Cleaning your X5 inside and out

[X5FX]

+1 on the wife and kids...my wifes car is a mess, the kids hate to ride with me because I dont allow food and drinks, but my X5 always looks great!

Originally Posted by MD11F

It's the bane of my wife and kids, but this alone keeps my car 90% cleaner than any of my friends cars..

I am psychotically anal about keeping it clean too... I use static dusting cloths to keep the dust off the dash, as well as compressed air bottles. I also use a damp (and well wrong out rag) wetted with high quality drinking water to wipe down the interior surfaces.. A bit of Lexol leather conditioner on the seats once in a while. Lastly, for the exterior, I go to those cheap $1.25 coin washes and use the high-pressure wax for cleaning, and the spot free rinse for final rinse.. I do the wheels, and wheel wells often, and I do the undersides of the car as well. ..and the car is like-new inside and out.

[BGM]

Originally Posted by MD11F

That's what they make the spot free rinse for.. works great. And by not applying the rag to the car I diminish the swirls and other contact related risks.. Usually ends up costing me about $6-7 to do the whole car.

I'm just surprised you don't have water drying somewhere on the paint--especially if you have to drive home in the sun from the coin wash place. As long as you use a good towel and use good technique when drying you are ok--I've had my e53 for 7 years now, wash it every week and paint looks like new--and it's jet black which is one of BMWs softest paints as it can show marks pretty easily.

[drod]

believe it or not i take mine to a local brushless car wash!!

i've never had a problem with any of my vehicles in the past...(but i'm also not that anal about them either...)

my routine looks like this.....

i usually wash her every Friday night... and after drying her off with those white terry cloth towels from costco....i apply Meguiars NXT 2.0 Generation Tech liquid/paste wax and let it dry for a few minutes while i do the interior with a carnuba leather conditioner and restorer using an applicator mit..

by the time i'm finished doing the interior, I then swap to one of those yellow polishing rags to polish off the exterior..(no hard rubbing required with these cloths and the meguiars nxt wax is pretty awesome!)

I don't do the tires cause i'm not too crazy about the armorall tire look...but i do clean & polish the running boards and wheel wells!

I get excellent results each time!! and all this for about an hours' worth of work!! (give or take a few minutes! )

[genew]

Only Zaino!! Been thru a lot of brushless with no problem. Tried many waxes but settled on Zaino and never looked back. If I see something better I'll go but so far....Zaino!! Have to admit been too busy to Zaino the E70 but will do it next week. Worked great for years on Jet Black on E53's.

[MD11F]

Originally Posted by BGM

I'm just surprised you don't have water drying somewhere on the paint--especially if you have to drive home in the sun from the coin wash place. As long as you use a good towel and use good technique when drying you are ok--I've had my e53 for 7 years now, wash it every week and paint looks like new--and it's jet black which is one of BMWs softest paints as it can show marks pretty easily.

Here in Phoenix, with the extremely dry air, after I do a thorough spot free rinse.. and drive off at about 40-50mph for not more than a mile or two to get gas.. the car i 95% dry... I then touch up the few spots as I gas it up with a towel... As I see it, NO towel, no matter how soft is better than air dry.

The car paint is literally show room condition, with only the coat of wax applied every 3-4 months to supplement my washing.

[LobsterX]

Originally Posted by X5FX

+1 on the wife and kids...my wifes car is a mess, the kids hate to ride with me because I dont allow food and drinks, but my X5 always looks great!

Where's the fun in that? I guess "to each his own..." Me and my wife always go on road trips and we always eat in the car/SAV. Of course I clean the interior after we get back home and thats not a biggie as long as we had fun. We'll be having our first baby in the next few weeks and Im pretty sure there will be alot of feeding and diaper-changing inside our vehicle after that! And Im looking forward to it!!!

[X5FX]

I guess you fart in the seats too huh?

Originally Posted by LobsterX

Where's the fun in that? I guess "to each his own..." Me and my wife always go on road trips and we always eat in the car/SAV. Of course I clean the interior after we get back home and thats not a biggie as long as we had fun. We'll be having our first baby in the next few weeks and Im pretty sure there will be alot of feeding and diaper-changing inside our vehicle after that! And Im looking forward to it!!!

[Quicksilver]

Have at it............

Originally Posted by LobsterX

diaper-changing inside the vehicle

[LobsterX]

Originally Posted by X5FX

I guess you fart in the seats too huh?

No need to be sarcastic about my comment I did say "to each his own..." right? I was just brought up to value family over "stuff", that's why I buy things not only for my own enjoyment but for the enjoyment of my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my "stuff" esp cars, but I wanna be remembered by my family as someone who spent more time making wonderful memories with them. Life is short... but then again, that is jusy my 2 cents...

[X5FX]

no problem Lobster, its just that when I want to spend time with my family eating, I do it at a dinner table or at a restaurant...my kids dont remember much about the good times spent staring at the back of my head.