BMW M2 gets ready for city life - New car preparation, Xpel Ultimate, and Nanolex SI3D

BMW M2 gets ready for city life - New car preparation, Xpel Ultimate, and Nanolex SI3D.

Detailer's Domain documents the first BMW M2 to receive New Car Prep/Xpel/Nanolex SI3D

We were very excited to get our first BMW M2 in BSM in for an extended amount of work.

The scope of the work included - new car prep, Xpel Ultimate Paint Protection Film, and Nanolex SI3D Ceramic Glass Coating.

The services above would provide protection from rock chips and road debris, as well as a durable long lasting shine.

Most will ask why would we need a "new car prep" when my car is new....hopefully the below will answer some of your questions.

What is new?
We consider a new car is new up from 50-100 miles or 1 month after purchase.

What is done?

• Remove any plastics or wrappings from the factory
• Remove any existing transportation/storage dirt without marring or scratching the paint
• Remove surface contaminants ie:leftover adhesive, tree sap, traffic film, rail dust, overspray, etc.
• Bring out the full potential of the paint by increasing gloss and smooth paint surface
• Provide a durable protection of the exterior surfaces using high quality sealants or coatings
• Provide a professional inspection of your vehicle's paintwork

What to look out from the dealership.....

• The products used are not necessarily the best available for your car
• The work is likely to be done by "detailers" who don't have the training or equipment
• Lack of training can lead to subpar results or even worse swirls/burnt paint/holograms
• Shortcuts due to time constraints will cause dealerships to rush a job and steps maybe skipped to complete the car

Xpel Ultimate Paint Protection Film

Paint protection films are clear or colored polyurethane films that are applied to vehicles to protect them from scratches, dents, or swirls caused by road debris, rocks, bug droppings, and other environmental elements.

Conventional paint protection films can show scars and yellowing after a single year of use—especially in the real world, where most of us drive every day.

Constructed from a combination of advanced elastomeric polymers, XPEL ULTIMATE’s special clear coat not only prevents the film from discoloring due to contamination and ultra-violet radiation, but also heals itself from swirl marks and light scratches that can occur through ordinary washing and drying or daily driving.

Contaminants like bug splatter, bird droppings, sap and road tar wipe off XPEL ULTIMATE’s super-slick surface with a cloth, while scuffs and light scratches in the surface of the film disappear within minutes in the heat of the sun or the warmth of your garage—leaving your car pristine and the protective film like new.

And this level of protection comes without compromise. The mirror smooth finish of XPEL ULTIMATE ensures that no unwanted texture, commonly referred to as “orange-peel,” is added to the appearance of your car, leaving the protected surface indistinguishable from the factory paint. Professional installation by one of our network of factory

trained installers ensures exact alignment around surface features such as air inlets, parking sensors, headlamp washers and other design elements, while the film along the perimeter of each panel is wrapped around the edges for a truly invisible barrier against the hazards awaiting you on the road.

Even the film’s adhesive is superior. The enhanced workability of XPEL’s adhesive allows the film to be contoured around the most complex surfaces without distortion—which means you show off a perfect finish, not seams, wrinkles, and ripples. XPEL ULTIMATE also comes with a full 10-year warranty against yellowing, discoloration, peeling, cracking and hazing. If it fails, we’ll replace it—labor included

Nanolex SI3D - Glass Coating/Ceramic Coating/Nano Coating

Based on its unique Si3D technology, Nanolex Car Care offers a range of products specifically developed and designed to fulfill the highest demands and needs of our professional customers. 

The Si3D molecules - precursors of ceramic and hybrid materials - consist of silica, nitrogen, hydrogen and organic compounds such as carbon. These high-performance polymers are all solvent and fluorine free. 

The additionally-implemented thermoplastic component forms an incredibly hydrophobic, flexible, cross-linked matrix to give an outstanding hardness and durability. 
Nanolex Si3D is extremely weather and chemical resistant, which in turn provides excellent corrosion protection with easy-to-clean-properties.
Si3D can also increase the total hardness of the paint to up to 9H+, adding a clear coat with a color-darkening effect to the treated surface.

