Carbon Black

cc3 · 05-11-2014, 09:36 AM

I have noticed a few faint scratches on my new carbon black X5. Is this colour very sensitive to washing and polishing? Also any tips on keeping the roof clean given its height. ! I like to avoid car washes

Baunton · 05-11-2014, 11:14 AM

Good question.
I have also ordered my M Sport in CB.
My car is supposed to be delivered this week and have arranged to have a Nano-Ceramic sealant applied to the paintwork, windows and protective sealant for the Ivory leather and wheels so I am hoping that will do the trick.
That and a Karcher should enable me to each the parts that no one can see!

CatFlap · 05-11-2014, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baunton

Good question.
I have also ordered my M Sport in CB.
My car is supposed to be delivered this week and have arranged to have a Nano-Ceramic sealant applied to the paintwork, windows and protective sealant for the Ivory leather and wheels so I am hoping that will do the trick.
That and a Karcher should enable me to each the parts that no one can see!

Who's applying the sealant for you?

Baunton · 05-11-2014, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatFlap

Who's applying the sealant for you?

Local company based close to me at Kemble: http://www.demonfinishers.co.uk/new-...ail/4582804922

CatFlap · 05-11-2014, 01:33 PM

Thanks. ill have a look at their website...I've been trying to decide whether or not to have my X5 done when it arrives.

I'm in Worcestershire so need to find a company a little closer I guess.

Baunton · 05-11-2014, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatFlap

Thanks. ill have a look at their website...I've been trying to decide whether or not to have my X5 done when it arrives.

I'm in Worcestershire so need to find a company a little closer I guess.

Assuming my car arrives this week, will book it in week after.
Will PM you if you like and let you know how I get on.

parm · 05-11-2014, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baunton

Assuming my car arrives this week, will book it in week after.
Will PM you if you like and let you know how I get on.

My car is CB and it's around 2months old. I've noticed a couple if fine scratches which I'm going to have rectified and the car sealed by PW Pro in mansfield. The guys there are excellent and have worked on a number of my cars. (Swissvax accredited) I woul highly recommend these guys ask for Paul if you do decide to have a look

CatFlap · 05-11-2014, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baunton

Assuming my car arrives this week, will book it in week after.
Will PM you if you like and let you know how I get on.

That would be great thanks!

Glad to hear your car is due at last! How long will it be since completion of build?

Manatee · 05-11-2014, 03:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parm

My car is CB and it's around 2months old. I've noticed a couple if fine scratches which I'm going to have rectified and the car sealed by PW Pro in mansfield. The guys there are excellent and have worked on a number of my cars. (Swissvax accredited) I woul highly recommend these guys ask for Paul if you do decide to have a look

Have also ordered CB. Can anyone recommend new car detailer that serves Surrey/Hampshire?

Cheers

Baunton · 05-12-2014, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatFlap

That would be great thanks!

Glad to hear your car is due at last! How long will it be since completion of build?

According to the wonderful 'Daten für die Fahrgestellnummer' the Produktionsdatum was 5th April. But I'm told by BMW UK that this is the start not end date of the build!

xDrive30dGeorge · 05-12-2014, 02:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baunton

Quote:

Originally Posted by CatFlap

That would be great thanks!

Glad to hear your car is due at last! How long will it be since completion of build?

According to the wonderful 'Daten fr die Fahrgestellnummer' the Produktionsdatum was 5th April. But I'm told by BMW UK that this is the start not end date of the build!

It amazes me how clueless these dealers can sometimes be. Mine shows 14th April as production date and according to the dealer left the factory on the 15th.

w4termelon · 05-12-2014, 05:32 AM

I already received my Carbon black M sport F15, and I was also worried about how to keep the paint scratch free.
Basically, you have 2 options :
- get it detailed by pros every time you want to clean it (and pay a lot for that)
- DIY the right way.

I opted for the 2nd option and mine still looks perfect after nearly 1 month (and one 1600km trip to the beach).

So my first question is how do you actually clean it ? I'm pretty sure that you get scratches because there is something wrong with how you do it.

plob · 05-12-2014, 05:59 AM

I had the same issue with my Carbon Black X3. Once I corrected it, I was very careful about how I washed it in future as the paint seems quite prone to picking up scratches.

