[E92_328i_Boston]

2008 E92 Space Grey 328i

I semi-regularly wash and wax my car by hand (it's never been through a machine wash, for the record). FYI - I took ownership in early March and I've probably washed it by hand about 3 times by now. I use Maquires (sp) spray wax (by hand).

This past weekend I noticed something after I washed and waxed it. The hood, roof (around the glass), and trunk lid has what I can only describe as extremely small grains of sand adhered to the surface. Apparently the pattern is that these things are on all the surfaces facing up. Pretend you rub your hand on the paint after it's freshly washed and waxed. Very smooth, right? Almost like glass. Well, mine is like that except every few inches my fingertips touch one of these little granules. I can use my nail to easily scrape it off and then it's gone, but I would rather use some kind of a product that can take care of the whole problem for me.

Please keep in mind that you can hardly see these little things that I'm referring to, unless you get a couple of inches away and look directly where you previously felt it with your finger.

If this is making sense to anyone (or if you all think I sound insane) please let me know.

Regards,
A

[Haywire]

Just try changing waxes, and if things go back to normal....then youre good. I know this doesnt really answer your question, but its a decent due process.

[san~man]

Sounds like you need to claybar.

[SlammedR8]

CLAYBAR

What does it do??
It removes all the contaminents from the paint.


What is paint contamination?

Paint contamination consists of tiny metal shavings from rail dust, brake dust and industrial fallout. This contamination affects all paint finishes and can cause serious damage when left untreated. Paint contamination can be felt as a "rough or gritty" texture on the paint's surface and can lead to tiny rust spots. This contamination can not be removed by washing, waxing and/or polishing.

[E92_328i_Boston]

I was thinking Claybar as well. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

Thanks for the responses.

-A

[L~R~G nor cal]

Well like I tell everyone on this forum; start with the least aggressive path.

Here is what I would do:

1. Powerwash the car. Be sure to not get the tip too close to the car, but close enough that it is providing spraying power to the area. I would guess the tip should be about 3 feet away from the spot.

2. Find the strongest soap available. I prefer ChemicalGuys Citrus Wash and Gloss, or ChemicalGuys Citrus Wash and clear. Some people use Dawn, but I tend to use soaps designed for washing cars. You can buy CG Citrus Wash and Gloss from DetailedImage.com and receive a discount by being a forum member. They are also located in NY, so you should receive it quickly.

3. Give the car a good soak of the soap you have and do not scrub hard, but just lightly and let the suds sit on the car.

4. Powerwash off and examine the area to see if anything happened.

5. If the area is still contaminated then move to clay. I would recommend ChemicalGuys Light Blue clay, but any OTC clay should work as well. If you go OTC then buy the white Megs clay. Detailedimage.com also has some good light/med clay that will be better than the OTC stuff that I would recommend.

6. Make sure you lube up the area with tons of QD and start working with the clay. Do not apply pressure and examine the area and the clay a lot. While you are doing this to the hood, do it to the while car as well for it will bring out a lot of shine.

7. If you can get it off with your finger then after all of these steps the spots should be gone. So put on some sealant or wax and you should be done! If you buy other stuff from detailedimage grab some CG50/50 wax as well. It is one of my fav waxes and is hard to beat for its price.

Thanks and feel free to ask any other questions,

Jared