Lets talk a little about Detailing

[Alexlind123]

What does your full detailing routine involve, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it? Give specifics on interior, exterior, and the products that you use.

I will post my "routine" in a bit.

[ThoreauHD]

I wish I had a routine. I can't find a detailer that covers all the bases. Steam clean carpets, leather conditioning, perhaps engine exterior clean, some of the things I dream about but haven't found yet.

[CharlesAFerg]

Given the topic, what is best to get rid of those damn rock chips and wax the paint? Mothers?

[Alexlind123]

Given the topic, what is best to get rid of those damn rock chips and wax the paint? Mothers?

You can get rid of the rock chips very well with the BMW touchup paint. It comes with a clearcoat so you can get it nearly perfect. I use Meguiars wax.

[GoldenOne]

What does your full detailing routine involve, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it? Give specifics on interior, exterior, and the products that you use.

I will post my "routine" in a bit.

My "routine" for a full luxurious cleaning is happens about every 3-5 months. In between, I just do the basic handwash and squeege dry, vacuum interior.
Exterior:
1) Do the basic handwash (with a little extra love ;))
2) If needed, claybar
3a) Pre-wax cleaner
3b) Sealer and Glaze
3c) Wax

Interior:
1) Vacuum pretty much everything
2) Steam clean floor mats and carpet, including trunk.
3) Wipe down plastic interior pieces
4) Leather cleaner on respective pieces
5) Armor-all on plastic pieces

I just switched over to Mothers products from Meguiars and not a bad transition so far, impressive results. I do all the work myself because I like to save money :)

[ThoreauHD]

Bavarian Autosport has the exact matching touchup paint for 20 bucks. The color is listed on top of your strut mount under the hood. It's right up top on a sticky. Can't miss it.

[Jay 535i]

Bavarian Autosport has the exact matching touchup paint for 20 bucks. The color is listed on top of your strut mount under the hood. It's right up top on a sticky. Can't miss it.

It's in German. If you didn't know that, you might not find it :)

[angrypancake]

what do you use to steam clean? (duh, a steam cleaner, but still)

for detailing the exterior, i use the following, as found HERE in this thread (http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=158378)


Car Wash- Mothers California Gold wash
Viking wash mitts.
Good microfiber towels, and some regular 100% cotton towels
Clay - Mothers or Clay Magic.
polishing compound- turtle wax
wax- turtle wax hard shell.
Quick Detailer- Z6 for for Zaino details, i used meguiars


for my interior... i just yanked out my seats and center console today to give everything a hell of a cleaning (read: project coming up, heh heh heh)
products.... uhhhh vacuum, a lot of time?

[Alexlind123]

I took out my front passenger seat in order to diagnose (and hopefully fix, i havent plugged it in to try it yet) a problem with one of the movement functions. To say the least, it was NASTY under where the passenger seat was. It looked like someone had spilled a drink over the edge of the console and let it pour down and soak into the carpet, and that wasnt all. My dad was at home depot today, and i called him to ask him to pick up one of those Bisell carpet cleaning machines since i had my seat out. Lemme tell you, it works GREAT. I managed to get the horizontal surfaces and the side of the console before i noticed raindrops hitting my head through the open sunroof :( I cant wait to do the other side, if its raining tomorrow i will just do it in the garage although sunny weather is best for this sort of thing.


