[manofb]

Ok, so I have been reading thru this section and I have come to realize I am nowhere near as anal as most of you are with your paint jobs and I do not have the time or patience to really learn how to clean/detail my car myself. Sooooo, what do I need to know or do to at least do a decent job of caring for my new jet black BMW? Obviously I am not looking for perfection, but would like to know some basics on proper exterior care.

I have only had my jet black 335i e90 for 5 days and it is already showing a lot of dirt. I'm scared to take it to any old car wash, but I do need to clean it.

There's a "detailer" that cleans cars at my office, do on site detailers have a decent reputation? Is there anything I can ask in regards to his products to determine if he is competent??

[tcarlson]

Originally Posted by manofb

Ok, so I have been reading thru this section and I have come to realize I am nowhere near as anal as most of you are with your paint jobs and I do not have the time or patience to really learn how to clean/detail my car myself. Sooooo, what do I need to know or do to at least do a decent job of caring for my new jet black BMW? Obviously I am not looking for perfection, but would like to know some basics on proper exterior care.

I have only had my jet black 335i e90 for 5 days and it is already showing a lot of dirt. I'm scared to take it to any old car wash, but I do need to clean it.

There's a "detailer" that cleans cars at my office, do on site detailers have a decent reputation? Is there anything I can ask in regards to his products to determine if he is competent??

Use quality soap.
Chamois off surface water (only)
Towel / micro-fibre towel dry

Cleanse paint and put a quality wax on NOW (Don't wait until washing and <gasp> car wash machines swirl the paint. - Black shows more than any other!)

Wax monthly and you needn't worry.

I have an '08 E93 Jet Black/Saddle Brown and '04 Acura NSX Black. Both cars look fantastic.

Tony

[tcarlson]

Originally Posted by tcarlson

Use quality soap.
Chamois off surface water (only)
Towel / micro-fibre towel dry

Cleanse paint and put a quality wax on NOW (Don't wait until washing and <gasp> car wash machines swirl the paint. - Black shows more than any other!)

Wax monthly and you needn't worry.

I have an '08 E93 Jet Black/Saddle Brown and '04 Acura NSX Black. Both cars look fantastic.

Tony

Ahem. Meant to write "DIY"

[pander5]

I would also suggest DIY but DON'T use a lot of pressure when both washing and drying.

You can't really generalize and say mobile detailers are good or bad - it's the person/operation and not the category that determines quality - some are superb and some are crap.

The basics are:

Get a decent, quality soap at your local auto parts store. I have personally used Meguiar's Gold Class before and it works fairly well.

Find a shady or covered area if you can, especially for black!

IF AT ALL POSSIBLE get a seperate wash mitt for your wheels, tires and wheel wells and don't use that mitt on your paint!

Use 2 buckets - one for rinsing your wash mitt and the other filled with soapy water.

I use half the bottle recommended mix of soap to water i.e. if the directions say 2 capfuls per gallon use 1 capful.

Mix up your soap bucket and fill your rinse bucket.

Hose down the car real good to remove what may come off the surfaces with just the water.

Soap up a section at a time USING EXTREMELY LIGHT PRESSURE ON THE MITT! Soap lifts the dirt from the paint so you don't need to scrub with pressure like you have an SOS pad and a dirty baking pan! Rinse your wash mitt in the rinse bucket to remove the dirt before you soap it up again for the next section. Rinse that section thoroughly .

Wash strokes should be in the direction of the air over the moving car for all flat top surfaces - hood, roof, rear decklid. Go up and down on side surfaces - doors, quarter panels, tail. Straight line motions help to keep any scratches hidden a bit if they are inflicted. Light has limited angles of reflection with straight lines vs. circular motions. Did I mention NO SCRUBBING WITH PRESSURE!

Rinse down the entire car when you're done to make sure you haven't left any soap anywhere.

Some like to use a leaf blower to then remove the larger quantities of water on the car before they towel dry. A word to the wise if you use this method - make sure the leaf blower is blowing CLEAN air!

Towel dry using the "blotting" method i.e. lay the clean towel on a section and maybe pat lightly to absorb any water. Then lift the towel and move on to the next section. Don't drag it across the paint surface as this may cause marring if anything is trapped in the towel. Remember to remove any "friction" strokes from your routine on your paint especially JB (except when using your wash mitt but those should be very light pressure strokes).

This is certainly something you can do yourself instead of paying someone else to. If you are still reluctant to DIY you may want to recruit the assistance of a pro detailer to simply instruct you on how to do it properly.

Good luck and enjoy that beautiful color manofb!

[tcarlson]

Originally Posted by pander5

I would also suggest DIY but DON'T use a lot of pressure when both washing and drying.

You can't really generalize and say mobile detailers are good or bad - it's the person/operation and not the category that determines quality - some are superb and some are crap.

