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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 F10 Technical Topics Wash, Wax, Detailing and Cosmetic protection/repairs Jet Black F10 - How to wash and wax it....
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      09-27-2012, 09:06 PM   #1
DitrasetMan
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Jet Black F10 - How to wash and wax it....

Hey folks, I brought this up in another thread, but thought it deserved a new thread. I have a Jet Black F10, and I want to know...

(1) What brand soap should I use to wash the car?

(2) What brand chamois/microfiber towel should I use to dry the car to completely avoid clear coat scratches or swirl marks? Should I use one of those California dry blades?

(3) What brand wax and type of applicator should I use?

Thanks!

Last edited by DitrasetMan; 09-27-2012 at 09:37 PM..
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      09-28-2012, 09:04 AM   #2
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You are going to get a million different answers on this but here is what I have learned after owning many dark cars:
1. Clear coat swirls will happen no matter what you do but you can minimize them
2. Use two buckets and different wash mitts to wash; one for wheels only and one for the car itself
3. Wash one panel, spary the mitt clean before you put it back in the bucket to remove dirt from the mitt and keep the water clean
4. I use Zaino soap but they are all good really, Meguiars, etc
5. When done, remove the hose spray and just run the water all over the car. You will be amazed at the amount of water that "sheets" off the car; lessens your drying time
6. I use Meguiars waffle towels for drying; they seem to work well. Don't use a circular motion, just up and down strokes (no comments from the peanut gallery on that)
7. For wax or polish, I hate to comment, there are so many. I used Zaino polish, its great but streaked too much for me. I now use PInnacle wax, works great, no streaking, doesnt last as long as Zaino, personal choice on that one.

Always, always use clean towels when you wipe the car. If you drop it, dont use it until it is washed again.

Lastly, again, swirls will happen regardless.
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      09-28-2012, 09:58 AM   #3
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Here are some tips for you. I use all chemical guys products and have had great success with them.

Use this soap before detailing, not in between:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Car_Wash...cws_101_16.htm

This is maintenance soap (used only in between details):

http://www.chemicalguys.com/Premium_...cws_301_16.htm

As a rule of thumb, always clay bar your car first to remove any oxidation:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/CLAY_BAR..._p/cly_201.htm

and use a good lubricant while claying:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/CLAY_BAR...cly_100_16.htm

This wax works best on black cars:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/BEST_WAX...gap_619_16.htm

Use this as a final sealant or in between details:

http://www.chemicalguys.com/HYBRID_V...wac_808_16.htm

Stay away from terry towels and convert to microfiber towels.

And do not use the water blade!!!!! That will mar up your paint for sure!
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      10-01-2012, 08:15 AM   #4
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1. Jet black is a difficult color. Jet Black is easy to mess up, and stubborn to fix.

For polish, try Monello and for wax/sealant try Wolfgang fuzion (its a combo of both)
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      10-01-2012, 11:01 PM   #5
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Go to Autogeek.net They sell Cobra Micro Fiber towels, the 600 towels are awesome,dont skimp on cheap towels, you'll only wind up buying the better ones again later... the Cobra waffle weave towels are excellent for drying your car, the best, get the big one, the smaller sizes are good too, but if youre going to buy one, get the big size. They have a video of the guy using it, and an hour long detailing video on their website, I bought the wolfgang wax kit...$99.00, expensive, but so is my car...the wax went on great, and came off easy, I think I am going to use wolfgang products from now on...They also have a website, but it's still autogeek, one huge company.
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      10-13-2018, 08:10 AM   #6
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Great insights
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      10-13-2018, 04:37 PM   #7
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I typically do one hand wash a year. Wax, detail, the whole works and then typically just subscribe to a soft touch car wash the rest of the year. I just bought products from Walmart and have never had an issue and can make it look really good if I spend some time on it.
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      10-17-2018, 09:20 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mfd229 View Post
I typically do one hand wash a year. Wax, detail, the whole works and then typically just subscribe to a soft touch car wash the rest of the year. I just bought products from Walmart and have never had an issue and can make it look really good if I spend some time on it.
ummm that's the worst thing you can do...soft touch car wash! you should avoid public car washes period! especially on JetBlack!
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      10-27-2018, 05:27 PM   #9
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I use a 3 bucket setup wash/rinse and wheels. Its recommended to use a wheel only bucket due to the dirt and metal particles that wheels are expose to. Also try to get something to maintain the dirt at the bottom of the bucket such as a chemical guys cyclone dirt trap or the detail guarz dirt lock. These way you aviod re-introducing the dirt scratching the soft clear. If you can take your ride to a detailer to apply a ceramic coating. This way your car will always look gloss and will be easier to maintain. If you decide to go this route I recommend you use the CarPro line of products which are mostly made for ceramic coated vehicles. I have Cquarts UK 3 with Gliss top coat and for washes I use reset with a nice microfiber mitt or pad, dry it with a nice microfiber towel and apply a mix of 2oz of Ech02 and 2oz of Reload as a quick detailer after a nice wash to provide more protection and gloss.

Here is my custom bucket setup:


Dirt lock:


Carpro drying towel (this one is made from microfiber twisted loop and should dry your vehicle without streaks):


CarPro products I currently use:


CarPro ceramic coating and topcoat:
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Last edited by gabypr; 10-27-2018 at 05:42 PM..
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      10-27-2018, 07:29 PM   #10
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Wow! Look at all that! Very nice collection you got gaby!
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      12-13-2018, 09:50 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gabypr View Post
I use a 3 bucket setup wash/rinse and wheels. Its recommended to use a wheel only bucket due to the dirt and metal particles that wheels are expose to. Also try to get something to maintain the dirt at the bottom of the bucket such as a chemical guys cyclone dirt trap or the detail guarz dirt lock. These way you aviod re-introducing the dirt scratching the soft clear. If you can take your ride to a detailer to apply a ceramic coating. This way your car will always look gloss and will be easier to maintain. If you decide to go this route I recommend you use the CarPro line of products which are mostly made for ceramic coated vehicles. I have Cquarts UK 3 with Gliss top coat and for washes I use reset with a nice microfiber mitt or pad, dry it with a nice microfiber towel and apply a mix of 2oz of Ech02 and 2oz of Reload as a quick detailer after a nice wash to provide more protection and gloss.

Here is my custom bucket setup:


Dirt lock:


Carpro drying towel (this one is made from microfiber twisted loop and should dry your vehicle without streaks):


CarPro products I currently use:


CarPro ceramic coating and topcoat:
Did you make this setup or did you order it from somewhere?
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      12-13-2018, 04:53 PM   #12
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Theres a very known detailer called Matt Moreman from Obssessed Garage and he sells a very similar setup. My setup was custom made from various websites but the bucket stickers are from him. I couldnt buy it from him because of shipping issues. I recommend visit his nice store and check it out.
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      12-25-2018, 02:00 PM   #13
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I know black cars can be more demanding in terms of how easily scratches show up.

I now do the following:
No bucket (Foam gun) w/ several microfiber wash mitts+towels
Decontaminate
Clay Bar
Polish
Sealant

I dont have confidence in applying ceramic coatings, which can be unforgiving. But I only need to do the full exterior job twice a year. I can spay the car clean once a month with the sealant is applied.
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