Need Help with Detailing a 2008 328i... Newb

[pj94z]

http://pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/328right.JPG

I will be doing a full detail of my 328i coupe Friday afternoon, since it will be 68 degrees :) I purchased the car 5 days ago...its a 2008 BMW 328i coupe.

I went to Wal-mart today and picked up the following:

Meguiars NXT 2.0 Liquid Wax Bottle - $15
2 microfiber wax applicator pads
2 5-pack of micro-fiber cloths
1 MicroFiber Wash Mit
1 MicroFiber Sponge
1 Wheel Cleaner Brush
1 bottle of Car Wash (has carnuba beads or something?)
1 bottle of armor all wheel cleaner
1 small can of Mothers Wheel Polish (mag and aluminum wheels)
1 Meguirs Interior Detailer spray (plastics,leather,trim)
1 Rainx Glass Cleaner with Rain X
1 Meguiars Tire Shine Foam

What do you think about these products? Should I make any changes?


Questions:


My car is a 2008 and paint job looks great - no harsh surfaces or swirls etc.

1. Given that, Do I need to Clay the car ? What about a polish before waxing? Is it necessary on such a new
car ?

2. Which polish do you guys recommend that I can find locally in stores?

3. How hard/time consuming is it to polish all 4 wheels? I think I have alloys( ?)
Should I be using some type of special pad or just use a micro-fiber towel or round wax pad?

4. Any pointers ? I'm thinking it will take me 5 hours to do this by myself :)

[ajnavo61490]

Here would be my process with the products you have...

1. Wheels/Tires w/ All-Wheel Cleaner (I'm biased against AA products, so I'm leaving it at "All Wheel Cleaner")
2. 2-Bucket Wash w/ Car Wash soap (beads won't matter, protection will be stripped anyways)
3. Dry with MF Towels (Waffle Weave if possible)
4. Apply Tire Dressing (Be careful not to get on rims/paint, or do it first so not to worry about it at all)
5. Apply Wax (Apply to paint THEN wheels)
6. Interior (Wipedown, Vacuum, Windows, Scent, ect)
7. Remove wax from paint THEN wheels (Use separate towels to be safe to not damage paint)
8. Glass Cleaner (Use one side of MF Towel for wiping and other side for final buff since rain-x spray tends to haze up a bit)
9. Go get some quick detail spray to use on paint THEN wheels (Use one side of MF Towel for initial wipe and other side for final buff)

*Don't use the Mother's Wheel Polish, the wheels look painted to me... :confused

Anyways, hope this helps! GOOD LUCK!!! :redspot

[PaintPolisher]

Sending you a PM.
al

[kevintb7]

Good that you have bought all microfiber products. That will help you keep the car swirl free for as long as possible. You will find what waxes you like through trial and error there are many good products out there and everyone will recommend something different. You do not need to polish the car if it is free of swirls, buffer trails etc....

[pj94z]

thanks guys.....I noticed that the Mother's Wheel Polish states "Do not use for painted or coated wheels"

Ouch...glad I read that, so I will be returning that to the store.

Can I use Meguiars NXT 2.0 liquid wax on the Wheels ? Is that safe for the type of wheels I have ?

[JohnZ3MC]

thanks guys.....I noticed that the Mother's Wheel Polish states "Do not use for painted or coated wheels"

Ouch...glad I read that, so I will be returning that to the store.

Can I use Meguiars NXT 2.0 liquid wax on the Wheels ? Is that safe for the type of wheels I have ?
Nice car!
Re: the NXT on the wheels? I wouldn't bother for two reasons. NXT under ideal conditions doesn't last a whole long time so it's not going to protect your wheels more than minimally.
Your wheels get really warm and are subject to a lot of brake dust and other crud. These are going to affect NXT even more. You'd be adding a ton of effort for an absolute minimum protection time.
So here's a better solution.
You're going to take your wheel polish back anyway. Pick up some Eagle1 or Mother's Wheel Wax. It's not really a wax, it's a specially formulated sealant to deal with high temps and will last considerably longer than the NXT. (Long lasting sealants will work on your wheels too, but you probably want something quick. UPGP, Optiseal, Klasse SG, Poorboys EXP are all mail order and will take a while to arrive.)

