Our BMW X5 3.0i

S

silvergray

New member
Hello!

I spent the past few days slowling working away at our 2005 BMW X5 3.0i. We bought it last winter as a CPO vehicle with almost 20,000 miles on it. Unforunately, the previous owner didn't take good care of it, which was evident when I found cheerios, coffee stains, etc throughout the interior. In addition, the exterior reflected 20K miles worth of tunnel washes.



My process:

-Wash vehicle with foam gun, two buckets, and Griot's microfiber mitt

-Clay vehicle with Clay Magic blue clay and their included clay lube. I liked this clay, but it was a bit harder to work with than the Zaino clay I'm used to.

-Tape vehicle trim off with 3M green automotive tape



Polishing:

-Menzerna Intensive Polish on an Orange LC CCS Light Cut pad. (PC Speed 6)

-Menzerna PO106FF on a White LC CCS Polishing pad. (PC Speed 6)



Perfection was not the goal with our X5. It doesn't receive nearly the attention my car does, simply because I have been so busy lately. I would say about 70% of the defects have been removed, which is honestly more than I was shooting for.



Sealing:

-2 coats of ZFX-enabled Z2

-1 coat of Zaino ZCS

-2 coats of Jeff's Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger

-2 coats of Jeff's Werkstatt Carnuba Jett

-2 coats of Optimum Car Wax



You guys really encouraged me to mix things up and experiment. I'm really happy with the final look of the LSP's. The finish is quite deep and still has the shine of traditional sealants.



Interior:

-Completely vac carpets and seats

-Clean seats with Zaino leather cleaner

-Condition seats twice with Zaino leather conditioner

-Clean dash/console with Griot's Interior Cleaner

-Protect dash with JW Satin Prot

-Protect all-weather mats with 303 Aerospace Protectant



And before the photos, which turned out pretty bad thanks to my crappy Olympus digital camera, I'd like to thank and recommend the folks at Jeff's Werkstatt. I actually made a mistake when placing my order, and they went out of their way and included a few free products to solve the problem. So a big :2thumbs: to JW!



And on to the pictures:



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All my new cleaning stuff!



AFTERS:



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Thanks guys! I hope you enjoyed the post, and thanks again for all your help!
 
I think you should put some more waxes on the X5 lol. Nice job though, I really should detail mine too; I've been putting it off for so long now.
 
Very wet looking finish! :)



I feel sorry for anyone trying to view this thread with dial-up or even DSL. I have a 7 mb/sec connection and even it was chocking a bit on all those pictures. :eek:
 
Bigpoppa3346 said:
Wow, that is a lot of product on the paint. Wow, that is a lot of pics. And wow, that silver looks deep :)
Click to expand...



Haha, thanks! Its really amazing what effects layering different waxes creates. If I had to choose only one, it would probably be the Zaino. Or maybe the AJT?



Carl Johnson said:
I think you should put some more waxes on the X5 lol. Nice job though, I really should detail mine too; I've been putting it off for so long now.
Click to expand...



Which X5 do you have? I really understand, it was hard for me to settle down and just get to work. I've delayed this detail for months!



Bimmer25 said:
How do you like the car? I'm really considering getting one. How does it compare to the 325?
Click to expand...



I actually really like the X5. Despite being the 3.0 engine, its suprisingly quick and agile. But if I would still rather drive the 3 daily, simply because that thing corners like its nobody's business.



It really comes down to size, if you don't need a big vehicle, you can't go wrong with an E46. But X5's are excellent, and there are some great deals on CPO'ed vehicles right now because of the new model that was introduced.



stiffdogg06 said:
For that color car, you really got some awesome depth! A lot of wax/sealants!
Click to expand...



Thanks a lot! :2thumbs: I've got to blame Autopia for all the waxes and sealants! I seriously need to cut up my credit card!



Scottwax said:
Very wet looking finish!



I feel sorry for anyone trying to view this thread with dial-up or even DSL. I have a 7 mb/sec connection and even it was chocking a bit on all those pictures.
Click to expand...



Thanks a lot Scott! :2thumbs: It means a lot coming from you, especially since you Click & Brags have been my inspiration all along!



And sorry about the pictures! I'm pretty bad with digital photography... :nixweiss
 
Mines a 04 X5, silver too. Man I just love this car, it's smooth and actually quiet good on gas. My previous car was a 325Ci. The coupe was good for driving and all, but when I had ppl with me, it was just so much hassel to get them into the back. But with this, it's not a problem at all. The only thing with the x5 is now I have to use a ladder to detail my car, before I could just reach it over the roof and get everything done on my coupe.
 
Carl,

You've got it, these are such great SUVs. I really love my 3, but the X5 is just perfect for transporting people or highway cruising. And with gas prices over $3/gallon, you can't complain about 20+ MPG.



Post some pics of yours once you finish the detail, I love seeing Click and Brags with Bimmers!
 
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