Depending on the number of applied layers of Si3D, the thickness of the coating can vary. The coating thickness, combined with the sophisticated structural nature of the Si3D matrix, make the coatings resistant to abrasion caused by frequent washing and also unaffected by most chemical substances.

An important part of automotive coatings are solvents. The liquid consistency, viscosity and volatility of the product is highly dependent on the used solvents. Nanolex Car Care do not incorporate any aromatic solvents in their product formulations, due to the high potential of ‘hazardous-to-health’ character, thus making them safe use in an enclosed environment. 

The Si3D coatings have very good ‘solvent release’ properties - about 90% of the solvents will evaporate during the first 24 hours, with the remaining 10% evaporating within one week. Please take note that solvent evaporation is also greatly dependant on temperature and weather conditions.
Nanolex Car Care do not incorporate any aromatic solvents in their product formulations, due to the high potential of ‘hazardous-to-health’ character, thus making them safe use in an enclosed environment. 

Unlike traditional protective coatings such as car wax and conventional polymer coatings, where the protective efficiency decreases with time, and from using degreasing or alkaline detergents, or because of mechanical removal, Nanolex Si3D coating exhibits outstanding durability and a tough insensitivity to abrasion from frequent washing and the use of strong alkaline or acidic detergents.

With proper maintenance Nanolex Si3D will have a durability of approximately 30000 km on the surfaces it was applied to.

Nanolex Si3D was developed, tested and manufactured in Germany.

Full list of products used during the new car process

Exterior
Nanolex Prewash Concentrate
Nanolex Wheel Cleaner and Iron Remover
Stoner's Tarminator
Nanoskin Autoscrub Sponge
Uber Clay Bar
Nanolex Ultra Glass Sealant
Nanolex Glass Cleaner
Meguiar's M101
Meguiar's M205
Nanolex Tire and Trim Restorer
Nanolex SI3D Pro Installed Product

Interior
Nanolex Interior Cleaner
Nanolex Textile and Leather Sealant

Tools used:
Metro Vac N Blo Car Vac Pro Series PRO-83BA CS
Metro Air Force Blaster 8 hp
Rupes LHR15 MKII
Rupes LHR75E
Meguiar's Microfiber Cutting Disc
Meguiar's Microfiber Finishing Disc
Uber Green Foam Pad
Uber All Purpose MF Towels
Uber Classic MF Towels
Uber High Tech Glass Microfiber Towels
Scangrip Multimatch Light

Brand new BMW M2 received in


Prep - Wash/Decon/Clay/Wheels






Loving our new favorite wheel cleaner and iron remover - works faster, better coverage, works on paint as well as wheels.Nanolex Wheel Cleaner and Iron Remover










Nanoskin Autoscrub Pad used on the paint as well as glass - clay not shown but used to hit some of the tighter areas.



Drying



Full house at shop - lots of M cars here



Factory grills, Roundel, and Side gills removed






Clear Film actions shots













We called out as many edges out as we could wrap for a close to seamless install




The shot that was discussed about, removal of the side gills for that clean install.



Film installed


Putting it all back together




Installing the black side gills


Installing the black kidney grills 




The BMW Roundel goes back into place


Polishing out the paint to bring out the gloss and shine


When inspecting the paint we found a lot of isolated scratches, marring etc.



After compound and polishing


Some great results!




After Polishing we prepped the paint for Nanolex SI3D



Final touches
Tires were cleaned and dressed 

Stoner's Tarminator to remove the dealership installed tire dressing.




Nanolex Tire and Rubber Restorer

50/50 shot


Nanolex Tire and Rubber Restorer leaves such a great finish.


Engine Bay


Afters
Interior











Exterior




























Hope you enjoyed this article as much as we enjoyed working on this new BMW M2!

Email us if you have any questions or comments.