So I did a search in the forum and didn't find anything...

I just bought my 3 last night! I got an 05 3s with ABS/SAC and Moonroof 6CD package. I'm super impressed so far. The color is ok, Strato Blue. It kinda looks purple sometimes....

Anywho, I live in a small town that must have a secret super huge stash of salt. We get a fair amount of snow out here and this town really dumps salt all over the place. Some of the people in this county swear that cars driven in this town (Frostburg) during the winter rust faster, fade faster, etc.

I didn't get any dealer paint protection. I worked in a Dodge Dealer, and I know its a rip off. So I'm wondering if any of you did it yourself and what you used?

I'd like to do the paint protection not only for salt, but for bird crap and bugs too. Even though it looks more purple than blue sometimes, I don't want to goof up my paint job. Any thoughts?

 

well, are you talking about the thin clear film that you can get for the hood and other parts of the car? I never heard of any other paint protection...

 

Best paint protection = washing car regularly, and waxing the car every season.

 

I agree. Even in the winter, I wash my car at least once per week. If it's too cold outside, I wash it in my garage with a minimal amount of water and wipe it dry one section at a time.

 

Ok, thanks for your help. I wasn't sure if there was some special chemical they put on.

Do you all use a specific car wash detergent? I worked at Advance Auto Parts for a short time and two guys always bickered about this. One swore that the best thing to use is Liquid dish soap and the other swore that some car wash was better. Thoughts on this?

 

I use either Zip Wax (Turte Wax) or, more recently, Eagle One Wet Car Wash, and Eagle One Wax as U Dry.

They work pretty well. The Eagle One Car Wash soap is pretty good, but I've never really had anything to complain about the Zip Wax either. As long as you use a soap that is meant for cars, and won't strip away wax you're ok. Don't use dishwashing or laundry detergent. Think about it, those are meant to remove tough stains like grease and oil - imagine what it can do to your car's finish.

So, most car wash soaps get the job done. I know a lot of people are very particular about the brands they use, but honestly, as someone who's used various brands, there is not much difference between them, especially the soaps. Some smell nicer than others (like Zip Wax or Meguire's Deep Crystal)!

The Eagle One Wax as U Dry is great to use as well. After washing the car, spray it on your car, one panel at a time, while it's still wet, and dry it off as usual. Shine's the car pretty nice. Check out Eagle One's Website for more info on it: www.eagleone.com I really like this product to help maintain the car'S shine and protection.

I will still wax my car using Eagle One Nanowax every 3 or 4 months- another great product that I've heard about, but haven't tried yet. Some people, who don't mind spending a lot of time on their car, use the Meguire's 3 step system (paint cleaner, gloss, and then wax), which works great. Seriously, if you have a new car, it's a waste of time and money. Just use a prodcust that is a polish and wax (like the Nanowax). But it all comes down to personal preference.

 

Meguiar's for everything!

 

That wax as you dry sounds pretty good. My brother just recently bought Rain-X liquid wax. It works ok I guess but any thoughs on this product?

 

I just watched the video for the wax-as-you-dry and I wasn't too impressed by it.

 

Well, it works great for me. It shouldn't be used as a replacement for your regular, once a season waxing. It should be used to enhance shine and protection in between. I'm very happy with it.

 

I used nanowax just recently - not sure if the liquid works any different than the spray, and I got the spray. It went on but it had to dry and be wiped off on my new black M3. The product says no streaking - I BEG TO DIFFER. Needed to use a clean cloth with more force than you should to remove the fine light colored streaks that were left behind. long story short, the NANOWAX DOESN'T DRY PERFECTLY CLEAR ON BLACK - or on windows for that matter, anything shiny it leaves residue that has to be taken off very thuroughly.
It did leave a good shine, not much diff on a new car though - but it felt waaay smoother. and works on plastic, glass and all, so that's good.