My Carbon Black X5 | Updated with detail process with post #28

[E90325M]

looking great under sunny day, I went to dealer to see a CB color on a X5M, it keep so low profile and you can't easier found it is an X5M.

[E90325M]

nice! I have seen this posts many times and it make me more confident for my exterior color choice.

[sdalpha]

Originally Posted by E90325M

nice! I have seen this posts many times and it make me more confident for my exterior color choice.

Wow, what a compliment!

[E90325M]

Originally Posted by sdalpha

Wow, what a compliment!

Mark, have you detail the car by yourself?

[sdalpha]

Originally Posted by E90325M

Mark, have you detail the car by yourself?

Yes.

I wasn't originally going to write up the process, but since I took a few pics during the detail, I decided to write a quick summary. Please see the next post.

[sdalpha]

Let me first preface this writeup with the fact that I am not a pro; I am just a detailing enthusiast that likes to keep his personal vehicles clean.

I purchased this X5 a few months ago, and just had the opportunity to give the exterior a proper detail earlier this month. I took some pics during the process, but I could have taken more. I was trying to get it done since it was quite hot (ambient temperature of mid 90s to low 100s Fahrenheit) and I do not have a temperature controlled garage.

A summary of the products used:

Car Wash
Meguiar’s Rinse Free Express Wash (D114) diluted 128:1

Paint Decontamination
CarPro Iron-X
Nanoskin Fine Grade Clay Towel
Meguiar’s Clay Bar
Meguiar’s D114 diluted 256:1 as clay lube

Compounds/Polishes/Paint Cleansers
Wolfgang Total Swirl Remover 3.0 (TSR)
Wolfgang Finishing Glaze 3.0 (FG)
BLACKFIRE Gloss Enhancing Polish (GEP)

Polishers and Pads
Flex 3401 with 6.5” LC Hybrid Pads and 5” LC Flat Pads
Porter Cable 7424XP with 4” LC CCS Pads

Panel Wipe
15% IPA with 0.5oz of D114 added

Sealant(s)
Menzerna Powerlock (PL)
BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond All Finish Paint Protection (BFWD)

Wax
BLACKFIRE BlackICE

Wheel Brushes
Wheel Woolies
Swissvax Wheel Brush

Tire Shine
BLACKFIRE Total Eclipse Tire Gel

Rubber Protectant
Wolfgang Vinyl and Rubber Protectant

All Purpose Cleaner
Meguiar’s D103 diluted 10:1

Let’s start with the before pics:







And some holograms :





I first gave the car a rinseless wash using Meg’s D114 diluted at 128:1. After I washed the car, I drove over to the local coin-op to use Iron-X. I don’t have any pics since I forgot to bring my camera with me, but I didn’t find this step to be particularly exciting given the dark color of the vehicle.

Next up: the claying step. I used the following: a Nanoskin Fine Grade clay towel for the glass and paint, a Megs clay bar for the shadowline trim, and Megs D114 diluted 256:1 as clay lube.



After the decon stage, I inspected the car in the sun and made note of any paint imperfections. Luckily, and surprisingly, the only issues I saw were holograms on the driver side front fender and the hood. I brought the car back inside the garage and taped it up.





Now for the 50/50 pictures of the hologram correction:




The winning combo ended up being:

• a couple section passes using TSR on a LC hybrid orange pad with the Flex 3401 at speed 4.5
• a couple section passes using FG on a LC hybrid white pad with the Flex 3401 at speed 4

Note: The following pics are after TSR and before FG.





After doing the whole fender:



An IPA wipedown was performed after using TSR to check my work, and again after FG.

The same combo was used to correct the holograms on the hood. Unfortunately, I do not have any pics of the hood. I proceeded to do the rest of the car with FG using LC hybrid white pads and the Flex 3401 at speed 4.5 as a one-step. For the tighter areas, I used my PC with 4” LC CCS white pads with the FG. I then followed this with an IPA wipedown.



The next step is one that is debated, and probably a waste of time, but I chose to do it anyway. I applied GEP. I chose to do this to make sure all the polishing oils were removed (for anything that I missed with the IPA wipe), and to promote LSP adhesion since I was planning to use BFWD on the paint. After this, I removed all the tape.





And the LSP stage:
I applied Menzerna Powerlock to the glass. I also applied BFWD to the paint and the shadowline trim. After letting the BFWD cure, I applied a second layer to ensure even coverage. After letting that layer cure for a few hours, I applied BlackICE.



While the BFWD was curing, I cleaned the wheels and wheel wells. Then, I clayed and sealed the wheels with Powerlock. I also cleaned up the engine bay with Megs D103 diluted 10:1, since it was just a little dusty and wasn’t really that dirty.



After all that was done, I applied tire shine and trim protection.



Since the after pics were posted in the OP, I won't post them again here.

Thanks for looking!

