Gents,
Many times I get asked what people should buy to start washing their car in the safest and most effective way.
Below you will find mix of products that you can buy to make your own Washing Kit. This is a suggestion of the products that you should consider in purchasing, so you can start taking care of your M car in the way it deserves
2x Buckets
2x Wash Mitts
1x Shampoo
Many Microfibres
1x Window Cleaner
1x Wheel Cleaner
1x Tire Gloss
1x Brush
1x Wheel Brush (insides)
Two Buckets, what for?
Bucket Wash is used for warm water with the shampoo mix.
Bucket Rinse is used to rinse your mitt from the dirt it catches.
I think that Dodo came up with a nice Bucket set, with Grit Guards and stickers on them so you can easily identify which is which, this would be what I would buy if I would be in the market for new buckets:
The Wash Bucket and
The Rinse Bucket.
I bought my two buckets quite some time ago, from a webstore that doesnt even exist anymore. It is a nice set with lids that are able to retain the water inside the bucket, plus I bought some grit guards for them and they are perfect. However, I did some search and found them being sold by some other company in the USA, in case someone is interested:
Gamma Seal Lid + Buckets
If you want to go full Pro and money is no question, then you have this option:
Sonüs Bucket
What Wash mitts should I get?
I genuinely believe that you should always wash your car with two mitts, one for the top of the car (lambswool) and one for the bottom part which is always the most dirty, which I use for under the trim line on my E39 M5.
Currently, since I am a bit insane, I own a pet
Wookie, which I love dearly for its ability to hold water and to get the dirt in the fibres, away from the paint. However, this mitt requires regular maintenance and may not be to the regular owner
Most good quality Lambswool Mitts, like the
Sonüs or a
Merino Wool Mitt, will be perfect for your washing.
For the bottom part of the car, you can use a normal Lambswool mitt as the above or a normal Microfibre wash mitt.
Shampoo: Lubricity, suds andcleaning power while being gentle to the Wax layer.
There are many choices here... I have tried many shampoos, too many to list.
My favorite choice is the
Dodo Juice Born to Be Mild. Does ticks all the boxes for me and performs better (In my honest opinion!) then their more expensive Supernatural Shampoo.
You will also find good quality in the
Zaino Z7,
Meguiars Shampoo Plus or
Duragloss
Just be sure to always have the correct ratio of luke warm water and shampoo!
Microfibres, soft and plushy!
These will be important tools, to help you dry, clean, polish and buff.
For Drying:
Dodo Supernatural,
Miracle Dryer,
Sonüs Waffle Weave,
PB Luxury Drying Towel and many others.
For Polish:
Good for the exhaust tips and other areas, a short nap MF towel will be perfect, since they provide more bite to really work with the polish:
Sonüs Der Wunder or
Marvel Polishing Towel
For Buffing:
Dodo Fantastic Fur,
Eurow Shag,
Sonüs Der Wunder
Wheels
Preferably, your wheels are sealed and you don't need to use aggressive products regularly to clean them. If they are sealed, then normal shampoo will do fine
However, if you need a Specific cleaning product, you will find:
Dodo Juice Mellow Yellow,
Bilberry, Autosmart Smartwheels, etc. Please consider in sealing your wheel and in using the wheel cleaners only occasionally.
For wheel brushes, Vikan offers a great range of products that you can probably pick up from your local store. Nonetheless, when I go attack some wheels, I always have with me:
Swissvax Wheel Brush, some soft
Vikan Brushes and a
EZ Detail Brush for the inside of the wheels.
Tires
A clean tire is a must. Always scrub your tires well with APC before applying the tire gloss, else it will just turn brownish and the products will never attach correctly.
I use the
Blackfire Long Lasting Tire Gel for a wetter look and the
Zaino Z16for a matte finish.
Windows
Clean windows are a constant requirement on my M5, I go crazy if they are dirty. When I travel to Portugal and do those 2200km in a row non-stop, I want my visibility to be as clear as possible and my girlfriend always helps me clean the windows while I feed the car with gasoline on the pitstops
On my weekly M5 wash, all windows are cleaned, just a spray or two on the cloth will be enough (since the shampoo did most of the work already)
I use a microfibre with enough bite to get those bugs out, but still be gentle enough:
Dodo Mint Merkin or its sister Supernatural.
To clean my windows I use
Mark V Window Sheen but am going to order the new
Brilliant Glass Cleaner very soon
Of course, all my windows are sealed on the outside with Carlack Glass Sealant. However that is going to be replaced soon with another product I'm dying to try
But Tiago... what if I want to add that little extra something after the wash or to add some more protection on top of my wax layer?
Spray Sealant is the answer, so you can add some wetness and protection to your car on top of your wax layer. Although, it won't last long (if you don't have a wax layer below you will notice it), it is still enough to hold it until you wash your car 2 weeks later (depending on mileage).
There are not many choices for a good Spray Sealant (not a regular detailing spray). I own
Dodo Red Mist Tropical and
Zaino Z8. There are other products on the market, but these two are what I believe to be on top of the game (Finish Kare also makes one, but haven't tried it yet).
The one I keep on using is the Dodo Red Mist, I find it easier to use, spreads better, beads better and lasts good for the milleage that I do on my car. The Z8 is a great product, but IMHO, the Red Mist just adds that little extra something for me.
Detailing can be an expensive hobby, but a fun one, with the results being all in your car. There are so many products out there that you will always have something new to try (and this is where it gets expensive). However on the above I tried to include a wide selection of products, so it can fit on the budget that each one of us has.
Coming soon... How to wash my BMW M: Techniques and Pictures
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