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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum
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How long does it take you to wash your car?
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06-03-2013, 10:26 AM | #45 |
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If I am to polish after, I generally don't have to be as careful. When I do a maintenance wash, I use 2 sets of mitts (one for the top 2/3 of the car, another for the bottom 3rd). An extended pre-soak period and much slower arm speed are also utilize in a maintenance wash. I generally wash and rinse a panel at a time but if there is polishing after.... I would wash and rinse a much larger area. I generally will clay before polishing so the car don't have to be dry. For a maintenance wash, I would use a blower to get most of the water off then pat dry the remaining moister with a MF.
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06-03-2013, 10:34 AM | #46 | |
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What is absolute control???? Having the means and the abilities to exercise it at will but....chooses not to.
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06-04-2013, 08:17 PM | #47 |
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I don't cover anything when I'm washing.
Haven't had any issues... yet? And heard other people that don't cover either. is that bad?
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06-07-2013, 04:45 AM | #49 |
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Forgot to add - I meant I don't cover any of the engine parts when I'm washing.
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06-07-2013, 07:29 AM | #50 | |
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Anyways I found these two videos and it seems like after you cover the alternator they just spray the whole engine. I'm still weary of doing that. I never really sprayed an engine like that before. |
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06-07-2013, 09:06 AM | #51 | |
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06-07-2013, 08:15 PM | #52 |
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For general washes it takes me about 45 minutes to wash & dry the car and apply instant detailer; plus 10 minutes for setup/cleanup (putting away the garden hose &c). Wheels add another 15 minutes, though I don't wash those every time I do a maintenance wash. Interior is about a 20 minute job to wipe down all surfaces and vacuum.
I'd say about 1 1/2 hours per week on average
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06-07-2013, 10:53 PM | #53 | |
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What is absolute control???? Having the means and the abilities to exercise it at will but....chooses not to.
Last edited by psnt1ol; 06-07-2013 at 11:03 PM.. |
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06-09-2013, 08:57 AM | #54 |
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I bought my car for just for 2 months, I need some time to learn how to clean, therefore I used to spend 4 hours to clean the wheel dust once, and 3.5 hours to clean the body, it is no really acceptable to spend so much time.
After cleaning the car for 3 times, this week I speed up the process and I finish it within 1.5 hrs, including cleaning the wheel, the body and the glasses, exclude interior. 1). Using the brush and wheel cleaner to clean the break dust inside the wheel and the surface. (25 mins) 2). Clean the whole body with turtle zip wax (50 mins) 3). Clean the glasses with Sonax glass cleaner (10 mins) Shared some photo from you, I am from Hong Kong and most of the people here will spend HKD$100 each time let the shop clean for them. However I enjoy cleaning the car myself so that I can keep observing my car is that any new damage, and learn some new knowledge during the car cleaning process. Next week I will try to spray the turtle black wax after cleaning the car, exciting for next cleaning!
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06-09-2013, 05:31 PM | #55 | ||
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Last edited by Zero_09; 07-21-2013 at 10:16 PM.. |
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06-19-2013, 11:15 AM | #56 |
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I have had my car for a little over a month. CPO, was delivered without a flaw in paint or wheels. I have only used pressure wash and rinse and then drying with a shammy. It looks great. Only takes me 15 minutes. But I do this at least 2 times a week. I only put an average of 100 km on it a week though. It's never garaged. The reason I do it so often is that there are birds around my work that shit on it daily.
I could use some pointers. Am I not a good BMW owner? Is a shammy a good idea? I don't like the idea of the grim that gets pulled up into it. I work from top to bottom and then wash it between cleans. I have only cleaned and conditioned the front seats once and vacuum regularly. I haven't ever wiped down the inside. It's supper clean. What do I use as regular maintenance clean on the interior? Cloth and cleaner? I hope I dont get bashed for asking these questions knowing that there are answers to my questions out there already. |
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06-19-2013, 12:41 PM | #57 | |
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06-20-2013, 12:37 AM | #58 | |
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What is absolute control???? Having the means and the abilities to exercise it at will but....chooses not to.
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07-12-2013, 04:41 PM | #59 | |
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07-12-2013, 05:07 PM | #60 |
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Yep! Put one plastic bag over it then another one. Reason being is when you go to take the first one off, there is going to be water sitting on top of it and when you pull it off, it will go on the alternator if you don't have the second bag there.
