Newbie Car Wash and Wax question - The Unofficial BMW M5 Messageboard (m5board.com)

ron4sc · 24th July 2004, 22:00

Folks,

I've spent about a week trying to digest all of this and my head hurts and my wife thinks I'm crazy. I bought my M5 about a month ago and have washed it three times with the BMW shampoo I bought at the dealer.

I'm hoping one of you can put what I need to do in plain english for me. Remember, I'm a newbie who hasn't waxed a car since I was a child.

Here's my life in a nutshell

Married with kids so it has to be enjoyable but quick
Wash the car every other week. My wife's car on the off week
drive the car daily to work
If I have a choice, I'd rather watch my children than apply wax on a car for four hours
want to get rid of bugs and preseve the car's finish long into the future.
Wouldn't mind waxing it only once a quarter.

I have the BMW car wash but I need to use some type of clay bar and polish and wax the car. From the reading it seems like I'd want Zaino Z3 or Klause all in one.

Do I wash then clay, then wash again before I put on the klause all in one or zaino Z3.

I'm a newbie with an M5 so I'm not trying to spend 8 hours on the weekend pampering my car. My wife would kill me!

Can someone give me a simple way to get me started in the world of keeping my car looking good without getting a divorce and abandoning my kids in the process?

thanks,

Ron

rebel1 · 24th July 2004, 22:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by ron4sc

Folks,

I've spent about a week trying to digest all of this and my head hurts and my wife thinks I'm crazy. I bought my M5 about a month ago and have washed it three times with the BMW shampoo I bought at the dealer.

I'm hoping one of you can put what I need to do in plain english for me. Remember, I'm a newbie who hasn't waxed a car since I was a child.

Here's my life in a nutshell

Married with kids so it has to be enjoyable but quick
Wash the car every other week. My wife's car on the off week
drive the car daily to work
If I have a choice, I'd rather watch my children than apply wax on a car for four hours
want to get rid of bugs and preseve the car's finish long into the future.
Wouldn't mind waxing it only once a quarter.

I have the BMW car wash but I need to use some type of clay bar and polish and wax the car. From the reading it seems like I'd want Zaino Z3 or Klause all in one.

Do I wash then clay, then wash again before I put on the klause all in one or zaino Z3.

I'm a newbie with an M5 so I'm not trying to spend 8 hours on the weekend pampering my car. My wife would kill me!

Can someone give me a simple way to get me started in the world of keeping my car looking good without getting a divorce and abandoning my kids in the process?

thanks,

Ron

http://www.autopia.org/forums/forumd...ne=&forumid=11

greg · 24th July 2004, 22:45

Claying is simple - you can easily do the whole car (usually only the surfaces facing the sky need it) in 30 minutes. Mother's clay bar is fine - and easy to find - most Kragen's or Pep Boy's carry it. All you're doing is gliding it across the surface with some sort of lubricant (detail spray or soapy water.) If it sticks and leaves clay behind, not enough lube, too hot, or both. You can feel and hear it work.

Klasse (not krause) and Zaino are good products that last. To get Klasse to last like Zaino you want to use their Sealer/Glaze as a last step. READ UP ON AUTOPIA about these products - not as easy product to use unless you know a few "trade secrets."

You might also choose a much easier product to use - a basic carnauba wax (hasn't changed since you WERE a kid). Doesn't last as long, but very easy to use and you know where you stand. Easiest product in this class I've ever used - with great depth of shine, extremely easy to apply and buff - but without best longevity - is Souveran Paste by Pinnacle. Smells great. Downright rewarding and enjoyable to use!

ArrestMeRed · 27th July 2004, 16:39

Here's a few ideas:
#1 - buy yourself some microfiber buffing towels. They're worth it. I use Griots, I've read where people prefer other brands. I have only used Groits.

Buy a random orbital buffer. You don't sound like a purist - some will say never use a machine, but it works like a charm. About the only way to damage your paint or cause scratches with a random orbital is to drop the buffer onto the hood. It will save you so much time, you will never go back to doing it by hand. And it won't hurt moldings/rubber parts. I use it regularly on my M5, and on my 993 previously. Porter Cable is a good one, but it is a bit expensive. I bought mine from Griots ($225 or so), but you can get it for cheaper elsewhere. I like Groits foam pads, but not their polishes. They're actually not aggressive enough. I use 3M Finesse It for a "rough cut" with the orange pad to get rid of scratches and oxidation. Buff off by hand. It comes off pretty easy. For you, once a year should be fine. Clay is a bit redundant after doing this. Contrary to Griot, it's not necessary to clay before doing this, either. Lately I've been using Meguiars Mirror Glaze wax (Medallion). It's not your typical Meguiars wax, but their high-end stuff. $20 for a 16 oz bottle. I had been using Zaino for the last few years, but have gotten tired of the hocus-pocus and all the mixing. [As a side, Zaino's glass polish is the best I've used, and their leather conditioner is excellent.] I also applied Zaino with the random orbital with excellent results.

Apply your wax with the buffer, using a soft foam pad (the red one from Groits). Buff off by hand, the Meguiars comes off EASY. You really only have to wipe it off, no elbow grease necessary.

