# How much do you wash and wax your bmw?



## BringsMeWomen (Jan 10, 2006)

I wash AND wax almost every week. Sometimes twice on the washes!


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## Mr. The Edge (Dec 19, 2001)

why would you wax your car every week? you must be using really cheap wax or something? otherwise it would last for months before needing more


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## BringsMeWomen (Jan 10, 2006)

atyclb said:


> why would you wax your car every week? you must be using really cheap wax or something? otherwise it would last for months before needing more


because I wash my car so much. Plus I am layering wax. I use Klasse for the wax.


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

Wow, your using way too much wax, if you used a PH balanced car soap, like Zaino's car wash, it shouldn't matter how much you wash it since it doesn't strip the wax.

I try to wash about 1 time a week and Zaino it every couple of months.


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## bjf123 (Oct 6, 2005)

I've never hand washed my 525. If it's getting dirty, I run it through the car wash at my local Shell. My wife and I will hand wash her Z3 every month or so.


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## SteveinBelAir (Dec 28, 2005)

Wash it every weekend. Zaino'd it - three coats - back in Feb. Probably give it a couple more coats this summer.


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## avalys (Oct 14, 2003)

Every spring I go over the car with a claybar, polish it with a PC and put on several layers of Zaino. I just did that yesterday, in fact.

When the weather's nice, I wash it once every 2-4 weeks. In the winter, I am less picky, but I try to take it to the touchless or self-service car wash between storms.


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## Davisjl (Jun 6, 2006)

avalys said:


> Every spring I go over the car with a claybar, polish it with a PC and put on several layers of Zaino. I just did that yesterday, in fact.
> 
> When the weather's nice, I wash it once every 2-4 weeks. In the winter, I am less picky, but I try to take it to the touchless or self-service car wash between storms.


Wow, you guys spend a lot of time on you car. Claybaring is a very ... very .... very long and tedious process.

Anyway, I have never bother with the hand washing and waxing. I run it through a local car wash service every other week for a normal knock the dirt off wash. Once every other month I have them do the works on it which includes a spray wax.

I don't own my cars more than 2 to 3 years, so I guess I just don't get that attached.


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## beemster (Feb 10, 2006)

I wash when it gets too dirty to use a quick detail spray.I have found this detail spray that I have not heard anyone use here. It is Adams....the web site is adamspolishes.com I am ordering more from them today as a matter of fact.I am going to try the car wash and the brilliant glaze detail. I use the detail spray and micro towel and it works mint.


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

Davisjl said:


> Wow, you guys spend a lot of time on you car. Claybaring is a very ... very .... very long and tedious process.


Claybaring isn't THAT bad. On my three series it doesn't take very long at all unless I have a ton of baked in bugs or other crud to get out.

As for routine...

I'll wash my car every two weeks or so. Twice a year, I'll do the full detail where I strip off all the wax, clay bar, try to polish out any swirl marks, and then hit the car with the Klasse twins.

The nice thing with Klasse is once I get two coats of SG on there, I don't have to wax for another five months or so.


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## Cliff (Apr 19, 2002)

I give my car a full detail twice a year - clay, machine polish, several coats of wax, polish and wax the wheels, etc. I am currently using Klasse, which should last about 6 months, so I am not going to renew the wax every 3 months as I did when I was using carnauba alone. I wash the car every week or two when the weather is nice, depending on my schedule.


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## ///M3lissa (Jun 23, 2005)

BmW745On19's said:


> Wow, your using way too much wax, if you used a PH balanced car soap, like Zaino's car wash, it shouldn't matter how much you wash it since it doesn't strip the wax.
> 
> I try to wash about 1 time a week and Zaino it every couple of months.


:stupid:


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## Davisjl (Jun 6, 2006)

Desertnate said:


> Claybaring isn't THAT bad. On my three series it doesn't take very long at all unless I have a ton of baked in bugs or other crud to get out.
> 
> As for routine...
> 
> ...


Not that I'm doggin you .... but I'm betting it takes you at least 4 hours or more to do the full detail. I just don't love my car enough to spend that kind of time on it. I've never had one that didn't look clean enough for me after it's been run through the car wash.

Again, I only keep my car for 2 to 3 years, so I really don't get attached. If I was keeping it for 5 to 10 years, I might make the effort to keep it in the best condition possible. I admire your dedication, I just don't think I'll ever want to spend that kind of time on myc ar.


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

Davisjl said:


> Not that I'm doggin you .... but I'm betting it takes you at least 4 hours or more to do the full detail.


Ahhh...you were talking about the whole detail process, not just the claybaring which is only a small portion.

