[335isWhite]

I have alpine white and never buffed/waxed the paint. any product suggestion?

[mazz328]

wash, clay, polish, wax and admire the work

[sathoro]

Read this: http://www.detailedimage.com/Auto-Detailing-Guide/

I spent 5 hours washing and claying my car today. Only got around to polishing and waxing the hood, will do the rest another day, definitely worth it so far.

[JRob23]

Einszett

[gatoman39]

Um, I would get it done by a professional. It's a lot more involved than you think. I have a AW F10, here's my little write up on it...

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...65&postcount=1

[Saintor]

Just use Nu Finish or reputable polymers stuff, a 30 minutes job 4x a year and be done with it. Forget the nonsense clay thing, a waste of time. My car in its 5th year has like-new finish, no dent or anything.

[RoundelM3]

I use Griot's products - cleaning clay, fine polish, paint sealant, and their "best-in-show" wax over the sealant. I also use their foam pads with an orbital polisher, and microfiber towels to remove the residue. I use Griot's "Speed Shine" detail fluid in between polish/seal/wax jobs. The clay removes a lot of crap that detergent and polish won't and leaves your paint smooth as glass to the touch. You can use that with Speed Shine between wax jobs, as it won't remove the wax, but it'll sure make your paint look and feel great. Check my "garage" photos and keep in mind that my car is 6 years old and, except for the added trunk and front "lip" spoilers, it's never had any paintwork done.

[idrift4wd]

Originally Posted by roundel335

I use Griot's products - cleaning clay, fine polish, paint sealant, and their "best-in-show" wax over the sealant. I also use their foam pads with an orbital polisher, and microfiber towels to remove the residue. I use Griot's "Speed Shine" detail fluid in between polish/seal/wax jobs. The clay removes a lot of crap that detergent and polish won't and leaves your paint smooth as glass to the touch. You can use that with Speed Shine between wax jobs, as it won't remove the wax, but it'll sure make your paint look and feel great. Check my "garage" photos and keep in mind that my car is 6 years old and, except for the added trunk and front "lip" spoilers, it's never had any paintwork done.

Griots stuff is great!

meguiars professional line has great waxs also. im using meg pro mirror glaze 16 wax. good stuff!

[Tom K.]

Zymol Creame wax has worked very well for me on 4 different Bimmers and a Beemer.

http://www.zymol.com/zymolcreamewax8oz.aspx

Tom

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by idrift4wd

Griots stuff is great!

meguiars professional line has great waxs also. im using meg pro mirror glaze 16 wax. good stuff!

I agree, I've also used Meguiar's and Mother's too, back when I was driving Porsches. I think Griot's is a step up from most of the stuff you can buy at the parts stores, but all of them produce great results if used properly.

[jeffro535]

Everyone has a favorite, mine's P21s. Super easy to work with, looks amazing. The polish ( they call it a paint cleanser ) is not very agressive so the paint needs to be in relatively good shape to begin with.

[mbferrari]

Originally Posted by jeffro535

Everyone has a favorite, mine's P21s. Super easy to work with, looks amazing. The polish ( they call it a paint cleanser ) is not very agressive so the paint needs to be in relatively good shape to begin with.

Griot's products are in my cabinets too, but P21S Carnuba is siiiiick. I use it on my Ferrari only because it is so expensive but the stuff is amazing.

MB

[Wires]

Originally Posted by Saintor

Just use Nu Finish or reputable polymers stuff, a 30 minutes job 4x a year and be done with it. Forget the nonsense clay thing, a waste of time. My car in its 5th year has like-new finish, no dent or anything.

I agree with your product choices though. I use the Meguairs X (I think -- it's a polymer like the nufinish).

The clay does work though. Takes about 30 minutes on a car this size. Pulls all the road tar, tree sap, etc off the paint (if you run your hand doen the paint, it's not "smooth" until you clay it.

[Saintor]

Originally Posted by Wires

I agree with your product choices though. I use the Meguairs X (I think -- it's a polymer like the nufinish).

The clay does work though. Takes about 30 minutes on a car this size. Pulls all the road tar, tree sap, etc off the paint (if you run your hand doen the paint, it's not "smooth" until you clay it.

Nu Finish is long lasting but not among the bests for appearance. I forgot to mention that I also use a waxbooster in spray between my 4 applications of wax - it is a 5-10 minutes job. It gives my car a wet look.

[RoundelM3]

Originally Posted by Tom K.

Zymol Creame wax has worked very well for me on 4 different Bimmers and a Beemer.

http://www.zymol.com/zymolcreamewax8oz.aspx

Tom

Tom - don't they have a "carbon" for darker colors too? Wondering which would work best for Sparkling Graphite? Wife's car is Space Gray, so maybe the lighter one for that? I've always wanted to try Zymol.

[slowSwede]

Before using any clay, use a good de-greaser.
That will reduce your claying time to something like 20 minutes instead of 1 hour.

[VMRWheels]

http://www.chemicalguys.com/


^^^ Awesome source of info and products.

[coolcobramatt]

Griots is basically Meguires as all their stuff is rebranded. Nu-finish? Good for daily driver or granny's Delta 88. Try some non-OTC (over the counter) products such as Pinnacle Souveran, Dodo Juice (various types), Poor Boy's, etc. You will never go back. Invest in a Porter Cable 7424, you will thank me.

For reference, I've used alot of brands but I always come back to Pinnacle. On my AW, I started with Pinnacle Advanced Swirl Remover, mid stage with Pinnacle Finishing Polish then topped with Liquid Souveran. Looks like glass now, DEEP depth and gloss, which is a challenge with white.