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      05-04-2019, 11:45 AM   #1
BeachM5nster
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Do you let other people wash your M5?

Since i just read about a guy having issues most likely from a guy washing his engine bay, i thought i'd take this time to give my thoughts and opinions, and get you all's opinions and methods, as well.

For sure I hope everyone knows using an automated touch car wash is a sin, and
using a pressurized stream of water is, too.

Next you should know my motto is: Don't let anyone clean anything you own unless you give absolutely zero shits about it.

Lots of reasons here:

1)95% of non-major damage and wear comes from cleaning(even when you, the owner, does it carefully and meticulously, but u need lots of exp like me and spend money {always buying and using only brand new cloths, sponges, etc, and knowing what products to never use from trial and error thankfully learned on lesser vehicles than an M5}) ..the other 5% comes from the road.. and stuff like jackasses that cut their grass blowing into the road.

2) people you pay to clean your stuff dont care about your stuff and want to do the quickest way with minimal effort to make it look clean enough for you to pay them and they can be gone.

3) people that clean your really nice stuff can sometimes develop a spiteful bone and there are many things they can do and it will never be found until way later and you'll never know how or why it happened much less who did it or when (if you ever even find out)

4) asking someone to detail your ENGINE BAY?! HELL NO.. thats asking for a problem.. they'll just blast your motor with the water hose..,
because... its quicker



HOW to WASH (and why no one will ever care enough to follow all this unless they are the owner)

1)Never wash in sunlight and avoid hot temp times of day
Never wash a hot or warm just driven car. needs to be nice and cool having set in shade for a while and wash in shade or at night..
pre rinse a few times to get debris off well and soften up bug plaster
2)Use meguiars gold class soap (never a wash+wax soap) (never dish soap)
3)use separate brushes and sponges for tires/wheels
4)use separate sponges for body and lower bumpers/sideskirts
5)Dry with a leaf blower and/or an 'Absorber'-- the absorber requires no pressure to dry up the water. if u never used one, buy one
6)meguiars quik detailer and super fluffy microfiber to get random waterspot or streak or missed bug residue
7)every few months- hand apply wax.. mothers carnauba cleaner wax, then meguiars paste wax

to clean an ENGINE BAY:

- i use charmin natural care buttwipes (no perfumes, no alcohol) for the engine bay bc when it gets dirty i just throw it down and keep on with a freshy and my bay stays clean but the amount of dirt is always surprising even when it looks immaculate.

- delicately wipe only well exposed surface areas.
then come back with a spray bottle of distilled water that sprays only a thin mist and microfiber and careful to not let it snag on any delicate and/or expensive component like hose clamps.

- slow and careful and DAMP DRY is the name of the game with engine bay cleaning.

and never finish it off with armor all or anything bc it looks like crap
and is just glue for dirt and preserves nothing.

if you think you can find a detail guy that is that good or careful, GOOD LUCK.. i know they are out there but not in my area.

those ppl mostly exist in Jay Leno's garage.

Last edited by BeachM5nster; 05-08-2019 at 03:19 PM..
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      05-04-2019, 11:58 AM   #2
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I have a guy in my area that I know pretty well. He's detailed my car twice including ceramic coating. He is fantastic at what he does and knows his stuff. Uses the same cloth once before washing and uses a different one for every type of application and multiple per stage.

I like to think I'm careful when washing and detailing mine but sometimes he cringes when I tell him how I've done a certain thing. He gives me advice and is not afraid to tell me his "secrets" to swirl and mark free cleaning.

There are good detailers out there that take pride in their work and take extra car of other people's property. There are many in my area that buy themselves a van or rent some premises and start a valeting business, these must be avoided like the plague.

There is one "hand car wash" in my area that people think is excellent. One worker was filmed accidentally dropping his cloth then washing it off in the puddle next to him.
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      05-04-2019, 03:04 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwaynos View Post
I have a guy in my area that I know pretty well. He's detailed my car twice including ceramic coating. He is fantastic at what he does and knows his stuff. Uses the same cloth once before washing and uses a different one for every type of application and multiple per stage.

I like to think I'm careful when washing and detailing mine but sometimes he cringes when I tell him how I've done a certain thing. He gives me advice and is not afraid to tell me his "secrets" to swirl and mark free cleaning.

