black and washing it.

[Rabbit]

everything i own is black. i wash the car im driving every other day. i love to have a clean car. i have not payed any care to the paint on most. i take it to a place they was it and thats it. buy i got a 2003 x5 and i know im going to need to wash it. i care for this thing and need to know what i need to do to keep this thing looking good. is there someting i can do to help with the everyday or every 2 day washing? i have noticed that my other cars are getting a little dull. and it getting bad. help me keep my x5 looking good. thanks

[swisstype]

This is my first vehicle too. I just bought an X5 4.8 (E70) black sapphire metallic. I have all light or silver cars which are a snap to clean. I also have a lot of cleaning, polishing, waxing, etc supplies. I know there will be a lot of corssover with these products but as the X5 is my daily driver, I will need added protection and longevity to the wax portion. I emailed phil yesterday and will let you now what I hear back from him. My first advice to youwould be to buy a good car wash detergent, microfiber detailing towels, a clay bar, some lube spray for teh clay bar app - I like speed shine from griots - and the wax, well, I am still waiting on that.
Try and learn like we all do with your own vehicle. see what works and what doesn'e. That's what makes you "in tune" with your vehicle. So many people get in and drive, and dont do any maintenance or cleaning on their own, and there is a disconnect between them and teh vehicle, whereas people who engage on these forums, and not just this one... anybody who seeks info on a forum and utilizes it and contributes has a love for that particular vehicle and a sense of true ownership and experience.
I have sold some vehicles of my own and people are always amazed that I have the original sticker - mint - all docs, maintenance record, and show them how I took care of teh care, to let them know they are getting a top notch vehicle. Most say they woudl never even think of doing that.
Well, that is why you eye my X5 and my Porsche down the street.


I will let you know what I find out on the wax....

G

[swisstype]

Hey... I wanted to follow up to your query. I already have Griot's "best of show" wax, and have decided to stick with it. I am going to purchase a sealer for protection of the finish. It is a simple fix. My advice to you is to make sure you wash the vehicle thoroughly, and tehn dry with a chamois or as ynthetic chamois, and then fine detail dry it with MF (Microfiber) towels. I like to clay bar the paint, as that is teh best way to get the most contaminants off the paint. You will need to have a lubricating spray, like Griot's Speed Shine and more clean MF towels. You will notice how awesome a clay bar is after you do a section and then feel the surface of the paint compared to a surface you have not yet done. Miles of difference!
After this, you could go directly to wax, but since I have the PC 7424, I use a paint cleaner, kind of like wax.
After the cleaner , I will use the Best of show wax. It is a liquid carnauba wax that I have usedon other cars and it just BLINGS! After that, I will apply a sealer that will lock it in and proctect the finish for 3 montsh or so.
So, that is what I will do, and it should work on yours as well. You could also go to Autopia and get some mor einfo on how to achieve certain needs as well. They outline just about how to do EVERYTHING!


Hope this helps!