Cleaning the high gloss black bonnet/roof/rear

[Tommo]

Dear all..

I have found that Autoglym Rapid Detailer is excellent for keeping the high gloss areas streak free and shiny

[jamie94bc]

I'll have to give that a go! The boot is glass so that's nice and easy to clean with Fast Glass

The problem with the bonnet is that when it's sunny (even when it's not that warm) the water evaporates so quickly and the surface gets so hot that it's really difficult not to leave water marks (that are really difficult to remove) - even when waxing it afterwards.

I've found that the black strip beneath the doors is pretty difficult to clean too - the only thing that seems to work is the rubber and vinyl care.

[Tommo]

Hi yes you are right...fast glass is best on the tailgate glass but the detailer works better on the gloss areas and alloys as it does not streak even in the warm...we used it on a photoshoot and the car looked great.

I found bumper shine is best on the black sill covers...again from autoglym

apply everything with a different micro-fibre cloth for best results

[alohart]

Can a U.S. i3 owner recommend similar products that are available in the U.S.?

[bdman]

I plan on giving my i3 a full Zaino detail (should be 50+ degrees on Wednesday in NYC) as I have with all my cars. I try and do a full Zaino detail at least every 6 months.

http://www.zainostore.com/

[Mick787]

Going back to the roof, has anyone used such as HD wax as a main top coat? I'm just cleaning our car for the first time and I'm trying to get the 'muck' off the bodywork that the dealership or previous owner put on it. HD cleaner would not polish off, so I've used Super Silicon Resin as a cleaner and intend to use HD wax as a top coat. I cant see it will cause a problem. I've got the Rapid detailer but cant see that offering the same protection as HD wax.

[alohart]

Going back to the roof, has anyone used such as HD wax as a main top coat?

In case you're not aware, the roof of an i3 without a sunroof is carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) covered by some sort of clear coating which might not be paint. It isn't thermoplastic painted black like the hood (bonnet) and isn't glass with a black underside like the tailgate.

Some have mentioned that an i3 with a sunroof might have a different type of roof.

[Mick787]

Thanks for that Alohart, in the sunlight I could see the weave of the carbon fibre but wasn't sure of what the top coating was. I guess this is going to be very tough and I guess won't need or benefit from any form of abrasive cleaning product being applied to it. The wax should be fine. I distinctly recall the salesman telling me it wasn't covered with a vinyl wrap like a lot of cars are these days. He said polish would be ok to use but he didn't say what it was, (probably because he didn't have a clue, much like with all the other questions I asked him when we went to look at the car. How do you care for yours?