My normal routine consists of:

INTERIOR
1) removing all items that arent held down (cell phone/charger, old homework assignments, books, coat, etc.)
2) wiping down the seats and other hard surfaces with a damp cloth (i need to find an interior cleaning product for this now that i have been warned away from armorall
3) (only did this once so far) Use meguiars leather cleaner/ conditioner on the seats to bring out their youthful suppleness and luster.
4) remove floormats and clean thoroughly (i only have one floormat as it is now :'( )
5) vacuum all carpeted surfaces
6) Use Bissell cleaner on carpet if needed (in progress of the first time)
7) use a little brush to clean the dust from all the vents

EXTERIOR

1) hand wash and dry
2) Use meguiars quick detailer spray to freshen the wax between re-waxes
3) Wax as needed with meguiars liguid gold wax

Future exterior plans:

1) Use black-again or similar product on black trim as needed
2) Buy a clay bar and do that whole thing

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

on the dash a call out my three sons.

wash rims with simple green and tooth brush

hand wash/shampoo car with mitts

hand dry

compound any spots

hand wax with carnuba

armour all all plastic and rubber in, out and under the hood.

wipe down leather and condition

clean windows

vacuum "inside the trunk too you little buggars"

spray tires with stuff

Whew...I am tired...good job kids.

[joshua43214]

I give my kid 20 bucks and come back later and rub out the wax.

[Blitzkrieg Bob]

have more kids

[angrypancake]

I give my kid 20 bucks and come back later and rub out the wax.


if i had kids i would give them the money to do the wax then and go rub one out...

[Alan_525i]

I just did my interior last friday. Here's how it goes:

(1) Empty out all loose objects to the trunk.
(2) Dust dash (California Car Duster, use a small brush to clean vents/around buttons)
(3) Brush all upholstery (I have cloth seats) with stiff bristle brush. This raises the knap and pulls out dust and causes lint from your clothes to ball up and sit on the surface.
(4) Compressed air to blow dust and dirt out of little crevices (such as the seat heater switches).
(5) High power vacuum (like they have at the car wash or a utility vac)
(6) Re-dust dash
(7) Griots Interior Cleaner - All vinyl and plastic surfaces
(8) Vinylex - All vinyl and plastic surfaces other than the steeringwheel.
(9) Lexol - Steering wheel
(10) 50-50 mix Simple Green and Water sprayed on to Grey carpets, cleaned with full size bath towel. You'll be surprised how dirty the towel gets even though the carpet looks clean.
(11) Spot clean headliner with Griots Interior Cleaner or diluted Woolite.
(12) Clean interior windows, first with windex then Invisible Glass
(13) Buff vinylex'd surfaces with non-linting cotton or flannel cloth

Thats pretty much it. Takes about 2 hours.

[Chowchilla Skunkwerks]

Best product I have found for the rubber seals is gummipledge. Comes in a liquid like applicator like shoe polish. This stuff saved me a lot of money on doorseals on my CS. Non-greasy and lasts a long time. P21s for a good wax job.
Rob

[Alan_525i]

Best product I have found for the rubber seals is gummipledge. Comes in a liquid like applicator like shoe polish. This stuff saved me a lot of money on doorseals on my CS. Non-greasy and lasts a long time. P21s for a good wax job.
Rob

Unfortunately, Gummiphledge is no longer available from BMW in the US. If you have a source for it I'd buy a lot of it to keep for later. There are some suitable replacements, but none as good as the original.

[Russell]

I also will buy some of the original if anyone can find it. Believe me I have tried. I still have 1/2 a tube and use it sparingly.



Unfortunately, Gummiphledge is no longer available from BMW in the US. If you have a source for it I'd buy a lot of it to keep for later. There are some suitable replacements, but none as good as the original.

[Russell]

nice process!

[liquidtiger720]

Detailing procedure:
Wash with mothers gold class shampoo
Clay bar with pinnicle poly-clay, meguiars aggressive, or poorboys claybar.
Polish with 3m Finesse it 2 Machine polish, 3m finesse it swirl mark remover for dark cars, or Poorboys ssr3, 2.5, or 1 at my discretion.
Polish with Klasse All-in-one or poorboys ssr1 or poorboys professional polish.
Apply Klasse sealant (synthetic wax) or Mothers Pure carnauba wax or Pinnicle Paste Glaz (light cars only) or Poorboys Natty’s
- Wax, sealant, and others applied by hand.
- Polishes with porter cable.
- Window cleaned using Stoners Invisible Glass, followed by Rain-x.
- If car has black trim- I use Poorboys trim restorer
- Tires shined using Meguiars High Endurance Gloss or Wolfgang Diamond Gel or Poorboys bold n birght
Vaccum carpets and small crevices/vents/etc.
Dust interior with mini California car duster
Clean/Protect interior vinyl with Poorboys Natural shine.
Clean wheel wells with dilute Bold N Brite 50:50 for wheel wells
Clean wheels with soap and water.

