In preparation for winter..

[Taymaishu]

In preparation for the Aussie winter, BMWNewby3 (Eddie) and I are tomorrow doing the full detailing. I need to clay up the car and protect the replacement panels from the repair job, and Eddie needs to clay and protect the whole thing. So we're going the whole stonk.

So, tomorrow we are spending literally the whole afternoon at Eddie's washing, claying, 3-stage waxing, interior clean & protecting. If i have time, i will be cleaning my engine bay too.

We'll post pics about the whole process, and we are semi-stocked on gear as of tonight. It's also a bit of a welcome for Eddie to the whole process of wash, clay, prep and wax and the whole ordeal. He's pretty keen to have her well protected for winter, much as I am!

So far our stockpile will be(each):

100000 x Microfibre towels
1 x ArmorAll Microfibre washing mitt
1 x Polishing applicator cloth
1 x Full Mother's California Gold Wax System (3 stage prep, glaze, wax).
1 x Meguiar's Leather cleaner & conditioner
1 x Mother's Clay Bar and Lube
1 x ArmorAll can of wheel protectant
1 x Massive, fuck-off size vacuum
1 x ArmorAll All Purpose Cleaner
1 x ArmorAll Glass Cleaner
1 x AutoGlym Glass Polish
1 x ArmorAll Leather Cleaner (clean prior to Meguiar's Conditioner)

Shared:
1 x Pool Brush to assist on wheels and inside the wheel wells.
1 x fuckload of determination
1 x 6 pack of Corona
1 x Bosch High Pressure cleaner with Foam Nozzle (if i can find it!)
1 x roll of masking tape
1 x empty dry bucket for towels
1 x Big ass bucket

Alex:
1 x brand new pack of smokes

[Taymaishu]

1. Christine (125i) paint prior to all work
2. Eddie's 123d prior to work
3. Eddie's 123d prior to work
4. Eddie's wheels prior to work
5. A collection of our tools
6. Post wash claying. An example of Christine's rear quarter after 4 wipes of the clay bar!

[Taymaishu]

1. Christine post wash, clay, and paint prep
2. Christine's rear dish wash, clay, paint prep
3. Christine's cute butt post wash, clay, paint prep and then Glaze & seal
4. Allowing the Carnauba wax to dry and haze
5. As #4.
6. The rear dish with exterior detail DONE! Wash, clay, paint prep, glaze & seal, carnauba wax finished.

[Taymaishu]

1. The finished product!
2. Example of paint work and a little interior trim detail
3. Christine's bonnet after completion
4. Eddie's wheels - VERY proud of this. The pool brush is certainly the BEST tool for wheel cleaning
5. Eddie's 123d at Manly Dam - beatifully clean and not a swirl mark in sight.
6. Christine's paintwork. A crowning glory. No swirls, absolutely IMMACULATE!
7. Christine's bonnet - check out that GLAZE!!
8. Eddie's exterior - absolutely mirror finish - and fully protected!

[banglemangle]

Reserved (Chiropractors appointment x 2)

[E92325i]

Originally Posted by banglemangle

Reserved (Chiropractors appointment x 2)

Good luck for tomorrow

[oz125]

what about the 3.5 cubic shitloads of elbowgrease needed?

[cozza]

Sounds great. Might drop by for a wash myself. What do you charge?

[Taymaishu]

Hopefully will have photos up today

All i can say is for the 4 hours spent working on the cars, i'm VERY pleased.

The clay barring picked up a LOT of contamination around my rear quarters - it was quite phenomenal. I was very careful and had heaps of lubricant all over the panels, but was still grabbing and could feel the shit being picked up.

The finish was amazing, however. Absolutely glistening!

[Guran]

Good work Alex but bugger that. I'd rather pay my detailer a couple hundred to do it all for me. He does a fantastic job.

[harpoon]

Claying your car is extremely satisfying imo. Always amazes me how much crap there is on the paintwork.

[Alext]

I agree, claying is really satisfying but tedious work. I use ClayMagic Blue from the states. Can highly recommend it.

I will never forget my first claying experience with a Meguiars clay bar years ago...I had some bit of stone caught in the bar and put scratches all over my hood...

[Taymaishu]

Uploading pics now.

[Taymaishu]

Pics uploaded!

Also wanted to say ALL work was done by hand. No power tools used at all, so I am personally very pleased with the outcome!

[wmj73]

Originally Posted by Taymaishu

Pics uploaded!

Also wanted to say ALL work was done by hand. No power tools used at all, so I am personally very pleased with the outcome!

Tay, think you could include your process please ??? GREAT WORK by the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jeef Beef]

Originally Posted by Taymaishu

Pics uploaded!

Also wanted to say ALL work was done by hand. No power tools used at all, so I am personally very pleased with the outcome!

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON'T DRIVE TOMORROW. It's raining.

Looks very amazing.

[AussieRacer]

4 hours - damn. Well done.

I spent 1.5hrs today and that was just a reg exterior wash. And as it was I took 30mins less than usual due to a new beaut pressure washer that saved a chuck of time and water (from tank) compared to my old lower pressure leaky one.

Excluding a pressure washer, power tools really aren't needed in detailing unless you are after paint correction, and that is only because paint correction is so much quicker with tools compared to the very little results you'll get doing it by hand.

