[DavesZupra4]

Guys call me stupid, but I use literal hand dishwasher product in water, use paper towels to dunk it in the water/dishwasher mix, and clean both interior and exterior. It works and I don't see any paint fade, but somewhere in the back of my mind I feel really stupid doing so. Surely the basic pH of dishwashers must be as bad as acids would be. Has anyone else done this?

[RigaTony1982]

Originally Posted by DavesZupra4

Guys call me stupid, but I use literal hand dishwasher product in water, use paper towels to dunk it in the water/dishwasher mix, and clean both interior and exterior. It works and I don't see any paint fade, but somewhere in the back of my mind I feel really stupid doing so. Surely the basic pH of dishwashers must be as bad as acids would be. Has anyone else done this?

I hope you’re kidding. Dish soap is the worst possible thing to use.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by DavesZupra4

Guys call me stupid, but I use literal hand dishwasher product in water, use paper towels to dunk it in the water/dishwasher mix, and clean both interior and exterior. It works and I don't see any paint fade, but somewhere in the back of my mind I feel really stupid doing so. Surely the basic pH of dishwashers must be as bad as acids would be. Has anyone else done this?

Dish washing liquid, depending upon the brand may not be too harmful to the paint but is likely to strip the wax or other protective coating. Furthermore, because they're designed for dishes and haven't been formulated or tested for paint, safe dilution ratios would be a guessing game.

Paper towels are mildly to moderately abrasive and will cause micro-abrasions. You may not notice them on white paint but they'll be there and you're likely to notice them on darker colors. For many years, I used high quality cotton towels but, a couple of years or so ago, discovered quality micro-fiber towels are even less abrasive so I now use them exclusively. They're pretty inexpensive to buy even in a bundle of a dozen or two. I also use larger micro-fiber towels exclusively for drying.

[stlcdr]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Dish washing liquid, depending upon the brand may not be too harmful to the paint but is likely to strip the wax or other protective coating. Furthermore, because they're designed for dishes and haven't been formulated or tested for paint, safe dilution ratios would be a guessing game.

…

Yes, certain dish formulations are not a problem on automotive paint. Certainly no more aggressive than what is on the roads thrown at the car!

Several people have performed tests with various washing liquids, as well as analyzed the chemical composition.

I use Dawn. You are right, though. It is obviously a ‘degreaser’ (its primary use). But you can use that to your advantage. It is mild enough to not cause paint issues, but strong enough to attack bug guts and tar (I’ve used several bug and tar removers and find that much more difficult to use - way too aggressive, and does not work as as one would hope, coupled with the ‘cleanup’ necessary after some of them).

If you are applying some follow up protectant, there isn’t really much problem with a regular dish soap (depending on the one you use, and as always, YMMV).

As with anything - in moderation.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Paper towels are mildly to moderately abrasive and will cause micro-abrasions. You may not notice them on white paint but they'll be there and you're likely to notice them on darker colors. For many years, I used high quality cotton towels but, a couple of years or so ago, discovered quality micro-fiber towels are even less abrasive so I now use them exclusively. They're pretty inexpensive to buy even in a bundle of a dozen or two. I also use larger micro-fiber towels exclusively for drying.

I only use micro fiber towels on my cars and have found Chemical Guys and CARPRO to be a great places to purchase them. CARPRO has their DHydrate Drying Towel that comes in different sizes that the shop that did my PPF and ceramic coating recommended to me.

https://www.chemicalguys.com
https://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber-towels/

https://www.carpro-us.com/microfiber...towel-28-x-40/

[stlcdr]

Finding good microfiber towels I find quite hard - some which look to be good quality (which they are) do a terrible job of soaking up water, and others that look cheap are great at it.

Anyhoo, just finished a wash. Car had been sitting dirty for about 5 weeks, with bugs on the front, and dirt all on the back. Did not pre-wash with the foam cannon (power washer is winterized and could not be bothered with it).

Went straight into a bucket wash with Dawn Platinum dish soap (maybe a teaspoon at most in 2 1/2 gallon bucket). Did not wash the top as it was reasonably clean. Bugs came off with no scrubbing leaving no marks. But then, I do have PPF, so perhaps that helps.

I use a battery blower to get water out of the crevices prior to drying.

I am also in the never-use-an-automatic-car-wash crowd. Bad experience : bent a spot light, and ripped a big piece of rubber out of a brush guard (of course, they are not responsible for addons, but considering the damage it could do, I’m not going to risk it again).

I must say, ‘what do you clean your car with’ threads sometimes end up like the ‘what’s the best oil’ threads. The latter tends to get dirty, the former stays clean…

[tekpro007]

So just curious, why don’t you use an electric power washer with a low PSI and a foam cannon? Isn’t that going to clean better then the low pressure foam cannon? I ask because my new Z4 arrives in May, and I am getting setup with all my tools to be able to wash it properly.

[stlcdr]

Originally Posted by tekpro007

So just curious, why don’t you use an electric power washer with a low PSI and a foam cannon? Isn’t that going to clean better then the low pressure foam cannon? I ask because my new Z4 arrives in May, and I am getting setup with all my tools to be able to wash it properly.

Not sure who you are directing this comment at, but I use a gas powered pressure washer. It’s tucked away for the winter, so didn’t use it for the last wash.

If you look at some reviews, a good electric power washer, and a good foam cannon (which are a bit more expensive than one might think) will be close enough that if you hadn’t used a gas powered, you wouldn’t know. It’s also a lot quieter, and easier to maintain.

