Detailed: 2005 BMW 525i

[justin30513]

This was a referral from a good friend of mine. His son and mine play on the same soccer team. This new customer is also his neighbor so I had to do an extremely good job or he'd hear about it everyday!

The car was bought used with only 9000 miles on it. It was in decent shape but had has seen nothing but drive-thru car washes for the last year. There was a few swirls but mainly a lot of contaminants on the paint's surface. Claying was a must here.

Here's the process.....

Engine Bay:
(ZEP Citrus Degreaser 1:1 & Armor All Tire Foam)
I sprayed the bay down liberally with ZEP and then let sit for about 10 minutes. It was pretty filthy from the gravel roads here where we live. I then pressure washed it off. While still wet, I foamed the complete bay with Armor All. I then shut the hood and started the motor. I let it run while I finished the car's washing.

Wheels, Tires, and Wells:
(ZEP Citrus Degreaser & DP Wheel Gel)
I now coated these areas with the ZEP mix. I also sprayed the front bumper and lower panels with it as a pre-wash. Worked really well. No harmful smells and my hands are not drying out. I now pressured washed thoroughly. Noticing that these Bimmer wheels needed more attention, I focused on one wheel at a time. I sprayed one wheel with DP Wheel Gel. I used a Meguiar's Boar's Hair (Small) detail brush to get into the tight spots. Here's a link to the brush I used.....Meg's Brush. The tires were finally coated in Pinnacle's Black Onyx Tire Gel.

Wash Cycle:
(NXT Tech Wash & 1 Cup of ZEP Citrus)
I added the ZEP to really clean the paint. I've been doing it now for about a week and love it. Excellent for prepping for a full paint correction. This is not something I will do to maintain. Let's just make that clear now.

Paint Correction:
(Optimum's Hyper Compound with CYCLO and EDGE2K Green Pads)
I first clayed the surfaces with Pinnacle's Poly Clay. Pretty nasty, now on to compounding. I recently received a sample of this so I thought I'd give it a shot on this BMW paint. This compound is pretty amazing. Tough but if you take your time, it will finish out LSP ready. It with the CYCLO, cleaned and removed swirls..........even some major scratches. Pretty good stuff worth having around.

Paint Protection:
(Pinnacle's Souveran Paste Wax)
I applied this with a Wolfgang Foam Finger Pad. I like doing this since you don't have to focus on holding the pad. It also let's you get into tight areas. I did the whole car first then removed it. It was a little tougher than just doing one panel at a time but this is just what I'm used to doing. I've always questioned this 80.00 wax.....until now. Since using it recently on my truck and now this car, the depth and gloss it adds is simply in a class of it's own. It may not be for everyone and yes, you can get good results with others that are cheaper. I, personally, can tell then difference.....along with my customer.

Interior Cleaning & Protection:

The floor mats were spot treated with FOLEX then sprayed with ZEP Citrus 10:1. I let them soak while cleaning the rest of the interior. I wiped down every surface with the ZEP mix. It cleaned the plastic and leather thoroughly and safely. I then treated the rubber and vinyl areas with Pinnacle's Protectant. The leather got a liberal coating of Pinnacle's Leather Conditioner.
The glass was then cleaned with DP's Krystal vision.

Befores.......

[justin30513]

Afters.......

[justin30513]

[Meghan]

Very nice, I love the BMW's especially the new 5 series. Very sporty car and nice job as usual Justin.

[budman3]

Nice car! Good detail. I do have a question though .... do they make any houses NOY out of logs?? It seems 80% of the houses I see from your details are log cabins, I'm not complaining! They look great.

[alban61]

Great detailing work, Justin! I enjoy looking at your interior and engine detail too. I know the engine detail is a simple process for you, but I'm still worried about not being able to start the car. I'll do it this summer when I'm at my dad's. I can use a hose at his place.
Your interior work is always great, and very detailed. It's my least fav thing to do. Don't know how you do up to 3 or more interiors a day! Contorting your body in unnatural ways! I actually hurt my back last weekend, doing my interior. Must've pulled a muscle. Lasted about 3 days, before I was able to walk normally and didn't waddle!!
Sorry, back to topic!! Great work and I enjoy your informative reviews and processes. Thanks for taking the time in your detail to step away and take pics. And the time spent in putting this post together.

[trhland]

im Getting The Felling Justin Likes Showing Off His Nice Lines On The Mats:d GREAT JOB

[P1et]

Very very nice work Justin, that is a tough color to get a nice glow/reflection out of but of course, no sweat for you!

Seems like a lot of log houses in your area, no?

[sparkie]

Awesome work as always. On OHC how much more or less cut dose it have compared to OC. OC is amazing in it's self IMO? Your mats are always perfect. I like to see you do that first hand. Thanks for sharing.

[HAN]

I love the engine detail pics! I see you're liking that ZEP citrus cleaner, I'm going to have to get some once my Purple Power runs out. Thanks for sharing the pics and write-up.

Pete