good guys
12-13-2010, 06:26 PM
First off I want to start out by saying how lucky i am to have a garage to work out of in these cold Ohio temperatures. This things has a fully heated wash bay, T5 lighting all around, full surround system with ipod hookup, and everything else you could imagine. The owner of this garage is a great guy and is a huge car enthusiast. He had just got a BMW X5 xDrive35D a few weeks ago and i knew he would be driving it through the winter, so i wanted to make sure this thing was protected from the elements and the salt that would soon be building up on the roads.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0096-1.jpg
I started out with a wash using the 2x4 wash method. This consists of using 2 buckets with 2 grit guards in each bucket. This is to ensure that after washing each panel I get all of the dirt out of the mitt to prevent the dreaded swirl marks caused by improper washing. After cleaning each panel I made sure to take extra time scrapping my mitt across the grit guards to get all the dirt out. For soap I used Chemical Guys Citrus Wash at a high ratio so it would strip off any wax or anything else that was on the paint. I use a separate bucket with various brushes and mitt to clean the wheels. I made sure to get deep inside the wheels and under the fender wells. Before i started on the wheels i soaked them with Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel Gel and let them sit for about 10 minutes while i got everything ready.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0104.jpg
Once i got the whole car washed i puller it into the building to dry it off. I first used a vac n` blow to blow most of the water off of the car and out of all the cracks and crevices. Then i used a waffle weave microfiber drying towel that was prepped with quick detailer to give the towel so lubrication between it and the paint. This again will help to prevent unwanted swirl marks.
The next step was to clay the car to pull out any contaminants that were in the clearcoat. Even though this was a new car this needed to be done. During shipment of vehicles they can get lots of contaminants in the clear. also since i was going to be using a PC to seal the car i didn`t want to take the risk of grinding any dirt into the paint.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0113.jpg
As you can see from the clay i actually did pull out a lot of dirt from the clear, this was after claying only about a quarter of the paint.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0116.jpg
After i was done claying i wiped the car down again with a waffle weave drying towel again prepped with quick detailer. Since i wanted to let the sealant have plenty of time to set up i busted out the PC and got to sealing the car. I used the PC on speed 5 with a blue pad. This sealant is one of the best that i have used. It goes on easy, comes off easy, and you don`t have to use much at all. This was a great choice since i knew this sealant should last for about 5 to 6 months which will be long enough to get through the winter.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0120-1.jpg
Next i treated all of the seals around the car, this even included the ones under the hood. For this i used a Einszett 1Z Gummi Pflege Stift Rubber Care Stick. This will make sure the seals stay looking like new and wont dry out over time.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0122.jpg
Finally i moved to the inside of the car. I started out by vacuuming and wiping everything down. Since most of the interior was leather i got out my Leatherique Prestine Clean and wiped down everything that was leather. This is a great cleaner and will also add a good amount of protection to the leather to keep it from drying out and cracking. Everything else in the car was wiped down with Einszett 1Z Cockpit Premium. Finally i hit the windows with a microfiber and some Stoner Invisible Glass.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0124.jpg
Now that the interior was done i figured the sealant had enough time to set up. I removed the sealant with ease using a microfiber towel. Then i walked around the car to make sure i had no drip lines from water and that there was nothing i missed.
This car had lots of plastic trim on the outside which is notorious for fading and turning a white color. I coated every piece of plastic with Chemical Guys Extreme V.R.T. Dress All which will protect the plastic from UV rays.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0138.jpg
The exhaust pipes weren`t to bad considering this is a diesel. I used some Klasse All-In-One to clean, polish, and protect the exhaust pipes.
Before:
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0139.jpg
After:
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0140.jpg
Finally i waxed the wheels with some Optimum Spray Wax and dressed the tires.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0147.jpg
Here`s some shots i took when i was done.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0145.jpg
As you can see the sealant and prep work brought out lots of gloss and some really good reflection.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0132.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0144.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0141-1.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0136.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0137-1.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0130.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0129.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0125.jpg
Thanks for reading!!!
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0096-1.jpg
I started out with a wash using the 2x4 wash method. This consists of using 2 buckets with 2 grit guards in each bucket. This is to ensure that after washing each panel I get all of the dirt out of the mitt to prevent the dreaded swirl marks caused by improper washing. After cleaning each panel I made sure to take extra time scrapping my mitt across the grit guards to get all the dirt out. For soap I used Chemical Guys Citrus Wash at a high ratio so it would strip off any wax or anything else that was on the paint. I use a separate bucket with various brushes and mitt to clean the wheels. I made sure to get deep inside the wheels and under the fender wells. Before i started on the wheels i soaked them with Chemical Guys Diablo Wheel Gel and let them sit for about 10 minutes while i got everything ready.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0104.jpg
Once i got the whole car washed i puller it into the building to dry it off. I first used a vac n` blow to blow most of the water off of the car and out of all the cracks and crevices. Then i used a waffle weave microfiber drying towel that was prepped with quick detailer to give the towel so lubrication between it and the paint. This again will help to prevent unwanted swirl marks.
The next step was to clay the car to pull out any contaminants that were in the clearcoat. Even though this was a new car this needed to be done. During shipment of vehicles they can get lots of contaminants in the clear. also since i was going to be using a PC to seal the car i didn`t want to take the risk of grinding any dirt into the paint.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0113.jpg
As you can see from the clay i actually did pull out a lot of dirt from the clear, this was after claying only about a quarter of the paint.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0116.jpg
After i was done claying i wiped the car down again with a waffle weave drying towel again prepped with quick detailer. Since i wanted to let the sealant have plenty of time to set up i busted out the PC and got to sealing the car. I used the PC on speed 5 with a blue pad. This sealant is one of the best that i have used. It goes on easy, comes off easy, and you don`t have to use much at all. This was a great choice since i knew this sealant should last for about 5 to 6 months which will be long enough to get through the winter.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0120-1.jpg
Next i treated all of the seals around the car, this even included the ones under the hood. For this i used a Einszett 1Z Gummi Pflege Stift Rubber Care Stick. This will make sure the seals stay looking like new and wont dry out over time.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0122.jpg
Finally i moved to the inside of the car. I started out by vacuuming and wiping everything down. Since most of the interior was leather i got out my Leatherique Prestine Clean and wiped down everything that was leather. This is a great cleaner and will also add a good amount of protection to the leather to keep it from drying out and cracking. Everything else in the car was wiped down with Einszett 1Z Cockpit Premium. Finally i hit the windows with a microfiber and some Stoner Invisible Glass.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0124.jpg
Now that the interior was done i figured the sealant had enough time to set up. I removed the sealant with ease using a microfiber towel. Then i walked around the car to make sure i had no drip lines from water and that there was nothing i missed.
This car had lots of plastic trim on the outside which is notorious for fading and turning a white color. I coated every piece of plastic with Chemical Guys Extreme V.R.T. Dress All which will protect the plastic from UV rays.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0138.jpg
The exhaust pipes weren`t to bad considering this is a diesel. I used some Klasse All-In-One to clean, polish, and protect the exhaust pipes.
Before:
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0139.jpg
After:
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0140.jpg
Finally i waxed the wheels with some Optimum Spray Wax and dressed the tires.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0147.jpg
Here`s some shots i took when i was done.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0145.jpg
As you can see the sealant and prep work brought out lots of gloss and some really good reflection.
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0132.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0144.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0141-1.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0136.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0137-1.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0130.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0129.jpg
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/aa356/addr6/_DSC0125.jpg
Thanks for reading!!!