[OVERLND99]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

What ceramic product are they using?

Not sure what the brand is. It is the "Standard" one they put on every BMW they sell.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by OVERLND99

Not sure what the brand is. It is the "Standard" one they put on every BMW they sell.

You should inquire, in my opinion any products like this that a dealer uses are highly suspect. 😉

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by OVERLND99

Where is your BMW dealership? I asked them (in person, not over the phone) and they told me they "started" at $300 for a hand wash and interior detailing. Said they dont do jsut the exterior, they only do the full thing (interior and exterior). I would prefer to take it to them, but they charge more than anyone else I have found so far.

Not detailing just a wash

[SpeedyATL]

I would also suggest that you use the word "wash" when you are shopping around, not "detail". Detail means different things to different people. Even the site I referenced had a detail option that was 3x the cost of their wash option.

[Bimmerfun82]

This thread is very interesting, we have some folks only detailing their car when they wash ... and some using dish soap... some using car washes with brushes...

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by SpeedyATL

I would also suggest that you use the word "wash" when you are shopping around, not "detail". Detail means different things to different people. Even the site I referenced had a detail option that was 3x the cost of their wash option.

Exactly, using the wrong terminology will result in much higher pricing.

[OVERLND99]

Thank you all for your suggestions. When I was checking around on pricing I was not using the wrong terminology, I asked for the cost of detailing as well as exterior wash only. I was specific in using that terminology because I know there is a difference between the two and of course a difference in price. I did make a mistake on this forum when I stated the original price, which I corrected in a later post.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by OVERLND99

Thank you all for your suggestions. When I was checking around on pricing I was not using the wrong terminology, I asked for the cost of detailing as well as exterior wash only. I was specific in using that terminology because I know there is a difference between the two and of course a difference in price. I did make a mistake on this forum when I stated the original price, which I corrected in a later post.

No worries. Hey another idea is to hire a family member or friend to wash it for you! When I was a kid I loved washing cars. Just provide a little oversight and you should be good to go.

[OVERLND99]

Originally Posted by Bimmerfun82

No worries. Hey another idea is to hire a family member or friend to wash it for you! When I was a kid I loved washing cars. Just provide a little oversight and you should be good to go.

Now that is a great idea. And I could probably get away with paying less. haha.

[Westside Guy]

Where I live there are mobile car wash trucks that come to you. Do a Google search for where you live and you may get lucky.

[OVERLND99]

Cheapest Mobile wash for an exterior wash i have found was $175. I just found that person today.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by OVERLND99

Cheapest Mobile wash for an exterior wash i have found was $175. I just found that person today.

When you called did you specify that you just wanted a basic exterior car wash?

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by OVERLND99

I have had other convertibles and took them through car washes with no issue ever. However, after reading on here I have it in my head that the most expensive and (supposedly) the best quality vehicle I have ever owned will fall apart in the car wash, the paint will be stripped clean off the body, or the convertible top will fade, fall apart, and leave me with no top.

Trying to be succinct (but failing), the car washes that touch your car will cause micro-scratches that'll eventually be noticeable. They're also known to sometimes damage mirrors and other protrusions but you might get away with it. The touchless car washes don't do a very good job of getting the dirt off. They'll get the heavy stuff but leave dirt films in places. The chemicals they use (colorful foam detergents and waxes), all types of automatic car washes, are not good for the soft top fabric but it may take years before you notice.

If you find a car wash that doesn't damage the mirrors (or wheels if they run on tracks) and you don't mind the slow buildup of micro-scratches, you'll probably be OK with an automatic car wash and the top may last 10 years or more though it will likely begin showing signs of age prematurely.

Automatic car washes are not catastrophic but you're in a forum where the majority of owners pamper their cars, myself included, so the perils of automatic car washes are naturally exaggerated. Owning a black sapphire Z4, I am especially wary of those micro-scratches that seem to get magnified on black finishes. I wouldn't even let someone hand wash my car before ensuring they use only microfiber towels.

I found a local guy with good feedback who does a complete detail for $150 so I'll call him once a quarter to do his thing, keeping it up myself in between.

[StanDiego]

Originally Posted by Westside Guy

You should inquire, in my opinion any products like this that a dealer uses are highly suspect. 😉

...and highly overpriced. A good chunk of the cost is the paint correction that gives it the mirror shine. I'm not an advocate of paint correction because, effectively, they're removing part of your clear coat to get that mirror finish, and modern water based car finishes are thin enough to begin with.

