[Josh49]

First, wheels/tires, about 5 hours each. Take off each corner, clean every surface of it, wax it, clean out the treads with a toothbrush, wash it again, and two more coats of wax.

Next, I’ll spend 10 hours cleaning the Roundels. Extremely important that they are perfectly clean.

Windows, about an hour for each one, inside and out. Three hours for the windshield. Four hours for back window (it’s tough to get in there).

Roof, about 10 hours. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Doors, hood, trunk. About 50 hours total. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Lowers, skirts, bumbers. PITA. Dead bugs, dirt, road debris. Takes about 300 hours to do.

Interior. Vaccum. 2 hours

Interior. Seats and leather surfaces. 20 hours

Interior. Switches, buttons, cracks, every single part. 30 hours.

Interior. Roundel on steering wheel. 2 hours.

Then I do all the mirrors, this takes a few more hours.

Under the hood. 500 hours. Take out engine, take apart engine, clean everything.

Underbody. 200 hours.

I actually can't explain any more detail because I have to get back to cleaning my valve stem caps (I only have three hours more to work and two more to get done).

This is the typical cleaning, sometime I’ll do a more detailed job though and it will take longer..

[XxLancaxX]

Originally Posted by Josh49

First, wheels/tires, about 5 hours each. Take off each corner, clean every surface of it, wax it, clean out the treads with a toothbrush, wash it again, and two more coats of wax.

Next, I’ll spend 10 hours cleaning the Roundels. Extremely important that they are perfectly clean.

Windows, about an hour for each one, inside and out. Three hours for the windshield. Four hours for back window (it’s tough to get in there).

Roof, about 10 hours. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Doors, hood, trunk. About 50 hours total. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Lowers, skirts, bumbers. PITA. Dead bugs, dirt, road debris. Takes about 300 hours to do.

Interior. Vaccum. 2 hours

Interior. Seats and leather surfaces. 20 hours

Interior. Switches, buttons, cracks, every single part. 30 hours.

Interior. Roundel on steering wheel. 2 hours.

Then I do all the mirrors, this takes a few more hours.

Under the hood. 500 hours. Take out engine, take apart engine, clean everything.

Underbody. 200 hours.

I actually can't explain any more detail because I have to get back to cleaning my valve stem caps (I only have three hours more to work and two more to get done).

This is the typical cleaning, sometime I’ll do a more detailed job though and it will take longer..

[E90Brian]

Originally Posted by Josh49

First, wheels/tires, about 5 hours each. Take off each corner, clean every surface of it, wax it, clean out the treads with a toothbrush, wash it again, and two more coats of wax.

Next, I’ll spend 10 hours cleaning the Roundels. Extremely important that they are perfectly clean.

Windows, about an hour for each one, inside and out. Three hours for the windshield. Four hours for back window (it’s tough to get in there).

Roof, about 10 hours. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Doors, hood, trunk. About 50 hours total. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Lowers, skirts, bumbers. PITA. Dead bugs, dirt, road debris. Takes about 300 hours to do.

Interior. Vaccum. 2 hours

Interior. Seats and leather surfaces. 20 hours

Interior. Switches, buttons, cracks, every single part. 30 hours.

Interior. Roundel on steering wheel. 2 hours.

Then I do all the mirrors, this takes a few more hours.

Under the hood. 500 hours. Take out engine, take apart engine, clean everything.

Underbody. 200 hours.

I actually can't explain any more detail because I have to get back to cleaning my valve stem caps (I only have three hours more to work and two more to get done).

This is the typical cleaning, sometime I’ll do a more detailed job though and it will take longer..

Okay, you got us!

[matt20043.0]

That made my stomach hurt

[CnoteMD]

I get my car hand washed every couple of weeks or so. They use wool wash mitts and there are usually 2-3 guys at a time, so it takes them less than 5 minutes from start to finish.

