[thewils]

Originally Posted by tooloud10

The dealer washes it every time they service it, so every 10k miles or so.

I'm usually not happy when the dealership washes it - they miss doing the rocker panels and under the doors, and also the tailgate isn't dried off properly so it drips when you open it. It's like they simply hose it down and leave it at that.

I like to wash it myself just prior to any long dry spell.

[MADBMWX5MC]

Originally Posted by Kristin Hoover

I wash my x5 once every two months as it’s my weekend car. For my daily commuter car I wash it every week to get rid of the snow and salt in winter and bugs in summer. I do a lot of highway driving. I don’t use auto wash, I always hand wash my car even in winter, which takes about 1-1.5 hours to do the job including engine bay area. It’s a tough job but I enjoy doing it.

I find x5 pick up dusts so easily at the back due to the design. However I don’t wipe down dust in between washes. Just leave the dust, I don’t trust waterless washes. I avoid any kind of physical contact to the paint without using plenty of water.

No swirl marks on paint so far. I use microfiber towels to dry the car after wash, very gently. The paint is fresh and new because cars are always parked in the garage.

My don’ts

I do not use auto wash.
I do not wash my car in the day, I do it only at nights.
I do not use tire shining products. The wet grease shining gives a car a cheap look.
I do not use chemical guys, which I believe it’s an overpriced gimmick. I use the yellow Meguiars ultimate wash and wax, which is good enough for regular car wash. I also tried Meguiars ceramic wash & wax, I don’t like it.
I do not let dealers wash my car after service.
I do not wipe off dusts between washes. I only rinse off dusts.

Some great pointers there.

[Guy Fleegman]

Originally Posted by BRB-Prsch928S

When it looks like this

It seems mine always looks like that.

Odd though, I've used car washes for decades now and never been sorry. I do go to the "good ones" but then I'm not a Car Guy the way some are.

[BRB-Prsch928S]

Originally Posted by BRB-Prsch928S

When it looks like this

Quoting myself, I should add that while my X5 looks like that most of the Winter, I am pretty meticulous in caring for my cars. When new, I had paint correction done, then PPF applied to the front fenders, hood, front facing surfaces and rocker panels, and then ceramic coated. I never take it through an automatic car wash.

It is difficult in the Northeast to keep a car clean during the Winter. When it gets really dirty, and I get a day where it is above freezing, I will go to a self-service wash bay and wash off the heavy dirt, including the fender wells and undercarriage, and then go home and use an Optimum no-rinse solution and many microfiber towels to wipe it down, and then dry with a microfiber drying towel and a drying aid spray. I also wipe down all of the door jambs.

In warmer months, I wash it by hand about every 2 weeks using the 2 bucket method and dry it using a microfiber drying towel and a drying aid spray. Every few months I apply a spray cermaic booster.

After 3 years and nearly 50k miles, it still looks new when clean with no swirls or micro scratches. I think some of the keys to minimizing swirls and micro scratches is to first hose off the heavy dirt before any contact washing, and use a drying aid spray. Never dry wipe, and likewise, don't use a car duster.

[icj_45e]

Contact wash once a month followed by a ceramic drying aid/topper. Including wheels, tires, door jambs, interior detail spray wipe down and windows (if needed)

Contactless wash in-between contact washes at the local self service wash bay (Carpro resest in an IK foaming sprayer, high pressure spray, spot-free rinse, leaf blower dry)