I searched and there were lot of threads about these, but I couldn't find the answer specific to my questions. Please answer my question as specific as you can with link to the product if possible.

1. What kind of soap you wash your car exterior with? Is any soap that you put in the washing machine will do?
2. After the wash, what do you do? wax, detail, etc. what product do you use?
3. Do you dry the car with a towel after wash or just leave it air dry?
4. what do you use to clean/condition your interior.

I never hand wash my car before, hence all the noob questions.

This should have all you need to know:-

http://www.woodsautomotive.co.uk/carwash.htm

Johnny is an expert in his field. Check out his products too. I purchased the Harly Wax, 3M Imperial Hand glaze, Dash Duster and Hide Food. Still waiting for a decent day to give my car the full treatment! :thumbsup2:

Anything by Maguiars is simply the best in my opinion. I work at the BMW dealership and half the stuff the detailers use is made by Maguiars or is a bulk bought knock off lol


i use Maguiars Shampoo and Conditioner car was, dont use too much soap tho. Their clay bar kit works very well but dont clay bare more then once every 6 months. Quick Detailer gets out every water spot on your car, as well ass dirt and bird poop without any scrubbing. Basically if u see anything thats made for car care and has Maguiars as the maker, your buying grade A stuff

Anything by Maguiars is simply the best in my opinion. I work at the BMW dealership and half the stuff the detailers use is made by Maguiars or is a bulk bought knock off lol


i use Maguiars Shampoo and Conditioner car was, dont use too much soap tho. Their clay bar kit works very well but dont clay bare more then once every 6 months. Quick Detailer gets out every water spot on your car, as well ass dirt and bird poop without any scrubbing. Basically if u see anything thats made for car care and has Maguiars as the maker, your buying grade A stuff

:agree:

I especially like the Quick Detailer and Quick Wheel Detailer. Good stuff and work well.

Anything by Maguiars is simply the best in my opinion. I work at the BMW dealership and half the stuff the detailers use is made by Maguiars or is a bulk bought knock off lol


i use Maguiars Shampoo and Conditioner car was, dont use too much soap tho. Their clay bar kit works very well but dont clay bare more then once every 6 months. Quick Detailer gets out every water spot on your car, as well ass dirt and bird poop without any scrubbing. Basically if u see anything thats made for car care and has Maguiars as the maker, your buying grade A stuff

Ditto here. I use the Gold Class "shampoo", then get the water off with a California Water blade. Then I hand dry with a microfiber, then go over it with Quick Detailer. I always wash in the shade. The Maquire's bug and tar remover works very well also, and I use that from time to time. I was using the Maguire's glaze and wax, but recently tried the 3M wax and found it much easer to remove and it's white, not yellow---so if I get it on my clearbra, it won't yellow it.

I will use nothing but Zaino leather cleaner and conditioner on my seats. The cleaner lifts stains (yes, even those notorious "ghost" stains on black nappa) without damaging the leather. The leather conditioner "leather in a bottle" works great and restores that fresh leather smell (if that's your cup of tea).

For interior plastic panels, I use the BMW stuff . . . "Interior Shampoo" and "Plastic Care Emulsion". These also restore that new car smell.

Just stay away from Armor All

And for exterior soap I use . . . you guessed it . . . Zaino Brothers shampoo as well.

Zaino's the ish!

Zaino system outside, haven't found a leather cleaner I like yet.

1. What kind of soap you wash your car exterior with? Is any soap that you put in the washing machine will do?
dish soap is different the car soap. i'm using simple green car wash. then bmw's gel wheel cleaners for the wheels. works amazing.

2. After the wash, what do you do? wax, detail, etc. what product do you use?
meguirs tire shine....for waxes and stuff i get a guy to come wax it.

3. Do you dry the car with a towel after wash or just leave it air dry?
the absorber. been using the same towel for about 2 years now.

4. what do you use to clean/condition your interior.
aerospace 303 on plastics, etc.
some industrial glass cleaner my brother got from his old work followed by a micro fibre towel
on the leather i haven't really decided on anything. currently i'm using megiurs gold class.

The best leather cleaner is Lexol hands down.

[QUOTE=Scarface0026;3121008]Anything by Maguiars is simply the best in my opinion. I work at the BMW dealership and half the stuff the detailers use is made by Maguiars or is a bulk bought knock off lol


Yup we use maguiars at our detail shop for our BMW dealership. Its OK. It all depends how much you wana drop and how much you care about minute details. Maguiars is good for anyone wanting a good job on their car.

[QUOTE=Scarface0026;3121008]Anything by Maguiars is simply the best in my opinion. I work at the BMW dealership and half the stuff the detailers use is made by Maguiars or is a bulk bought knock off lol


Yup we use maguiars at our detail shop for our BMW dealership. Its OK. It all depends how much you wana drop and how much you care about minute details. Maguiars is good for anyone wanting a good job on their car.

I agree it's the best stuff you can find easily at local auto supply stores. There are undoubtedly better products out there, just depends on what you want to spend.

griot's products inside and out -- excellent quality and biodegradeable.

cheers,
bill

I myself just invested in some Swissvax Concours=]

where do you guys get those products that you mentioned?

detailers domain

detailers paradise

Walmart lol


Its the same stuff u get a really good deal on it

for the specific Magiars stuff u can find it easily at any Auto store (Kragen Autozone Ect)


but for Magiars shampoo and conditioner quick detailer wax and all that good stuff u can EASILY find it at Walmart and u get it for a couple bucks cheaper then u would elsewhere

Driving/Modding a M3 is expensive so every penny saved counts right?

