How long does it take you to clean your E30?

The place to pick up tips on bringing that showroom shine back to your E30.

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greentouring
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:06 pm

I spent a good part of yesterday cleaning and polishing the touring, and today am planning to clean the BBS. I walked out this morning to discover the birds have been doing bombing runs all over her! Oh well, looks like another wash and polish..................
tomtomiS
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:11 pm

pretty much all day i spose, can take as long as you are prepared to work on it. tho if i wash one, then the other gets a wash too while im in the spirit of things, trouble is there are some big trees near my house which seem to dump a load of pollen the day after ive been out all day valeting which dampens the enthusiasm no end. might be a good idea to buy a car cover...
maxfield
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:11 pm

Depends on what, if it's just being put away a quick wash is normally done (30mins) or for a Sunday drive.

Last year for Gaydon we spent 3days cleaning the car thoroughly inside and out!

This year we spent about a day and a half.
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greentouring
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:19 pm

Yeah, I've bought a car cover but it's not too good and in the morning has always broken loose, no matter how well attached......strange that, especially when there's no wind and I'm in the middle on no where! :mad:
tomtomiS
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:22 pm

what cover is it? im contemplating buying one from motorworld, price is about £20 and its lined with some fleecy kinda material
hubble
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:22 pm

upto 10 hrs before show prep which will include the interior:-

Wash, clay bar, cleaner fluid (polish), wash again and wax

Day to day about an hour. Wash and a quick vac inside. Factory fresh every time :D
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Cloggy Saint
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:26 pm

As long as the drive-through cycle takes, about 10 minutes usually.
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mark_i
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:28 pm

Having Zymol waxed the paintwork, 1 hour 10 minutes as follows

15 minutes on wheels, valances and sills with brush
5 minutes low pressure rinse and soak
10 minutes hand wash with Autobathe and sheepwool mitt
5 minutes rinse off
10 minutes dtry off with waffle weave towel
5 minutes windows and lights
5 minutes wipe down doors, boot and bonnet channels

15 minutes talking to the assembled admirers

Pity the e30 318is looks better than she currently drives...
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mark_i
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:29 pm

Having Zymol waxed the paintwork, 1 hour 10 minutes as follows

15 minutes on wheels, valances and sills with brush
5 minutes low pressure rinse and soak
10 minutes hand wash with Autobathe and sheepwool mitt
5 minutes rinse off
10 minutes dtry off with waffle weave towel
5 minutes windows and lights
5 minutes wipe down doors, boot and bonnet channels

15 minutes talking to the assembled admirers

Pity the e30 318is looks better than she currently drives...
Phatz
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:40 pm

Normal wash and interior clean/vacuum - about 1 hour

Complete wash, clay, polish, wax, trim restorer etc etc.... - about 1 day

I love cleaning it though...
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fuzzy
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 2:49 pm

about 3 minutes at the local jet wash.
tomtomiS
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 3:04 pm

datourer wrote:As long as the drive-through cycle takes, about 10 minutes usually.
8O YIKES! your poor car :eek:
hubble
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 3:15 pm

fuzzy wrote:about 3 minutes at the local jet wash.

Nooooooooooooo!!!! 8O 8O
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Cloggy Saint
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 4:11 pm

tomtomiS wrote:
datourer wrote:As long as the drive-through cycle takes, about 10 minutes usually.
8O YIKES! your poor car :eek:
It looks ok! I treat it to a polish about once a month and it comes up nice.
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liam012
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 5:30 pm

a day and a half usually

half a day prep and washing type stuff

and then a full day applying all manor of crap polish/wax/seant/trim detaiil etc
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1an
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:04 pm

anything up to 10 hours ish
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fuzzy
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:09 pm

liam012 wrote:a day and a half usually

half a day prep and washing type stuff

and then a full day applying all manor of crap polish/wax/seant/trim detaiil etc
8O dont you people have lives away from your cars? :cry:
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Brianmoooore
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:12 pm

