[Shiver]

Soooo... I just got my f30 and I'm looking at getting it all nice and cleaned next weekend and these are the steps I'm thinking about.

Did I miss anything? Am I doing it wrong? Car is Mineral Grey.

1. Shampoo
2. Rinse
3. Dry
4. Polish (try and get some small stone chips and scratches out)
5. Wax (what product do you guys recommend?)
6. Trim Detailing the outside of the car (AutoGlym Bumper and Trim gel)
7. Interior Shampoo
8. Interior trim and dash (no idea what to use for this... got some gunk build-up around some buttons especially the sport - eco mode button; suggestions?)
9. Glass polish inside and outside
10. Done?

[X2 Monstah]

Between steps 4 and 5, I would put a nice coat of sealant in there. I use Black Fire Wet Diamond and I follow up maintenance washes with a quick spray and wipe sealant/gloss enhancer from Chemical Guys called V07 - great stuff! Ah, East Anglia brings back many happy memories. I was stationed at RAF Alconbury and lived at RAF Upwood many years ago.

[rolltidef32]

Once you shampoo thoroughly and rinse you should clay the car, wash and rinse again, then polish, clean again, then sealant, then wax if you'd like.

Basically, perform a full paint correction to get your new ride off to a great start.

[Busa1]

Originally Posted by Shiver

Soooo... I just got my f30 and I'm looking at getting it all nice and cleaned next weekend and these are the steps I'm thinking about.

Did I miss anything? Am I doing it wrong? Car is Mineral Grey.

1. Shampoo
2. Rinse
3. Dry
4. Polish (try and get some small stone chips and scratches out)
5. Wax (what product do you guys recommend?)
6. Trim Detailing the outside of the car (AutoGlym Bumper and Trim gel)
7. Interior Shampoo
8. Interior trim and dash (no idea what to use for this... got some gunk build-up around some buttons especially the sport - eco mode button; suggestions?)
9. Glass polish inside and outside
10. Done?

One step I would definitely add is using a claybar on the car before you polish or compound it. The better the car is prepped, the better your wax and/or sealant will bond to the paint and look better. Also, make sure that you use good quality products and tools when working on your car. Using subpar products and tools will not give you the results you're looking for.

For washing, use the 3 bucket wash method (1 bucket for soap, 1 rinse bucket and 1 bucket for wheels). The first 2 buckets should have grit guards. I use Optimum car wash on my car. It suds up great and works just as well. For the wheel bucket, wheel woolies, lug nut brush and a microfiber wash mitt work great.

On drying the car, get a good quality towel. You can get a waffle weave or a microfiber. I use Microfiber Madness Dry Me Crazy. It's super soft, absorbs the water great. Make sure you wash and dry the towel properly after using it otherwise you'll damage it. Also when drying it, using a drying aid (a detail spray) will help in avoiding swirls, etc.

For LSP, I use a sealant. It lasts a lot longer. Menzerna Powerlock is an excellent sealant to use and produces great results. Their polish and compound line is top notch as well.

For trim dressing and restorer, I use Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant. Works great.

Another good product to purchase is an APC. It could be used on the interior or exterior of the car. You could use it to clean your tires, trim as well as for the interior. Meguiar's D101 or Optimum Power Clean are excellent products.

Most damage is inflicted on a car from poor washing and/or drying techniques. I just gave you an idea on some things I do and use on my car. There is a lot more that can be said on washing techniques, drying, what products to use, polishing, etc. My biggest recommendation is to do research on all of it. Reading articles on forums and watching YouTube videos will provide invaluable info. I would recommend watching videos from Mike Philips from Autogeek and Larry Kosilla from AmmoNYC. Good luck

[Shiver]

Thanks for the replies guys really appreciate it! I will update it later today with the new steps and products I'm thinking about using.

Once that's done I'll wait for it to stop pouring down here so I can go ahead and do all this and I'll post pics and all!

@Busa1 that is a brilliant signature ))
@rolltidef32 sounds like a plan!
@BSM F30 its pretty sweet around here - we get the least amount of rain in the East which admittedly is still a lot :P

[Shiver]

Update

I didn't take any pics had a friend give me a hand cleaning it (dunno if it was a good idea, he may have added a couple of hairline scratches to it but not too sure if they were there as I've had the car for only 2 weeks and it is second-hand) and he rushed me to finish it asap.

Good news is it looks very clean and I think I did an ok job with the sealant, waxing etc.

Bad news is the front bumper has sooooo many chips and the lacquer peeling in 2 big spots (booked in £400 to get it all repainted at BMW garage) and the bonnet after just driving it for 2 weeks has 3 big stone chips too...

I almost never tailgate but hell in my Ford Focus (52 plate) I got less chips in 3 years than this one did in 2 weeks, is this normal?

P.S. the windshields have a huge number of chips as well none of them look cracked, they just appears as small dots