The last time I washed and waxed my car myself, the whole process took about 2 hours.
-Wash exterior with Meguires Gold Class Car Shampoo (wool mitts).
-Clean wheels and tires last
-Dry Car (The Absorber)
-Apply 1 coat of Klasse All-In-One
-Apply 1 coat of Klasse Sealant Glaze
-Apply Meguires Tire Dressing

The amazing thing is that I did this process last September and water still beads on my car when it rains.

[CALIF65GM]

Simple wash, wheels, chrome trims and interior wipe down about 75 mins.

Above + 1 layer wax job about an hr and 45 mins.

[mosport70]

My buddy and I take about 6 hours to wash 4 cars (1 E46, 1 X5, 1 E39 and 1 E90). One car per session gets Zaino'd. One other car just gets some Z6 if it needs it. Interiors are cleaned with MF cloth and vacuumed.

We try do the cars weekly during the winter and bi-weekly in the summer.

Once per quarter the older cars get Einzett polish, full Zaino... the whole treatment with PC orbitals. Wheels off and jackstands for undercarriage. This takes about 10 hours over 2 days.

[jojogargoles]

i go to a drive through car WASH then get a soda and watch your car to be cleaned by other people and tell them to clean this and that.....

kinda think of it its PRICELESS!!!! as if your a supervisor and the wash boys are your employee!

[NFS]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

*Laughs as you drive down the street with four gazillion scratches and swirl marks on your car*

If it gets too bad I'll sell it an buy a new one.

I'm more concerned about how fast it goes round corners

[NFS]

Originally Posted by Josh49

First, wheels/tires, about 5 hours each. Take off each corner, clean every surface of it, wax it, clean out the treads with a toothbrush, wash it again, and two more coats of wax.

Next, I’ll spend 10 hours cleaning the Roundels. Extremely important that they are perfectly clean.

Windows, about an hour for each one, inside and out. Three hours for the windshield. Four hours for back window (it’s tough to get in there).

Roof, about 10 hours. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Doors, hood, trunk. About 50 hours total. Clean, dry, clean, dry, wax.

Lowers, skirts, bumbers. PITA. Dead bugs, dirt, road debris. Takes about 300 hours to do.

Interior. Vaccum. 2 hours

Interior. Seats and leather surfaces. 20 hours

Interior. Switches, buttons, cracks, every single part. 30 hours.

Interior. Roundel on steering wheel. 2 hours.

Then I do all the mirrors, this takes a few more hours.

Under the hood. 500 hours. Take out engine, take apart engine, clean everything.

Underbody. 200 hours.

I actually can't explain any more detail because I have to get back to cleaning my valve stem caps (I only have three hours more to work and two more to get done).

This is the typical cleaning, sometime I’ll do a more detailed job though and it will take longer..

You forgot to clean inside the exhaust system - schoolboy error

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by needforspeed

You forgot to clean inside the exhaust system - schoolboy error

As hard as it is to believe, I haven't cleaned the inside of my exhaust yet. When I do though, I figure it'll probably take about 120 hours to take it apart, clean, and re-weld back together.. Then another 30 to polish the chrome tips...

Good catch.

PS. Cleaning the inside of the exhaust system is extremely important. The buildup inside of the exhaust reduces the diameter of the exhaust system, therefore increasing backpressure on the engine and reducing power. Make sure to clean the exhaust system well, starting at the engine block..

[gdnyc]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

Are you mad!? What do you do, take one swipe at everything and that's it? There is no way is HELL you can apply Z-6 to an entire car in 10 minutes. IM-POS-I-BLE! Also, if you're drying the car properly, 5 minutes ain't gonna happen. Takes me 30 minutes to dry the car and that's with the help of a 205MPH leaf blower.

