[Track/S]

EvasiveF87 What product do you use to remove black spots from the rear bumper? I mean the residue left by the exhaust

[EvasiveF87]

Originally Posted by Track/S

EvasiveF87 What product do you use to remove black spots from the rear bumper? I mean the residue left by the exhaust

Depends on the severity and if the car has any pre-existing waxes, sealants, coatings.

If your car isn't ceramic coated what I would do is use some Dark Fury (sold at o'reily auto parts) which is the wheel cleaner / bug remover / strong pre-wash that melts dirt, contamination etc first in either a pump sprayer or spray bottle in that area. Let it dwell, spray off and wash your car as normal then apply some sort of semi-permanent coating to the vehicle.

You could go with something like GYEON CanCoat which is pretty DIY friendly (1 year coating) or something as simple as GYEON WetCoat / DIY Detail Quick Beads which is a drying aid you spray on the panel, pressure wash off and it leaves a ceramic coating like finish / protection / hydrophobic properties for 2-3 months. (This is how I maintain my personal vehicles)

Depending on how contaminated the rear bumper is you may want to lightly clay the area with a synthetic clay pad / towel by hand but start with a dedicated strong APC like dark fury first. I would suggest claying the car gently with synthetic clay and a clay lubricant if you decide to install a semi-permanent wax or coating just as a FYI.

If the car is coated you can use a more heavy duty soap in your foam cannon such as Iron-X Foam or Optimums rinseless decontamination wash and see how well that breaks the gunk down. Both are safe on coated finishes.

[Track/S]

Originally Posted by EvasiveF87

Depends on the severity and if the car has any pre-existing waxes, sealants, coatings.

If your car isn't ceramic coated what I would do is use some Dark Fury (sold at o'reily auto parts) which is the wheel cleaner / bug remover / strong pre-wash that melts dirt, contamination etc first in either a pump sprayer or spray bottle in that area. Let it dwell, spray off and wash your car as normal then apply some sort of semi-permanent coating to the vehicle.

You could go with something like GYEON CanCoat which is pretty DIY friendly (1 year coating) or something as simple as GYEON WetCoat / DIY Detail Quick Beads which is a drying aid you spray on the panel, pressure wash off and it leaves a ceramic coating like finish / protection / hydrophobic properties for 2-3 months. (This is how I maintain my personal vehicles)

Depending on how contaminated the rear bumper is you may want to lightly clay the area with a synthetic clay pad / towel by hand but start with a dedicated strong APC like dark fury first. I would suggest claying the car gently with synthetic clay and a clay lubricant if you decide to install a semi-permanent wax or coating just as a FYI.

If the car is coated you can use a more heavy duty soap in your foam cannon such as Iron-X Foam or Optimums rinseless decontamination wash and see how well that breaks the gunk down. Both are safe on coated finishes.

I have tried almost everything in the world of detailing, nothing is able to completely remove those black spots, only polishing, the bug remover leaves very ugly marks that can only be removed by polishing, the car had ceramic treatment and I gave the rear bumper 2 layers of Carpro Gliss that did not help at all, currently it has crystal rock wax and those spots are still very stuck.

[EvasiveF87]

Originally Posted by Track/S

I have tried almost everything in the world of detailing, nothing is able to completely remove those black spots, only polishing, the bug remover leaves very ugly marks that can only be removed by polishing, the car had ceramic treatment and I gave the rear bumper 2 layers of Carpro Gliss that did not help at all, currently it has crystal rock wax and those spots are still very stuck.

Do you have some photos of the spots? You don't happen to park the car near mulch do you?

If you park the car near mulch you can get what is known as "shotgun fungus" or "shotgun spores" which appear as little black dots. They are insanely difficult to remove. It almost sounds like that's maybe what you're experiencing on your vehicle.

I would still try Dark Fury. It is not your run of the mill APC / Bug remover. It is some serious stuff but still automotive paint safe and what a majority of pros use as their APC for heavily contaminated vehicles. If you use it properly it will not stain your car, you just need to be sure you're using it in a shaded cool area and not let dry.

if in your experience it only comes off with polishing that is making we wonder if it isn't that shotgun spores.

[Track/S]

Originally Posted by EvasiveF87

Do you have some photos of the spots? You don't happen to park the car near mulch do you?

If you park the car near mulch you can get what is known as "shotgun fungus" or "shotgun spores" which appear as little black dots. They are insanely difficult to remove. It almost sounds like that's maybe what you're experiencing on your vehicle.

I would still try Dark Fury. It is not your run of the mill APC / Bug remover. It is some serious stuff but still automotive paint safe and what a majority of pros use as their APC for heavily contaminated vehicles. If you use it properly it will not stain your car, you just need to be sure you're using it in a shaded cool area and not let dry.

if in your experience it only comes off with polishing that is making we wonder if it isn't that shotgun spores.

Here some pics from today of my friend's m2, my car is black and the dots are not visible, on my friend's car they are, I also found a bottle of TriX among all the detailing products I have and I see that it dissolves those little dots quite well.



















Here one of my license plate after spraying the trix:

[E90convert]

Best method and cleaners to remove baked-on brake dust from track pads?

[bipp]

Originally Posted by E90convert

Best method and cleaners to remove baked-on brake dust from track pads?

I ceramic coated my wheels but clearly I needed another coat or otherwise fucked up somewhere (and probably my lungs too) because dust still clings after some hard track days.

I use this - https://www.griotsgarage.com/heavy-duty-wheel-cleaner/ + a wheel stick woolie and then a smaller brush (or towel if I can't find it) for harder to get spots. Seems to do the job.

