Car Care The BMW Way. (Adapted for any vehicle.)

Exterior Care

Washing Your Vehicle
*Vehicles with convertible tops: car washes with high pressures and nozzle positions in the window area can cause a few drops of water to penetrate into the vehicle.

It is recommended that you soften and wash off insects and stubborn dirt prior to washing the vehicle.

In order to avoid spots, do not wash the vehicle when the hood is warm, or during or immediately after exposure to intense sunlight.

When cleaning your vehicle at an automatic car wash, make certain that:

~The vehicle is cleaned with the steam cleaner to rince off sand and other heavy soiling before driving in.

~The car wash system is suited for the dimensions of your vehicle.

~No damage can occur to add-on body elements, e.g. spoilers, radio/telephone aerial. Screw off rod antennas. Consult the car wash operator if necessary.

~The wheels and tires of your vehicle cannot be damaged by the conveyance devices of the car wash system.

~The vehicle is cleaned with minimum brush pressure, and plenty of water is available for washing and rinsing.

~On vehicles with convertible tops, no special waxing program is selected. The small amount of beading wax always used in automatic car washes will not harm your vehicle's finish.

Parts of the vehicle that are inaccessible to the automatic car wash such as door sills, door and hood edges, etc., should be cleaned by hand.

In the winter months, it is especially important to ensure that the vehicle is washed on a regular basis. Large quantities of dirt and road salt are difficult to remove, and they also damage the vehicle.

*When you use steam cleaners or other high-pressure washers, ensure that the jet is far enough away from the vehicle finish and that the temperature does not exceed a maximum of 104*F/60*C. If the jet is too close or the pressure is too high, this can lead to damage or initial damage that can develop into more serious damage.
In addition, water could penetrate various components on the vehicle and cause long-term damage or failure.

Headlamps
When cleaning headlamps, please note:

~Do not rub dry and never use abrasives or strong solvents to clean the covers.

~Remove dirt and contamination, such as insects, by saturating with pressurized water.

~Always use liquid window de-icer to remove accumulated ice and snow, not a scraper.

After Washing The Vehicle
After washing the vehicle, apply the brakes briefly to dry them. Braking efficiency might otherwise be reduced by the moisture and the brake rotors could also become corroded.

Paintwork

Caring For The Vehicle Finish
Regular washing is a preventive measure against long-term effects from substances that are harmful to the vehicle's finish, especially if you drive your vehicle in areas with high levels of air pollution or aggressive natural substances, e.g. tree resins, pollen.

Nevertheless, you should immediately remove especially aggressive natural substances. Failure to do so can lead to changes in the paint's chemical structure or to discoloration. Fuel spilled during refueling, oil, grease, brake fluid, tree resin, and bird droppings should always be cleaned away immediately.

Contamination on the vehicle's surface will be especially conspicuous after washing. Use cleaning fluid or alcohol with a clean cloth or cotton pad to remove these stains. Remove tar spots with tar remover. After cleaning, the affected areas shuold be waxed to ensure continued protection.

Waxing
In order to preserve your finish, only use products that contain Caranauba wax, or synthetic wax.

For fast preservation in between washing, use of a "quick detailer" product is recommended.

After finish care work, remove residues of car-care products and silicone, particularly from the windshield and also from the rear window in vehicles with rear window wipers, with glass cleaner or silicone remover concentrate.

Glass Care
Clean inner surfaces of windows and mirror glass so that they are free of streaks, using antifogging glass cleaner. Never use polishing pastes or abrasive-quartz-cleansers on mirror lenses.

Outside surfaces: it is recommended that you clean the windshield thoroughly with glass cleaner each time you wash the vehicle, and on vehicles with a rear window wiper also the rear window. This is especially advisable following automatic car washes with wax programs. Deposits on the windows, such as wax and preservative residues as well as dirt, cause smearing and premature wear of the wiper blades during wiper operation.
Stubborn deposits can be removed with glass polish.

Wiper Blades
Clean wiper blades with soapy water. Replace the windshield wipers twice a year, before and after the cold season, if necessary. This is especially important for vehicles with rain sensors.

Enjoy. Just typed up straight from the "Caring for your vehicle" manual of my dad's new '06 x3. Took about 2 hours.

Great Guide.

Myself: I recommend NEVER using automatic car washes that have any brush / anything touching the vehicle other than high pressurized water. Due to all the different types of cars going through automatic bays, gravel and micro-contaminants are left on these brushes, and after a year or so of use, your car will have the stereotypical circle-type 'swirl' scratches.

I personally always use pressurized car washes (a few around here) and Microfiber cloths during the 1st soap cycle to remove any rubbish from the surface.

Quote:

Clean wiper blades with soapy water. Replace the windshield wipers twice a year, before and after the cold season, if necessary. This is especially important for vehicles with rain sensors.

I'd go above that and I personally use isopropyl alcohol / cotton swabs (or a microfiber cloth) every time I wash my car. This way when it gets rainy, you aren't pushing a greased / dirty blade up and down the window, causing that look we all know and hate (rainy greasy windshield)

Another tip: Valeo 1 blade wiper blades, above all else.