[E90325M]

amazing works! I will collect all these brands and buy them just for my CB X15!!

[Doanster]

Great detailed (ha!) write-up!
Shadetree/DIY detailer as well: PC 7424XP, Nanoskin Autoscrub 5" pad, Meg's Microfiber system, LC CCS pads, etc.
Definitely makes we want to get off my arse and spend time detailing my CB with dealer-installed holograms.

[cobra006]

Wow, may I ask how long this process takes , and how often do you do it ?

[Kenny's X5]

Really great work. I wish I had the patience and time to make mine look as nice.

[taxjoc]

I hate you, sdalpha! Just when I thought I had made up my mind with Glacier Silver, sdalpha had to post these absolutely gorgeous pictures of his carbon black X5. Ugh! Back to the drawing board... All kidding aside, the carbon black is beautiful, a lot of work but the results are worth it.

[Kzang]

The work is nice and pleasant at first but wait until you start doing this on a regular basis...

No doubt darker colors would be my first choice but I know well enough ( had black sapphire metallic and Deep See blue metallic ) that the maintenance on these are going to be a pain in the arse.. after 6 months of detailing and cleaning I pretty much gave up because the following day the car looks like crap again Good luck to you guys for keeping this up

[stewy604]

Great write-up man, very thorough detail job with phenomenal results!

[sdalpha]

Originally Posted by E90325M

amazing works! I will collect all these brands and buy them just for my CB X15!!

Thanks! Be careful, detailing can be a fun hobby but it can be a slippery slope!

Originally Posted by Doanster

Great detailed (ha!) write-up!
Shadetree/DIY detailer as well: PC 7424XP, Nanoskin Autoscrub 5" pad, Meg's Microfiber system, LC CCS pads, etc.
Definitely makes we want to get off my arse and spend time detailing my CB with dealer-installed holograms.

Thanks!

Dooooo iiiiitttt! You have the stuff, now its just finding the time and getting past the laziness. But, I'll be honest, I have burnt out from detailing before so I know the feeling.

Originally Posted by cobra006

Wow, may I ask how long this process takes , and how often do you do it ?

I didn't keep a count of how long it took, but it took a good chunk of time. If I had to guesstimate, I would say this particular detail took me about 15 - 20 hours. I could have done it faster; but since its my personal car and I had the luxury of time, I took a lot of breaks. It was also fairly hot, so I would work for 45 minutes or so, take a half hour break, etc.

As for how often, I try to polish (and compound if needed) about once a year. Otherwise, I just try to wash it regularly and wax it as protection begins to diminish. With proper washing and drying technique, you shouldn't need to polish more than once or twice a year. I also like using paint cleansers for those times when I want to apply a layer of wax or sealant to chemically clean paint, and not want to bust out a polisher to mechanically abrade/clean the paint.

Originally Posted by Kenny's X5

Really great work. I wish I had the patience and time to make mine look as nice.

Thanks! It does take quite a bit of patience, and the concept of not rushing something just to get it done.

Originally Posted by taxjoc

I hate you, sdalpha! Just when I thought I had made up my mind with Glacier Silver, sdalpha had to post these absolutely gorgeous pictures of his carbon black X5. Ugh! Back to the drawing board... All kidding aside, the carbon black is beautiful, a lot of work but the results are worth it.

Thank you! Honestly, I think the X5 looks great in Glacier Silver. I've had silver cars before and its not my favorite color, only because its not as rewarding when you detail it, but it is nice and classy without the overbearing maintenance.

Originally Posted by Kzang

The work is nice and pleasant at first but wait until you start doing this on a regular basis...

Definitely. As I said above, I have burnt out from detailing before. It got bad enough that I would let the dealership wash my car during service visits. Nowadays, I try to find the balance of having a nice clean car and going overboard with detailing. That being said, rinseless washes and waterless washes can be done so quickly that keeping a car clean enough to be happy between details isn't that difficult.

Originally Posted by stewy604

Great write-up man, very thorough detail job with phenomenal results!

[MarineOh3]

I have come back to these pictures many times over the last two months to admire your work since we ordered our CBM 35d. Stunning X5. Makes me really really anxious to take delivery of ours in July.

I really don't think (totally unbiased of course) BMW has a more beautiful color than Carbon Black Metallic IF the owner is willing to put in the necessary time to take care of the paint. Fantastic job on the detail; you did it right. I'm a huge fan of Menzerna PL... I usually follow it up with Collinite 845 but it's really just a matter of preference. But I really don't think you can go wrong putting Menzerna PL down first after a good clay bar and polishing.

[MarkG_M5Comp]

I'm so glad this thread got resurrected as I've ordered an M50d in carbon black but keep second guessing myself - tempted to move to space grey.

Thanks for the comprehensive report and pics, this is a stunning car and makes me glad about my purchase. Also glad I've booked mine in for pre-delivery detail and protection!