12-13-2022, 09:54 PM | #1 |
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Low Maintenance, Pro Level DIY Detailing Guide
Background
After picking up a new 2023 M550i a few weeks ago, I wanted to learn how to detail it properly without spending a ton of money or time on it. I quickly learned that with detailing you can go crazy and there are lots of options. I wanted to know, what is the minimal amount of money and work I could do that would still give me a good return of a shiny, glossy, new-looking car that popped like it did when I picked it up from the dealership’s show room. After a fair amount of research, I decided to make this post in hopes it can act as a consolidated, low effort DIY detailing guide. Basically the guide I wish I had a few weeks ago when I first picked up my new car. I decided to share this in case anybody would find this info helpful. After watching several professional detailers talk about their detailing process, I stumbled upon Pan the Organizer. Pan is a professional detailer of 25+ years and has an active YouTube channel with tons of great video content. He posts a lot content and his content is very detailed. While that’s great, it takes awhile to sift through it all and figure which parts apply to your specific detailing needs and situation. I will provide links to specific videos that I found helpful in case people want to dive into more of the details at the end of this post. I also use Pan’s videos to demo the various stages I will discuss below so you can see how a specific step is performed. The other part of learning how to detail was knowing specifically which tools and products to buy and use. There are a million good tools and products that people rave about. I wanted to know which ones are tried and true and are a good value for their cost. For that reason I have shared links to the products and tools I use along with when they should be used. This guide consists of two parts:
Step 1 Protective Ceramic Coating Short history lesson. Back in the day we had waxes, then we had paint sealants, and most recently we have ceramic and graphene coatings. There is a lot of info out there explaining what these coatings do and why you would want one. This video does a good job of giving you an overview of the options and what each solution does. In a nutshell, these coatings protect the top layer of the car and most importantly to me, gives the vehicle hydrophobic properties. This means water (as well as dirt, grime, and dust) can’t easily stick to the car making it much easier to keep clean (often referred to in the detailing world as "self cleaning"). This means the car is going to stay glossy and clean looking much longer and the routine maintenance washes will be much easier. This is a crucial step for car detailing being low maintenance. While installing the ceramic coating will be some effort up front (really not too bad), it will pay off with making all exterior maintenance down the road much easier. There are a bunch of awesome products in the ceramic and graphene coating space. I looked at several of them, but so many of the experts raved about the AvalonKing’s Armor Shield IX it was a no brainer for me. One of the biggest reasons it is so popular is because it is known to be one of, if not the most, user friendly to install correctly. This was a big deal to me because I didn’t want to have to invest in a lot of extra tools or products just to get the ceramic coating installed. It also is guaranteed to last at least 2 years. This video goes over in detail how to install the AvalonKing’s Armor Shield IX ceramic coating. The install process goes as follows: 1. Wash car with special prep shampoo AvalonKings Ceramic Prep Shampoo preps the paint to bond with the ceramic coating by removing any contaminates or previous waxes or protectants. Video DemoAll products for the prep and ceramic coating come to a total of $117.96 USD. AvalonKing runs a sale from time to time (currently running one where you get about 25% off). So at the time of this writing those three would cost around $75 dollars USD. NOTE: You will need to apply the coating with temps 50 F or warmer. Ceramic Coating Includes all prep products and Clay Bar kit $91.96 ~ 2 to 3 hours labor Step 2 Maintenance Washes Now that we have a protective coating (either the full ceramic coating or the Shield Lite), regular maintenance washes should be much easier to perform given the coating is going to give the car a hydrophobic shell. Water, dirt, grime, dust will all slide off giving it a "self-cleaning" effect. While a car with a ceramic coating will stay cleaner and shinier longer, it will eventually still get dirty and require a wash to maintain that "candy like" glossy finish. The rest of this guide will deal with how to perform the most effective wash possible while not going crazy with a million steps and products or requiring too many speciality tools or detailing expertise. After studying several professional detailers perform washes, I came away with the following key lessons: 1. A wash is not just rinse, wash, and dry. A prep step is required before all contact steps. If prep steps are skipped, you are much more likely to end up scratching your clear coat and adding imperfections to your paint job as you smear the dirt and grime across your car while you clean it. A few slight modifications can easily