[the_doctor]

So I haven't washed my car for 3 weeks and decided to do a "deep clean". Just thought I'd share my process, thoughts along the way, and results. The car is bone stock; picked it up this May. Sorry, just after shots, no before. Any constructive comments are welcome!

Background: I'm no pro and I don't detail cars for a living (and as you can tell from the pics below, I'm no professional photographer either ... ). I regularly wash my car (i.e. once a week) with Meguair's Gold Class Shampoo then top up the NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 with Meguiar's Quick Wax. The car would look like it's just been waxed and my car gets regular compliments from people for being squeaky clean. I have only used Meguiar's products before - nothing else. This includes previous car ('07 Subaru Impreza in Crystal Grey Metallic) and current car. However, I didn't wash my car for the past 3 weeks because I was really busy. So I figured heck, why not give another LSP a try too?

So I decided to give Dodo Juice Supernatural a shot and I have to say I am happy with the results. I feel like it shines better than the Meguiar's Tech Wax 2.0. I find that with the Tech Wax 2.0, I would start having those black water run marks the 2nd time it rains after I wash the car and touch it up with Quick Wax - we will see what happens with the Dodo Juice.

Car Wash: Meguiar's Gold Class Shampoo with a $5 microfibre wash sponge from crappy tire using the 2-bucket method.
- great wash, can't complain. I've actually been told this is one of the more underrated washes out there.

Wheel Cleaner: 3M Wheel & Tire Cleaner
- definitely not as aggressive as Meguiar's Hot Rims, which I've been using all along until one day I grew suspicious of it containing acids that made cleaning THAT easy (if someone here can verify that it'd be great). So I was surfing the net the other day and came across Paul Dalton himself using the 3M cleaner - so I decided why not??!! It cleaned the wheels and left a citrus smell, but perhaps I'm used to something slightly stronger. My next experiment is the Sonax wheel cleaner, which has garnered raving reviews here. I used the 3M cleaner with the Mothers wheel brush.

Wheel Wells Cleaning: I just used an old wash mitt (that I no longer use on paint work) with the Meguiar's car wash shampoo.
- car is only 4 months old and I clean the wheel wells regularly, so not too dirty here
- good ol' BMW x-Drive gets you extra space between the wheel and the fender so your hand can fit in there; so you trade in handling for cleaning convenience

Interior Leather: Meguiar's Gold Class Leather Cleaner and Conditioner
- a little too shiny for me, so I spray it lightly on a terry cloth towel and just wipe it on the seats

General Interior: Meguiar's Quick Interior Detailer
- works like water, I like how it doesn't leave a shiny surface on your dash

Exhaust Tips: Meguiar's Hot Rims
- I realize that this isn't a dedicated cleaner for chrome tip exhaust, but I had to find some use for my leftover bottle of Hot Rims. I only used it on the inside though and brushed it with an old and long wheel brush and it did the job!

Clay: Meguiar's Smooth Surface Clay Kit
- haven't tried any other manufacturer's clay to offer a fair comparison here
- clay actually wasn't that dirty, I guess the dealer must have clayed the car before I took delivery?

Polish: Meguiar's M205
- figured I might as well use a light polish to remove all the very minor swirls that came with the car since the car has never been polished before
- used with the Meguiar's G110v2 DA polisher with the SoftBuff 2.0 Yellow Polishing Pad at speed 5

Glaze: Dodo Juice Lime Prime Lite
- fairly easy to use; took about 30 minutes to apply it on the entire car using the G110v2 at speed 3 with a Finishing Pad
- found it easier to clean up with microfibre towel if you spray either a quick detailer or water before wipe off so that it won't smear
- I believe this is recommended by Dodo Juice before you apply their wax

Wax: Dodo Juice Supernatural Machine Stick
- applied with G110v2 at speed 3 with a Finishing Pad
- very easy to apply since the car has been clayed, polished, and glazed
- can be a bit tough to see whether there is wax on a particular surface since the wax itself is white and the car is also white
- I applied all over the car before final wipe off since the bottle recommends a 10-minute wait time before wipe off anyway
- Dodo Juice recommends 2 layers of Supernatural if you're using the machine stick; so I waited overnight before applying the 2nd layer

Wheel Wax: Collinite 845
- I realize that you can get special wheel waxes like Swissvax Autobahn or Poorboy's Wheel Sealant, but I don't have any of this stuff and I wanted to see what it's like to apply Collinite 845 since I'm planning on using that as my "winter wax"
- this stuff literally glides on and off easier than the Meguiar's NXT Generation Tech Wax 2.0 - and it shines really nice too

