Hi all,

This is my first post to the forum, looks like an excellent community you have got going here, well done. Anyway, a few months ago I brought a 2000 E36 316i. Beautiful little car.

Just after a few tips from you guys & gals about interior and exterior detailing. So far since I've had her, all I have done is just a really basic weekly wash as follows:

*Wash with Meguiars wash and wax
*Chamois down
*Good vacum
*Armorall leather wipes for the seats
*small bit of Armorall on a cloth to run over the dash, etc.

I recently purchased Meguiars Deap Crystal Polish, thoughts? I don't mind spending the extra time to get the perfect shine, and I am open to new suggestions compared to the products I have been using.

Also, just wondering what I should be using on the black trim(outside), door handles(outside) and black vertical part of the door(outside). They have sorta lost there color and wondering what I need to get em nice and black again. Also, what about the rubber round the windows, on the roof, etc?

Below are some photos of the shift knob that has experianced some wear. What should I use to treat this? As you can see in the photo, the material on my seats, I'm not too sure what type of leather it is therefore I don't know how to clean/treat it. Suggestions? Also, the knobs for the heater, etc have all gone dull. How do I get the jet black back into 'em?

In the other photo of the door, you can see the sorta milky white effect. I'm not too sure if its due to something the previous owner used, but what should I use to get rid of the white? What should I use regularly on the doors and dash?

Extremely sorry about all the questions.

Any help muchly appreciated!

Cheers. :redspot

I can definitely without hesitation recommend Black Again for the rubber parts and the b pillars. Great stuff and lasts the longest I know of (without using actual dye such as Forever Black). :buttrock If you can't find it at a store order it from Autogeek... :)

I dunno what's avail in Aus, but you can order it from Autogeek. Stay away from using the Meg's Leather wipes all the time. They just turn the leather slick and don't really do anything for longevity. Get a quality cleaner/conditioner - Leatherique, Lexol, Hidefood, Pinnacle are all good brands. That should take care of the shift knob. You MAY have to redye it (leatherique), but I don't know if it's worth it for that small of a thing, you can pick up a replacement knob easier, but if you have alot of black leather in the car it may be worth exploring.

The black knobs, use Aerospace 303 Protectant. Stay away from Armourall - long term it ruins plastic/vinyl. The black trim pieces, you have a few options. You can redye them with Forever Black, dress them with something like Black Again/Aerospace303 or wax them. If you're going to wax them, use a wax that doesn't stain - P21S/S100, Klasse AIO/SG are all good choices here.

Meg's Deep Crystal line isn't bad (it's about middle of the road for durability and optics, but has the advantage of being easily available) but P21S is far superior. If you want to consider synthetics, Zaino, Klasse and Wolfgang are all great products.

I can't see what you're refering to on the door, but if it's on see above for treatment options. If it's on paint, I'm guessing it's just cheap wax that wasn't buffed off.

i use meg's vinyl and rubber protectant for exterior moldings... works wonders.

take a look at my interior detailing post:
http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=163177