There are good detailers out there that take pride in their work and take extra car of other people's property. There are many in my area that buy themselves a van or rent some premises and start a valeting business, these must be avoided like the plague.

There is one "hand car wash" in my area that people think is excellent. One worker was filmed accidentally dropping his cloth then washing it off in the puddle next to him.

Yeah, I'm sure there's someone around but needle in a haystack.. My area is a little different than the UK or san diego metro areas with big money. there arent enough people with nice enough cars to create a market for a guy to do insanely good detailing. the guys here that'd be capable do window tint and wraps instead bc its an actual market and makes more money regardless (im sure)..

i just dont trust ppl much.. bc well.. experiences

ive def done cringeworthy stuff, like using dawn on my first car. like every day lol. it was ok bc i waxed it a good bit. and used to use armor all.
oh oh, and fingernail polish remover to clean a tiny spot on the dash to 3m tape a tweeter. Ssooo dumb! haha yea dont ever do that
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      05-04-2019, 03:10 PM   #4
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I don't trust anyone, except my detailer. He is the only person I've left my car with. People always want to road test a decent car. I don't do air con gassing at my workshop so a friend of mine did it for me. I took the car there and I only wanted him to have anything to do with it, all while I waited. One of the lads who worked there said he would have to road test it afterwards to make sure the air con was ok. Joking or not, If hadn't been there he would have done.
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      05-04-2019, 03:14 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwaynos View Post
I don't trust anyone, except my detailer. He is the only person I've left my car with. People always want to road test a decent car. I don't do air con gassing at my workshop so a friend of mine did it for me. I took the car there and I only wanted him to have anything to do with it, all while I waited. One of the lads who worked there said he would have to road test it afterwards to make sure the air con was ok. Joking or not, If hadn't been there he would have done.
ha. ha. no way ..that would suck and u know he wouldnt warm it up before dogging it. that makes me want to have a dash cam
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      05-04-2019, 03:46 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeachM5nster View Post
ha. ha. no way ..that would suck and u know he wouldnt warm it up before dogging it. that makes me want to have a dash cam
I'd get a dash cam but I'd end up convicting myself.
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      05-04-2019, 04:22 PM   #7
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Always wash and hoover it myself using spray hose after cleaning the wheels first with an old splayed w/up brush and the bottom skirts with another cheap sponge. A soft mitt is used for the bodywork with simoniz car wash suds then after a rinse a soft rubber water disperser is used to take away most of the water then finished off with microfibre towels. An occasional carnuba wax polish every few months keeps it tip top.
Engine bay has a damp well used microfibre wipe to clean the easy bits and bonnet open till it's completely dry.
*Just saw your thing on not using wash/wax suds so getting some meguirs car wash from costco next time I go.

Last edited by M5Rick; 05-04-2019 at 04:29 PM..
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      05-04-2019, 04:44 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M5theonlyone View Post
Always wash and hoover it myself using spray hose after cleaning the wheels first with an old splayed w/up brush and the bottom skirts with another cheap sponge. A soft mitt is used for the bodywork with simoniz car wash suds then after a rinse a soft rubber water disperser is used to take away most of the water then finished off with microfibre towels. An occasional carnuba wax polish every few months keeps it tip top.
Engine bay has a damp well used microfibre wipe to clean the easy bits and bonnet open till it's completely dry.
*Just saw your thing on not using wash/wax suds so getting some meguirs car wash from costco next time I go.
You should never use a rubber water disperser either. I use 2 drying towels, one to dry the large beads and then the other to go over the car again. Throw that rubber paint scratcher in the bin.
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      05-04-2019, 05:36 PM   #9
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Nope - I'm the only one that washes my cars. I've been "OG" for a while now...If you don't know what that is, look on youtube for "obsessed garage". I'll apologize in advance for all the time you're going to waste on that channel. The content is a little dry at times but the information is invaluable.
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      05-05-2019, 03:01 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 94jedi View Post
Nope - I'm the only one that washes my cars. I've been "OG" for a while now...If you don't know what that is, look on youtube for "obsessed garage". I'll apologize in advance for all the time you're going to waste on that channel. The content is a little dry at times but the information is invaluable.
im the OG of OG
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      05-05-2019, 03:21 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwaynos View Post
You should never use a rubber water disperser either. I use 2 drying towels, one to dry the large beads and then the other to go over the car again. Throw that rubber paint scratcher in the bin.
both of you are wrong. rubber disperser/żaqua blade can F your car ..and towel drying can as well and is amateur

A tip on making drying easier and faster- Take your spray nozzle off your water hose and do final rinse with the nozzleless flow of water out the hose. the water sheets and runs almost completely off this way.