[Track/S]

Originally Posted by bipp

I ceramic coated my wheels but clearly I needed another coat or otherwise fucked up somewhere (and probably my lungs too) because dust still clings after some hard track days.

I use this - https://www.griotsgarage.com/heavy-duty-wheel-cleaner/ + a wheel stick woolie and then a smaller brush (or towel if I can't find it) for harder to get spots. Seems to do the job.

The best product to remove pad dust is iron remover, I use ADBL vampire, it is quite powerful, the result is always spectacular!
I buy it in 5 liter bottles, it is much cheaper than buying liter cans.

[Berzerker]

EvasiveF87 it's slightly out of the realm of detailing but I think tangentially related, so I'll give it a shot.

I just got my 2019 M2C a few weeks ago and noticed a fairly sizable scratch along the bottom of the windshield, starting from around where the wiper is. I don't think it was done by the wiper as its going in a different direction to the way the wiper goes (I've replaced them regardless).

I've tried buffing it with a cerium oxide compound and while it definitely did clear up the couple years of fog it accumulated (not much), it didn't do all that much for the scratch/nic.

Is there anything I can do to get it removed short of replacing the windshield or is it really a fruitless task? I'd get some pictures but it's really hard to pick up on camera.

[EvasiveF87]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

EvasiveF87 it's slightly out of the realm of detailing but I think tangentially related, so I'll give it a shot.

I just got my 2019 M2C a few weeks ago and noticed a fairly sizable scratch along the bottom of the windshield, starting from around where the wiper is. I don't think it was done by the wiper as its going in a different direction to the way the wiper goes (I've replaced them regardless).

I've tried buffing it with a cerium oxide compound and while it definitely did clear up the couple years of fog it accumulated (not much), it didn't do all that much for the scratch/nic.

Is there anything I can do to get it removed short of replacing the windshield or is it really a fruitless task? I'd get some pictures but it's really hard to pick up on camera.

Hey!

Scratches on glass are a pain in the ass man. If it's a decent scratch your only option may be to replace the glass, but there are two alternatives you could look into.

The first would be to see if windshield PPF would mask the scratch and if so have your windshield PPF'd. I honestly don't know if this would work but PPF is not optically clear. On paint it mask defects, I have no idea if it would have the same effect on glass but it would be worth asking a local installer.

The second which is a little unethical would be to have a warrantied windshield coating installed and then file a claim with the coating company to have your glass replaced. It's not unheard of for people to do this. If you have a good relationship with a detailer / shop that offers the product they may be open to turning a blind eye to the scratch while the coating is being installed and allow you to file a warranty claim in 30-60 days after the install.

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by EvasiveF87

Hey!

Scratches on glass are a pain in the ass man. If it's a decent scratch your only option may be to replace the glass, but there are two alternatives you could look into.

The first would be to see if windshield PPF would mask the scratch and if so have your windshield PPF'd. I honestly don't know if this would work but PPF is not optically clear. On paint it mask defects, I have no idea if it would have the same effect on glass but it would be worth asking a local installer.

The second which is a little unethical would be to have a warrantied windshield coating installed and then file a claim with the coating company to have your glass replaced. It's not unheard of for people to do this. If you have a good relationship with a detailer / shop that offers the product they may be open to turning a blind eye to the scratch while the coating is being installed and allow you to file a warranty claim in 30-60 days after the install.

I think I'm just gonna have the glass replaced. It's really unfortunate that I only noticed it *after* getting it tinted, so I'll have to get it re-tinted.

[EvasiveF87]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

I think I'm just gonna have the glass replaced. It's really unfortunate that I only noticed it *after* getting it tinted, so I'll have to get it re-tinted.

I’m sorry man. I don’t know how deep of a scratch but it also may be worth looking into safelite or a reputable mobile glass guy.

They can work magic with their fillers. I’ve seen some guys fill good scratches and chips to point where I couldn’t really make them out unless I REALLLLLY looked.

[E90convert]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

I think I'm just gonna have the glass replaced. It's really unfortunate that I only noticed it *after* getting it tinted, so I'll have to get it re-tinted.

What if you just take the tint off and see if you can live with the glass as-is with no tint?

[Berzerker]

Originally Posted by E90convert

What if you just take the tint off and see if you can live with the glass as-is with no tint?

Windshield tint for me is primarily heat rejection. IMO leaving one window not tinted completely defeats the purpose for me so it will be tinted.

It’s fine I’ll just suck it up.

[Reddevils7]

Originally Posted by Berzerker

Windshield tint for me is primarily heat rejection. IMO leaving one window not tinted completely defeats the purpose for me so it will be tinted.

It’s fine I’ll just suck it up.

A good tint shop will offer you a 50% discount to have a panel retinted in case of broken glass, windshield replacement, etc. Check with your shop that did the initial install to see if they offer something like this

And to the op, yes, I can understand your sentiment about not having to paint correct before ppf. BUT, if you're spending that much money, you should do it the right way and have a car paint corrected before ppf. Ppf isn't going to hide everything like water spots, major swirls, etc. It'll mask swirls to a degree but if you paint correct, ppf and then ceramic on top, you'll get the best results. All the high quality films have a top ceramic layer but it's only gonna last you 6 months tops. On my CS, I already had full front, roof and rocker xpel so I left that alone and had 1 piece ppf cover all the way from the A pillars back to the entire 3rd quarter panels with additional pieces on the rear bumper sides. This was after a 3 step paint correction on all the non ppf panels followed by a ceramic coating on the full car, glass and wheels