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07-18-2013, 02:46 PM | #61 |
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About 3 hours...
It includes Washing wheels Hand wash and dry entire car. Cleaning all jambs. Trunk jamb door jumb engine bay where the leaves fall down to.. Vacuum interior Wipe down with lexol It takes way too long |
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07-18-2013, 03:01 PM | #62 |
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If I'm doing a once a week bath - 25 minutes tops.
If I'm doing a full on detail - something like 6 hours. 10 hours if I do interior too. the somewhere in-between "detailed" wash - 2 hours
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07-18-2013, 03:17 PM | #63 |
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07-18-2013, 09:19 PM | #65 | |
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It's nearly 4 hours largely because I take my time doing the leather and carpet. Kind of a "if I'm going through the hassle of doing it, might as well do it right" type thing. Trust me, I get the same reaction from the neighbors. "You're still cleaning?" Most of the time I don't even realize how long I've been at it till someone stops me when I do a full detail. Last edited by DUI Elite; 07-18-2013 at 09:28 PM.. |
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07-20-2013, 09:10 AM | #66 | |
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Greetings...I could not resist the opportunity to post a response. Having owned a number of cars over the years, I have developed a system that allows ME to wash my car in under 30 minutes. My first car was a Chevy Vega (please don't laugh...okay, perhaps a few giggles) was waxed nearly every week. I have enjoyed washing and waxing my cars ever since. I use many products from Griot's Garage (I have no personal interest in the company). I also have my hose, products, towels, sprays, etc. handy for easy access. And yes, my car sleeps in a garage at night. I also have quick release for nozzles, sprayers, etc. The hose is on a reel for easy access. Black cars as most people know are impossible to "keep" clean. My last three cars were black...not anymore. I decided on red this time around...no regrets. Here are my steps. 1. Wheels first...rinse and use Dawn dishwashing soap on wheels. Please do not use Dawn on the car's paint. Dawn cuts through brake dust. This is my first BMW and I am literally amazed that their wheels remain clean after hundreds of miles. Did BMW spray or coat their wheels with something? I have a couple of brushes for the calipers and lug nuts. I use a long brush and microfiber towel for the inside of the wheels. I wished there was a little more room between the brake discs and wheels (and yes, I have 19" wheels). It's a tight fit, but the long brush and towel work fine. 2. Rinse car. 3. Use Griot's Garage Auto Soap on car with microfiber mitt. 4. Rinse car. 5. GENTLY towel dry with microfiber towel and Griot's Garage Speed Shine. I am very careful to gently drag the micro towel over the car to remove most the water. While the car is still slightly damp, I spray SS over the water and gently remove the rest of the water. 6. Towel dry wheels. 7. Clean outside windows. 8. Every 4 - 6 days, I use a California Duster to remove dust...I also use Griot's Speed Shine or Spray Wax to keep it shinny. 9. Apply wheel dressing by hand...no sprays. Every 2 - 4 months, I clay the paint and apply carnauba wax. If I detect towel marks and mild scratches, I use Griot's Orbital and Polish to remove scratches before applying wax. The entire process usually takes me approximately 30 minutes. I typically wash my car every week. I do NOT take it to a car wash...ever. Do I use the two bucket method - NO. Do I sheet the car - NO. Do I use a paint brush and "dust" the interior every week - NO, not necessary. Do I clean the inside of the windows every week - NO. Do I vacuum the interior every week - NO. I do however, have a small Dirt Devil vacuum in the garage, plugged in and ready to go. I typically take out my floor mats and brush them clean with a stiff brush. I'm impressed with how easy it is to clean this BMW. In my opinion, it does not have a lot of crevices that require a "blow" dryer. Nor does water seep in the door sills. My last car (Porsche) was a pain to clean. Water would pool everywhere, i.e., door sills, mirrors, hood and rear hatch, etc. The brake rotors would hold water and then spill out the brake dust on the newly cleaned wheels - another pain. I hope this helps...get your systems in order...learn to be efficient...practice often. Three plus hours to wash a car is...well...let's just say...a little much. Semper Fi PS - Modifications include: Extra padding underneath the front floor mats. Tinted back windows. Disconnect muffler valve. Plastidipped the three 335is emblems. Clear bra on bumper and first 12" of hood. |
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