Wash and Wax

Z4 Beemer · 02-16-2008, 05:54 PM

Ordered a few cleaning products during the week, and decided to give a few of them a try today.

Started off by wetting the car, and then used the Gilmour foam gun with Meguairs Car Wash #62. This foamed nicely, so left for about 5 mins whilst I made up the bucket wash.

Applied Autoglym clean wheels to the alloys and left to soak for a few mins.

Rinsed the whole car and washed using the 'proper'

two bucket method with Swissvax car shampoo.

Wax still repelling the water quite well.

Dried the whole car using a waffle weave towel.

Next decided to deal with the wheels. Applied Poorboys Wheel Sealant. This is suppose to help prevent brake dust and road grime sticking to the wheels.

Blackfire long lasting tyre gel was then applied to the tyres.

I bought some of the Meguiars Quik detailer and clay that Viv wrote about previously, but decided not to use it today. Instead, I used a microfibre cloth to apply Blackfires gloss enhancing polish. This is suppose to help mask minor defects such as swirl marks and has very little abrasive properties. After this was applied and buffed off, I applied Swissvax Zuffenhausen wax

This was left to harden for about 15 mins, then buffed off with a microfibre cloth.

The end results:

The exhaust tailpipe trim was even polished with Autoglym super resin polish

Conclusions - interior is for another day! Also, I'm now seriously tempted to buy a polishing machine to make life a bit easier and also to give a better overall finish. Today was a pretty dull day up here, so the photos don't show the car off in the best possible light, but overall I'm pretty satisfied. The car now has a fresh coat of wax on it, which was my main objective.

COLSEN · 02-16-2008, 06:02 PM

Veeerry nice work.
I hate how quick my exhaust carbons up, my weekly wash now entails me giving the chrome tips a good scrub!! Interested to know if the alloy sealent works, my alloys can be a pain in the @$$ to scrub clean and seem to like brake dust and tar! Right, I'll be giving mine a good going over tomorrow now!

SoYank · 02-16-2008, 06:04 PM

I'd do that too but I'm concerned about the impact of frozen soap suds on my paint. It was 27°F this morning. Not cold by other's standards but still cold enough to freeze Dihydrogen Monoxide (as well as my buns).

M3-FAST · 02-16-2008, 06:21 PM

when you visiting Stafford next!!!.......got a nice red vert that is covered in salt

seriously! your coupe is lookin nice and shiny.....mine needs similar attention but gonna wait another month or two!

DervFan · 02-17-2008, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoYank

27°F

come on speak in "English", this is the UK forum afterall

It was -3.5°C here, so cold that my pressure washer hose was already frozen when I got it out of the shed. I think I'm going to have to wait till lunchtime for the thaw

peterg1965 · 02-17-2008, 05:27 AM

Looks fantastic Gordon. Fancy haviong a go at a Disco3 that needs a bit of TLC before the lease ends???

vivekk · 02-17-2008, 06:23 AM

Nice work Gordon.

I'm also interested in finding out about machine polishing.

I'll see what Scott can sort out for the UK5 Meet at the end of April.

All the best.

Viv

SoYank · 02-17-2008, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DervFan

come on speak in "English", this is the UK forum afterall

It was -3.5°C here, so cold that my pressure washer hose was already frozen when I got it out of the shed. I think I'm going to have to wait till lunchtime for the thaw

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." I'm American; we use Fahrenheit. We also use the "English" system for most measurements, i.e., ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons (US), pounds, tons, foot-pounds, watts, horsepower, inches, feet, yards, miles, acres, rods, chains, MPH, psi, BTUs, etc.

"You can't teach old dogs new tricks." I'm, uh, like a vintage wine.

Dave_3 · 02-17-2008, 10:28 AM

I have used Swissöl Shield Wax for the last 7 years and just run out, but the Swissöl factory is nearby just outside Zurich. It actually works out quite economical. Totally pleased with the results.

I've always waxed the wheels. Brake dust just falls off.

D.

Z4 Beemer · 02-17-2008, 03:33 PM

Thanks for comments guys.

Peter - I'm guessing the Disco and your new GL will take about 3 days to get clean.

Dave_3 - can you get us a group discount on Swissöl products?

booforty · 02-17-2008, 03:37 PM

Gordon, you are the best car washer I've seen...

Can you do mine?

quattrogmbh · 02-17-2008, 04:09 PM

A polisher certainly makes short work of getting a good level of preparation.. And now you can get a meguiars G220 (Porter cable on steroids;-) its easy. No need for a 110v transformer etc..

Z4 Beemer · 02-17-2008, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beauforty

Gordon, you are the best car washer I've seen...

Can you do mine?

Of course - just bring it round anytime.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quattrogmbh

A polisher certainly makes short work of getting a good level of preparation.. And now you can get a meguiars G220 (Porter cable on steroids;-) its easy. No need for a 110v transformer etc..

Its the new Meguiars G220 that I've been looking at - probably to use with either a polishing or finishing pad and a very light polish (like the Blackfires Gloss Enhancing Polish I have).