I always:
1) Prewash to remove loose dirt and grit
2) Use a proper sheeps wool mitt (never a sponge)
3) Use the 2 bucket method

The prewash (with a jet washer) gets rid of most of the grit that would otherwise get picked up by a sponge and rubbed against the paintwork when cleaning the car (like fine grade sandpaper)

The sheeps wool mitt seems to lift the remaining grit from the car - a sponge just seems to hold it on the surface which is why it is like using sandpaper on your paint

I have one bucket with fresh water in (bucket 1), another with the car wash and clean water (bucket 2). Once I have washed a panel, I rinse out the mitt in the bucket 1 before picking up more car wash from the bucket 2 and doing the next panel. I regularly throw away the water in bucket 1 and replace it with fresh. This way, my sheeps wool mitt is clean every time I put it on the paintwork - it is free of grit.

Because the paint is free of scratches, it leaves me free to use whatever I like as a polish (personally, I use a solid carnuba wax as I prefer the old fashioned method)

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious here - but I didn't know all this stuff until after I'd made a mess of my X3 paintwork

Cheers
P

Baunton · 05-12-2014, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plob

I had the same issue with my Carbon Black X3. Once I corrected it, I was very careful about how I washed it in future as the paint seems quite prone to picking up scratches.

I always:
1) Prewash to remove loose dirt and grit
2) Use a proper sheeps wool mitt (never a sponge)
3) Use the 2 bucket method

The prewash (with a jet washer) gets rid of most of the grit that would otherwise get picked up by a sponge and rubbed against the paintwork when cleaning the car (like fine grade sandpaper)

The sheeps wool mitt seems to lift the remaining grit from the car - a sponge just seems to hold it on the surface which is why it is like using sandpaper on your paint

I have one bucket with fresh water in (bucket 1), another with the car wash and clean water (bucket 2). Once I have washed a panel, I rinse out the mitt in the bucket 1 before picking up more car wash from the bucket 2 and doing the next panel. I regularly throw away the water in bucket 1 and replace it with fresh. This way, my sheeps wool mitt is clean every time I put it on the paintwork - it is free of grit.

Because the paint is free of scratches, it leaves me free to use whatever I like as a polish (personally, I use a solid carnuba wax as I prefer the old fashioned method)

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious here - but I didn't know all this stuff until after I'd made a mess of my X3 paintwork

Cheers
P

Sound advice.
Will follow it when my Detailer has finished.

w4termelon · 05-12-2014, 07:29 AM

@plob Your technique is almost what I'm doing too (2 buckets, etc.), except I'm using microfiber based glove to wash the car (and different one for rims). Also, An important part is to rince the car with demineralized water (I'm going to a highpressure carwash 200m away from my house to do that), and dry the car with 2 or 3 (clean) microfiber too. I do not apply much pressure when drying, because demineralized water won't leave a lot of marks anyway.

If you don't have access to demineralized water, you can also use rain water.

At the end of the process, I don't use any polish product, because to apply it you need to put too much pressure on the paint and you might create those swirls (particularly because many polish products are actually abrasive to make the car shine) you can see on dark colored cars.

My opinion is to apply the least mechanical actions on your car to keep it scratch free as long as possible.

Armen383 · 05-12-2014, 08:10 AM

Just wondering how many times per week and/or month you wash your cars with all this effort. To give a hint on where this is going: I wash my cars pretty much every week, and somewhat 10 years ago I realized I had no more time to do this myself. As much as I love the aftereffect of a carefully washed car (especially black), the feasibility of the exercise is no longer there.
As a result - 6 layers of ceramic pro 9h upon car delivery and one layer/refreshment every 6 months with a ban for automatic car washes.

