[taestee]

and i wanted to know what was the most time-efficient way to keep it clean and keep it looking good.

i live in an apartment and don't have ready access to a place where i can hand wash it. plus i don't have too much free time, so it'll be hard for me to spend hours waxing and washing the thing regularly per the stickied detailing guide.

i know most automated car washes will leave swirl marks, so i know not to take it to one. but does anyone have any recommendations for places i can get my car hand-washed? i live in queens in NY. thanks!

[sinnet112]

Do the initial prep very well, and it should last a few months at the least. Then take a weekend to redo it. In between, if it doesn't rain, you can just hose it down to get the dust/pollen off and spray some QD. That'll keep it looking nice. Maybe do a quick wash every 2-3 weeks and you should be okay.

From my experience, it's a must to do a wash every week especially if it rains, and JB is impossible to keep clean but when it is it looks great

[BzsBimmer]

If you want to do it yourself, take the initial time to wash with ONR, clay then hand polish and wax.
You didn't mention how anal you are about swirls so I'm guessing you just want to keep it fairly clean.
Other than that, you could pay someone to do an initial detail and then maintain it with ONR as needed and QD

[AJerman]

I like ONR, but you have to use it right. I live in an apartment as well, so I have the same problems trying to wash my car. If my car is really dirty, I'll bring it to a touchless laser wash down the road and get most of the big dirt off, then bring it home and carefully use ONR to get the rest. I definitely use 2 buckets with grit guards in both then when I'm using ONR.

[LOLrance]

It will only be a matter of time before the OP asks what ONR is so i will save you the time.

Optimum No Rinse.

[328i]

Originally Posted by AoshichanX

I will never get jet black again. If you are even slightly anal, this color will drive you insane.

Because of your opening post, someone will undoubtedly recommend you try ONR. If you do take the suggestion, be very careful.

To the post above, I would not QD the car if there is a lot of dust.

If you can, please consider black sapphire if not too late. Swirls and scratches are next to impossible to see, sometimes even with a halogen.

+100000

Never QD a dirty jet black car, only touch the paint right after it's been washed too. I have a jet black e90 and it has driven me crazy to the point where I have given up keeping it perfect and thankful that it's a lease. I hope swirls don't bother you because it's very hard to keep this paint perfect. And for how soft it is and how easily it swirls, removing defects is much more difficult then you would think. When using ONR I recommend using twice as much product as they recommend.

[J BONE]

Originally Posted by AoshichanX

If you can, please consider black sapphire if not too late. Swirls and scratches are next to impossible to see, sometimes even with a halogen.

Going to be hard keeping the car outside all day and night IMO. I like ONR but it has to be used right. I made a mistake when I first used it which is why I have some minor swirls.

[J BONE]

Originally Posted by AJerman

If my car is really dirty, I'll bring it to a touchless laser wash down the road and get most of the big dirt off, then bring it home and carefully use ONR to get the rest. I definitely use 2 buckets with grit guards in both then when I'm using ONR.

Exactly! I do the same thing.

[taestee]

i guess i'm not that anal about swirls. it's a lease and in the end, i know ill get swirls anyway, so i;ll try not to worry about them too much. i just don't want the whole thing covered with them.

i will clay, polish and wax initially then maintain with ONR as recommended.

thanks all

[sinnet112]

I guess I should rephrase haha, what I meant was, if it hasn't rained and there's just dust on there, I hose down the car and check to make sure the dust has been washed off. THEN I QD it. My JB doesn't have too many swirls (it's unavoidable), sans the water spots I had posted about previously.

[taestee]

lol, after reading a lot of posts here and the discussion above, i called up the dealership and had them switch my car to a space gray. as you can tell, i am not too picky

[mnkybiznes]

Originally Posted by AoshichanX

I will never get jet black again. If you are even slightly anal, this color will drive you insane.

Because of your opening post, someone will undoubtedly recommend you try ONR. If you do take the suggestion, be very careful.

To the post above, I would not QD the car if there is a lot of dust.

If you can, please consider black sapphire if not too late. Swirls and scratches are next to impossible to see, sometimes even with a halogen.

I also will NEVER again purchase jet black .......... though it's BEAUTIFUL when clean.

[AJerman]

Originally Posted by mnkybiznes

I also will NEVER again purchase jet black .......... though it's BEAUTIFUL when clean.

Haha, black is an always will be my favorite color. Even if it takes a ton of work to keep looking good, it's entirely worth it to me. I love my JB 335i. I'm sure I'd do it again, though a Montego/Saddle combo is ridiculously beautiful.

[LOLrance]

Originally Posted by taestee

lol, after reading a lot of posts here and the discussion above, i called up the dealership and had them switch my car to a space gray. as you can tell, i am not too picky

Very nice and great choice. This color hides swirls quite well and sometimes they are hard to spot even under halogens.