THEN
dry with a leaf blower and then use "the absorber" for missed beads and the random drainage drips from side mirrors, door handles, trunk lid, etc

i know a leaf blower is loud and does take time etc and sometimes i just use the absorber.
but ditch the towels and disperser and just get "the absorberXL"

https://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl/

i cant say enough about the absorber and seemingly no one knows about them (probably bc theyre relatively expensive) but it can hold like a liter of water. wring it out and it just keeps sucking up water. its rubber(ish) so it wont hold debris at all. wring it and then whip it to make sure its debris free

u can lay it on the hood and lightly drag it and it just sucks up all the water like a magnet. {i should make a vid.. if i do, you'll order one}

you store it damp in the tube it comes in. if it gets dry its hard as a rock. but just run it under some water for a min and it comes back to life. its nuts.

i had one for 10+ years and it got left somewhere so i had to buy another bc it was sorely missed

https://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl/

Last edited by BeachM5nster; 05-05-2019 at 03:36 AM..
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      05-05-2019, 03:53 AM   #12
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proof is in the pudding

yes that is light reflecting in the barrel of my wheel
-and i had to show off my caliper decals

im not OCD, i just love a car that looks like its straight off the showroom floor.

but if anybody needs/wants the road near their house paved, just ask me to move in for a few weeks, and they will come!

because picking tar balls out the inside of my wheels and fender wells and rocker panels is my most favorite pastime.. seriously i took long detours around all the paving the only 2 days i drove during those weeks but its impossible bc that mess gets tracked out to everywhere within a 10 mile radius F F F F.. u just hear it spinning into your fenders and youre just like fffffffuuuuuu
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      05-05-2019, 05:04 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeachM5nster View Post
both of you are wrong. rubber disperser/żaqua blade can F your car ..and towel drying can as well and is amateur

A tip on making drying easier and faster- Take your spray nozzle off your water hose and do final rinse with the nozzleless flow of water out the hose. the water sheets and runs almost completely off this way.

THEN
dry with a leaf blower and then use "the absorber" for missed beads and the random drainage drips from side mirrors, door handles, trunk lid, etc

i know a leaf blower is loud and does take time etc and sometimes i just use the absorber.
but ditch the towels and disperser and just get "the absorberXL"

https://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl/

i cant say enough about the absorber and seemingly no one knows about them (probably bc theyre relatively expensive) but it can hold like a liter of water. wring it out and it just keeps sucking up water. its rubber(ish) so it wont hold debris at all. wring it and then whip it to make sure its debris free

u can lay it on the hood and lightly drag it and it just sucks up all the water like a magnet. {i should make a vid.. if i do, you'll order one}

you store it damp in the tube it comes in. if it gets dry its hard as a rock. but just run it under some water for a min and it comes back to life. its nuts.

i had one for 10+ years and it got left somewhere so i had to buy another bc it was sorely missed

https://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl/
Yeah I always do a final rinse with the hose only, people always ask me why. If your car is protected then as stated above the water sheets and the car takes very little drying.

I use compressed air In my workshop to blow water out of gaps but never had success drying the full car with it. Also never knew that using a drying towel was an issue, saying that mine are pretty good and take very little effort.
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      05-05-2019, 10:36 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeachM5nster View Post
both of you are wrong. rubber disperser/żaqua blade can F your car ..and towel drying can as well and is amateur

A tip on making drying easier and faster- Take your spray nozzle off your water hose and do final rinse with the nozzleless flow of water out the hose. the water sheets and runs almost completely off this way.

