Our BMW X5 3.0i

[silvergray]

Hello!

I spent the past few days slowling working away at our 2005 BMW X5 3.0i. We bought it last winter as a CPO vehicle with almost 20,000 miles on it. Unforunately, the previous owner didn`t take good care of it, which was evident when I found cheerios, coffee stains, etc throughout the interior. In addition, the exterior reflected 20K miles worth of tunnel washes.



My process:

-Wash vehicle with foam gun, two buckets, and Griot`s microfiber mitt

-Clay vehicle with Clay Magic blue clay and their included clay lube. I liked this clay, but it was a bit harder to work with than the Zaino clay I`m used to.

-Tape vehicle trim off with 3M green automotive tape



Polishing:

-Menzerna Intensive Polish on an Orange LC CCS Light Cut pad. (PC Speed 6)

-Menzerna PO106FF on a White LC CCS Polishing pad. (PC Speed 6)



Perfection was not the goal with our X5. It doesn`t receive nearly the attention my car does, simply because I have been so busy lately. I would say about 70% of the defects have been removed, which is honestly more than I was shooting for.



Sealing:

-2 coats of ZFX-enabled Z2

-1 coat of Zaino ZCS

-2 coats of Jeff`s Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger

-2 coats of Jeff`s Werkstatt Carnuba Jett

-2 coats of Optimum Car Wax



You guys really encouraged me to mix things up and experiment. I`m really happy with the final look of the LSP`s. The finish is quite deep and still has the shine of traditional sealants.



Interior:

-Completely vac carpets and seats

-Clean seats with Zaino leather cleaner

-Condition seats twice with Zaino leather conditioner

-Clean dash/console with Griot`s Interior Cleaner

-Protect dash with JW Satin Prot

-Protect all-weather mats with 303 Aerospace Protectant



And before the photos, which turned out pretty bad thanks to my crappy Olympus digital camera, I`d like to thank and recommend the folks at Jeff`s Werkstatt. I actually made a mistake when placing my order, and they went out of their way and included a few free products to solve the problem. So a big :2thumbs: to JW!



And on to the pictures:



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7010992.JPG



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http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7011004.JPG

All my new cleaning stuff!



AFTERS:



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7011006.JPG



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7011007.JPG



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031008.JPG



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http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031010.JPG



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http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031016.JPG



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031017.JPG







Thanks guys! I hope you enjoyed the post, and thanks again for all your help!

[silvergray]

http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031018.JPG



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[silvergray]

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I figured I`d throw in a few pics of my recently detailed car. Pretty much the same process as the X5.





http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031067.JPG



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031068.JPG



http://home.comcast.net/~kevintoh/x5_detail/P7031069.JPG

[Bigpoppa3346]

Wow, that is a lot of product on the paint. Wow, that is a lot of pics. And wow, that silver looks deep :)

[Carl Johnson]

I think you should put some more waxes on the X5 lol. Nice job though, I really should detail mine too; I`ve been putting it off for so long now.

[Bimmer25]

How do you like the car? I`m really considering getting one. How does it compare to the 325?

[stiffdogg06]

For that color car, you really got some awesome depth! A lot of wax/sealants!:waxing:

[Scottwax]

Very wet looking finish! :)



I feel sorry for anyone trying to view this thread with dial-up or even DSL. I have a 7 mb/sec connection and even it was chocking a bit on all those pictures. :eek:

[silvergray]

Wow, that is a lot of product on the paint. Wow, that is a lot of pics. And wow, that silver looks deep :)



Haha, thanks! Its really amazing what effects layering different waxes creates. If I had to choose only one, it would probably be the Zaino. Or maybe the AJT?




I think you should put some more waxes on the X5 lol. Nice job though, I really should detail mine too; I`ve been putting it off for so long now.



Which X5 do you have? I really understand, it was hard for me to settle down and just get to work. I`ve delayed this detail for months!




How do you like the car? I`m really considering getting one. How does it compare to the 325?



I actually really like the X5. Despite being the 3.0 engine, its suprisingly quick and agile. But if I would still rather drive the 3 daily, simply because that thing corners like its nobody`s business.



It really comes down to size, if you don`t need a big vehicle, you can`t go wrong with an E46. But X5`s are excellent, and there are some great deals on CPO`ed vehicles right now because of the new model that was introduced.




For that color car, you really got some awesome depth! A lot of wax/sealants!



Thanks a lot! :2thumbs: I`ve got to blame Autopia for all the waxes and sealants! I seriously need to cut up my credit card!




Very wet looking finish!



I feel sorry for anyone trying to view this thread with dial-up or even DSL. I have a 7 mb/sec connection and even it was chocking a bit on all those pictures.





Thanks a lot Scott! :2thumbs: It means a lot coming from you, especially since you Click & Brags have been my inspiration all along!



And sorry about the pictures! I`m pretty bad with digital photography... :nixweiss

[Carl Johnson]

Mines a 04 X5, silver too. Man I just love this car, it`s smooth and actually quiet good on gas. My previous car was a 325Ci. The coupe was good for driving and all, but when I had ppl with me, it was just so much hassel to get them into the back. But with this, it`s not a problem at all. The only thing with the x5 is now I have to use a ladder to detail my car, before I could just reach it over the roof and get everything done on my coupe.

[silvergray]

Carl,

You`ve got it, these are such great SUVs. I really love my 3, but the X5 is just perfect for transporting people or highway cruising. And with gas prices over $3/gallon, you can`t complain about 20+ MPG.



Post some pics of yours once you finish the detail, I love seeing Click and Brags with Bimmers!