I just completed my first real detail, I have always waxed my own cars but nothing like this before. My X5 was practice, I wanted to get used to the products and equipment before detailing my Black Pepper. The X5 will be 7 years old this Christmas, it has been garage kept and has 58K miles. I'm in Ohio and winters are rough, heavy sinters and salt.

I am just totally amazed at how well it cleaned up, it literally looks better than the day I picked it up. I drank a couple beers in the garage just staring at it. If the Cayenne turns out as well I'll be very happy. I attached a couple pictures, it's been raining all day so I had to take them inside.

I want to Thank Moe for his recommendation of products and supplying the products. Total time for the detail was about 15 hours, and I only did the outside. Is this amount of time normal?
Here's what I did:
1. Washed with Meguiars gold wash, (only thing I had).
2. Rinsed with DI from Mr. Clean.
3. Clayed the entire car with Zymol Lehm Clay and their lube. I don't think the car needed clayed, there was no noise or rough surface when claying, but I did it anyway because Moe recommended.
4. Polished the entire car with an orange LC pad using Menzerna super intensive polish and a PC 7424.
5. Then polished the entire car with a white LC and Menzerna micro polish.
Steps 4. & 5. seemed to be what brought the finish back.
6. Washed and rinsed the car again.
7. Applied and buffed, by hand, Zymol HD Cleanse. Didn't see any improvement in the finish after doing this but I guess it helps bond the wax to the finish.
8. Hand waxed and buffed the car with Zymol Concours.
9. Cleaned and polished wheels, tires, and glass with stuff I had around, need to get some good stuff from Moe.

As I said earlier the results are nothing short of amazing. A lot of work, I probably will only do this once per year maybe in the spring. Second and 3rd waxings will probably only use the HD Cleanse and Concours.

 

nice work!

 

Great work Frank....this is the way a detail is done by a DIY. You take your time, enjoy the process, and the process becomes its own journey. You now have an appreciation of a true detail. I'm very pleased to hear everything worked out as planned. Keep us up-to-date on the Cayenne.