The basics are:

Get a decent, quality soap at your local auto parts store. I have personally used Meguiar's Gold Class before and it works fairly well.

Find a shady or covered area if you can, especially for black!

IF AT ALL POSSIBLE get a seperate wash mitt for your wheels, tires and wheel wells and don't use that mitt on your paint!

Use 2 buckets - one for rinsing your wash mitt and the other filled with soapy water.

I use half the bottle recommended mix of soap to water i.e. if the directions say 2 capfuls per gallon use 1 capful.

Mix up your soap bucket and fill your rinse bucket.

Hose down the car real good to remove what may come off the surfaces with just the water.

Soap up a section at a time USING EXTREMELY LIGHT PRESSURE ON THE MITT! Soap lifts the dirt from the paint so you don't need to scrub with pressure like you have an SOS pad and a dirty baking pan! Rinse your wash mitt in the rinse bucket to remove the dirt before you soap it up again for the next section. Rinse that section thoroughly .

Wash strokes should be in the direction of the air over the moving car for all flat top surfaces - hood, roof, rear decklid. Go up and down on side surfaces - doors, quarter panels, tail. Straight line motions help to keep any scratches hidden a bit if they are inflicted. Light has limited angles of reflection with straight lines vs. circular motions. Did I mention NO SCRUBBING WITH PRESSURE!

Rinse down the entire car when you're done to make sure you haven't left any soap anywhere.

Some like to use a leaf blower to then remove the larger quantities of water on the car before they towel dry. A word to the wise if you use this method - make sure the leaf blower is blowing CLEAN air!

Towel dry using the "blotting" method i.e. lay the clean towel on a section and maybe pat lightly to absorb any water. Then lift the towel and move on to the next section. Don't drag it across the paint surface as this may cause marring if anything is trapped in the towel. Remember to remove any "friction" strokes from your routine on your paint especially JB (except when using your wash mitt but those should be very light pressure strokes).

This is certainly something you can do yourself instead of paying someone else to. If you are still reluctant to DIY you may want to recruit the assistance of a pro detailer to simply instruct you on how to do it properly.

Good luck and enjoy that beautiful color manofb!

Great job on the response. (I know that mine was much simpler but all of these steps/instructions are necessary.) If you log onto any detailing website, you probably wouldn't be able to get much better step-by-step.

I would also like to restate the number one thing: cleanse the car so you are down to just the paint and get a quality wax on there! Add extra wax coats throughout the year and re-cleanse the car a second time per year.

If you do this and wash your car as instructed above, you are only washing the wax, not the paint. It is well worth the effort and trouble.

There are rules for car care and then there are rules for those of us that own black cars. Tony

[Houman21]

You just bought a bimmer so money isn't tight. Do yourself a favor and spend a couple hundred dollars at detailedimage.com and get the right stuff. You can contact George and he'll lead you in the right direction and you'll get a discount for being a member here.

You can start forming good habits from the start by washing your own car.

[dwykstra]

check out the sticky at the top of this section. It has great tips on how to take care of your car from start to finish. as already stated above, you should go ahead and apply some protection to your car...

wash/dry
clay bar, even though your car is new there is still a good chance that your paint has some impurities in it that can be removed
sealent +/- wax

you can find instructions on how to do all of the above in the sticky or go to detailedimage.com and they have good instructions as well

a little upfront work and careful maintenance will help a lot in the long run
i don't have a jet black, but my sapphire black is a pain to keep clean, i hear jet is even worse

[Houman21]

Originally Posted by dwykstra

check out the sticky at the top of this section. It has great tips on how to take care of your car from start to finish. as already stated above, you should go ahead and apply some protection to your car...

wash/dry
clay bar, even though your car is new there is still a good chance that your paint has some impurities in it that can be removed
sealent +/- wax

you can find instructions on how to do all of the above in the sticky or go to detailedimage.com and they have good instructions as well

a little upfront work and careful maintenance will help a lot in the long run
i don't have a jet black, but my sapphire black is a pain to keep clean, i hear jet is even worse

+1 and if you really get into it you'll quickly realize that washing your own car is extremely relaxing and it helps me get my mind off of the previous work week, while at the same time enjoying the amount of work and design that goes into these cars before the first one rolls off the assembly line...sorry for the run on -

[SpecC]

get good soap - CG maxi suds, poorboy's super slick suds, swissvax something, zymol something. that kind of good stuff

get quality materials - Detailed image has a good selection of washing gear. i suggest getting a sheepskin mitt for the paint and another type of mitt that the offer (i forget the name) for the wheels and tires.

two bucket method with grit guards - google two bucket method and you should get loads of guides

dry with waffle weave MF towel

if you just keep everything soaped up, you shouldn't be making swirls

[normtrum]

Biggest tip I can give someone......ALWAYS listen to the pros....like spec ^. I used to be a detailer at a ford dealership during summer vacations in college (many years ago), and I always thought I knew what I was doing. Wrong! I basically had to re-learn everything, and the pros really have helped me out.