mitigate this problem. For example before your wash stage, you will do a pre-wash. And during the towel dry, using a drying aid will lubricate the surface preventing a towel rubbing against the car’s clear coat from scratching. More details on this below.The wash routine below is built using the key lessons above. I believe it gives you the biggest bang for your buck both in cost and effort while still delivering good results. In addition to the describing the step, I have included a link to the exact products and tools I use for each step along with a link to a video which will visually demo on that stage is performed with additional info on that step. NOTE: The process below was developed for a car with its paint in decent shape. If your paint job is in bad shape and needing restoration, additional steps, like a machine polish might be needed for ideal results. The Wash Routine 1. Prewash Foam Using a foam cannon with a pressure washer or foam gun with a garden hose, blanket the car with spray foam. This acts as both a lubricant for the pressure rinse as well as starts loosen up the dirt and grime sitting on your paint’s outer coat. Let the foam work its magic for a few minutes before moving on to the pressure rinse step. I am using Adam’s car foam along with this particular foam cannon. I am using an older model of this roybi pressure washer. Video Demo.If you had to buy all the routine wash products and tools it would cost you between $250 and $300 USD but you don't have to. You can start with the core basics and add to your collection as you go. Conculsion That wraps up the two stages of adding a protective coating and then performing proper maintenance washes. I hope this is useful to others. I am also building an interior cleaning guide for myself. If anybody else is interested in that leave a comment and if there is enough interest I'll organize it and post it on the forums as well. I've included a list of additional info videos below for those who want to dive deeper. I've also included a full list of all the products and tools mentioned above for reference below. Additional Videos Here is a list of videos that you may find helpful that go into further details than what I shared above. This is not a complete list of videos, but more of a quick reference of the topics I think are most helpful to further dive into. How to wash your car like a pro tutorial Why You Shouldn’t Get A Ceramic Coating Full detail (12 hour job) of an M340i Should you detail a brand new car? Detailing 101: Iron and Tar Removers Wash and Talk How to Clean Your Wheels and Tires Full detail of M3 Regular Maintenance Wash Is Pre-rinsing stupid? Two Buckets vs One Bucket Top 20 Questions About Ceramic Coatings Answered Full Product List Ceramic Coating Products AvalonKings Ceramic Prep Shampoo AvalonKings IPA Prep Spray Clay bar kit AvalonKing Shield IX DIY Kit Armor Shield Lite spray Routine Car Wash Products Two wash buckets Adam’s car foam - Prewash foam solution Foam gun for garden hose - Prewash foam tool Pressure washer with foam soap dispenser Adam’s Tire and Wheel Cleaner - Wheel and Tire cleaner AvalonKings makes a maintenance shampoo - Contact shampoo wash Wheel brush and wooleys kit - Wheel, tire, brake cleaning tool Dewalt leaf blower - Drying tool Xtreme Solutions Topper - Drying aid Lubricant and Protection Gauntlet Drying Microfiber Towels - Drying tool impossible glass spray as well as an extension tool - Windows Chemical Guys VRP - Wheel Dressing Adam's VRT - Wheel Dressing Adam’s tire hex grip applicator - Wheel Dressing tool Here is a video showing the beading / hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coating. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2nFVGW8y48Q Last edited by chuckles1313; 01-30-2023 at 11:15 AM.. |
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12-16-2022, 04:41 AM | #2 |
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perfect!!! thank you for this post and your effort .
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chuckles1313117.50 |
12-16-2022, 07:47 AM | #3 |
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12-16-2022, 02:46 PM | #4 |
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Very nice.
Deep but not to deep, like adding a water softener and pressure washer etc. Now, do another for the interior. |
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chuckles1313117.50 |
12-16-2022, 02:47 PM | #5 |
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12-16-2022, 02:57 PM | #6 |
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Here's what I use. I bought it last year during a Black Friday sale along with the linked pressure washer.
https://clean-garage.com/spot-free-c...e-bypass-head/ https://clean-garage.com/ar-675-pro-...ckage-level-1/ I like the fact that with the water softener I don't have to rush to dry the so quickly and concern myself with spotting. I have a black 2500HD that can't always be washed inside or in the shade. The softened water gives me some extra time when drying a larger, darker vehicle. |
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chuckles1313117.50 Shane_ATX76.50 |
12-16-2022, 03:00 PM | #7 | |
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12-28-2022, 01:37 PM | #8 |
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Thank you and I appreciate your time in putting this together.
