Washing a BMW - How much dirt can be removed by an automatic car wash at a gas station?

BMW

BMW 320i car wash

At the end of May, my first car, a BMW 320i, arrived at my home. I have been driving it almost every day since then, but since I mainly drive it in town, the mileage has finally exceeded 1,500 km.

And whileNot washing the car at all.... (-_-)

It would be at the level of a donkey when my husband hears about it.You don't treat your car the way you should.I'm afraid I'm going to get angry with you...

It's a complete excuse.Let's go to the car wash this week.Only when I was thinking, "I've got to get out of the car," did I encounter a guerrilla downpour that cleaned the car slightly, or "I've got to get out of the car," I thought.I'd love to wash it, but now that we're in the rainy season, maybe another time.Time flies when you're thinking...

These days, "I say I'm going to hand-wash my hands, but I'm not going to.Heat over 35 degrees Celsiushas been going on, and on top of that, there are mosquitoes, so I don't really feel like washing it myself," he said, and two months have passed.

But as expected, after two months, the wheels were very dirty.

...I mean, wheels can get so dirty (phew!)!

I think the dirt on the wheels of this 320i started to show up quite early on after delivery. 'The sport model prioritizes good braking.Pads that tend to produce brake dust are used.I read on the Internet that "the first time I saw this, I thought it was too dirty," but as I expected, this is too dirty.

I guess I am too bad a driver.

BMW to automatic car wash!

So I finally decided to go wash my car the other day. Once again, I saw that not only the wheels but also the body was quite dirty.

As for washing the car, I usually ask a gas station in my neighborhood to do it for me.Friendly staff.And while I was asking him to wash my car.Waiting area with spacious single-seat sofa with WIFI connectionThey will let you wait comfortably at the Moreover, coffee and juice are served.

I thought about asking them to wash my car by hand again, but I thought it would be too expensive since it costs more than 5,000 yen, so I decided to first try an automatic coin-operated car wash to see if it would remove the dirt from the wheels.(Well, I thought it would be impossible...)

I remember when I had just graduated from being a paper driver, I was so nervous about even coming to the gas station alone that I had my husband follow me every time he was there... Now I can drive a manual car and come to the car wash by myself (laughs).

This time, the car wash was not just a regular shampoo.A course that provides careful cleaning of the lower part of the machine in addition to high-pressure cleaningI chose an additional The price was 1000 yen.

I know it's expensive for a coin-operated car wash, but still, it's got two months worth of dirt on it.

And finally, the car wash begins.

I always think about this when I am indoors during a car wash.

If I open the window now, I'll be in big trouble.

And. Of course, the engine is off, so pressing the button won't open the window, butI always fantasize about what happens when I open the window.Perhaps, per plus-minus Iwahashi, the temptation to open the window would really be too much to resist. w

The car wash was over in about three minutes, but being inside the car with the engine off under the blazing midsummer sun, I instantly began to break out in a sweat. My eldest daughter, on the other hand, was very excited and excited by herself, as if washing a car was a rarity.

And after washing the car, I checked the wheels to see what happened to them...?

Well, it's a little cleaner, but not completely shiny.(That's right.)Still, it looks like it has a lot of fine brush scratches. I guess I'll order a hand wash next time.

That said, the body is shiny as a whistle!

By the way, when I asked on twitter about how to remove dirt from the wheels, I received the following advice from everyone.

There are detergents that dissolve the iron dust on the wheels, and there are ways to coat the wheels to make them easier to clean, etc., etc. The biggest tricky part is...Make the wheels a shiny black color so you won't notice if they get dirty.and W

All European cars are dirty.Detergent that makes dirt flow just by spraying.I would like someone to develop a

The factory wheel cleaner is quite good. Please try it once.

I do it with dish detergent and army hands! One shot.

Genuine BMW is expensive and actually containsSONAX wheel cleanerSo if it's a Sonax, it's better because it's cheaper than the genuine BMW stuff! And by the way.SONAX wheel coatingIt's also good! It's super water repellent and stain resistant! However, if you touch it with your hand even a little, the coating comes off and it turns white a little, but it's a good product!

Please clean it up before it sticks. My car also suffers from the strongest amount of dust ever, even though it is a domestic car. I don't want to scratch it by washing too much, and I don't want it to be dirty. The struggle continues...

And so on....

After all, everyone is thinking the same thing. At the same time, you know a lot of things...I'm learning a lot. Since I'm here, I think I'll try to buy cleaners and detergents based on the advice I've received and see which one works best for me.

Maybe you can ask for a hand car wash afterwards.

I'm worried about the intense heat and mosquitoes, but I'll give it a shot.

Mina.

Mother of three children, and the owner of the Porsche blog "A Porsche Came to Our House". Until a few years ago, I was not interested in cars at all, but when my husband bought a Porsche, I became...

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  1. rickshaw man

    You see, there have been articles in the past about women's cars...

    I shouldn't care if it rains the day I wash my car lol.

    Washing the car is to remove the dirt that has accumulated so far, and if it rains, that can be done again the next time you wash your WW.

    • Mina.Mina.

      kurumani arabis (ryokanai)

      >I'm sure there have been articles in the past about how women's cars are...
      Yes, yes, that's right (laughs).

      >Don't care if it rains on the day you wash your car, you shouldn't care lol.
      Oh, yes, I know, my husband was deeply sympathetic to the title of the book, "Scrubbing the Car on a Rainy Day."
      That's what I thought.

      If it gets dirty, I'll make sure to clean it up (laughs).

  2. How to Support Life

    Mina.