05-11-2014, 09:36 AM	#1
cc3 Major 623 Rep 1,333 Posts Drives: 1M, GT4, M2 M140i G40 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: .UK iTrader: (0)	Carbon Black I have noticed a few faint scratches on my new carbon black X5. Is this colour very sensitive to washing and polishing? Also any tips on keeping the roof clean given its height. ! I like to avoid car washes
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

05-11-2014, 11:14 AM	#2
Baunton Major 320 Rep 1,368 Posts Drives: X5 45e 2021 Join Date: May 2013 Location: South Hams iTrader: (0)	Good question. I have also ordered my M Sport in CB. My car is supposed to be delivered this week and have arranged to have a Nano-Ceramic sealant applied to the paintwork, windows and protective sealant for the Ivory leather and wheels so I am hoping that will do the trick. That and a Karcher should enable me to each the parts that no one can see!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-11-2014, 01:33 PM	#5
CatFlap Lieutenant 21 Rep 424 Posts Drives: ... Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Thanks. ill have a look at their website...I've been trying to decide whether or not to have my X5 done when it arrives. I'm in Worcestershire so need to find a company a little closer I guess. __________________ X5 F15 - gone after 5 months!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2014, 05:32 AM	#12
w4termelon Private First Class 24 Rep 161 Posts Drives: BMW X5 F15 M sport 40d Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: France iTrader: (0)	I already received my Carbon black M sport F15, and I was also worried about how to keep the paint scratch free. Basically, you have 2 options : - get it detailed by pros every time you want to clean it (and pay a lot for that) - DIY the right way. I opted for the 2nd option and mine still looks perfect after nearly 1 month (and one 1600km trip to the beach). So my first question is how do you actually clean it ? I'm pretty sure that you get scratches because there is something wrong with how you do it.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2014, 05:59 AM	#13
plob Private 7 Rep 90 Posts Drives: 650i GC Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Deepest, darkest Cheshire iTrader: (0)	I had the same issue with my Carbon Black X3. Once I corrected it, I was very careful about how I washed it in future as the paint seems quite prone to picking up scratches. I always: 1) Prewash to remove loose dirt and grit 2) Use a proper sheeps wool mitt (never a sponge) 3) Use the 2 bucket method The prewash (with a jet washer) gets rid of most of the grit that would otherwise get picked up by a sponge and rubbed against the paintwork when cleaning the car (like fine grade sandpaper) The sheeps wool mitt seems to lift the remaining grit from the car - a sponge just seems to hold it on the surface which is why it is like using sandpaper on your paint I have one bucket with fresh water in (bucket 1), another with the car wash and clean water (bucket 2). Once I have washed a panel, I rinse out the mitt in the bucket 1 before picking up more car wash from the bucket 2 and doing the next panel. I regularly throw away the water in bucket 1 and replace it with fresh. This way, my sheeps wool mitt is clean every time I put it on the paintwork - it is free of grit. Because the paint is free of scratches, it leaves me free to use whatever I like as a polish (personally, I use a solid carnuba wax as I prefer the old fashioned method) Apologies if I'm stating the obvious here - but I didn't know all this stuff until after I'd made a mess of my X3 paintwork Cheers P
	Appreciate 0 Quote

		BMW X5 and X6 Forum (F15/F16) > BMW X5 (F15) and BMW X6 (F16) Forum > BMW X5 and X6 (F15/F16) Forum
Carbon Black

05-12-2014, 07:29 AM	#15
w4termelon Private First Class 24 Rep 161 Posts Drives: BMW X5 F15 M sport 40d Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: France iTrader: (0)	@plob Your technique is almost what I'm doing too (2 buckets, etc.), except I'm using microfiber based glove to wash the car (and different one for rims). Also, An important part is to rince the car with demineralized water (I'm going to a highpressure carwash 200m away from my house to do that), and dry the car with 2 or 3 (clean) microfiber too. I do not apply much pressure when drying, because demineralized water won't leave a lot of marks anyway. If you don't have access to demineralized water, you can also use rain water. At the end of the process, I don't use any polish product, because to apply it you need to put too much pressure on the paint and you might create those swirls (particularly because many polish products are actually abrasive to make the car shine) you can see on dark colored cars. My opinion is to apply the least mechanical actions on your car to keep it scratch free as long as possible.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-12-2014, 08:10 AM	#16
Armen383 First Lieutenant 83 Rep 346 Posts Drives: Mercedes-Benz E63S Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Limassol iTrader: (0)	Just wondering how many times per week and/or month you wash your cars with all this effort. To give a hint on where this is going: I wash my cars pretty much every week, and somewhat 10 years ago I realized I had no more time to do this myself. As much as I love the aftereffect of a carefully washed car (especially black), the feasibility of the exercise is no longer there. As a result - 6 layers of ceramic pro 9h upon car delivery and one layer/refreshment every 6 months with a ban for automatic car washes.
	Appreciate 0 Quote