The key difference between the expensive ceramic products and those less expensive is how long they last. However, most folks that I've seen offering the product want you to come in at least once a year for a touch-up which begs a question. Do those expensive ceramic jobs REALLY last a long time or are you prepaying to have it redone once a year? I'm just thinking out loud.

[OVERLND99]

Originally Posted by StanDiego

Trying to be succinct (but failing), the car washes that touch your car will cause micro-scratches that'll eventually be noticeable. They're also known to sometimes damage mirrors and other protrusions but you might get away with it. The touchless car washes don't do a very good job of getting the dirt off. They'll get the heavy stuff but leave dirt films in places. The chemicals they use (colorful foam detergents and waxes), all types of automatic car washes, are not good for the soft top fabric but it may take years before you notice.

If you find a car wash that doesn't damage the mirrors (or wheels if they run on tracks) and you don't mind the slow buildup of micro-scratches, you'll probably be OK with an automatic car wash and the top may last 10 years or more though it will likely begin showing signs of age prematurely.

Automatic car washes are not catastrophic but you're in a forum where the majority of owners pamper their cars, myself included, so the perils of automatic car washes are naturally exaggerated. Owning a black sapphire Z4, I am especially wary of those micro-scratches that seem to get magnified on black finishes. I wouldn't even let someone hand wash my car before ensuring they use only microfiber towels.

I found a local guy with good feedback who does a complete detail for $150 so I'll call him once a quarter to do his thing, keeping it up myself in between.

Great info and I appreciate your feedback. I too planned on pampering the car and hand washing, I even had a water line run with a hose bib attached to it from our soft water system to a location I could easily use to wash the car when we built our house recently. However, those plans have now been changed. I hope to find a better price for hand washing in town, however, I may take it through a car wash at times when I am not able to find someone, or between hand washing. I rarely drive the car and it is garaged when not being driven, that combined with my Silver color, I hope I can avoid receiving and seeing micro scratches or other damage that may occur for a long time.

[Bimmerfun82]

any metallic paint will show swirls in the clear coat from a brush car wash... just fyi...

your best bet if that's your only option would be to covered the car in PPF (clear, not matte) and do NOT do Ceramic coating, then you can use the car wash without worrying about swirls... this worked well in my BSM M3.

One more thing, you might be able to get away with just the front, hood, roof, trunk lid, and back bumper with PPF. Those are the high impact areas.

[Pprior]

Wait - ppf without ceramic. Why not the ceramic?

I’m finalizing my ppf plans right now. Definitely getting full body but debating normal vs ion ceramic (ceramicpro) but never considered not having it.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by Pprior

Wait - ppf without ceramic. Why not the ceramic?

I’m finalizing my ppf plans right now. Definitely getting full body but debating normal vs ion ceramic (ceramicpro) but never considered not having it.

He wants to use the brush automatic car wash... it would take the ceramic coating right off...

Ceramic coating is a must have to preserve the PPF. But only if you're going to hand wash.

He's planning on garaging most of the year and only taking the car out occasionally... should be fine...?

I did almost full PPF (no trunklid and rear, was a bit pricey at $1800) and Ceramic on the whole car

[Pprior]

Car washes should not remove ceramic AFAIK. Are you sure about that?? My plan right now is full ppf and ceramic and subscription to local drive through wash. Self healing full car ppf keeps me from worrying about micro scratches.

[Bimmerfun82]

Originally Posted by Pprior

Car washes should not remove ceramic AFAIK. Are you sure about that?? My plan right now is full ppf and ceramic and subscription to local drive through wash. Self healing full car ppf keeps me from worrying about micro scratches.

I was told not to go to the car wash. But check into it yourself…. Every ceramic is different?

[Westside Guy]

With ceramic coating you are supposed to use pH neutral car shampoos which machine car washes do not use plus the machine washes are abrasive. I would only do hand washes with the correct shampoo if you have ceramic on your car.

https://www.ceramiccoatexpert.com/po...al-car-shampoo

https://canadiangearhead.com/best-so...c-coated-cars/

[Pprior]

After doing more research I guess my plan for PPF covered by ceramic going through the local mechanical car wish is a no-go. I drive right past them on way to work and they have monthly subscription so I had dreams of just driving through on the way home a few times a week and always having a clean car without worrying about scratching the paint due to the PPF.

My dreams down in smoke, arghh!!!!

guess it's back to scraping off BMW brake dust by hand in the driveway, sigh.