Darkwolf's 1998 Bmw 540i

[darkwolf 0]

So I gave my car a clean and as I don't have any photos of her yet decided I'd take a few. Couldn't believe how shiny she is

For anyone interested:

1x Mothers Carnauba Wax (a couple of weekends ago)

1x Mothers California Gold Car Wash

1x Microfibre Detailing Cloth (used when washing car)

1x Microfibre Cloth (used for drying car)

Took about 45 minutes to wash and that's what it came up like. Took about 3 hours to wax when I did it though.

NB. I think they are the right size for forum rules (but I use 2 x 24" 1920x1200 monitors so I could be wrong) if so let me know and I'll fix it

Edited November 27, 2008 by DarkWolf

[Mark 178]

Pics no workie.

I'm sure it looks really nice though!

[greenday-rulz21 6]

Pics no workie.

Didn't work for me first. But work now. Try refreshing, or opening it in another window.

Looks good mate. I should have posted some pictures of my fathers 540i. When he bought it, it had just had a full front end respray and he got a Teflon coating put on. Looks absolutely magnificent, this is 3 years on and it nearly looks as good as the day it was done. Only ever uses water to wash it!

They sure scrub up well

[darkwolf 0]

Pics no workie.

I'm sure it looks really nice though!

Sorry, I worked out what the issue was. Turns out I had them listed in an unlisted album so basically you couldn't view without authorisation.

Didn't work for me first. But work now. Try refreshing, or opening it in another window.

Looks good mate. I should have posted some pictures of my fathers 540i. When he bought it, it had just had a full front end respray and he got a Teflon coating put on. Looks absolutely magnificent, this is 3 years on and it nearly looks as good as the day it was done. Only ever uses water to wash it!

They sure scrub up well

Yeah I can see her from my bedroom window where I have the computer set up. I went to turn the PC on and saw how good she looked. Unfortunately my parents have borrowed my proper camera so I had to use my cellphone, otherwise I'd have taken more photos.

[Guest Simon*]

Nice

Looks good Have you got any piccies from other angles?

[kiwi535 538]

take some more pictures in 8 years time ....i ussually only wash my 1990 535 and it comes up really nice..its time for some more polish and wax though...I have a theory that you actually polish your car infrequently...that way the paint and or clear coat dont get thinned down.But frequent washing is required

[Apex 693]

Can’t see much in the pictures..

Did you polish it first, or did you just rub in heaps of wax

Waxing a car should only take 20 minutes if you’re not fussed on the time you leave it to set.

Edit bravo: removed repost of pictures

Edited November 27, 2008 by bravo

[darkwolf 0]

Nice

Looks good Have you got any piccies from other angles?

A few others... as I said though, didn't have my camera, only had my phone so didn't bother taking many, but they turned out better than I thought they would. Really makes my LED tail lights look amazing.

From my bedroom window. No zoom unfortunately but you can still see the reflections on the drivers side.

Can’t see much in the pictures..

Did you polish it first, or did you just rub in heaps of wax

Waxing a car should only take 20 minutes if you’re not fussed on the time you leave it to set.

No, no polishing. I just cleaned it when I first bought it. Waxed it after giving it a really good dry down with a chamois. Parked it in lots of shade and waxed it. I'm pretty pedantic about waxing though. Nothing pisses me off more than dirty wax marks all over the car. I don't let the water "air dry" as it creates water marks on the paint from dirt getting caught in the water as it dries. So I dry it with a microfibre cloth now. I used to use a chamois but the microfibre seems to get a better finish.

Edited November 27, 2008 by DarkWolf

[Apex 693]

Try a Meguiars Water Magnet of you want an easy dry, Follow off with a detailer and the microfiber cloth. Will look like that for months if you do it weekly.

Branded Microfiber cloths are good but if you go through them like I do say 12 a month, try Godfries (s)the vacuum cleaner shop, they are about 10% the price of the named brands.

A polish before a wax is a good idea, it gets rid of scratches and swirl marks and brightens the paint before the protective wax coat. Also, wax is easiest to apply by hand, like literally on your hands, rub on, leave for an hour then rub off.

My Old man had a E39 when they came out in that same colour so I had the pleasure of keeping it clean for him, was a very satisfying colour to work with, not as boring as silver but not as hard work as black.

[darkwolf 0]

Try a Meguiars Water Magnet of you want an easy dry, Follow off with a detailer and the microfiber cloth. Will look like that for months if you do it weekly.

Branded Microfiber cloths are good but if you go through them like I do say 12 a month, try Godfries (s)the vacuum cleaner shop, they are about 10% the price of the named brands.

A polish before a wax is a good idea, it gets rid of scratches and swirl marks and brightens the paint before the protective wax coat. Also, wax is easiest to apply by hand, like literally on your hands, rub on, leave for an hour then rub off.

My Old man had a E39 when they came out in that same colour so I had the pleasure of keeping it clean for him, was a very satisfying colour to work with, not as boring as silver but not as hard work as black.

I'm not a fan of Meguiars anything. I like the mother's stuff as it seems (probably a placebo effect) to do a better job. I know that the car was for instance is a car wash, and their wax is a wax, and their glass cleaner is, yep you guessed it glass cleaner. Whereas I don't like brands that try to make something outta something else. Like next generation car wash. We put all these other things in it that do random stuff.

I don't mind taking my time with my car. I'm not a mechaphile but I do enjoy going over every inch of my car. Plus I'm out there at least twice a week washing her. It gives me time to think. Some people drink/play games/ watch tv. I wash my car.

I've never polished as I've heard it can do terribly things to certain paints. I can never find the information I need about which paints so I just leave it alone.

[Apex 693]

I was just trying to give you a tip or two, wasn’t having ago

The Water Magnate can dry a whole car in 5-10 minutes without a single wring out, a microfiber cloth is useless for drying a car, it pushes water around if anything.

A Polish like Mothers or Meguiars wont damage your paint unless you do something completely retarded, applying wax without a decant clean (paint cleaner or clay bar) and a polish is like clear coating a car without painting it, the wax is simply there to enhance and protect what’s underneath.

[darkwolf 0]

I was just trying to give you a tip or two, wasn’t having ago

The Water Magnate can dry a whole car in 5-10 minutes without a single wring out, a microfiber cloth is useless for drying a car, it pushes water around if anything.

A Polish like Mothers or Meguiars wont damage your paint unless you do something completely retarded, applying wax without a decant clean (paint cleaner or clay bar) and a polish is like clear coating a car without painting it, the wax is simply there to enhance and protect what’s underneath.

That's fine, I didn't think you were. I just don't like meguiars products normally. That Water Magnate sounds interesting. Might check it out next time I'm buying cleaning gear. The microfiber clothes are actually really good for drying a car. Better than a chamois. They need rung out a bit more but they do dry better.

Yeah, thinking about it I think I had been told not to use a cutting compound on some paints. Can't remember if it was on a paint with or without a clear coat. I've no idea how to tell the difference so I just stayed clear. Might also look at a polish then the next time I go to wax it. Probably in the next 2-3 months.