Chunga · 02-17-2008, 04:43 PM

Blackfires gloss enhancing polish - looks good.

dxb335d · 02-17-2008, 05:05 PM

Looking good Gordon!!!

SoYank · 02-17-2008, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quattrogmbh

A polisher certainly makes short work of getting a good level of preparation.. And now you can get a meguiars G220 (Porter cable on steroids;-) its easy. No need for a 110v transformer etc..

Anyone need a 110V transformer? I have a 3.3 kva industrial one I'm no longer needing.

DaveC · 02-17-2008, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoYank

"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink." I'm American; we use Fahrenheit. We also use the "English" system for most measurements, i.e., ounces, cups, pints, quarts, gallons (US), pounds, tons, foot-pounds, watts, horsepower, inches, feet, yards, miles, acres, rods, chains, MPH, psi, BTUs, etc.

Just pray you are never made to change (although I can't see it happening, ironically I'm sure being forced to change from an English system to a European (French) system would trigger too much nationalism I suspect). I grew up during the changeover and I think in a complete mismatch of two different measurement systems depending on the weight/temperature or length I'm thinking of.

Sal@AUTOcouture · 02-17-2008, 07:03 PM

nice! My car needs a nice detail VERY badly

Chunga · 02-17-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveC

Just pray you are never made to change (although I can't see it happening, ironically I'm sure being forced to change from an English system to a European (French) system would trigger too much nationalism I suspect). I grew up during the changeover and I think in a complete mismatch of two different measurement systems depending on the weight/temperature or length I'm thinking of.

We use: Long, short, slow, Fast, Heavy or light heavy.

DaveC · 02-17-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chunga

We use: Long, short, slow, Fast, Heavy or light heavy.

I like it! what about temperatures?

Chunga · 02-17-2008, 07:28 PM

Cold and hot or "you can touch it" - easy and simple.

DaveC · 02-17-2008, 07:31 PM

it IS good, cuts through all the crap!