     It's been a long time.
    Only the Kanto region had been relatively cool for a long time.
    The temperature suddenly rose about 10 degrees Celsius from the moment the rainy season ended.
    I am already feeling the summer heat.
    Finally, we will start moving to Nagoya and Osaka area tomorrow during the Bon vacation week.
    I was staring at the traffic jam forecast information until a few minutes ago.

    Cleaning wheels is a hassle, isn't it? Mine are.
    21㌅ sports design wheels with many fine holes.
    I thought it would be hard to clean because of the dust.
    The other day, I couldn't stand the dirtiness and decided to take a shower.
    A quick stroke with a sponge and it was as shiny as new.
    As I read your comments today that remind me of your hard work.
    I feel very sorry.

    Tokyo in July had only half a day of sunshine and a lot of rain.
    The body was moderately clean after each run.
    I think it's time to find a gas station equipped with a new type of car wash.
    I believe that this is a good idea.
    Is there anywhere I can find it?

    • Mina.Mina.

      How to support your life, Mr.
      It's been a very long time!

      >Tomorrow we will start moving to Nagoya and Osaka area during the Bon vacation week.
      It is extremely hot here. (The highest temperature in Kyoto was something like 38 degrees Celsius.)
      It's funny how hot it is, so please don't accelerate your summer fatigue... ^^..;

      I'm jealous of your wheel cleaning!
      I did say that the wheels on my husband's Boxster would clean up pretty well if I jarred them with the water pressure in the shower, so
      Is that what Porsche wheels are like these days?
      I like it.

      >I think it's time to find a gas station equipped with a new type of car wash.
      >I think that is a good idea.
      New type! I'm curious! I'll look for it too!

  3. yone0531

    Mina Good evening.

    Yes, I think wheels on foreign cars, not just BMWs, tend to get dirty easily.
    Probably the same is true for Porsche. Compared to domestic cars, both pads and rotors are shaved to stop
    I guess I feel like I'm in the right place. In addition to your advice, the best thing to do is to get brake pads with less contamination.
    I think that replacing the brake pads will be very effective. The brake feel is a little different from that of the stock brakes.
    It will change.... Compared to the dirt and grime, this is a breeze!
    For your information if you don't mind.

    • Mina.Mina.

      yone0531.

      >I think the best thing to do is to replace the brake pads with ones that are less dirty.
      I see, so that's one way to do it...! There are so many things that I don't know that I can learn from you all.
      I would like to look into this myself.
      Thank you very much!

  4. wrp930 suga

    It's been a very long time!
    I always enjoy reading your blog. I enjoy reading your blog because I can picture smiling scenes from your writings.

    BMW really gets a lot of brake dust. The wheels get dirty before the body.
    So, when I wash the wheels, I am quite shocked to see a lot of black stains flying on my clothes. These stains don't come out even if you wash them.

    Reduced dust brake pads are recommended. Wheels are less likely to get dirty, and dirt that does get on them is easier to remove.
    The brake feel may change slightly, but I don't think there will be a big difference in braking power. (This is only for street use.)

    BMW owners are replacing their brake pads with reduced dust brake pads quite often. They make cleaning the wheels easier, so give them a try!

    • Mina.Mina.

      wrp930 suga.
      Oh, it's been a very long time! And thank you for visiting our blog.
      Also, my husband has recently been asking a lot of questions about the precautions he should take to drive his 964 in the summer... Thank you ^^;

      >When I wash the wheels, I am quite shocked to see a lot of black stains flying on my clothes. This doesn't come off even after washing...
      Oh, yeah!!! Actually, I was helping the kids get in and out of the back seat when my jeans rubbed against the wheels.
      I was just thinking that the black stains were not coming out at all even after washing...

      I have to be careful washing my car...

      >Reduced dust brake pads are recommended. The wheels are less likely to get dirty and the dirt that does get on them is easier to remove.
      I see! I am amazed every day at the depth of the car, how many different products there are. I will look into it with my husband.
      Thank you very much!

  5. woper

    Porsche and Alpina (so brake pads are common with BMW)
    The brake dust contamination is more severe on the BMW when comparing the two.
    Elephants.

    Alpina couldn't take it anymore and replaced the pads with low dust pads.
    The first time, the company was in a position to do so.
    It may be an illusion caused by the difference in wheel shape, though (^^;)

    • Mina.Mina.

      Mr. Whooper.

      >I have the impression that brake dust contamination is worse on BMWs.
      That's right!
      I was wondering if it was my driving style that made the wheels so dirty...
      I'm a little relieved (laughs).

      So many of you say it like it's a good idea to switch to a low-dust pad.
      I will look into it once.
      Thank you!

  6. mironov

    Nice to meet you, my name is mironov. I have been searching and reading from time to time from Porsche.

    You can wash the car whenever you feel like it. It is also easier to wash when there are still water droplets on the body after it has rained enough.

    With the stock brake pads, the wheels get dirty very quickly. I have a BMW Z4 and as you said, I immediately replaced them with external ones. I replaced them with DIXCEL M-type. It is more economical to replace the rotors with external ones than with the stock ones, because the grinding of the rotors is reduced.

    • Mina.Mina.

      Mr. mironov.
      Nice to meet you, thanks for visiting my blog and commenting!

      >You can wash your car whenever you feel like it.
      It's true, if you watch the timing, you can't wash your car forever... ^^..;

      >As you all said, I immediately replaced it with an external one.
      That's right! So not only are the externals dirt-resistant, but they're also more economical because they're less likely to scrape!
      In hindsight, I wish I had changed it in the first place (I skimped on the money and ended up not changing it...).