uh, haven't washed black car in years... need help

[GrumpyBimmerFan]

So recently purchased my JB M3, and it needs a good wash.

In the past these would be the steps to wash the car:
wash it
use clay bar while the car is still wet
apply black polish
polish it off
apply wax and polish

I currently just moved and don't have all my cleaning products, so i would have to do with limited resources. I have a clay bar, and Maguare's spray on wax. Is that going to be enough?

Also, I have a drill, and I was thinking about buying those buffers that can be attached to the drill, so that i can polish the wax well (there are couple of spots that need special attention). Is that safe?

[Templar]

If you can, wash it using the two bucket method with grit guards, one bucket with just water and one with shampoo and water. Wash the car with the shampoo/water, then rinse the mitt in the clean water bucket. Keep emptying the clean water and refilling to ensure you're rinsing all of the stuff off of your mitt and not just putting crud back on it.

I use two wash mitts, one for the lower areas where the most dirt from the road collects and one for the upper, more visible areas. Wash it from top to bottom, not bottom to top.

For the clay bar, it's best to get a good lube spray. You can use most quick detailing sprays too for this. Spray a panel, clay it, then wipe it off. You'll probably want/need to wash the car again after this. If not, you can probably use the shampoo/carwash stuff you have. Most of that stuff can be used to clay the car. You want to lube the surface with something like that, not water, otherwise you'll just do more harm than good.

If you're just washing it to get dirt and some contaminants off, you don't need to polish and wax it. Polishing is meant to remove surface swirls and paint imperfections. Waxing is just applying protection to the freshly polished surface.

I wouldn't attach anything to a drill to do this.

In your case, I would just wash it and clay it and apply a coat of wax by hand. I think you'll be fine with that. In order for you to polish and all properly, you'll need a lot more equipment than what you have on hand it seems.

[Envious Eric]

hit up detailedimage.com for supplies, they are in NYC

but wash, clay, and AIO at the very minimum, or dont clay the car. Jet Black is soft paint, the clay will Mar the finish for sure! Waxing after will just cover the marring up. You HAVE to polish (via machine) IMO everytime a claybar touches the paint, especially black!

[GrumpyBimmerFan]

Thanks,

I'm actually in Germany now. I guess i will just have to find a detailer then. I want to get a quality job.

[Kyoshi71]

JB requires so much care. Done correctly, there's nothing like it. Done incorrectly, the finish will look like a spider web.

[Templar]

Where at in Germany? I was stationed there. Know a few good places and still have some connections.

You can always wait and order some of the proper stuff online if you wanted to do it yourself.

[GrumpyBimmerFan]

I am at ramstein and would greatly appreciate it if you can give me info.

Problem is that i live in a building, so it's a bit more difficult to wash the car... I would have to find a manual car wash, and mess around over there, and then i wouldn't have access to an electrical outlet to use the buffer... currently i'm a bit busy with settling in, so i don't really have time to mess with all this. I guess for next season i will get more cleaning stuff (plus a bunch will come in with my furniture).

I was quoted 85 euro, but the guy said he was booked for next 3 weeks and was very vague about what products he will use and how he washes the car.

[Templar]

Oh ok, you're in luck. Pretty sure there are a lot of good places in that area.

If you get a chance, hop on over to the regional forums and look at the M-Flight section. It's a group of drivers, mostly military or ex-military, stationed and living in Germany and neighboring countries. They have a lot of meets and stuff and good connections in the area.

I'll ask a few of the guys about a good spot and shoot you a PM.

And 85 euro is too cheap to me. Sounds like it won't be quite what you're looking for. I paid about $150 euro for a good quality detailing, exterior only, the last time I was there. But that was over a year ago so I'm not sure anymore.

[Hawk Lax]

Originally Posted by Envious Eric

Jet Black is soft paint, the clay will Mar the finish for sure! Waxing after will just cover the marring up. You HAVE to polish (via machine) IMO everytime a claybar touches the paint, especially black!

So true. Amazing how many people thinking claying is completely nonabrasive.