Yes, I do spend around 4~5 hours detailing my car, but that is only twice a year.

I buy my cars and hang on to them for a long period of time...they are an investment that I want to keep up as long as possible. Even in the short term, I have found that taking that extra time once in a while makes any car gleam.


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## flat6 (Sep 9, 2005)

good god you must have so much wax on your car the rocks and bugs just get stuck in it 

I wash my baby weekly, do a quick wax every now and then, then do a full body 3 step clean, polish, wax and detail every 4-5 months which takes me something rediqulous like 4 days untill i get it perfect, i even oil the leather. 

It sits in a clean dust free garage untill ive got the time to go through every possible corner of it, then it sits there for another week undriven as i dont want to dirty it lol

Now the wax i use is top notch sh!t so its not that it really needs it, I use the time i spend on my car as a time to reflect on my life.. Plus i just love the gleam and depth of colour in the final product, its almost orgasmic to look at since my car is sapphire metallic black.


How many can relate??


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## bmw378 (Nov 4, 2005)

I do a quick spray maybe once every two weeks, and a detail probably once a month. My detail is not necessarily with too much wax, which I only use the rainx quick wax. But I go and clean the inside of the doors, trunk, hood, even i clean under the car mainframe. I also clean the exhaust tips by hand only. I take the carpet on the trunk out and clean underneath....


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## dboy11 (Mar 6, 2006)

My cars are washed once a week and during the week I use a waterless wash to knock off the dirt....polsih and sealants / waxes are done once a moth...I drive a black 540 so the swirls marks are what I battle....The myth that a coat of wax will last on a car for months is false....carnauba is a very soft and depending on the weather conditions really doesn't last that long.....That's why I use sealants.....I do a full on detail of the car twice a year my cars are garage queens


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## schley (May 26, 2005)

dboy11 said:


> My cars are washed once a week and during the week I use a waterless wash to knock off the dirt....polsih and sealants / waxes are done once a moth...I drive a black 540 so the swirls marks are what I battle....The myth that a coat of wax will last on a car for months is false....carnauba is a very soft and depending on the weather conditions really doesn't last that long.....That's why I use sealants.....I do a full on detail of the car twice a year my cars are garage queens


I don't think anyone believes a carnuba will last for months, which is why those above mentioned Zaino and Klasse. Which sealant do you use btw?


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## dboy11 (Mar 6, 2006)

schley said:


> I don't think anyone believes a carnuba will last for months, which is why those above mentioned Zaino and Klasse. Which sealant do you use btw?


Klasse is a chemical based cleaner wax or what is called a AIO (all in one) process....its not possible to layer this as one coat would cancel the other....their SG is a sealant and that can be layered....Zaino I'm not a fan of and have used it just wasn't what I was looking for......The sealant that I like allot is Wolfgang or Poorboys World they are both high gloss sealants and to me on the flat black BMW that I drive really brings out the shine...I top that with a soft paste wax sometimes but the sealants alone are good enough for me....this was a job that I did some time back as a detail you can see the reflection in the paint.....I used a swirl remover with a rotary, then polished with a orbital then used a glaze by hand and topped with the Wolfgangs sealant by hand


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## bill92 (Apr 3, 2005)

My Black Z4 gets washed weekly-and will get waxed every couple months.
My Wife's 325 coupe gets washed when the wheels look bad from brake dust-which seems to be about every 2 weeks(she has the stop and go commute), and gets waxed approx every 3 months.
The truck gets washed when the windshield gets difficult to see out of! And gets waxed at least every spring and fall, more if it gets lucky.


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## jetstream23 (Mar 9, 2004)

BringsMeWomen said:


> because I wash my car so much. Plus I am layering wax. I use Klasse for the wax.


It takes at least 2 days to do an appropriate Klasse application. How can you be doing this every weekend?

Day 1
1. Wash the car
2. Clay bar (if necessary)
3. Klasse AIO
4. Klasse SG

(wait 24 hours for the SG to "cure")

Day 2
1. Klasse SG (2nd coat)
(wait 24 hours and apply a 3rd and final of SG if you desire)

At this point, you shouldn't need to do this again for at least 6 months with Klasse, I've waited 8 months since I garage my car and it's driven lightly (10k miles per year). What you should be doing every weekend or every other weekend if you want is to wash and then use a Quick Detailing spray like Sonus Acrylic Spritz or a restoring acrylic spray like Sonus Acrylic Glanz. These products take 15 minutes to use following a wash and bring back the "just Klassed look" to 99.999% without having to spend 2 hours applying AIO or SG again. There is ABSOLUTELY no need to apply Klasse AIO or SG every week, not even every 2 or 3 months.