Those wheels are beautiful so by all means protect them. They're so nice that we're going to monitor them, and if you get any curb rash on them, you're going to be in a heap o' trouble. :)
-John C.

[itciai]

Those wheels are beautiful so by all means protect them. They're so nice that we're going to monitor them, and if you get any curb rash on them, you're going to be in a heap o' trouble. :)
-John C.

:lol
You, sir, are hilarious.

NXT + Wheels = Fail.:nono

[JohnZ3MC]

:lol
You, sir, are hilarious.

NXT + Wheels = Fail.:nono
Aw shucks, thanks. Sometimes I just can't resist, but those wheels sure do look nice. Mind you, cleaning them will be a bit of a chore with all those nooks, crannys and side edges.
Itciai, have you ever tried a sash brush for those types of wheels? I use one all the time and find it is a real winner.
-John C.

[pj94z]

thanks for the tips. I will be starting the detail in 10 mins.

I will NOT be using any wax or polish on the wheels since I do not have the correct product to do this job.

What do you guys think about BLACK MAGIC TITANIUM WHEEL POLISH? It claims to protect coated/painted wheels. I saw this at Target today...but decided I'll wait to wax wheels until next month, once I have a better idea on what works etc.

I'll report back here in a few hrs with some pictures once I'm done! :)

[itciai]

Aw shucks, thanks. Sometimes I just can't resist, but those wheels sure do look nice. Mind you, cleaning them will be a bit of a chore with all those nooks, crannys and side edges.
Itciai, have you ever tried a sash brush for those types of wheels? I use one all the time and find it is a real winner.
-John C.

You mean for my wheels on my 325is or on PJ's 328i wheels?:confused

[JohnZ3MC]

You mean for my wheels on my 325is or on PJ's 328i wheels?:confused

My question was confusing. Clarity of thought and word are not my forte sometimes.
I guess I'm asking if you've used or ever tried a sash brush while trying to clean most any wheels with lots of edges and corners. The brush even works well on cleaning calipers between spokes.

[itciai]

My question was confusing. Clarity of thought and word are not my forte sometimes.
I guess I'm asking if you've used or ever tried a sash brush while trying to clean most any wheels with lots of edges and corners. The brush even works well on cleaning calipers between spokes.

You need to write more... That'll get rid of your clarity issues. Try reading your writing out-loud... Or mumble it... That's what I do. But, what do I know?

As for a wheel brush- nope. Link me to a good wheel brush. I still have the stock wheels on my 325is (sue me:shifty), and cleaning the wheels and tires(I'm talking about a good, thorough cleaning) alone takes about as long as the actual wash of the entire exterior of the car. :rolleyes
Give me a good brush to try. I've been just buying brushes from Advanced Auto... One of those brushes lasts me about three thorough wheel cleanings before I start wearing the bristles off. :( It's starting to get expensive, so any way that I can save a buck and even possibly speed up my exterior clean-up time is definitely worth a try! :D

[JohnZ3MC]

Mumbling, I'm good at mumbling, and have a real mastery of drooling so I think I'm finally on the right path to enlightment and clarity.

Here's a pic of a sash brush. It's cut on an angle. 2 inch width seems to be the best for me. Apart from doing a great job on skinny bits
and edges, it's also a winner for reaching through spokes to get to the brake calipers. Mine are red and always look sharp, thanks to the sash brush.
Wrap the ferrule (metal part) in duct tape and it's good. It'll last a long time and they're really cheap at most paint stores and hardware stores. The longer the handle the better.
Give one a try.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll286/JohnZ3MC/Brush_Nylon1u.jpg
-John C.

[itciai]

Mumbling, I'm good at mumbling, and have a real mastery of drooling so I think I'm finally on the right path to enlightment and clarity.

Here's a pic of a sash brush. It's cut on an angle. 2 inch width seems to be the best for me. Apart from doing a great job on skinny bits
and edges, it's also a winner for reaching through spokes to get to the brake calipers. Mine are red and always look sharp, thanks to the sash brush.
Wrap the ferrule (metal part) in duct tape and it's good. It'll last a long time and they're really cheap at most paint stores and hardware stores. The longer the handle the better.
Give one a try.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll286/JohnZ3MC/Brush_Nylon1u.jpg
-John C.

