First BMW, first wash and detail - what I learned. . .

1. Don't hold the P21S Wax sideways while you are waxing the sides. It will fall out in one big pop causing you to shave off about $2 in wax to clean off any grit where it hit the garage floor.

2. Water spots haven't changed much over the years. You have to be vigilant and fast and the bastards still seem to sneak up on you!

3. Quality products make a huge difference. The p21s was great, it never stained when it hit the trim as the waxes I used to use did.

4. Wax and buff in a straight line. Duh, I used to wax on wax off, I mean if it was good enough for the karate kid right? But I never could figure out why I had these swirls. . .

5. Microfiber rules. Seriously where was this stuff when I had my black mustang at 18?

Anyway, I trolled this forum for a couple of weeks, dropped a good amount of money on products and couldn't be happier. Next week some leather care for the interior, which is pretty mint already and mid summer some Klasse. I have to get some pics up when I get time but it's jet black and it looks great.

For the water spots you can always use a paint cleaner before the wax. A clay bar in some cases will remove them, but I like a paint cleaner. You can get Meguiars Deep Crystal paint cleaner OTC at about any auto part store. When you apply it use a cotton applicator not micro fife. Cotton allows you to get a better bite on the surface.

Originally Posted by dboy11

For the water spots you can always use a paint cleaner before the wax. A clay bar in some cases will remove them, but I like a paint cleaner. You can get Meguiars Deep Crystal paint cleaner OTC at about any auto part store. When you apply it use a cotton applicator not micro fife. Cotton allows you to get a better bite on the surface.

When else do you cotton on the exterior? For the paint cleaner, do you use T-shirt material for instance, and perhaps not something like terry cloth that would probably be too coarse? (Or something else perhaps?) Thanks, always picking brains I am . . .

I typically use paint cleaner on the headlights/brake lights, but haven't really used it much for its intended purpose yet!

Yes, I would be curious too.

Also, while the MF towel I used did a pretty good job of drying the car quickly, I used to use an Absorber which seemed to always work incredibly well on my black Mustang. I haven't searched the forum for this yet so i apologize if it's been covered but does anyone use these for drying? All I see getting love on the forums is the MF.

Originally Posted by velvetaudio

Yes, I would be curious too.

Also, while the MF towel I used did a pretty good job of drying the car quickly, I used to use an Absorber which seemed to always work incredibly well on my black Mustang. I haven't searched the forum for this yet so i apologize if it's been covered but does anyone use these for drying? All I see getting love on the forums is the MF.

That's because MF is the softest. WW or waffle weave is the type you want for drying. I like the Absorber for glass, and I've used it on other cars before where I am trying to be quick, and know that clay/polish is going to happen, but it's a rare occasion. What I normally use is a Metro Vac to blow off excess water, and then finish drying with an MF. (What could possibly be softer than air?) The MV is expensive, but leaf blowers are not and many here use them. If I don't pull the car immediately into the garage on a hot sunny day, I might bypass the blowing so that waterspots can be avoided. (It usually takes me some time, particularly on a larger vehicle.)

side note, TBH, I am a little disappointed in the Metro Vacs blowing capability. It must be user error or something, because it's recommended with some frequency. The filter is always removed, per the instructions.

I love MF. I always get extra lol

Removing Wax / Sealants

Water, being hydrophilic adheres to micro fibre; in comparison to cotton, a Micro (polyamide) fibre will absorb 98% moisture, while cotton can only absorb 70% at most
The polyester and polyamide content of Microfiber is typically; a blend of 80% polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and 20% polyamide (an absorbing fibre).The nature of this yarn is that it is an absorbent; the reason polyester appears to absorb liquids is the many thousands of micro fibres that collectively encapsulate, this is what makes them so good at cleaning..

a) A Microfiber towel - made from polyester/polyamide will remove product, as they actually lift the dirt or wax from the surface you are cleaning and then store the particle or liquid in the towel until it is washed. due to its inherent properties (that’s why they are so good at cleaning without the use of chemicals). The polyester and polyamide are combined during weaving to create microscopic loops, which form a network of tiny hooks, scrubbing away dirt and grime while trapping it within the weave.

These very fine fibres have little 'hook like claws' that reach into the tiniest of crevices, pulling out dirt, dust, grease, grime, and even bacteria. They hold these foreign materials in their web of weaves until they are washed in warm water where the fibres relax and release these materials.

Conversely the same attributes that make Microfiber so good at cleaning have an adverse affect when applying wax. A polymer sealant forms a molecular bond with the paint surface, so when you remove it, you are removing excess product. An organic wax however, doesn’t form a bond with the paint surface but merely adheres to it, forming a chain-link type coating. A micro fibre cotton towel will leave enough of the wax behind to enable it to form a surface coating.

I can't say enough about cotton towelling for removing organic waxes. For some cotton towelling is a thing of past. But for many of the required tasks involved with the application or removal of organic waxes cotton seems to me to be the ideal choice, I just couldn't find anything that could out perform an all-around old fashion 100% cotton towel.

b) Cotton Towel - high thread count, 100% cotton micro fibre detailing towel with terrycloth weave, spun with long staple cotton and then woven into 100% natural looped terrycloth or velour, the larger fibre loop size that makes up the towels nap are trimmed to produce a fine nap, ideal for buffing and leaving behind a coating on the paint surface. Note: a terry weave towel has slight abrasive ability, which may be useful with some cleaning products

Be cognizant of the material (s) used to bind the edges of the towel (Microfiber or 100% cotton) These are much more likely to cause surface marring than the towel itself, the solution is to ensure they are paint friendly or remove the edge binding

Originally Posted by Ilovemycar

When else do you cotton on the exterior? For the paint cleaner, do you use T-shirt material for instance, and perhaps not something like terry cloth that would probably be too coarse? (Or something else perhaps?) Thanks, always picking brains I am . . .

I typically use paint cleaner on the headlights/brake lights, but haven't really used it much for its intended purpose yet!

Yes an old t-shirt or cloth diaper are what I use. A terry cloth towel cut into pieces is OK as well. Well before micro fiber that's all we had for removing wax and drying cars to speak of.

Originally Posted by dboy11

Yes an old t-shirt or cloth diaper are what I use. A terry cloth towel cut into pieces is OK as well. Well before micro fiber that's all we had for removing wax and drying cars to speak of.

Thanks. dboy11 or TOGWT, can either of you guys supply a link to recommended terry cloths? I've got some but I have no idea if they are any good for paint (so I'm guessing not), as well as some T-shirt material (but not a whole lot).

Originally Posted by Ilovemycar

Thanks. dboy11 or TOGWT, can either of you guys supply a link to recommended terry cloths? I've got some but I have no idea if they are any good for paint (so I'm guessing not), as well as some T-shirt material (but not a whole lot).

Head to good will and pick up some white t-shirts the heavier ones, and cut those into 6x6 inch squares. Just the material not with seams. I brought my cotton terry towels at Costco they work just fine

Thanks for the tip about the seams. I suppose you cut off the seams on the terry cloths too? Or just fold them in a way where the seams can never touch the paint? (I wouldn't know what they were made of by looking, as TOGWT has advised.)