Re: car wash stuff

["Petro, John D (CORP)" <John.Petro@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David:  I agree that dish detergent is too harsh for regular washings,
although Dawn is great as a pre-polish cleaner (strips all the old wax &
everything else).  Best stuff I've come across is Sonax car shampoo--
available from car care specialties (carcareonline.com).  Yields a
streak-free, glossy result even with hard water (like the old detailer's
trick of putting capful of veg. oil in the washbucket).  While you're at it,
get a P21S drying towel-- works great, less abusive to wax than a chamois,
easy to care for-- you won't regret it. 
	 For a new car, I'd recommend P21S gloss-enhansing paintwork
cleanser for the polish/wax-prep step (3M glaze for any panels with scuffs
/swirls in the clearcoat). Wax: Blitz is great and long-lasting, but ya have
to watch the black trim or get out spray-nine or the erasers.  Zymol (the
better varieties) won't haze up on black trim, but it won't last. The P21S
concours wax is reported to last better than Zymol (but not better than
blitz ) and wont chalk the black plastic, although I haven't tried it. I get
3-4 months out of Blitz (with weekly washings using Sonax) so I'm stickin
with it.  Only interior stuff I've used is Lexol- cleaner, conditioner and
Vinylex.  Very pleased with all 3. 
	 Only thing I've used on my M3 that I'm not impressed with is the
P21S wheel cleaner-- too harsh for frequent use, and not that great for real
build-up. When my wheels (polished/forged M rims) were new (last March) I
cleaned 'em with sonex and put 2 coats of Blitz on 'em -- soap & water
cleaned 'em up fine all summer. When I switched to snows last week, I tried
to clean the inside of each rim with the P21S-- poor results, so I used a
little simple green, soap & water, plus WD-40 on a few tar spots, and they
came clean.  My view: skip the P21S wheels juice. Different rims may have
diff results (YMMV).
	Just my experience- call Larry at car care- he's the real expert.
Good Luck
		John, 98 M3/4, violet/forged (now Oz'd & Yoked)

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