To dry the car, first I take the nozzle off the hose and let water run on the paint. The water sheets off. There isn't much water left after that. Using the Absorber, I just go around the car, gently patting down the wet areas. I will use a leaf bower when I am going to wax the car. Then I want to get the water out of the seams (doors, bumpers, around the windows).
As for the Zaino Z-6, I spray the bare minimum. Z-6 or even Z-8 is very concentrated. You shouldn't be using as much.
As for my wheels, brake dust isn't much of a problem. I have a coat of Klasse AIO and 2 coats of Klasse SG on them. I use regular car wash soap to clean them (in a seperate bucket and sponge).
The interior.. How often do you need to clean it? I vacumn once a month. I dust the dashboard, seats and center console when ever I see dust. I keep a mf towel in the car for this purpose. If I am stuck in traffic or waiting at a long light, I'll start dusting. Looks funny, but I save time.

[NFS]

Originally Posted by Josh49

As hard as it is to believe, I haven't cleaned the inside of my exhaust yet. When I do though, I figure it'll probably take about 120 hours to take it apart, clean, and re-weld back together.. Then another 30 to polish the chrome tips...

Good catch.

PS. Cleaning the inside of the exhaust system is extremely important. The buildup inside of the exhaust reduces the diameter of the exhaust system, therefore increasing backpressure on the engine and reducing power. Make sure to clean the exhaust system well, starting at the engine block..

Yep - most importantly you need to open up the catayltic converter and get all the gunk off the platinum vanes - that stuff will seriously slow you down.

Presumably you also remember to de-gas the xenon lights and take them apart so that you can clean the inside of the glass properly - if you forget this you really aren't trying

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by needforspeed

Yep - most importantly you need to open up the catayltic converter and get all the gunk off the platinum vanes - that stuff will seriously slow you down.

Presumably you also remember to de-gas the xenon lights and take them apart so that you can clean the inside of the glass properly - if you forget this you really aren't trying

I concur that this is very important. Cleaning all of the bulbs is extremely important; you want to make sure 100% of the light from the bulbs is being emitted. I start with the front of the car and take out and clean every light bulb on the car for at least an hour or two. Any transmittence losses due to dirt or oils on the bulbs is a safety risk.

[picus]

Some guys just like their cars looking good, I guess.

[vladinecko]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

you could eat off of her she's so clean. No joke. Just look at the pictures in the link from my sig.

i just did. i think i see a piece of dust there along with a fingerprint.....just kidding

you're hardcore, man.

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by picus

Some guys just like their cars looking good, I guess.

Yup. What really helps is that I detail my car in a Class 100 clean room.

[Gitta]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

Look at your car under a 500W Halogen bulb and you'll understand why.

After some Z6 and Z8, it's perfect even under the most extreme lighting.

Your car looks great and those are nice pics too, but I don't understand what it is that I was supposed to have seen? All I saw was blue spots on the garage walls after staring at the blinding glare off of the TiAg paint. I also saw I need to do a better job cleaning out my wheel wells, but didn't see anything wrong with the paint (except for the obvious chip here and there on the nose and some specs of dust on the top surfaces). What am I missing?

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by Gitta

Your car looks great and those are nice pics too, but I don't understand what it is that I was supposed to have seen? All I saw was blue spots on the garage walls after staring at the blinding glare off of the TiAg paint. I also saw I need to do a better job cleaning out my wheel wells, but didn't see anything wrong with the paint (except for the obvious chip here and there on the nose and some specs of dust on the top surfaces). What am I missing?

500W???

Use a 750 Terrawatt light, and then the electron microscope. It's incredible what's on the car... Of course none of this is visible to the naked eye, but it's still extremely important to be cleaned off and removed. Any particle over 10 microns must be removed. Having these particles really effects the looks and performace of the car.

[txusa03]

boy, we have a lot of love in this thread...

[bmwexecutive]

Originally Posted by Josh49

500W???

Use a 750 Terrawatt light, and then the electron microscope. It's incredible what's on the car... Of course none of this is visible to the naked eye, but it's still extremely important to be cleaned off and removed. Any particle over 10 microns must be removed. Having these particles really effects the looks and performace of the car.

Your first post in this thread was funny. Now you're just acting stupid.

[Josh49]

Originally Posted by bmwexecutive

Your first post in this thread was funny. Now you're just acting stupid.

Just having a sense of humor, relax...