I'll go take a look at one, but I can just about gaurantee just from looking at it that the bristles won't be firm enough to remove my brake dust.:(

[PaintPolisher]

Mumbling, I'm good at mumbling, and have a real mastery of drooling so I think I'm finally on the right path to enlightment and clarity.

Here's a pic of a sash brush. It's cut on an angle. 2 inch width seems to be the best for me. Apart from doing a great job on skinny bits
and edges, it's also a winner for reaching through spokes to get to the brake calipers. Mine are red and always look sharp, thanks to the sash brush.
Wrap the ferrule (metal part) in duct tape and it's good. It'll last a long time and they're really cheap at most paint stores and hardware stores. The longer the handle the better.
Give one a try.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll286/JohnZ3MC/Brush_Nylon1u.jpg
-John C.

John this is exactly what I have in the 1/2", 1" and 1 1/2" sizes taped up like you said and they work great for nooks, crannies and lugs. :redspot

[pj94z]

OK, it took me about 4 hours to wash, wax and clean wheels, rainx all windows, clean interior, wipe down interior.

I think next time I do this, it should take me approx 3 hrs.

Pictures:

http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/front1.jpg

http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/back.jpg


http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/side.jpg


http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/side1.jpg

[JohnZ3MC]

John this is exactly what I have in the 1/2", 1" and 1 1/2" sizes taped up like you said and they work great for nooks, crannies and lugs. :redspot
Excellent,
It's nice to see someone else using them. They're such a cheap alternative to the really pricey brushes and they work so such better on the every day stuff.
I'd forgotten about the lug nut area, and you're right. They get right in there and clean them up so good. It's like a no brainer really.
I just got 20 chrome lug bolts for the coupe and I'll be installing them one wheel at a time. As the wheels are off, I'll be doing the backs with Brown Royal and maybe Megs WB, and the sash brush will be my first goto brush for the backsides.
(I use a toilet cleaning brush on the wheel wells with a little apc then dress the wheel wells with a little spritz of Armourall. Clean wheel wells surrounding perfect wheels and tires is like the prefect presentation of a Leonardo de vinci masterpiece.)
Keep 'em clean!
-John C.

[pj94z]

Some notes:

I used Armor All Wheel Cleaner to clean wheels b/c it said it's safe on "coated and painted wheels" on back of the spray bottle. It said to let stand only 30 secs and rinse off well.

So, I sprayed it on the wet wheel...let stand 10 secs...then used a wheel brush to brush for 20 secs...then rinsed it off immediately...and it cleaned up the brake dust nicely.


Tire Foam:

I used Meguiars Tire Foam Can....and I gotta say...I'm unimpressed with the shine...I used another brand of can foam prior to this...and I'd say it shined better than meguiars. I ended up putting 2 coats of meguiars and still...the shine didn't thrill me.
Oh well...

(EDIT: not sure if it's due to the low profile tires, but I used this foam on my other car, and it shines nicely! So, maybe I just didn't spray it on properly on my 328 )

Wax:

I used the liquid NXT 2.0 Wax and applied using hand applicator. I did one section at a time and let it dry about 5 mins before buffing off with a microfiber towel.
Should I be letting the wax DRY for longer then 5 mins? At times, it felt like I was taking off wet wax...

[JohnZ3MC]

OK, it took me about 4 hours to wash, wax and clean wheels, rainx all windows, clean interior, wipe down interior.

I think next time I do this, it should take me approx 3 hrs.

Pictures:

http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/front1.jpg

http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/back.jpg


http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/side.jpg


http://www.pjbuyshouses.com/bmw/side1.jpg
Oh my, my.
You done good.
If you were driving down the road in the opposite direction, I've be obligated to do a double take, you did that well.
Congrats, it looks perfect.
More pics in the future, and the wheels still look perfect so we'll cut you some slack for good and meticulous work. :)
-John C.

[PaintPolisher]

Car looks great!

For the wax use the swipe test.

If you can gently wipe a finger across the waxed area and it smears the wax, the wax needs more drying time.

No smear...ready to remove.

[pj94z]

Car looks great!

For the wax use the swipe test.

If you can gently wipe a finger across the waxed area and it smears the wax, the wax needs more drying time.

No smear...ready to remove.

Ah..thanks for the tip... I found myself actually doing this test a few times and found I was wiping off wet wax...so I waited 5 more mins, then tried it again before I buffed it off.