What's polish?
Cloggy Saint
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 6:23 pm

fuzzy wrote:
liam012 wrote:a day and a half usually

half a day prep and washing type stuff

and then a full day applying all manor of crap polish/wax/seant/trim detaiil etc
8O dont you people have lives away from your cars? :cry:
X 1. Don't get me wrong, I love my car (most the time) but I really can't be arsed spending a day cleaning it when it's just going to get immediately covered in bird shite/dust/sap etc.
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1an
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Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:46 pm

datourer wrote:
fuzzy wrote:
liam012 wrote:a day and a half usually

half a day prep and washing type stuff

and then a full day applying all manor of crap polish/wax/seant/trim detaiil etc
8O dont you people have lives away from your cars? :cry:
X 1. Don't get me wrong, I love my car (most the time) but I really can't be arsed spending a day cleaning it when it's just going to get immediately covered in bird shite/dust/sap etc.
i love nothing more than the satisfaction of when i step back after completeing the car. and the grin that appears on my face, or if it is on a sunday when neighbours coment on how clean and tidy the car is,
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liam012
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Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:26 am

i see what you are saying guys
BUT! in my defense that would happen every three months and in between that a 10 minuite foam wash and water spray will bringg the car up like i just did the big job on it-

so while you lot are spending an hour every week or whatever you actualyy end up spending that amount of time too - yet probably with worse results.... :twisted: :mad: winkeye
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grantfk10
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Mon Aug 13, 2007 10:38 am

Once a month I'll do the wash/polish/wax/wheels routine. In between it's usually a couple of hours washing, glass + trim etc
d6dph
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Mon Aug 13, 2007 9:10 pm

Normal wash routine (weekly normally) about an hour.

For other jobs, well as long as it takes really.
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murran
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Sat Aug 18, 2007 12:32 am

well any of you 3 day to clean a car in type peeps..... can i book mine in???
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320Touring
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Sat Aug 18, 2007 2:26 am

hmm, e30...clean, same sentence...

Does not compute :eek:
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Sat Aug 18, 2007 3:28 am

Wow!!!!!! Where the hell do people find the time to spend cleaning your car!!!!!!!

Some people on here got far too much time on their hands!!!!!
I can barely find time to go to the toilet!!!!


When i was younger and keen, (and i used to do basic valeting for a bit), I could spend 3 hours on my car and i see where your coming from with the satisfaction bit, but i do not have time for that anymore!!!!

I'll get someone else to valet it while i do something else - usually far more important - and thats only every few months at the mo!!! Car doesn't normally stand still long enough to get cleaned!!
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Sat Aug 18, 2007 4:20 am

I probably spend more time cleaning it than driving it !

Condition is important to me,but half way thru i always just want to get in and drive,but always resist as the end product is an even better driving experience imho ......sad?.......oh yes !.......but at least i'm happy :mad:
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Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:10 am

albanians do mine in about ten minutes

occasionally i get a couple of horny girls to come over to do it while a watch and in return treat them !

before a show, i'll take my time and do it properly

as rob, ( mini blob said ) i just dont have the time anymore to do it, plus my hack aint worth it either !
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Kamran
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Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:55 am

sod that get the valeters at work to clean it!!
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touringandy
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Mon Aug 20, 2007 10:11 am

when i do mine about 3 hrs with polish up but normally tend to get my valeter to do it
jeeves works ever so well lol :wink:
josh-hocking
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Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:27 pm

takes me all day to polish a car however for bbs ive found a quick idea usually i used cotton buds now i use a toothbrudh ....so much quicker :D
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Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:35 pm

JOSHUAHOCKING wrote:takes me all day to polish a car however for bbs ive found a quick idea usually i used cotton buds now i use a toothbrudh ....so much quicker :D
cotton buds and tooth brushes....FFS :cry: i prefer to use mine than buff it .
Jon_Bmw
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Mon Aug 20, 2007 1:55 pm

He can't drive it, so he just has to polish it :gay:
hubble
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Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:53 am

1an wrote:i love nothing more than the satisfaction of when i step back after completeing the car. and the grin that appears on my face, or if it is on a sunday when neighbours coment on how clean and tidy the car is,
Second That /\
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Wed Aug 22, 2007 9:15 am

Depends if the misses has finished the ironing / washing up / vacuuming / cooking. If she finishes her chores in time, then I let her spend the rest of the day washing / vacumming the cars....



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