[icj_45e]

I've spent way too much time on YouTube, and way too much $$ on detailing supplies, but I'm loving the results! It'll never be this pristine again. 3 weeks, 500 miles in

Chemical Guys Mr Pink 2-Bucket wash w/ Adam's wash mitt and grit guard
Adam's clay mitt
Adam's Iron remover spray down
Pressure wash (I had to buy one of those)
Chemical Guys waffle towel dry
Adam's Hand Polish (utilizing an orbital buffer, I had to buy one of those)
Chemical Guys wipe-out
Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray on paint/glass/plastics/wheels
Adam's Graphene tire shine

[Shllshck]

Looks great icj_45e!

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by icj_45e

I've spent way too much time on YouTube, and way too much $$ on detailing supplies, but I'm loving the results! It'll never be this pristine again. 3 weeks, 500 miles in

Chemical Guys Mr Pink 2-Bucket wash w/ Adam's wash mitt and grit guard
Adam's clay mitt
Adam's Iron remover spray down
Pressure wash (I had to buy one of those)
Chemical Guys waffle towel dry
Adam's Hand Polish (utilizing an orbital buffer, I had to buy one of those)
Chemical Guys wipe-out
Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray on paint/glass/plastics/wheels
Adam's Graphene tire shine

I would try a twisted loop microfibre drying towel, they're 100 times better than a waffle weave towel. I can dry my X5 with my twisted loop towel and the towel is still barely wet. Waffle weaves are only normally used for cleaning the glass.

You need a foam cannon and snow foam too, DO NOT go straight into the contact wash if you've not pre washed the car beforehand, you'll ruin the paintwork.

Why not get it ceramic coated, it'll be even easier to keep clean.

[icj_45e]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

I would try a twisted loop microfibre drying towel, they're 100 times better than a waffle weave towel. I can dry my X5 with my twisted loop towel and the towel is still barely wet. Waffle weaves are only normally used for cleaning the glass.

You need a foam cannon and snow foam too, DO NOT go straight into the contact wash if you've not pre washed the car beforehand, you'll ruin the paintwork.

Why not get it ceramic coated, it'll be even easier to keep clean.

I pressured washed before the hand wash, but I think the foam gun is going on my Xmas list.... and I did ceramic coat all surfaces with Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray product

[Shllshck]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

I would try a twisted loop microfibre drying towel, they're 100 times better than a waffle weave towel. I can dry my X5 with my twisted loop towel and the towel is still barely wet. Waffle weaves are only normally used for cleaning the glass.

icj_45e, I use both Rag Company’s Liquid8r and Griot Garage’s Extra Large PFM Edgeless Drying Towel. I previously used Adam’s and Rag Company’s waffle weave towels. Additionally, you could consider moving away from the two bucket system. See this thread: https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1876318

malvern_man, what do you do to try and catch water that drips from the side mirrors? I always use two towels as I wrap my mirrors with them to try and stop the annoying drips and waterspouts that run down the doors.

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by icj_45e

I pressured washed before the hand wash, but I think the foam gun is going on my Xmas list.... and I did ceramic coat all surfaces with Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray product

In my opinion just pressure washing before a contact wash is asking for trouble, you really need to pre wash before a contact wash.

I wouldn't consider a graphene ceramic spray as a ceramic coating. By ceramic coating I mean a professionally applied coating such as Gyeon or Gtechniq which should last around 3 years. A ceramic spray product needs to be applied around every 3 washes.

[ByFives19]

Very nice!
What did you use on the interior? Dash etc?

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by Shllshck

icj_45e, I use both Rag Company’s Liquid8r and Griot Garage’s Extra Large PFM Edgeless Drying Towel. I previously used Adam’s and Rag Company’s waffle weave towels. Additionally, you could consider moving away from the two bucket system. See this thread: https://g05.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1876318

malvern_man, what do you do to try and catch water that drips from the side mirrors? I always use two towels as I wrap my mirrors with them to try and stop the annoying drips and waterspouts that run down the doors.

I use a car blower to remove water drips, I dry my mirrors, door shuts, grill and wheels with it, in fact anywhere theres a chance of trapped water I use my car blower.

I have got 2 blowers, the BigBoi BlowR Mini+ and the BigBoi Buddi ( with additional BigBoi Buddi Pack)


https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/...mini-plus.aspx

https://www.theultimatefinish.co.uk/...cle-dryer.aspx

[icj_45e]

Originally Posted by ByFives19

Very nice!
What did you use on the interior? Dash etc?

I used Adam's Interior Detailer on seats/doors. And I like Chemical Guys Total Interior for dash/screens/trim/controls

[malvern_man]

Originally Posted by icj_45e

I used Adam's Interior Detailer on seats/doors. And I like Chemical Guys Total Interior for dash/screens/trim/controls

Give Gyeon vinyl cleaner a try for the hard plastics and Gyeon interior detailer for all the soft/leather surfaces, you won't be disappointed.