02-16-2008, 05:54 PM	#1
Z4 Beemer Colonel 85 Rep 2,353 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 sDrive 23i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 E92 [0.00] 2004 Z4 2.2i [8.00]	Wash and Wax Ordered a few cleaning products during the week, and decided to give a few of them a try today. Started off by wetting the car, and then used the Gilmour foam gun with Meguairs Car Wash #62. This foamed nicely, so left for about 5 mins whilst I made up the bucket wash. Applied Autoglym clean wheels to the alloys and left to soak for a few mins. Rinsed the whole car and washed using the 'proper' two bucket method with Swissvax car shampoo. Wax still repelling the water quite well. Dried the whole car using a waffle weave towel. Next decided to deal with the wheels. Applied Poorboys Wheel Sealant. This is suppose to help prevent brake dust and road grime sticking to the wheels. Blackfire long lasting tyre gel was then applied to the tyres. I bought some of the Meguiars Quik detailer and clay that Viv wrote about previously, but decided not to use it today. Instead, I used a microfibre cloth to apply Blackfires gloss enhancing polish. This is suppose to help mask minor defects such as swirl marks and has very little abrasive properties. After this was applied and buffed off, I applied Swissvax Zuffenhausen wax This was left to harden for about 15 mins, then buffed off with a microfibre cloth. The end results: The exhaust tailpipe trim was even polished with Autoglym super resin polish Conclusions - interior is for another day! Also, I'm now seriously tempted to buy a polishing machine to make life a bit easier and also to give a better overall finish. Today was a pretty dull day up here, so the photos don't show the car off in the best possible light, but overall I'm pretty satisfied. The car now has a fresh coat of wax on it, which was my main objective. __________________ E89 Z4 sDrive 23i... for the more discerning driver
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02-16-2008, 06:02 PM	#2
COLSEN Second Lieutenant 15 Rep 269 Posts Drives: E92 320i MSport > Merc C220CDI Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: North West England iTrader: (0)	Veeerry nice work. I hate how quick my exhaust carbons up, my weekly wash now entails me giving the chrome tips a good scrub!! Interested to know if the alloy sealent works, my alloys can be a pain in the @$$ to scrub clean and seem to like brake dust and tar! Right, I'll be giving mine a good going over tomorrow now! __________________ Sweeeeet
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02-16-2008, 06:04 PM	#3
SoYank Major General 582 Rep 7,519 Posts Drives: 2009 E90 335i MT Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Vinton, Virginia iTrader: (1) Garage List 2009 BMW E90 335i S ... [9.00]	I'd do that too but I'm concerned about the impact of frozen soap suds on my paint. It was 27°F this morning. Not cold by other's standards but still cold enough to freeze Dihydrogen Monoxide (as well as my buns). __________________ **2009 E90 335i Montego Blue · Black Leather · Burl Walnut · 6MT · US Spec** SatNav • ZPP • ZCW • 6FL • TPMS • iDrive • PDC • HWS • Xenons • BMW Assist • Power Rear Sunshade • Logic 7 European Taillights • Rear Foglamp • OEM Alarm • PicoTray • DataToys XM-DVR • Multi-view Processor Quaife ATB LSD • Short Shift Knob • Hartge Anti-Roll Bars • AP Racing Front Brakes • 19" Style 269
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02-16-2008, 06:21 PM	#4
M3-FAST Defected to the dark side..... 214 Rep 5,796 Posts Drives: BMW M5 LCi Join Date: May 2007 Location: Stafford, UK iTrader: (11) Garage List 2015 BMW M4 [0.00] 2009 E90 M3 [10.00] 2007 325i M-sport C ... [9.00]	when you visiting Stafford next!!!.......got a nice red vert that is covered in salt seriously! your coupe is lookin nice and shiny.....mine needs similar attention but gonna wait another month or two! Last edited by M3-FAST; 02-17-2008 at 01:04 PM..
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02-17-2008, 06:23 AM	#7
vivekk THE Viv 189 Rep 4,743 Posts Drives: 330i SE Join Date: May 2005 Location: the North, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2005 BMW e90 330iSE [0.00]	Nice work Gordon. I'm also interested in finding out about machine polishing. I'll see what Scott can sort out for the UK5 Meet at the end of April. All the best. Viv __________________ [TiAg ▪ Dakota Black ▪ Active steering ▪ Sports suspension ▪ 162s ▪ Sports seats ▪ Al trim ▪ Bi-Xenons ▪ F&R PDC ▪ NavPro ▪ Voice control ▪ Bluetooth ▪ 6CD Logic7]
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02-17-2008, 05:27 AM	#6
peterg1965 Brigadier General 169 Rep 4,190 Posts Drives: F30 335d M Sport, F15 X5 40d Join Date: May 2007 Location: The place of dark satanic mills, UK iTrader: (0)	Looks fantastic Gordon. Fancy haviong a go at a Disco3 that needs a bit of TLC before the lease ends???
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02-17-2008, 10:28 AM	#9
Dave_3 Brigadier General 658 Rep 3,447 Posts Drives: G22 M440D Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: CH / SCO iTrader: (0) Garage List 1973 Escort RS2000 MK1 [10.00]	I have used Swissöl Shield Wax for the last 7 years and just run out, but the Swissöl factory is nearby just outside Zurich. It actually works out quite economical. Totally pleased with the results. I've always waxed the wheels. Brake dust just falls off. D. __________________ Escort Mk1 RS2000 (2.1 2x44IDFS, BVH, Kent FR32, 5spd, 180 BHP) : M440D ¦ Previously : F32 435D : F32 430D M Sport sDrive, 335D E92 2006
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02-17-2008, 03:33 PM	#10
Z4 Beemer Colonel 85 Rep 2,353 Posts Drives: 2009 Z4 sDrive 23i Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Glasgow, Scotland, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2006 E92 [0.00] 2004 Z4 2.2i [8.00]	Thanks for comments guys. Peter - I'm guessing the Disco and your new GL will take about 3 days to get clean. Dave_3 - can you get us a group discount on Swissöl products? __________________ E89 Z4 sDrive 23i... for the more discerning driver
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02-17-2008, 03:37 PM	#11
booforty Major General 346 Rep 8,809 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 E92 M3 [0.00]	Gordon, you are the best car washer I've seen... Can you do mine?
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02-17-2008, 04:09 PM	#12
quattrogmbh Captain 26 Rep 635 Posts Drives: BMW Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Location iTrader: (0)	A polisher certainly makes short work of getting a good level of preparation.. And now you can get a meguiars G220 (Porter cable on steroids;-) its easy. No need for a 110v transformer etc..
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02-17-2008, 04:43 PM	#14
Chunga Captain 37 Rep 903 Posts Drives: E90 black saphire 2008 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Denmark, sealand iTrader: (0)	Blackfires gloss enhancing polish - looks good. __________________
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02-17-2008, 05:05 PM	#15
dxb335d The Tarmac Terrorist 1004 Rep 29,344 Posts Drives: 997.2 GT3 Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: ''Fandango Towers'' iTrader: (3) Garage List 2010 Porsche 997.2 GT3 [9.50] 2003 BMW E46 M3 [6.00] 2007 BMW E92 335D [5.50]	Looking good Gordon!!! __________________ 997.2 GT3
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02-17-2008, 07:03 PM	#18
Sal@AUTOcouture 744 Rep 10,106 Posts Drives: E93 M3, E36 M3 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sofla iTrader: (30)	nice! My car needs a nice detail VERY badly
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02-17-2008, 07:28 PM	#21
Chunga Captain 37 Rep 903 Posts Drives: E90 black saphire 2008 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Denmark, sealand iTrader: (0)	Cold and hot or "you can touch it" - easy and simple. __________________
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02-17-2008, 07:31 PM	#22
DaveC Captain 16 Rep 645 Posts Drives: 330 Touring Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	it IS good, cuts through all the crap!
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