All products are applied or taken off with pakshak microfiber towels.

[angrypancake]

under the hood detailing with Meguiars (http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=5410)

[Gayle]

I also will buy some of the original if anyone can find it. Believe me I have tried. I still have 1/2 a tube and use it sparingly.


Do I get a finder's fee?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/PEL_search.cgi?command=show_part_page&please_wait=N&make=POR&model=BE46&section=BDYsel&page=5&bookmark=38&part_number=BM-82-14-9-407-015

[Gayle]

Yada Yada Yada

Am I the only obssessive compulsive here who details the engine bay?

After saying this, I have to do a disclaimer that it will probably be dirty at bimmerfest because of all the rain this week. Like a fool, I cleaned the wheels with P21s wheel cleaner and it brought on the heaviest rain of the season.

[liquidtiger720]

Yada Yada Yada

Am I the only obssessive compulsive here who details the engine bay?

After saying this, I have to do a disclaimer that it will probably be dirty at bimmerfest because of all the rain this week. Like a fool, I cleaned the wheels with P21s wheel cleaner and it brought on the heaviest rain of the season.





I'm to scared to detail my engine bay, so I leave it alone.

[Boom n Zoom]

one of my (and probably your) great pastimes. When (like myself) you have recently bought a ‘New’ second-hand car, part of the process of becoming acquainted with said car is to (naturally) spend lots of time behind the wheel going everywhere and doing everything to understand the car you have bought but more importantly to enjoy it.

For me a great part of that enjoyment is in the cleaning, for when you are cleaning you are looking in detail at every part of the car, this allows you to find and see things that you more than likely didn’t notice when you bought it. One other thing is that you can tell from the paint a lot about the overall condition of a car, yes there are some instances where it may well be immaculate inside and out but has never been serviced, but I think you would agree that this is rare as anyone who loves the outside of their car that much is certainly going to be the ‘fastidious’ type of owner.

And this brings me to the ‘Procedure” of detailing my vehicle. In my case the car lives outside in the weather as I don’t (yet) have a shed/garage/carport in which to park it so with the Queensland weather being what it is, mostly hot and humid during the Summer (we certainly don’t get any snow but hey there is always a first time ) and funnily enough we can and sometimes do get down to 0 degrees Celsius during Winter, Spring and Autumn sometimes don’t even bother stopping by (It seems that Autumn is somewhat confused at the moment)

So to the Procedure:

I have been a big Maguire’s fan for a long time I use it still on the Ford EB II S XR8 Falcon and now the Mitsubishi Verada Ei, but with the Panzer I wanted to try something else. I have seen the Zymol products around the place and when after seeing the results on an acquaintance 944 Turbo Porsche I was willing to give it a try. I hunted around and found a detailer from the Zymol website that not only used the product but sold it as well. After a lengthy conversation whilst looking over the car we decided that it would need a cut and polish first to remove the blemishes in the clear coat
Then clay-bar it with
Lhem-Klay with Lehm-Lube
And wash
Clear Auto Bathe using a soft sponge.
Followed by a good rinse down and chamois dry.
Then HD-Cleanse paintwork cleaner and micro fibre cloth and the Brite Wheel cleaner
Another light rinse and chamois down.
Hit the inside with the Leather Conditioner whist waiting for the outside to dry.
Then clean the glass with Glas
Once dry and having applied the Leather conditioner, head back outside and apply this a panel at a time.
Carbon Wax, taken off with the Micro fibre coth. It’s meant for dark coloured finishes.
If the paint is even half good this is where you really see the results.
Then just cause I could :)
I used the Aerodynamic Wax for the front and rear bumpers, brake ducts and the rubber bump strips along the side of the car.
I then went over it with another polishing cloth and applied the Seal preservative and Tyre preservative followed by Wheel Coat.
Once complete I applied the Treat Leather Conditioner and the Vinyl conditioner.