[RVAGuy]

Originally Posted by icj_45e

I've spent way too much time on YouTube, and way too much $$ on detailing supplies, but I'm loving the results! It'll never be this pristine again. 3 weeks, 500 miles in

Chemical Guys Mr Pink 2-Bucket wash w/ Adam's wash mitt and grit guard
Adam's clay mitt
Adam's Iron remover spray down
Pressure wash (I had to buy one of those)
Chemical Guys waffle towel dry
Adam's Hand Polish (utilizing an orbital buffer, I had to buy one of those)
Chemical Guys wipe-out
Adam's Graphene Ceramic Spray on paint/glass/plastics/wheels
Adam's Graphene tire shine

I'm retired and "detail" 5 cars; mine and two sons and their wives. I only detail when I have the time and energy. I can do on my own at my own speed, listen to music (too loud) and know the car will look great when I'm done. I find it therapeutic and a great way to be welcomed by family members. Would never dream of doing for a living; can't justify the hours it takes to do a good job.

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by malvern_man

In my opinion just pressure washing before a contact wash is asking for trouble, you really need to pre wash before a contact wash.

I wouldn't consider a graphene ceramic spray as a ceramic coating. By ceramic coating I mean a professionally applied coating such as Gyeon or Gtechniq which should last around 3 years. A ceramic spray product needs to be applied around every 3 washes.

icj_45e

In my experience sort of / kind of ... my 2 cents:

(1.) You don't need a foam cannon
For pre-wash or any similar job like applying soaps or polymers (i.e., "rinseless wash"), one can use a $1.99 spray bottle or pump sprayer from a home center (like for plant/bug spraying).

(2.) Pre-soak / pre-wash is a great idea
To your point, it can help remove dirt & road film / grease & oil (the biggest benefit) which attracts and holds dirt IF you use something with degreasing abilities which usually means a high pH. Even a cheap APC can work (like simple green or similar) and one has to find the right balance of dilution for your goals. (Stronger if you don't care about stripping - I don't, see below; weaker if you do)

(3.) The purpose of shampoo / polymer wash like ONR or P&S Absolute is lubrication
Basically if you use good wash media (my 2 cents, chenille mitts, even cheap ones kick the snot out of any other media) that will grab the dirt and move it into the mitt/pad and away from the paint avoiding marring. The soap/polymer is there to break the micellar bonds of dirt to itself & to your clear coat making it easy to remove and lubricate the media so the dirt can easily move into the media or, at a minimum, slide over the clear coat without marring.

(4.) Two-bucket is ok, but it's not the best method & it's a hassle
2-bucket is a compromise: it allows one to more safely use 1 mitt/pad at the expensive of time, setup/takedown, & water usage. If you have multiple mitts/pads/towels it's much safer to use the "Garry Dean" method, i.e., one clean bucket with many soap-solution-soaked mitts/pads/towels each part of which only gets use 1 time for a pass or 2 and then put aside in favor of a clean side. This method is by far the best to avoid marring and also requires less setup & water which means it can be done anywhere and doesn't require access to a hose and/or water. Here's the key, though: use de-ionized water! Either from the grocery store bulk section or a hose de-ionizer.

(5.) For people who wash their car every few weeks pro "ceramic" coatings aren't needed.
In general "ceramic" is a marketing invention to make detailers money & make their job easier. Functionally there's no difference between a water-based sealant, ceramic or otherwise, applied every few weeks & and a more durable resin-based professionally applied ceramic coating. And "graphene" is not different or better.

For example, if your detailer can charge you $2000 to apply a resin-based ceramic, and then $150 for a maintenance wash that takes him 50% less time because of the coating ... WIN for him!

Professional detailers, when it comes to detailing, including on YouTube, are most concerned with selling things even if only their own services ... and a professional detailer is most concerned their process be fast & cheap; i.e., efficiency because time is money and product is money.

Home detailers (like me) typically don't care as much about time and not much about money since it's my hobby - I care about quality!

So take a Prosumer, resin-based ceramic coating like C.Quartz; sure I can apply that and, sure, it'll last WAY longer (meaning is more chemically-strip resistant) than a water-based coating, and, yes, it makes my maintenance wash job easier but ... do I, a home detailer, care about that stuff?

No. (well for wheels & exhaust I do, but not paintwork or trim)

I wash my cars every 2-3 weeks and I use a water-based paint sealant as a drying aide (Turtle Wax Flex Wax); which is functionally no different than a professionally applied resin-based ceramic or graphene coating, assuming I'm applying it at least every few months.

Plus, if I have a long lasting coating on my car now I can't polish my car which is a bummer because NO COATING PREVENTS MARRING!

SO WHAT'S THE ANSWER?
Well, yearly decon & paint enhancing polishing beats everything else by miles & miles & miles ...

If that's your goal then you definitely don't want a long lasting coating on there, or at least one that's hard or expensive to apply, since polishing will remove it.

If you're NOT going to do a paint enhancing decon & polish every yearish, then a resin-based professional/prosumer ceramic is one answer if you're not going to be washing yourself (no time) or don't want to be (no desire) applying a water-based spray sealant every few months.

NEW! EXCEPTION:
There might be a possible exception to professional resin-based coatings being functionally no different than a water-based consumer sealant applied every few months: D.Quartz.
Car Pro has a new coating they're releasing in 2023 which they claim will resist marring If that's true, that could be a game changer.

-----------------
Ok, so having said nobody needs a foam cannon, or buckets, or pressure washer, or blowers, or professional resin-based ceramic coatings to get great results, I should mention I do have & use all that stuff
I've just learned one doesn't NEED it to get the same results