07-11-2019, 04:54 PM | #23 | |
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Xpel in mirror caps
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07-12-2019, 06:00 PM | #25 |
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I am not sure why in the US we cannot order black mirror caps for the M340i though those in Canada can. At least we have the option form black kidney grill in traditional style. While I like the CF caps, that creates just one more styling difference with the remainder of the trim, unless the buyer gets the black kidney grill and jet black wheels. There will still be bits of cerium trim in the front corners. I don't know who at BMW though cerium gray was a good look!
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07-22-2019, 03:54 PM | #26 |
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I had hard water spots on my mirrors and my grill when I took delivery. It looked really bad. A car wash and clay bar did not work. I used P21-S to gently polish away the water spots and then I applied a layer of Sonax polymer sealant to make sure they don't come back.
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10-26-2019, 01:48 PM | #27 |
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Polished and waxed mine by hand and they're silver now 🤨
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11-07-2019, 05:45 AM | #28 |
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Is cerium grey on 792 M wheels also so sensitive?
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11-07-2019, 08:09 AM | #31 |
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You could purchase a pair of primered mirror caps for about $100 and spend another $100 to have them painted and installed. It's a whole lot cheaper than the CF and IMO it looks better.
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11-08-2019, 06:55 PM | #32 | |
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I think Spray Wax is the answer. Ceramic Coating seems to be a great choice if none of these are an option wait 3-6 months for some aftermarket mirror caps to come out. Wrapping them should not cost more than $100-USD |
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12-23-2019, 09:50 AM | #34 |
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What Cerium Grey really is and how to clean it
An old friend of mine runs Professional Detailing Products in Canton OH and did some research on Cerium Grey when I told him my frustrations with it. It turns out Cerium Grey is known internally in BMW as Aluminum Tetragon trim. It is aluminum metal, not plastic of any sort. That's why it turns cleaning cloths black and it responds easily to metal cleaners like a good rubbing with NeverDull. My friend Mike Dickson recommends buffing and ceramic coating, though the coating may darken the metal a bit. Easiest fix generally is to just polish it like metal.
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12-23-2019, 12:19 PM | #35 | |
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01-06-2020, 12:08 PM | #36 |
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Apparently the exterior trim in Cerium Gray is also an aluminum trim, not a plastic. Internally at BMW they may be the same material with different names - I will have my friend check it out.
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01-06-2020, 01:55 PM | #37 |
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I am contemplating having mine wrapped in gloss black. Hopefully BMW abandon this cerium trim on the facelift models.
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01-06-2020, 02:25 PM | #38 |
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I had mine ceramic coated and so far it's worked perfectly. Any water spots or smudges wipe clean away (and it repels most water in the first place). The only odd thing was that my installer noted that when he did the mirror caps, a strange chemical smell occurred. He used Ceramic Pro so perhaps there was some strange reaction with the "cerium" metal? I don't know. He only did one coat though so that it didn't do any damage.
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01-06-2020, 03:22 PM | #39 | |
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1. The aluminum tetragon trim that is an option for the interior does not have the bronze hue the cerium gray has outside 2. The cerium gray exterior trim has no tetragon pattern 3. The mirror caps and grille surrounds are plastic base material, not metal (interior trim is metal)
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01-07-2020, 01:36 PM | #41 |
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Thanks for the clarification. It may be that he interpreted my question about Cerium Gray as being related to the interior trim, not the exterior. I personally did find that NeverDull cleaned up the exterior trim very well and did leave a black residue on the wadding just like metal does. So it is still a mystery. But NeverDull works like a charm in removing water spots on Cerium Gray.
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02-10-2020, 03:05 PM | #43 |
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Plasti-Dip should not be used for anything highly visible. Definitely never for a grille. It will instantly make a car look older and cheaper. I'd much rather get a cheap knock-off eBay grille than put PlastiDip on it. It just looks so ugly and unprofessional and has the durability of tissue paper.
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02-10-2020, 04:16 PM | #44 |
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Enh, I dipped the grille on a prior car and it held up perfectly for the almost 3 years I drove it.
But yes, it absolutely looks cheap. No argument from me there. I certainly wouldn't dip the cerium on the m340i. |
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