These are good questions.

1. What kind of soap you wash your car exterior with? Is any soap that you put in the washing machine will do?
For exterior, i use Zaino Bros. Z-7 Car Wash. Dish soap should never be used. It removes the wax from the finish. The two exceptions are 1) if you're trying to do just that, remove existing wax. And 2) possibly for the wheels. Zaino Products (http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Zaino)

2. After the wash, what do you do? wax, detail, etc. what product do you use?
Usually I just wash & dry. Sometimes, I wax or use Zaino Polish.

3. Do you dry the car with a towel after wash or just leave it air dry?
The California Water Blade makes drying the car infinitely easier! Be sure the clean the blade frequently, as debris left on the blade can scratch the finish. use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe up what the blade missed.
Cal Water Blade (http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1006&cid=100)

4. what do you use to clean/condition your interior.
Professional detailer or dealership :roll:

:agree:

I especially like the Quick Detailer and Quick Wheel Detailer. Good stuff and work well.

Holy crap yeah... I did a piss poor wash on the outside the other day because I wanted to spend most of my time on the interior... I had won some of the Quick Detail at a raffle and had it in my trunk. So I figured I'd use it to get rid of some water spots.... Holy crap, I ended up going over almost the whole car. I wouldn't do it all the time, but it turned a crap wash into glass. Amazing.

Griot's Garage

Be sure the clean the blade frequently, as debris left on the blade can scratch the finish. use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe up what the blade missed.
Cal Water Blade (http://www.calcarcover.com/product.aspx?id=1006&cid=100)



I don't use the blade for just that reason. I use an Absorber towel. Works great, just have to wring it out often.


For the interior, I've tried just about everything to get that matte black look. I HATE the shiny cheap Armour All-type look. This is the best stuff out there for the look I like. Makes my interior look like brand new.


http://www.drivewerks.com/catalog/images/drivewerks/einszett/IZ-924705.jpg

My friend works for 3M and he turned me onto their car care products. I love their stuff and love how easy their product goes on and comes off. The stuff also makes the car look so great and lasts.

I just used the swirl remover this weekend and everyone has commented how great my Carbon Black car looks. I highly recommend the 3M exterior products.

dry it in the shade

NEVER USE A REGULAR TOWEL!!

use a shammie (super absorbant towel thing) go to autozone or any auto store and they'll point u to them. They get a large amount of the water off, are reusable and dont need to be washed


get most of the water off with the sammie, then go around one last time with the shammie (it will be moist so it will leave a trail of water) use a micro fiber cloth to follow behind and get the little bit of water left


DO NOT put your micro fibers in the dryer. The towels are made a special way and are inaffective once you put them in a dryer. Wash is ok but no dryer, lay them out to air dry


make sure you keep at least 2 microfibers in your trunk and a bottle of quick detailer in case a bird craps on ur car lol or u get water spots that you missed when you were drying


the quick detailer is KEY in maintaining a clean car after you wash it

and of course, Maguiars quick detailer is the best IMO

I vote for Griotsgarage.com products also. Museum quality, ease of use, and they don't use silicone. (some of the long lasting tire products do, but they will tell you that):twocents:

I searched and there were lot of threads about these, but I couldn't find the answer specific to my questions. Please answer my question as specific as you can with link to the product if possible.

1. What kind of soap you wash your car exterior with? Is any soap that you put in the washing machine will do?
2. After the wash, what do you do? wax, detail, etc. what product do you use?
3. Do you dry the car with a towel after wash or just leave it air dry?
4. what do you use to clean/condition your interior.

I never hand wash my car before, hence all the noob questions.

There is a forum on this website devoted entirely to washing and detailing. It is under the M3Forum Garage, called M3 Car Care and Detailing. You'll find all your answers and more there. Have your checkbook ready!

I used Maguiars on the leather 2 weeks ago and it left white spots everywhere. I ended up having to wipe it down good with a microfiber cloth and eventually it rubbed off. I tossed it in the can and got Lexol to try. Maguiars for the wash and i put a coat of Zymbol on the car last weekend, came out looking great.

dry it in the shade

NEVER USE A REGULAR TOWEL!!

use a shammie (super absorbant towel thing) go to autozone or any auto store and they'll point u to them. They get a large amount of the water off, are reusable and dont need to be washed


get most of the water off with the sammie, then go around one last time with the shammie (it will be moist so it will leave a trail of water) use a micro fiber cloth to follow behind and get the little bit of water left


DO NOT put your micro fibers in the dryer. The towels are made a special way and are inaffective once you put them in a dryer. Wash is ok but no dryer, lay them out to air dry


make sure you keep at least 2 microfibers in your trunk and a bottle of quick detailer in case a bird craps on ur car lol or u get water spots that you missed when you were drying


the quick detailer is KEY in maintaining a clean car after you wash it

and of course, Maguiars quick detailer is the best IMO

^^so basically for the exterior, wash it with Meguiar's® 1.89L Deep Crystal Car Wash, rinse with water, dry with sammie absorben and microfibre towel, then apply Meguiar's® Quick Detailer?

For the wheels, wash and apply Meguiar's® Hot Rims Wheel Cleaner?

...
use a shammie (super absorbant towel thing)...

"Chamois"

There is a forum on this website devoted entirely to washing and detailing. It is under the M3Forum Garage, called M3 Car Care and Detailing.

detailersdomain.com and detailedimage.com will have all your answers.

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