It was then time to step back and take a look at 4 hours of work. I have to say I was really surprised at the finish it was very deep looking and had that incredible shine.
Since then it has become really grubby, but even with three weeks of accumulated road grime on it the water is just beginning to bead, this is apparently the time when it needs another clean and reapplication of Carbon Wax as when it is fresh the water doesn’t bead it just sheets off, it’s kind of freaky at first because even when it is raining it doesn’t look wet ‘cause the water has nothing to hold it’s surface tension, therefore, it can’t stay on the car.

Boom n Zoom

P.S.
After having read all of this it is reads somewhat like a hard sell on the product I don’t mean it to sound this way :). I just wanted to pass on the results that I have had with the product. I would like to add that the biggest problem with the Zymol is the price, it’s right up there at the top of the market, although it is all a very easy product to use the price is inhibiting.

I think I will continue to use it but with just a basic wash, clay-bar, wheel cleaner, wax, leather treatment and conditioner. I did use all the ‘hand crafted’ washes and polishes, lotions and potions when I did it and the finished result is pretty amazing. All I can say is go try it on something and see what you think.

P.P.S.

Gayle, I too detail the Engine bay of my cars, but I have to get the Magnesium rocker covers recoated before I do that as it looks tired and ratty at the moment, but once done I will get in there and have it sparkling. :)

Boom n Zoom

[Russell]

THe original BMW Gummi pflege (no longer available) is gel-like in a tube. This stuff and all the others I have seen including 1Z etc are water like. I have several BMW does make a Gummi pflege in a spray can. It foams up a bit when applied. Again not the same/good.

I even tried importing it from Germany with Maximian imports. No luck. We had a big discussion on Roadflys detailing forum on a new source. no luck.

Thanks for trying



Do I get a finder's fee?

http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/ksearch/PEL_search.cgi?command=show_part_page&please_wait=N&make=POR&model=BE46&section=BDYsel&page=5&bookmark=38&part_number=BM-82-14-9-407-015

[Paul in NZ]

wash
mother pre polish cleaner
mothers polish
bmw wax
brushes cloths vacumn interior
clean leather with damp cloth
bmw leather conditioner
clean engine bay,not really detail it
make sure everything is in its place(does anyone else plug the centre belt into the parcel shelf retainer or do you hide it behind the armrest?)

[1995 525i]

What does your full detailing routine involve, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it? Give specifics on interior, exterior, and the products that you use.

I will post my "routine" in a bit.

I hand wash my car with Meguires car wash. Then I vaccum the interior, clean the interior so it is free of dust. Armoral comes next. I power wash my rims (my pressure washer is electric so it isn't too powerful). Every couple of months I Wax the car. Every 6 months I do the three step Meguire process which has a paint cleaner, polish and carnuba wax. My car looks amazing after I do that. Last week I added back to black to my cleaning supplies and now the exterior looks really good. The tires gets Meguires tire spray (stuff stays on really good).

All in all my car looks good as you are walking around it but the closer you get the more flaws you can see. I really need an orbital buffer and some high end wax. I guess I'll just add that to my wish list.