2nd best tip....the vast majority of any cars imperfections come from washing and drying, so you're starting out with the right attitude. Get those 2 things down and you're way ahead of the game.

[NoKids]

-rinse with high pressure water
-wash with soap, and microfibre spongie
-rinse with water again
-clay bar the car while applying water on it
-dry it with microfibre towels
-put your wax or sealant
-buff
-take pictures and post them.

[oldaccount]

Originally Posted by pander5

You can't really generalize and say mobile detailers are good or bad

yes you can. generally, "detailers", especially mobile ones, are horrible at what they do.

[SpecC]

Originally Posted by NoKids

-rinse with high pressure water
-wash with soap, and microfibre spongie
-rinse with water again
-clay bar the car while applying water on it
-dry it with microfibre towels
-put your wax or sealant
-buff
-take pictures and post them.

water is not slick enough to be a clay lubricant. if you do this, you'll have scratches all over

Originally Posted by Suareezay

yes you can. generally, "detailers", especially mobile ones, are horrible at what they do.

okay.... scheerspeed and i both do mobile and not mobile. check our threads for the jobs we do. also, look at how he rolls

[Hedges]

Wow very helpful! definitely subbing!

[NoKids]

Originally Posted by SpecC

water is not slick enough to be a clay lubricant. if you do this, you'll have scratches all over

i was wondering why i had swirl marks on my car.

[oldaccount]

Originally Posted by SpecC

okay.... scheerspeed and i both do mobile and not mobile. check our threads for the jobs we do. also, look at how he rolls

but people like you are exceptions. you are detailing enthusiasts; you post on message boards, getting new ideas and feedback on different products, methods, etc. in an effort to become the best you possibly can at what youre doing. The overwhelming majority of detailers dont do this - the goal for them is to bang out wash and wax jobs as quickly and as cheaply as possible.

[manofb]

Wow, thanks guys. I wasn't expecting such a response! I love how dedicated you guys are!


Looks like I have a lot of homework.

Oh, and are any of you professional detailers in Orange County?

[lowcash_dreamcar]

Guys,

I took delivery of my 08' e92 (Color - SG) last saturday and I have started noticing that it is already getting dirty (I just couldn't resist driving it over the weekend) with marks on windows/windshield and some water spots on the hood. I read your DIY procedures above, but, since I live in an apartment complex, I do not have access to a hose or a whole lot of space/water supply for cleaning my car. And I am not sure if it is a good idea to take it to a car wash shop.

I want to ensure that I do the right thing now and make my car look beautifulas long as I own it! Any suggestions please?

[BK]

Goodness, all these responses and not one link to our e90post sticky:
Detailing 101: Common Question and Answers, What and Where to buy stuff + Technique

That thread has the best "here's how you wash a car" description I've ever read.

[oldaccount]

Originally Posted by lowcash_dreamcar

Guys,

I took delivery of my 08' e92 (Color - SG) last saturday and I have started noticing that it is already getting dirty (I just couldn't resist driving it over the weekend) with marks on windows/windshield and some water spots on the hood. I read your DIY procedures above, but, since I live in an apartment complex, I do not have access to a hose or a whole lot of space/water supply for cleaning my car. And I am not sure if it is a good idea to take it to a car wash shop.

I want to ensure that I do the right thing now and make my car look beautifulas long as I own it! Any suggestions please?

your best bet would be Optimum No Rinse. http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-no-rinse.html

[picus]

Originally Posted by SpecC

okay.... scheerspeed and i both do mobile and not mobile. check our threads for the jobs we do. also, look at how he rolls

I believe he's referring to the kind of on site guys who come to offices and knock out 15 cars a day, just wash & vac as quick as possible. Generally these guys suck. Some of them don't suck. But they aren't mobile detailers like you or I are mobile detailers. Ask them what clay is and they say the crap people make pots from.

To the OP, read: http://www.detailedimage.com/auto-de...and-drying.php

[Vudoo4u2]

This past weekend I did the following with items you can pick up at most local autoparts/shops

1) Washed car using meguiars deep crystal wash and microfiber sponge
2) bought meguiars clay bar kit with quick detailer, spray a section down with qd, then glide the clay over the section making sure you get it all, wipe, and continue
3) wash car again
4) take 25 dollar "motor trend" rotary random polisher/buffer, apply meguiars surface polish over the vehicle
5) take same rotary buffer, switch the pad for the polisher, buff polish
6) take rotary buffer, apply wax
7) buff
8) enjoy
9) take a shower