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chuckles1313117.50 742002tii13.50 |
01-01-2023, 10:19 PM | #9 |
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While his techniques are good, I would be wary of Pan the Organizers product endorsements. He is a PAID endorser, which will greatly influence his objectivity.
I enjoy ScottH, on youtube as he does not use paid endorsements. All his products are donated by viewers or he pays for them through donations. He does a lot of long term tests of products going on for over 1 year for durability. His tests can still be faulted for not actually driving the car on the road (road splash in rain can be hard on rocker panels), but about as good as it gets. He has ongoing tests of trim products, ceramic coatings, ceramic sprays, graphen sprays, paint protection films, etc... https://www.youtube.com/@ScottHD/videos Last edited by 430Scud; 01-01-2023 at 10:24 PM.. |
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01-02-2023, 10:26 AM | #10 | |
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01-06-2023, 08:13 AM | #11 | |
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chuckles1313117.50 742002tii13.50 |
01-09-2023, 10:42 AM | #12 | |
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For example, let's say you're not a fan of his drying agent / lubricant. It's easy to find a replacement product you prefer. To me the real value of channel like Pan's is learning that drying agents / lubricants exist, when to use them, and why you should use one. I also think it's fairly easy to cross check any products he recommends with other sources (which I have done for all the products I use / recommended). Just my 2 cents. |
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01-09-2023, 10:47 AM | #13 |
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I think a better way to say what I'm trying to say is I think process and technique is much more important than the specific products you use. Master the first and the second isn't as important IMO. Which specific products you will use will change and evolve and you learn your preferences and as products in the market change.
Knowing what products to even use, when, and how I think is the more important skill to gain here. |
01-09-2023, 10:48 AM | #14 |
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With that said I think when you're new, just being told use products X, Y, and Z to get started is helpful (at least it was with me). I think this allows you to get started and you understand more after you have done some cycles with some products.
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01-09-2023, 12:14 PM | #15 |
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Thanks for putting this together. Much appreciated!
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chuckles1313117.50 742002tii13.50 |
01-30-2023, 11:17 AM | #16 |
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Updated original post but got a video of the hydrophobic properties of the ceramic coat in action the other day when it rained here. Reminds me of using Rain-x back in the day: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2nFVGW8y48Q
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742002tii13.50 |
01-30-2023, 11:18 AM | #17 |
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I will do want to say the ceramic coating has been better than I expected to be honest. Makes routine washes WAY easier (especially drying phase) and even when the car needs to be washed it still glows and pop more than a car with no coating.
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742002tii13.50 |
02-05-2023, 04:53 AM | #18 | |
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Agree pan pushes what’s he’s paid to push and having tried many products in the detailing space I can tell you he’s about making money for him over helping you find the best products. I also find him annoying to listen to. Could be me in a bit impatient.
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02-12-2023, 06:23 AM | #19 |
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I haven't read the entire post yet, so upfront apologies, but shouldn't we paint correct before applying a ceramic coating? I'll read the rest and again apologies if wasting your time if it is already addressed but wanted to get this question in.
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02-12-2023, 06:28 AM | #20 | |
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Also, he did a vid addressing his sponsorship and how it affects his reviews. Not saying one way or the other on the ethical issue, but I am glad he has so many vids on so many topics. Even if promoted, sometimes you need a starting point from a confident-sounding professional. Even if from a salesperson. He's good to have as a resource, but it is correct that he gets paid. Last edited by 742002tii; 02-12-2023 at 06:36 AM.. Reason: Additional thoughts |
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chuckles1313117.50 |
02-14-2023, 08:15 PM | #22 | |
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He only came clean after he got busted and flamed
He’s a well know reviewer for hire. I’d rather not waste a Second watching anything he’s spewing. If he works for you go for it. . Quote:
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