However, an electric power washer is generally useless for most jobs that require a power washer. They just don’t have the pressure and flow.

You can get down a YouTube rabbit hole if you aren’t careful

[gkgeiger]

I’ve had mine for 3 weeks now and washed it for the third time this morning. I haven’t had to use soap yet, I just rinse the dust off and wash the wheels. Unfortunately the semi gloss black wheels really look bad when dirty. That drives me nuts.

[CJ421]

Originally Posted by DavesZupra4

Guys call me stupid, but I use literal hand dishwasher product in water, use paper towels to dunk it in the water/dishwasher mix, and clean both interior and exterior. It works and I don't see any paint fade, but somewhere in the back of my mind I feel really stupid doing so. Surely the basic pH of dishwashers must be as bad as acids would be. Has anyone else done this?

Using paper towels will scratch the paint. Not deep scratches, but scratches nonetheless.

Harbor Freight or another hardware store (or Amazon) has bulk microfiber towels ...buy a pack of those. Also look into the "two bucket" wash method, so you aren't dragging dirt over the car. There are plenty of professional detailers on YouTube that show how to do that.

Originally Posted by gkgeiger

I’ve had mine for 3 weeks now and washed it for the third time this morning. I haven’t had to use soap yet, I just rinse the dust off and wash the wheels. Unfortunately the semi gloss black wheels really look bad when dirty. That drives me nuts.

The black wheels are perpetually dirty. I've seriously considered buying low dust aftermarket brake pads. Stock brake pads on the M40i are horribly dusty.

Charles

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by CJ421

Using paper towels will scratch the paint. Not deep scratches, but scratches nonetheless.

Harbor Freight or another hardware store (or Amazon) has bulk microfiber towels ...buy a pack of those. Also look into the "two bucket" wash method, so you aren't dragging dirt over the car. There are plenty of professional detailers on YouTube that show how to do that.

Paper towels will definitely leave micro scratches on the paint.

As mentioned in my earlier post both Chemical Guys and CARPRO offer an excellent selection of micro fiber towels.

[ZZZ4 G29]

I thought the guy talking about dishwashing liquid and paper towels was just trolling.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by ZZZ4 G29

I thought the guy talking about dishwashing liquid and paper towels was just trolling.

Sometimes, it's a challenge to know for sure.

[stlcdr]

Originally Posted by CJ421

…

The black wheels are perpetually dirty. I've seriously considered buying low dust aftermarket brake pads. Stock brake pads on the M40i are horribly dusty.

Charles

Having them ceramic coated, while doesn’t stop them from getting dirty, really helps with the cleaning. They still have to be wiped but no agitation or scrubbing.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by stlcdr

Having them ceramic coated, while doesn’t stop them from getting dirty, really helps with the cleaning. They still have to be wiped but no agitation or scrubbing.

If you have ceramic coating you should be able to hose off the dirt with plain water.

[ebirotedu]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

If you have ceramic coating you should be able to hose off the dirt with plain water.

No. That’s not how it works.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by ebirotedu

No. That’s not how it works.

Actually it does as a few times I have gone to a local hand car wash where they don't have a PH neutral product to clean the car and they only use a high pressure nozzle and water and the car is virtually spotless when he finishes.

[ebirotedu]

Fair point.

In my defense I wasn’t gainsaying your expereince, in my insufficiently caffeinated state, as much as relating that my personal hope that ceramic coating my wheels would allow me to clean then simply by rinsing with a garden hose was a false one.

While I don’t exactly have to scrub, I do have to run something across every part of the wheel surface (including the barrels) to remove all the brake dust from the wheels.

I have a pressure washer, but I’m not convinced that I wouldn’t still have to hand clean some of the wheel surfaces, like the barrels and behind the spokes. Ease of cleaning does not seem to have been a consideration for the engineers who designed the wheels!

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

Actually it does as a few times I have gone to a local hand car wash where they don't have a PH neutral product to clean the car and they only use a high pressure nozzle and water and the car is virtually spotless when he finishes.

[gkgeiger]

For my wheels, I use Simple Green concentrate, brush the tires and spokes, hose off with garden hose. If I can’t do then in a timely fashion I use my pressure washer. I wipe the wheel spokes with a microfiber cloth. Oh, then I spray the rotors with Hyde’s Serum.

[Bimmerfun82]

PPF and ceramic coating, then a cannon with chemical guys suds ceramic car wash soap, wipe car down with micro fiber towels, go for a quick drive, use blower and micro fiber towel for what remains. 20 minutes, tops.

[Kwajtrader]

Originally Posted by gkgeiger

I’ve had mine for 3 weeks now and washed it for the third time this morning. I haven’t had to use soap yet, I just rinse the dust off and wash the wheels. Unfortunately the semi gloss black wheels really look bad when dirty. That drives me nuts.

Here is a good thread on replacing your brake pads with ceramic. I’ve done it and it significantly reduced the amount of brake dust and required cleaning with no obvious loss in performance or increase in noise. If you do it remember to follow the bed in procedure. It ran me ~$77 for pads and $380 to have BMW install them on both axels. I would have done it myself, but I was told the factory pads have some aggressive adhesive on them that I didn’t want to deal with.

https://g29.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1924614

[Dentistguy]

Im looking into dashcams for my 2022 z4.

Any recommendations on if i should/can hardwire it to the fuse box would be great.