By the way, this thread should be moved to the Detailing Forum and not General BMW.


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## BringsMeWomen (Jan 10, 2006)

jetstream23 said:


> It takes at least 2 days to do an appropriate Klasse application. How can you be doing this every weekend?
> 
> Day 1
> 1. Wash the car
> ...


I just keep putting layers of SG on.


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## Kzang (Apr 12, 2006)

Does frequent application of wax on the paint protect the paint as well as give a good shine?

I don't understand why people wax weekly.


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## chuck92103 (Oct 9, 2005)

jetstream23 said:


> It takes at least 2 days to do an appropriate Klasse application. How can you be doing this every weekend?
> 
> Day 1
> 1. Wash the car
> ...


 Someone needs a hobby.


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## chuck92103 (Oct 9, 2005)

Kzang said:


> Does frequent application of wax on the paint protect the paint as well as give a good shine?
> 
> I don't understand why people wax weekly.


They are delusional. It is just a frickin car. Not a classic, not a Ferrari, not a show car, a consumer grade street car. I have no idea why people spend so much time on this either. Life is too short. They sure as hell don't do this nonsense in Germany.


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## 6poseur (Mar 27, 2006)

chuck92103 said:


> They are delusional. It is just a frickin car. Not a classic, not a Ferrari, not a show car, a consumer grade street car. I have no idea why people spend so much time on this either. Life is too short. They sure as hell don't do this nonsense in Germany.


If thats what people enjoy doing it I'm not going to knock it. :dunno: I polish my shoes by hand once a month. :eeps: I hope no one thinks I'm crazy.


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## joe joe (Apr 6, 2006)

wash and spray weekly, wax every 4-6 months as needed


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

chuck92103 said:


> They are delusional. It is just a frickin car. Not a classic, not a Ferrari, not a show car, a consumer grade street car. I have no idea why people spend so much time on this either. Life is too short. They sure as hell don't do this nonsense in Germany.


Good point. I find that it's a matter of pride, if I run around in a dirty car, what does that show about me? It shows a couple things- 
1) I dont care about it
2) It's not as good looking as cleaner 745's on the road
3) I don't feel I should care for the car as I should

No offense chuck, but I really don't give a flying flip what they do in Germany where these cars are a dime a dozen, here in America I rarely see a 745 as nice as mine and when I do the first thing I do is see if it's clean, if so, then I give them the thumbs up, if not, I ignore them, because they don't take the time to clean their car.


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## RiDE (Jun 1, 2006)

chuck92103 said:


> They are delusional. It is just a frickin car. Not a classic, not a Ferrari, not a show car, a consumer grade street car. I have no idea why people spend so much time on this either. Life is too short. They sure as hell don't do this nonsense in Germany.


I don't know what people do in Germany has any bearing on what people do to their own cars anywhere else in the world but if you think that's bad you should go to detailing forums like autopia then you would see that this IS their hobby.


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## JonathanIT (Feb 12, 2004)

beemster said:


> I wash when it gets too dirty to use a quick detail spray.I have found this detail spray that *I have not heard anyone use here*. It is Adams....the web site is adamspolishes.com I am ordering more from them today as a matter of fact.I am going to try the car wash and the brilliant glaze detail. I use the detail spray and micro towel and it works mint.


You're just not visiting the Detail Forum enough; I've been touting Adam's Detail Spray around here forever! It's the best!

--J.


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## JonathanIT (Feb 12, 2004)

chuck92103 said:


> They are delusional. It is just a frickin car. Not a classic, not a Ferrari, not a show car, a consumer grade street car. I have no idea why people spend so much time on this either. Life is too short. They sure as hell don't do this nonsense in Germany.


That's why the cars are so dirty in Europe! Any car is just a car... my first new car was an '86 Toyora MR2 and I was waxing it every weekend. It doesn't matter what kind of car it is; if you enjoy keeping it nice then knock yourself out and more power to you! And I emphatically disagree with the statement that it's "not a classic." My Bimmer is very definitely a classic! And part of what defines that is the condition I keep it in.

I think I am one ring farther up the OCD ladder than those who "wash and wax" every weekend... my Bimmer is almost 2 and 1/2 years old and I've only _washed_ it maybe 4 or 5 times.. every six months at the most. But does that mean that it's dirty the rest of the time? No, quite the opposite... I keep it clean so it doesn't _have_ to be washed. It gets dusted and spritzed with Zaino Z-6 Glossing Spray and a microfiber towel rub down after every drive. The wheels get dusted with Adam's Detail spray. Then on the goes the cover and everytime I want to drive her she looks showroom new. No need to wash so frequently! The wash/clay/Zaino ritual only needs to be performed once every 6-8 months. Frankly I don't like the thought of soaking her with water so often unecessarily (and I've never driven her in the rain). 

