plowery21

I had to replace my bumper cover last week...long story. Body shop told me not to run it through a car wash (wouldnt anyway) and not to apply wax for 90 days. That seems like a long time for the paint to cure. I want to get something on the bumper ASAP for protection from the road debris and bugs. Looking for suggestions for a product that I could apply sooner than later and that will add some good protection.
Thanks

plowery21

guess this area of 5 series is shy...no vendor recommendations at all baffles me a bit....was really hoping to get some good suggestions before I logged to many miles.

after research Im looking at the dura shield film..any thoughts?

luigi524td

I think a properly prepared and refinished bumper would stand up the usual road debris. As for the mechanical brushes and touchless car washes - they're tough on any paint finish no matter how new or old. I personally think the "don't wax" advice depends on how long it'd take for the paint to finish the "curing" process. But this is 2013 - NOT 1950!

And wax isn't going to save you from a stone kicked up from a car or truck.

Gene

sounds like you are looking for a clear bra reccommendation...there have been a few threads regarding this...perhaps a search thru the e60 discussion thread or parts, mods, and accessories sub forums might help.....

plowery21

Gene, I was originally looking to see if there was any product recommendations like Opti-coat or others that might be best for protection. Those products all claim to add extra protection..... was just curious to see what some folks experience with it was. Obviously no applied product will protect against kicked up 2 inch rocks, but was hoping to get a layer of something on there sooner than later.

Doing some looking I did stumble onto a guy in town that installs the Dura-shield clear film. Dont know much about that and havent found any threads on this product, but will look under "Clear-bra" as well.
Thanks

Gene

I have a detail next month which includes opti coat application after the paint correction. From my understanding most products like opticoat would be more for swirl marks and softer debris....22PLE is another product that was suggested to me aside from opti coat, but longevity and long term reviews for the majority are/were for optic coat, which is what I chose to do. I'm contemplating having my wheels opticoated as well as it's said to help clean brake dust (just needs a rinse), but I have a few chips and nicks that need to be repaired first so not sure if that will happen...

the dura shield you are referring to is definitely sounding more like a clear bra, which will give you some protection against road debri/rock chips...

tonyb635

You can use Meguires #7. Like Luigi said wax won't help you for road damage. The main thing is to read the bottle and make sure it says safe for new paint or contains in silicone. If this was a simple repainting 30-45 days will be plenty of time. If body work was performed I'd wait a few more weeks longer. This is only to assure you don't have any trapped gasses. Waxes seals the pours and can cause the gases to build resulting in blistering etc. if you are adding a bra I'd wait 30 days as well.