White is also a hard colour to spot swirls, so unless you've had machine polishing, there will definitely be swirls lurking around that you just need the right light source and viewing conditions to see. But if you can't spot them now, they aren't worth bothering about....unless you're a perfectionist

[Taymaishu]

Originally Posted by wmj73

Tay, think you could include your process please ??? GREAT WORK by the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sure mate

1. Wash car (microfibre mitt)
2. Dry with microfibre towels all over (usually use 5 small ones to dry)

3. Claybar with a new microfibre: using HEAPS of lubricant. Usually do 20-30cm swipes with the claybar, following the lines of the car. Regular turning and kneading to ensure no dirt scratches the paintwork. Dry lubricant/mist off ASAP with microfibre towel. I work about 2ftx2ft at a time, applying just fingertip pressure to keep the clay on the car. You will ruin the paintwork or scratch it heavily if you push in with any type of force. It should be a 'glide' along the paintwork with plenty of mist/lube.

4. Mother's Pre-Wax Cleaner (Stage 1) - use a new or clean microfibre applicator pad to constantly apply in very small circles, applying a fair amount of pressure. Apply 2-3 panels at a time (taping gaps in the paintwork or extreme care not to get cleaner in gaps).
5. Remove step 4 with ArmorAll polishing cloth (lovely, thick piles)

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the Mother's Glaze & Sealant (Stage 2)
7. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the Mother's Carnauba Wax (Stage 3).

8. Apply CLR or Export Degreaser to rims and let stand 2-3 minutes.
9. Attach Pool cleaner head to hose and scrub vigirously around rims.
10. Rinse off wheels.

11. Tape up shadowline trim and open both doors
12. Apply glass cleaner to all glass surfaces (inside and out)
13. Remove with glass cloth
14. Apply AutoGlym Glass Polish to exterior glass surfaces and let haze (5 minutes)
15. Remove step #13.

16. Let the car dry for about 30 mins
17. Apply ArmorAll Wheel protectant generously over rims
18. Apply ArmorAll Tyre Shine on outer of tyres.

Checks to do:
1. General polish check - place a light with a reflex of around 20 degress to the car and check surfaces for missed removals
2. Check grills and exterior trim for any polish/wax/marks
3. Check gaps in paintwork for polish/wax. Remove with paddle pop stick wrapped in tissue or an ear bud.
4. Ensure car has had PLENTY of time to air and dry before operating windows or driving.

That's for exterior

Key tips:
a) Take your time. You body will appreciate it more and you won't make errors like double-applying Stage 1 (Pre-Wax Cleaner)
b) Ensure your towels are ALWAYS off the ground. I use two buckets - one wet for cleaning/washing, and one completely dry for my used towels to keep them from getting dirty. That way i can just tip it into the machine when i get home.
c) Always use clean towels!
d) Always use a separate applicator pad for each different wax stage.

[Taymaishu]

Originally Posted by AussieRacer

4 hours - damn. Well done.

I spent 1.5hrs today and that was just a reg exterior wash. And as it was I took 30mins less than usual due to a new beaut pressure washer that saved a chuck of time and water (from tank) compared to my old lower pressure leaky one.

Excluding a pressure washer, power tools really aren't needed in detailing unless you are after paint correction, and that is only because paint correction is so much quicker with tools compared to the very little results you'll get doing it by hand.

White is also a hard colour to spot swirls, so unless you've had machine polishing, there will definitely be swirls lurking around that you just need the right light source and viewing conditions to see. But if you can't spot them now, they aren't worth bothering about....unless you're a perfectionist

White is a killer for swirls. I regularly check, though around the C-Pillars, boot dish and bonnet. I have noticably reduced the amount of swirls I have since i got the car.

Needless to say, I think the car looks in better condition than when i got her brand new. Pics of the dish and the glaze on the bonnet do that justification!

[AussieRacer]

Taymaishu if you haven't used products other than the ones above, you'll be filling the swirls during the glaze step. Unfortunately getting rid of swirls also means removing some clear coat, and since BMW paint is very hard, good strength polish and power tools are needed to even get close to no swirls. Those Mother's products contain almost no polishing agents, but will do decent job cleaning and shining the surface, with a month or two of protection.

Oh, and be a little careful using CLR or degreaser on the wheels. They are painted just like the body, and they will dull the gloss in no time - especially if the wheels are warm.

White is definitely the colour that hides paint defects the best. Black being the worst.

And yeap BMW does a shocking job at delivery, so your efforts will definitely have given it a better than showroom shine. No doubt about that!

[Taymaishu]

Originally Posted by AussieRacer

Taymaishu if you haven't used products other than the ones above, you'll be filling the swirls during the glaze step. Unfortunately getting rid of swirls also means removing some clear coat, and since BMW paint is very hard, good strength polish and power tools are needed to even get close to no swirls. Those Mother's products contain almost no polishing agents, but will do decent job cleaning and shining the surface, with a month or two of protection.

Oh, and be a little careful using CLR or degreaser on the wheels. They are painted just like the body, and they will dull the gloss in no time - especially if the wheels are warm.

White is definitely the colour that hides paint defects the best. Black being the worst.

And yeap BMW does a shocking job at delivery, so your efforts will definitely have given it a better than showroom shine. No doubt about that!

I use CLR once a year at max. It's mainly to get into the inner wheels where the major product build-up occurs.

Regarding swirls - i've only noticed them slowly disappearing. Of course, unless taking a good amount of microns off the paint, the swirls will only fill and not disappear. I've found the wax from mothers actually fantastic at protecting the swirls from reappearing after the fortnightly wash - it's a very good wax.

Just glad to have her clayed again and a good layer over the paint

[brisbaneroller]

Did you feel brave doing it out in the yard?

The guy that i know who does all the professional polishing (he does spend a ridiculous 8-12 hours on a car) does it in a garage, to prevent wind picking up dirt and throwing it over your beautiful work!

Looks like a fantastic job though! and i am only used to queensland where dirt is in the air constantly! Really need a garage myself.