Yes, I know I treat her like a museum piece... and she's just a "consumer grade" street car, but she's _my_ museum piece, and that's how clean I like to keep her.





chuck92103 said:


> Someone needs a hobby.


This IS a hobby!

--J.


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## ProRail (May 31, 2006)

Davisjl said:


> Wow, you guys spend a lot of time on you car. Claybaring is a very ... very .... very long and tedious process.
> 
> I don't own my cars more than 2 to 3 years, so I guess I just don't get that attached.


Mine gets a wash evey time the oil gets changed (about every 10-12,000 miles) or when I can't see out the windows. But I only expect to keep it about 10 years.


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## Davisjl (Jun 6, 2006)

BmW745On19's said:


> No offense chuck, but I really don't give a flying flip what they do in Germany where these cars are a dime a dozen, here in America I rarely see a 745 as nice as mine


You need to drive up here to Atlanta ... the 745 are a Dime a dozen ... along with the 750 and just about the 760.

Same with the S55 Mercedes ...

I'm not even shocked any more when I see two 100k+ cars roll by me on the road, because it happens every day.


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## Alvizzo913 (Oct 14, 2005)

BmW745On19's said:


> I find that it's a matter of pride.


That's exactly what I was going to say. I've always been taught that it's best to take pride in what you've got. Why NOT take this good care of your car? You're gonna spend money on it, why not take the best care that you can? I wash my car once a week and wax it once every 2 months or so. My car might be old, but I want it to stand out from other cars produced in 1991.


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

Alvizzo913 said:


> That's exactly what I was going to say. I've always been taught that it's best to take pride in what you've got. Why NOT take this good care of your car? You're gonna spend money on it, why not take the best care that you can? I wash my car once a week and wax it once every 2 months or so. My car might be old, but I want it to stand out from other cars produced in 1991.


Bingo. I agree, its about pride and taking care of what you've got.

I remember spending nearly as much time on my wife's 13-year-old Jeep Cherokee as I did my BMW. The old 4x4 had a lot more chips and scratches not to mention some of the plastic had faded. Regardless I would wash and wax the ole gal up and make her look as good as possible. With a little TLC you can make any car look nice.


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## JonathanIT (Feb 12, 2004)

Davisjl said:


> You need to drive up here to Atlanta ... the 745 are a Dime a dozen ... along with the 750 and just about the 760.
> 
> Same with the S55 Mercedes ...
> 
> I'm not even shocked any more when I see two 100k+ cars roll by me on the road, because it happens every day.


I think you're missing his point... it's not that there aren't many of these cars (I'm sure there are just as many in Florida just like here in California), but there aren't that many that are as clean as we keep them! I know when I see a really clean car, no matter what kind of car it is... I'm always impressed (and not "just from the car wash with armor all slathered all over the place clean"... I mean really clean cars you can tell were detailed right).

--J.


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## BmW745On19's (Aug 12, 2005)

Well, yeah I see lots of 7er's and other really nice cars everyday but I rarely ever see one clean, and when I do I usually wave or give them the thumbs up because they take care of their car. Most people that have these cars sadly have more money than brains and could care less how it looks.

On a side note, I washed the car yesterday and guess what, it rained today and I got caught in it.


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## PropellerHead (Jan 3, 2002)

JonathanIT said:


> This IS a hobby!
> 
> --J.


You nailed it. I often think about these discussions when I am washing the car. Invariably, someone says, "It's just a CAR!"

And my reply: "Yeah, and I'm just WASHING it!" For me, it has less to do with clearing the dirt and more to do with clearing my head.


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## Boxboss (Dec 25, 2005)

PropellerHead said:


> For me, it has less to do with clearing the dirt and more to do with clearing my head.


:stupid: I've posted this before...it's zen. Getting lost in your thoughts and seeing the results of your effort. I'd much rather be detailing the car than laying on the sofa, eating a bag of chips and watching a game. That's me - if you want to, more power to you.


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## Davisjl (Jun 6, 2006)

Boxboss said:


> :stupid: I've posted this before...it's zen. Getting lost in your thoughts and seeing the results of your effort. I'd much rather be detailing the car than laying on the sofa, eating a bag of chips and watching a game. That's me - if you want to, more power to you.


I understand that ... I hope I didn't give the impression that what you were doing is crazy. I was just saying, I don't speend that kind of time on my car. If you want to spend 4 hours cleaning your car it all good. I admire it ... for me howerver, I'd rather spend 4 hours on the golf course ... which other people just say they can't understand.


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