Michael

[Russell]

Weekly/near weekly

hand wash car- quality car wash seems about same 4 ALL cotton mitts-2 for wheels/tires and low areas 2- for upper body.
Pull car in garage Dry/blot with microfiber drying towels
clean windows with invisible gasss if needed
wheel dressing- low shine- many brands all seem to last a week or so. I curently use original water based Armorall. spray on, wait 10 minutres and wipe/dry/buff off
Aerospace 303 on hard plastics as needed to keep shine Orginal water based Armorall is also used some. sray on, set a few minutes and buff
Other

Use sealant/ topper wax every 6 to 8 weeks- currently like Mother's Reflection sealant and Mother's Topper wax or top sealant with s-100 carnuaba or Poorboys' Nattys blue. I use microfiber to wipe off.
Clean/vacumn interior as needed- Aerospace 303 on dash and plastics. Treat leather with leatherique once a year in summer. Gummi Pflege on seals. BTW, I have rubber winter mats.
Clean engine with STP "steam" cleaner about twice a year. I bought a case cheap. Seem just like the Gunk brand to me. Cover electrical components with foil
Clay with Blue Magic and hand polish body about once/twice a year. Remove light scratches with as "minimal" polish that works. I currently have Iz red (weak) and green (stronger). Take car to Dent Wizard when needed to removes dings. I get very few.



What does your full detailing routine involve, whether you do it yourself or have someone else do it? Give specifics on interior, exterior, and the products that you use.

I will post my "routine" in a bit.

[califblue]

Gayle, trust me you are not the only one...just wait and see

[tdgard]

Ahh. Where is Gordon when we need him?

[Russell]

Meaning? :)

[wingman]

What's this gummi douche stuff? As soon as you guys find a suitable replacement please let the rest of us know.

I use Autoglym. It's V. expensive but my father gives it to me at cost.
Exterior: Autoglym car shampoo, BMW wachs, Autoglym glass polish (THE glass cleaner).
Interior: BMW interior cleaner + BMW plastic care emulsion (doesn't leave that amourall 'gloss' over everything, BMW leathercare with UV protection (AU$55 per bottle with sponges but it is the goods. Those who have seen my 17 year old leather will attest to its condition).

[Gayle]

Gayle, trust me you are not the only one...just wait and see

So you and SC David are going to put me to shame tomorrow. I am already calculating how much detailing I can get in tonight between 5:30 and dark. And you were right, that was one heavy rain that came my way from your area. :(

[Booster]

I owned/operated my city's premier Auto Salon for over 23 years. We only did retail customers. The dealers could only get one their cars scheduled if it was SOLD to an individual.
Even after I sold the business ( still having my very first customer on schedule,Jaguar XJ12).....the tools that I missed having on hand imediatly were the Scissor platform lift, Natural gas burning Hot pressure washer ...2 of them,assorted rolling and stocked wetbay buckets and tools,floor mat clamped wall with air hose for agitation before and after steam cleaning, commecial German oversize dryer to tumble them to perfection.
The engine bays and fender wells,exhaust,trunk jamb,door jambs and gas door etc. were all handled in the "wet-bay" along with the afore mentioned.Engine bays were hand cleaned with a variety of chemicals and tools followed by a very strict number of steps.
Interiors were cleaned with compressed air and special designed tips prior to vacuming up the bulk, then presoaked areas were addressed and shampooing comensed.Followed with more air hosing and high suction.
We always started in the highest point of the car ( headliner) and worked down.
The exterior concerns were then addressed. Car chamois'd again to inspect closely in a bay with amazing light .Chips were handled then along with wetsanding of heavy marks. Paint was then compounded properly then polished with wet wipe downs between steps.Hand rubbed areas were then finished and the car was once again sent to the wet bay for cold rinse and then the water was compressed air chased and chamois'd right before we did the required wax steps.
Windows, tire sealants,brite metal inspections and a VERY detailed "trim-out" inspection was carried out and any "catch" items were addresed and personal items that were previously collected and put into nice logo'd poly bags ,were then put back in their respective positions.
Our cars were always noted having a pleasant slight Orange scent which was caused from the natural solvents and Ozone machine which was ran for about 15 minutes when all service was completed.
Our total man hours applied professionally averaged 8-12 Mhrs and priced from 185-450.00$ for a "full detail" and our bi-weekly Salon service( 2-4 mhrs) was 130.00$ monthly.
Very efficient steps in this order.I'm almost done building my ultimate rollingstainless steel detail pressure washer cart that facsillitates a work station and tools, buffer,cords,ground fault recepticles,stereo,water faucet and tiny sink...etc.
The floor lift is next along with a great lighting room all at my home garage !:D
Otherwise......I'm too spoiled to even touch my car without the right tools.
Vincent

