, I'd personally suggest the following:
- Clean/protect the interior surfaces with 303 Aerospace
- Seal the leather with Ultima Interior Guard Plus
- Protect the top with Raggtop
- Seal the corrected/decontaminanted exterior with Opti-Coat 2.0

Thank you for the product choice! I've read about Raggtop on this forum, sounds like an incredible product. On the Opti-Coat, what does that mean "sealing the surface" and should that be done rightaway?

Originally Posted by cheshirecat79

OP, how bad is the salt around you from being so close to the water?

I really can't say as I've never had a rusty car. I suppose the fog being so near the ocean can not be all that great. The only rust issue I've seen on my cars are tiny pin-head sized rust spot on the back of my white cars, mainly on top of the rear bumper and where the tailgate meets. I've always had wagon and fastback so that particular spot collect lots of dirt and standing water. My red Saab never had that problem, although perhaps its due to the lack of contrast. Red rust on red will be much harder to notice than on a white surface. I usually clean it off with a quick detailer after a car wash.

[Gray_Panther]

Originally Posted by thl70

Right... Maybe a hose down before I take it to the wash? I guess I'll find out soon enough!



Thank you for the product choice! I've read about Raggtop on this forum, sounds like an incredible product. On the Opti-Coat, what does that mean "sealing the surface" and should that be done rightaway?




I really can't say as I've never had a rusty car. I suppose the fog being so near the ocean can not be all that great. The only rust issue I've seen on my cars are tiny pin-head sized rust spot on the back of my white cars, mainly on top of the rear bumper and where the tailgate meets. I've always had wagon and fastback so that particular spot collect lots of dirt and standing water. My red Saab never had that problem, although perhaps its due to the lack of contrast. Red rust on red will be much harder to notice than on a white surface. I usually clean it off with a quick detailer after a car wash.

Google Opti-Coat 2.0, you will thank the previous poster.

I just finished Opti-Coating my father's X3, and my GTI and 128i are both opti-coated. Let's just say that I am set for many years!

[yakuza70]

I'd get rubber floor mats or even those Weathertech floor liners: http://www.weathertech.com/bmw/2013/...e/convertible/

[pj.rodriguez]

Definitely RaggTopp. Make sure you get the fabric version of the protectant. I don't think you'll need to protect it for the first month or so and then after that, you'll clean your top then protect it. Then you can use the protectant every few months or so. I highly recommend opti-coat. You'll be opti coating all of your cars once you see the result. Just make sure your car is very clean and polished before applying opti coat.

[TOGWT]

“Convertible (Roadster) Top Detailing”- http://www.autopia.org/forum/autopia...detailing.html

You may want to look into a product made by Optimum Polymer Technologies ONR as a rinseless method of washing your vehicle

[thl70]

Just want to thank everyone for all the great suggestion! Just pick up the car yesterday along with a 7/70 Platinum extended warranty! Don't want to deal with any issues down the line, as I've been reading about many of them around here!