I can wash and wax the M5 in probably an hour, not including the wheels. When I bought the M5, the previous owner didn't baby the paint. It had micro scratches that were worse than typical swirls. They glimmered in direct sunshine - drove me nuts. Even multiple coats with the 3M Finesse It/random orbital didn't get rid of the scratches/swirls, and pretty much all I was doing was covering them up with wax. They always came back. I went to the local Meguiars store and bought a rotary buffer ($90), and got some training. Using this buffer is MUCH more time consuming, it's also tiring. It's far more sensitive to paint temp, too (HAVE to do it in the garage). I was petrified of burning through the paint, but that hasn't been an issue. The moldings/plastic pieces are much more of a threat, so I tape them off. Using Meguiars Diamond Cut polish (10 on a scale of 1-10 for abrasive properties), the results are superior, but it STILL has taken me multiple coats to bring the paint to a glass finish. And a few surfaces still aren't up to snuff. I am after that last .001% of perfection, and finally it is within reach.

I find that the easier it is to maintain a vehicle, the more willing I am to do it, and the more often it gets done. And the more willing I am to do my wife's truck, too. A lot of what 'ol Groit says in his magazine can be chalked up to slick marketing. But I certainly agree with the bit about using a machine vs doing it by hand. The results are superior with a machine, and I'll never go back.

EdP · 27th July 2004, 18:13

Suggestions for saving time--

Have the car prof. detailed by someone really, really good, ideally with Zaino products. Then concentrate maintaining that finish.

In my experience, Zaino is extremely durable and would be easy to maintain with regular washing and quarterly reapplications. It's much, much more durable than carnauba wax. There's a slight learning curve with applying their products, but the time is well spent.

Get a self-coiling hose and male/female hose connectors (both are available from Griots). It's nice not having to deal with untangling the hose, reeling it back up, etc. Hose bibs inside the garage also are nice.

Try to wash the car weekly if it's a daily driver. With a properly applied Zaino finish, it will not be necessary to clay because every bug and speck of dirt will wash off. If done in haste, claying can do more harm than good, as it's easy to microscratch the paint (i.e., those spider-web looking lines that you can see from certain angles, and especially under flourescent light). Even when washing/drying, use as little pressure as possible, and plenty of clean water and soap, as you can microscratch if you're not careful.

Separate bucket and sponge for wheels. Again, if you do it weekly, you won't need anything stronger than soap and water to get them clean.

Use micro-fiber towels for drying. I like the "big blue" towels from CMA (very soft); the yellow waffle towels from Griots also are nice. I use one towel to gently absorb/push off the big drops, and a second towel for the rest.

Promptly and thoroughly dry the windows with the micofiber towels. If you do, you shouldn't get any water spotting, and you won't need to apply glass cleaner afterwards.

If I move quickly, I can wash and dry the car in about 45 minutes, though usually I take about an hour (early morning on the weekend, before the kids wake up).

ard · 27th July 2004, 20:02

Just a quick testimonial for clay bar-ing...

Had a bit of a painting mishap- spraying a 2 part epoxy primer onto an exterior metal railing- wind carried the overspray into the garage and onto my Q45. This expoy is impervious to ALL solvents, and is extraordinarily tough. I think it is MUCH harder than the paint.

I tried buffing it off, and no luck- I was going to use compound to cut through the overspray.

Well, someone suggested clay bar.

1 hour, 1 clay bar and some soapy water in a spray bottle it was all gone- this included windows, chrome and paint!

Quite amazing stuff.

I've since used it for that dried on tree sap that sometimes collects on the roof/hood/trunks/

One note DO NOT DROP IT. Any spec of dirt that is picked up can be a disaster...

Ard

ron4sc · 28th July 2004, 07:17

Folks,

Thanks for all of the feedback. I went to autopedia.org and registered. I had no idea that detailing cars had so many choices. My brain is still hurting. This past weekend I bought some Zymol Cleaner/Wax and applied it to my wife's 1996 SUV.

It looked great but it didn't do a good job, actually it did a bad job of removing surface marks from the paint. Next time I'll try a clay and see how that does. So thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond. I have two last questions:

1) If I use the Zymol Cleaner/Wax on my M5, is there any downside to using it and then switching to a premium wax like Souveran or Zaino?

2) Finally, my M5 is Anthacite or as I like to call it, BMW dark gray

. When choosing waxes, is that considered a dark car or a light car?

thanks folks,

Ron

greg · 28th July 2004, 18:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by ron4sc

1) If I use the Zymol Cleaner/Wax on my M5, is there any downside to using it and then switching to a premium wax like Souveran or Zaino?

2) Finally, my M5 is Anthacite or as I like to call it, BMW dark gray

. When choosing waxes, is that considered a dark car or a light car?

If you care - I don't recommend cleaner/wax. Not abrasive enough to work really well as a cleaner, but enough to slightly dull your finish. Like most combo products (printer/scanner/fax machine/copy machines and video/still cameras come to mind), it just isn't as good as separate products designed specifically for the job at hand. But there is no problem with using a better wax after a cleaner/wax.

Maybe a black wax would have black residue, which might look better than white... But I have an anthracite M5 - and it will respond kindly to plain old (good quality) wax.

ron4sc · 28th July 2004, 18:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by greg

Like most combo products (printer/scanner/fax machine/copy machines and video/still cameras come to mind), it just isn't as good as separate products designed specifically for the job at hand.

LOL. perfect analogy. I'm in technology so you painted it very clearly for me. jack of all trades, ace of none.

thx,

Ron

mottati · 28th July 2004, 20:46

I'm pretty sure that zymol cleaner/wax is not the "real zymol" but put out by turtle wax. For a dark car, nothing works nicer than zymol carbon, but it does not last long. Zaino does really last a long time, but after a month or so, it doesn't seem to shine so well on my titan silver car (although the water still beads readily). I've been using some griots carnauba paste, easy on and off, smells nice and shines really well.
Mike