THEN
dry with a leaf blower and then use "the absorber" for missed beads and the random drainage drips from side mirrors, door handles, trunk lid, etc

i know a leaf blower is loud and does take time etc and sometimes i just use the absorber.
but ditch the towels and disperser and just get "the absorberXL"

https://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl/

i cant say enough about the absorber and seemingly no one knows about them (probably bc theyre relatively expensive) but it can hold like a liter of water. wring it out and it just keeps sucking up water. its rubber(ish) so it wont hold debris at all. wring it and then whip it to make sure its debris free

u can lay it on the hood and lightly drag it and it just sucks up all the water like a magnet. {i should make a vid.. if i do, you'll order one}

you store it damp in the tube it comes in. if it gets dry its hard as a rock. but just run it under some water for a min and it comes back to life. its nuts.

i had one for 10+ years and it got left somewhere so i had to buy another bc it was sorely missed

https://www.cleantools.net/products/absorber-xl/
Have dumped the rubber blade and yes I have a leaf blower which will be pushed into service together with some fresh microfibre every time.
One tip I have is to open the trunk and hood after rinsing to disperse the bulk of what's left of the water making it a cinch to dry.
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      05-05-2019, 11:12 AM   #15
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I rinse the car with a power wash then snow foam the car and let it sit for 5-10 mins.

Wash with Gyeon Essence and a lambs wool mit and rinse, wheels are done first with separate brushes etc.

I then rinse again with filtered water which means I have zero hard water spots (costs about 80p each time I use it)

The water filter is re-usable as the resin can be changed its also made for people who professionally clean windows so its not overpriced like the ones made for cars.

I washed the car and rinsed in filtered water and let it dry in 23C sun when it was dry there was not a mark on it, amazing for a black car in a hard water area. Its the 23.6 litre size. Have tried smaller ones made for cars but they are too small to filter effectively as the flow of water is too much for the amount of resin in the canister, especially in hard water areas

https://www.daqua.co.uk/divessels.htm

I then have a heated car dryer with a filter that blows the water off the car and dries at the same time, its 3600W 4.2HP. Saves having to use drying towels and the potential they have for scratching, plus it gets the water out of every part of the car that you couldn't get with a towel.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gravitis-St.../dp/B07JMCHTY8

I don't advise using a leaf blower as the air that's pushed out can contain debris/dust etc.

I had the car two stage machine polished and ceramic coated so its immaculate.

Being black it shows every mark if not washed properly

Its not how everyone washes cars but its the best way to avoid any swirls/water marks and is very quick.

I sometimes finish off with a coat of Gyeon Cure to maintain the ceramic coat.

Last edited by OneExtra; 05-05-2019 at 11:25 AM..
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      05-12-2019, 02:45 PM   #16
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Used Meguirs car shampoo with paint conditioner for first time easily available from costco and stunned by the results.Swirl marks and very very faint lines have disappeared! Now to get some Gyeon ceramic polish.
The redundant simoniz wax/wash will be used for the wheels and under the sills only.
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      05-12-2019, 04:02 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M5theonlyone View Post
Used Meguirs car shampoo with paint conditioner for first time easily available from costco and stunned by the results.Swirl marks and very very faint lines have disappeared! Now to get some Gyeon ceramic polish.
The redundant simoniz wax/wash will be used for the wheels and under the sills only.
good stuff! what color is that soap? the one i like is golden/orange color and bottle is a black label and gold writing.

just wondering if it's most likely the same soap if it's the same color just labeled differently in a different country
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      05-12-2019, 04:38 PM   #18
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Always wash my car at home with a pressure washer, two bucket method, foam canon, etc...
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      05-12-2019, 04:50 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeachM5nster View Post
good stuff! what color is that soap? the one i like is golden/orange color and bottle is a black label and gold writing.

just wondering if it's most likely the same soap if it's the same color just labeled differently in a different country
That's the one, same colour and the liquid is very thick in consistency.3 capfuls for 3/4 of a wash bucket.
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      05-13-2019, 05:28 AM   #20
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Apparently the best snow foam is Bilt Hamber if anyone is buying any

Good review of all foams on YouTube Forensic Detailing Channel
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      05-14-2019, 06:35 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by M5theonlyone View Post
That's the one, same colour and the liquid is very thick in consistency.3 capfuls for 3/4 of a wash bucket.
good stuff right?! 👍🏻
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      05-14-2019, 06:53 PM   #22
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I had the shop porter run mine through the carwash today, twice in fact since it didn't do a good job on the wheels the first time lol...

It is ceramic coated though, and IDGAF the car wash doesn't do anything that correction bi annually won't take care of.
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