Let me first preface this writeup with the fact that I am not a pro; I am just a detailing enthusiast that likes to keep his personal vehicles clean.
I purchased this 2015 X5 a few months ago, and just had the opportunity to give the exterior a proper detail earlier this month. I took some pics during the process, but I could have taken more. I was trying to get it done since it was quite hot (ambient temperature of mid 90s to low 100s Fahrenheit) and I do not have a temperature controlled garage.
A summary of the products used:
Car Wash
Meguiar’s Rinse Free Express Wash (D114) diluted 128:1
Paint Decontamination
CarPro Iron-X
Nanoskin Fine Grade Clay Towel
Meguiar’s Clay Bar
Meguiar’s D114 diluted 256:1 as clay lube
Compounds/Polishes/Paint Cleansers
Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0 (TSR)
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0 (FG)
BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish (GEP)
Polishers and Pads
Flex 3401 with 6.5” LC Hybrid Pads and 5” LC Flat Pads
Porter Cable 7424XP with 4” LC CCS Pads
Panel Wipe
15% IPA with 0.5oz of D114 added
Sealant(s)
Menzerna Powerlock (PL)
BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection (BFWD)
Wax
BLACKFIRE BlackICE
Wheel Brushes
Wheel Woolies
Swissvax Wheel Brush
Tire Shine
BLACKFIRE Total Eclipse Tire Gel
Rubber Protectant
Wolfgang Vinyl and Rubber Protectant
All Purpose Cleaner
Meguiar’s D103 diluted 10:1
Let’s start with the before pics:
And some holograms
:
I first gave the car a rinseless wash using Meg’s D114 diluted at 128:1. After I washed the car, I drove over to the local coin-op to use Iron-X. I don’t have any pics since I forgot to bring my camera with me, but I didn’t find this step to be particularly exciting given the dark color of the vehicle.
Next up: the claying step. I used the following: a Nanoskin Fine Grade clay towel for the glass and paint, a Megs clay bar for the shadowline trim, and Megs D114 diluted 256:1 as clay lube.
After the decon stage, I inspected the car in the sun and made note of any paint imperfections. Luckily, and surprisingly, the only issues I saw were holograms on the driver side front fender and the hood. I brought the car back inside the garage and taped it up.
Now for the 50/50 pictures of the hologram correction:
The winning combo ended up being:
Note: The following pics are after TSR and before FG.
After doing the whole fender:
An IPA wipedown was performed after using TSR to check my work, and again after FG.
The same combo was used to correct the holograms on the hood. Unfortunately, I do not have any pics of the hood. I proceeded to do the rest of the car with FG using LC hybrid white pads and the Flex 3401 at speed 4.5 as a one-step. For the tighter areas, I used the Flex 3401 with 5” LC flat pads or the PC with 4” LC CCS white pads with the FG. I then followed this with an IPA wipedown.
The next step is one that is debated, and probably a waste of time, but I chose to do it anyway. I applied GEP. I chose to do this to make sure all the polishing oils were removed (for anything that I missed with the IPA wipe), and to promote LSP adhesion since I was planning to use BFWD on the paint. After this, I removed all the tape.
And the LSP stage:
I applied Menzerna Powerlock to the glass. I also applied BFWD to the paint and the shadowline trim. After letting the BFWD cure, I applied a second layer to ensure even coverage. After letting that layer cure for a few hours, I applied BlackICE.
While the BFWD was curing, I cleaned the wheels and wheel wells. Then, I clayed and sealed the wheels with Powerlock. I also cleaned up the engine bay with Megs D103 diluted 10:1, since it was just a little dusty and wasn’t really that dirty.
After all that was done, I applied tire shine and trim protection.
Now for the after pics:
Thanks for looking!
I purchased this 2015 X5 a few months ago, and just had the opportunity to give the exterior a proper detail earlier this month. I took some pics during the process, but I could have taken more. I was trying to get it done since it was quite hot (ambient temperature of mid 90s to low 100s Fahrenheit) and I do not have a temperature controlled garage.
A summary of the products used:
Car Wash
Meguiar’s Rinse Free Express Wash (D114) diluted 128:1
Paint Decontamination
CarPro Iron-X
Nanoskin Fine Grade Clay Towel
Meguiar’s Clay Bar
Meguiar’s D114 diluted 256:1 as clay lube
Compounds/Polishes/Paint Cleansers
Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0 (TSR)
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0 (FG)
BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish (GEP)
Polishers and Pads
Flex 3401 with 6.5” LC Hybrid Pads and 5” LC Flat Pads
Porter Cable 7424XP with 4” LC CCS Pads
Panel Wipe
15% IPA with 0.5oz of D114 added
Sealant(s)
Menzerna Powerlock (PL)
BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection (BFWD)
Wax
BLACKFIRE BlackICE
Wheel Brushes
Wheel Woolies
Swissvax Wheel Brush
Tire Shine
BLACKFIRE Total Eclipse Tire Gel
Rubber Protectant
Wolfgang Vinyl and Rubber Protectant
All Purpose Cleaner
Meguiar’s D103 diluted 10:1
Let’s start with the before pics:
And some holograms
:
I first gave the car a rinseless wash using Meg’s D114 diluted at 128:1. After I washed the car, I drove over to the local coin-op to use Iron-X. I don’t have any pics since I forgot to bring my camera with me, but I didn’t find this step to be particularly exciting given the dark color of the vehicle.
Next up: the claying step. I used the following: a Nanoskin Fine Grade clay towel for the glass and paint, a Megs clay bar for the shadowline trim, and Megs D114 diluted 256:1 as clay lube.
After the decon stage, I inspected the car in the sun and made note of any paint imperfections. Luckily, and surprisingly, the only issues I saw were holograms on the driver side front fender and the hood. I brought the car back inside the garage and taped it up.
Now for the 50/50 pictures of the hologram correction:
The winning combo ended up being:
- a couple section passes using TSR on a LC hybrid orange pad with the Flex 3401 at speed 4.5
- a couple section passes using FG on a LC hybrid white pad with the Flex 3401 at speed 4
Note: The following pics are after TSR and before FG.
After doing the whole fender:
An IPA wipedown was performed after using TSR to check my work, and again after FG.
The same combo was used to correct the holograms on the hood. Unfortunately, I do not have any pics of the hood. I proceeded to do the rest of the car with FG using LC hybrid white pads and the Flex 3401 at speed 4.5 as a one-step. For the tighter areas, I used the Flex 3401 with 5” LC flat pads or the PC with 4” LC CCS white pads with the FG. I then followed this with an IPA wipedown.
The next step is one that is debated, and probably a waste of time, but I chose to do it anyway. I applied GEP. I chose to do this to make sure all the polishing oils were removed (for anything that I missed with the IPA wipe), and to promote LSP adhesion since I was planning to use BFWD on the paint. After this, I removed all the tape.
And the LSP stage:
I applied Menzerna Powerlock to the glass. I also applied BFWD to the paint and the shadowline trim. After letting the BFWD cure, I applied a second layer to ensure even coverage. After letting that layer cure for a few hours, I applied BlackICE.
While the BFWD was curing, I cleaned the wheels and wheel wells. Then, I clayed and sealed the wheels with Powerlock. I also cleaned up the engine bay with Megs D103 diluted 10:1, since it was just a little dusty and wasn’t really that dirty.
After all that was done, I applied tire shine and trim protection.
Now for the after pics:
Thanks for looking!
