Help me with my new Jet Black E92 BMW!
 

Ok, so I got my new jet black 335i coupe 2 weeks ago and I'm having a hell of a time keeping the car scratch and swirl free. I was reading over on autopia that jet black on all BMWs is the hardest paint to maintain because it's soft(?).

Anyways, what products (waxes, qd's,etc..) are good to keep the paint as flawless as possible without using a buffer? I've been detailing my cars for years but I've never used a buffer and I’m nervous to try it out on a brand new car. The car is my daily driver, I do wipe it down with a qd almost everyday (if it's not raining). Any help, suggestions would be great.

You can try optimum no rinse since that can double as a qd too. Get a couple of grit guards too. And then use optimum spray wax since its easy to apply.

Zaino. Used it on most of my cars, and applied by hand. Give it a search to get more testimonials but I think you will find mostly glowing responses.

I have optimum no rinse, never tried it as a QD tho. I'll check it out and what's a good swirl remover (using by hand)? I heard Z5 is pretty good.

Z5 may assist in hiding the swirls a little bit by fillers, but they won't remove them. Swirl removal by hand will give you mediocore results unless the swirls are almost non existant. Zaino generally magnifies any impefections on a car.

I'd be careful using a QD everyday on a black car, rubbing a dusty car with a cloth will for sure swirl the paint even with a QD. I would just wash it when you want it clean again using the two bucket method.

If you want to remove swirls i'd look into a Porter Cable buffer and a good polish. You won't have to worry about messing up your paint with a PC it doesn't have the ability to burn paint like a rotary polisher can do.

I'm gonna chime in and just say that you'll never get the same results by hand you can get with a Porter Cable or some sort of quality machine

Keep in mind that virtually every time you touch the paint (wash, qd, clay, etc...) most of the time you're doing damage or inflicting damage. They won't come out without polish obviously, but to further prevent keep qd'ing to minimum I guess. When I wash I always air dry with a leaf blower and then I dry whats left over to prevent damage from drying.

Xfactor is right. Anytime you touch your car, whether its with a mitt, QD or drying towel, you are inflicting marring to some extent. Using the ONR as a QD is probably a good idea as it is so slick. You may want to consider a Porter Cable as they are sooooo easy to use - ask Draft. Use the two bucket method when you wash. Go to http://www.polishedbliss.co.ukand read through Richs car care section. Tons of easy to understand advice. Let me know if you need anything.

Just get it washed and buffed then put on a 3M clear protective film which should be installed professionally. This will eliminate scratches, dings and swirls done to the body.

Clay bar?

Clay bar will remove any contaminents stuck on the paint but they won't remove swirls, infact it will probably put additional marring on the paint which will need to be polished out.

+1, a lot of the times clay barring will end up doing worse, so don't clay often.
Not really, I wouldn't recommend this. Clear bras can still be damaged, they are harder to care for as well. Just use proper wash and dry method to reduce wash-induced swirls. Two bucket method + grit guard + sheepskin washmitt = safe method:thumbsup:

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll look into getting a PC.

be VERY VERY gentle on the Jet Black...
got myself a Jet Black M3 and I've experienced first hand how prone the colour is to scratching..
try not to wipe it dry, even after a fresh wash if you wipe somewhere with your finger you will scratch it

I know it's difficult to not keep touching up ur car every time it gets dusty

but really the best way to take care of it is to wash it whenever you know its going to be sunny for at least a week, and just leave it until it get noticeably dirty, reducing the amounts of times u wash it will help reduce the amount of marring that ends up in the paint.

I also usually seal my car every 4 months and wax every 2 months.

911fanatic, I was looking at some of your work (was searching on here earlier) and I'm very impressed. I know your prices are listed on your site but I don't need the package deals. How much would you charge for a mobile service (i'm located in Vancouver) to do a wax/polish for the swirl marks and do paint correction? I don't need to my interior done or my engine. Please PM me.

Any black car will always be hard to maintain. I would know from personal experience haha