#prodetailers

The owner of this beauty is a good friend of mine which we have known for quite a while. When the time came for a new car her husband was the first to contact us only a month after they purchase the X5 to show her some proper washing techniques and tips. We chatted for a little bit and once we started talking about nano-coating and what we can do for them, he was immediately hooked. A week later, we were at his place to start prepping the ‘bimmer’ for the Signature Detail.

Since the interior was pretty much brand new and unused she asked us to only work on the exterior. The X5 was in pretty good shape at a first glance but there were definitely some hidden ‘gems’ once we started the process....

We started getting the wheels degreased and brake dust free. They were in a ‘like new’ shape since the car had roughly 5K miles on it at the time. We did not have to take them completely off and do a full clean... (most of the vehicles we work on require a full take down and wash before we can proceed to the next stage)

Next up we had to thoroughly wash the car to get the large particle (loose) contaminants off the the paint. The first step of our wash process is applying a thick “snow” foam to the car. We give it several minutes for the chemicals to work through the loose contaminants.

Rinse....

We noticed that there were a bunch of dead insects and bird droppings on the front bumper and side mirrors. So before we applied the second foam treatment we had to make sure the bugs are gone...

Gave the chemicals some time to be able to work through the acidic bug deposits and then rinsed thoroughly...

Time for the next foam treatment using a slightly different chemical to finalize the removal of all loose contaminants left and at the same time dissolve any iron based bonded particles....

Then a final rinse and wipe with the highest quality drying towel from our friends at Gyeon....

At this point we were ready to move on the paint correction stage but we decided that a small coffee brake would do us nicely. We let the car dry out a bit more before we moved on... :)

After that delicious cup of Italian espresso, we were all charged up for the next step. Got our Rupes workhorses out and we were ready to show all the swirls and scratches who’s boss.... BUT first a mandatory clay bar machine pass is necessary to make sure we leave no hard deposits sticking to the paint....

Once we made sure we covered all panels it was time to begin the paint correction stage. Due the age and use of this X5 we did not expect too much swirling, marring or deep scratch marks. However, there were more swirls then we anticipated and we were forced to perform a 2 stage paint correction. Stage 1 was done with medium compound and both microfiber and foam cutting pads.

***All plastic trim pieces were taped up in advance to make sure no abrasive material gets on them and in turn damaging their fascia.

After a close inspection we noticed that there some minor scratches and swirls on the door pillars....

We could not leave them looking like that so we used a gentle polishing compound to remove the imperfections....

Stage 2 of the paint correction is a thorough polish of all panels to bring out the shine and gloss of the paint.

Here the paint really started showing its full glory....

Next up is a quick wipe with a high quality microfiber towel and 70% alcohol solution to make sure no residue is left after the cutting and polishing steps....

At this point we would have been finished if our customer did not opt in for the Stage 2 nano coating. What’s the point of having a flawless paintwork if you are not going to protect it from the elements!?? So, a necessary prep spray (Gyeon  Q2M) wipe down of all panels was next. This spray dissolves any residue or oils from the surface prior to applying the coating. It eliminates the substances that hinder proper bonding without damaging delicate surfaces.

Finally, this beauty was ready for the final stage....