[Jon K]

I owned/operated my city's premier Auto Salon for over 23 years. We only did retail customers. The dealers could only get one their cars scheduled if it was SOLD to an individual.
Even after I sold the business ( still having my very first customer on schedule,Jaguar XJ12).....the tools that I missed having on hand imediatly were the Scissor platform lift, Natural gas burning Hot pressure washer ...2 of them,assorted rolling and stocked wetbay buckets and tools,floor mat clamped wall with air hose for agitation before and after steam cleaning, commecial German oversize dryer to tumble them to perfection.
The engine bays and fender wells,exhaust,trunk jamb,door jambs and gas door etc. were all handled in the "wet-bay" along with the afore mentioned.Engine bays were hand cleaned with a variety of chemicals and tools followed by a very strict number of steps.
Interiors were cleaned with compressed air and special designed tips prior to vacuming up the bulk, then presoaked areas were addressed and shampooing comensed.Followed with more air hosing and high suction.
We always started in the highest point of the car ( headliner) and worked down.
The exterior concerns were then addressed. Car chamois'd again to inspect closely in a bay with amazing light .Chips were handled then along with wetsanding of heavy marks. Paint was then compounded properly then polished with wet wipe downs between steps.Hand rubbed areas were then finished and the car was once again sent to the wet bay for cold rinse and then the water was compressed air chased and chamois'd right before we did the required wax steps.
Windows, tire sealants,brite metal inspections and a VERY detailed "trim-out" inspection was carried out and any "catch" items were addresed and personal items that were previously collected and put into nice logo'd poly bags ,were then put back in their respective positions.
Our cars were always noted having a pleasant slight Orange scent which was caused from the natural solvents and Ozone machine which was ran for about 15 minutes when all service was completed.
Our total man hours applied professionally averaged 8-12 Mhrs and priced from 185-450.00$ for a "full detail" and our bi-weekly Salon service( 2-4 mhrs) was 130.00$ monthly.
Very efficient steps in this order.I'm almost done building my ultimate rollingstainless steel detail pressure washer cart that facsillitates a work station and tools, buffer,cords,ground fault recepticles,stereo,water faucet and tiny sink...etc.
The floor lift is next along with a great lighting room all at my home garage !:D
Otherwise......I'm too spoiled to even touch my car without the right tools.
Vincent



Booster - can you wash floor mats in a washing machine? Mine are gross an dI am thinking about just trying to wash them in a machine but im not sure what will happen. My interior needs TLC. Can you steam clean interior carpet?

[Booster]

Booster - can you wash floor mats in a washing machine? Mine are gross an dI am thinking about just trying to wash them in a machine but im not sure what will happen. My interior needs TLC. Can you steam clean interior carpet?

Jon, DON"T wash your nice factory mats in a machine ! It will destroy the serging edges and delaminate the layers badly.You really need to agitate them with compressed air,then power wash them with hot water,then scrubbrush them till the dirty foam subsides,then power wash rinse them with COLD water. Let thyem drain for awhile and then use the compressed air in lines of about 1/2" back and forth to force any remaining sand etc. out.Tossing them into a comercial oversize dryer will fluff them out nicely like new.They'll have a great fresh smell as well......if you did a good job.
Yes....you can effectively steam clean the carpets and cloth seats.Presoak any and all stains or old spills prior.
Vincent:D

[Jon K]

Ok - do I have to worry about mildew in the carpets in the car?