Tire Dressing: Meguiar's Gold Class Endurance Tire Gel
- love this stuff - it's gel and it came with an applicator sponge so you won't make a mess
- I've used this product for 4 years and my tires have never turned brown
- can apply a 2nd layer on top with a 20-minute wait if you want it to be extra shiny

Wheel Wells Dressing: Autoglym Tire Dressing
- I had an extra bottle of tire dressing sitting at home so I might as well make my wheel wells shiny!
- you have to spray this on so you will have run offs! I laid newspaper around my tires on my garage floor to ensure that it wouldn't stain my garage

Clear Plastics (i.e. lights): Meguiar's PlastX
- just buff with a foam applicator and wipe off excess with terry cloth towel or microfibre - leaves a shiny, clear, and slippery finish - good stuff

Rubber Trims: Adam's In-and-Out Spray
- works just like they show you in their videos - just spray lightly and wipe off excess and everything turns black right away - I like it!

Glass: Sprayed with water and wiped with microfibre towel
- I have never used a glass cleaner that has been streak free and that I feel safe for tinted windows; water worked well though!

Ok I'm pretty sure this is everything ... entire job took about 16 hours. *rolling eyes* Here are some shots (and yes, I did get camera-happy, hahaha):

[Chris W.]

Nice job. I'm curious how long did it take?

[the_doctor]

Originally Posted by Chris W.

Nice job. I'm curious how long did it take?

Thanks!

Lol, 16 hours ...

[MuttGrunt]

she's a pretty lady!

[jopa489]

VERY nice work, and excellent write up! Thanks for sharing.

[Refujeet]

Looks awesome! Great write-up too.

[ddogg35]

Originally Posted by Refujeet

Looks awesome! Great write-up too.

+1
VERY nice

[Krells]

Looks great. Can you keep us updated on how long it lasts? I have put supernatural on all of my cars but layered it over sealant because I was nervous about carnuaba longevity.

[fisherbln]

Looks great! Based on your product listing, you weren't kidding about only using Meguiar's products!

Be careful venturing out into the world of products. It is easy to become addicted to trying new stuff and spend hundreds on several different lines (ask me how I know). In the end, prep work is the key to a great looking final product. That said, I still have favorites.

[PaulBailey@ltbmw]

Nice work.
Very clean.

[the_doctor]

Thanks everyone for your kind comments!

I will for sure report on the durability based on my observations. However, I do plan on doing an alcohol wipe-down in about 2 months regardless in order to do winter prep involving some sealant (haven't decided) and Collinite 845.

So we will see what it's like in 2 months.

Cheers!

[t7n7]

looking sexy! ...

hey, btw.. how come it says 335i .... i noticed this on other bmws as well... do ppl have a choice for 335xi and 335i or is the xi badge only for the sedans?

[SpmnE9zero]

16 HRS!!!!!

[the_doctor]

Originally Posted by SpmnE9zero

16 HRS!!!!!

Haha, yes ... I had to find smthg to do for 2 days. Feels good afterwards though!

Originally Posted by t7n7

looking sexy! ...

hey, btw.. how come it says 335i .... i noticed this on other bmws as well... do ppl have a choice for 335xi and 335i or is the xi badge only for the sedans?

Thx! I believe post-2009 or 2010 3 series no longer has an "xi" badge. Instead, it has "x-drive" badges on the fenders instead.

[I335]

Doesn't get any better than that - even from a pro! Well done!

[the_doctor]

Just figured I'd provide an update.

I've washed the car maybe 2-3 times since this detail. After each wash and dry, I top it up with the Dodo Juice Red Mist Tropical Quick Detailer. Nice smell I must say! Quite easy to use as well; one mist per panel (well, maybe 2 for the hood). But you really have to turn over your microfibre towel for a dry wipe, otherwise it will smear. Car looks like it's just been waxed after using this product.

I find that I get the black water run marks after 1 rainfall though. I used to get 2 rainfalls with Meguiar's NXT with Quick Wax top-ups. Keeping in mind, however, it could be the severity of the rainfall, driving distance, etc. Having said that, it beads REALLY NICELY (see pics below taken last week). IMHO, the car looks better with Supernatural / Red Mist Quick Detailer vs. Meg's NXT / Quick Wax after each wash.

My plan is to do winter prep in about 2-3 weeks. Will do a 50/50 alcohol wipe to clean it up and then use Opti-Seal and Collinite 845 (since Collinite is better known for its durability than Dodo Juice). I will probably switch back to Dodo Juice at the spring detail.