2019 BMW X5 - Ceramic Coating - Gtechniq CSL & EXO

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Apr 30, 2013
Messages
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Location
Tinton Falls NJ
We took delivery of our 2019 X5 at BMW's Performance Center in Spartanburg (incredible experience, highly recommended) in Feb. 2019. Since then I've been playing with shorter duration products like Polish Angel Cosmic V2, Xtreme Solutions Poly Seal, and a couple other detail sprays. I became annoyed when these products would start to fail and I had to do contact drying as opposed to my M340i which is coated with CQ UK 3.0 and I can quickly blow dry even 15 months later. I decided it was time to stop messing around and put a legit coating on this thing. Wanting to get experience with something new I bottomed out on Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light and EXO V4. Overall I found CSL easier to use than CQ UK 3.0 although CSL didn't present a rainbow look as it flashes like CQ does which would've been nice. On the topper side I think CarPro Gliss is a bit easier to use than Gtechniq EXO V4 but it wasn't bad. Admittedly I did take a couple of shortcuts here, first was I didn't polish the roof and second I didn't do a mechanical decontamination, only chemical. The finish was in good shape and I didn't want to add marring. The day prior I did a wheels-off detail of the wheels, wheel wells, and calipers.

WHEELS/TIRES
Clean:
CarPro IronX
Adams Wheel & Tire Cleaner (for suds/lubricity in a dedicated foam cannon)
Tuff Shine Tire Cleaner (tires)
CarPro MultiX (wheel wells)
Coating/Finishing:
Old bottle of Pinnacle Diamond Wheel Coating
Old bottle of CarPro Gliss
(not sure how these old products will hold up)
Hyde's Serum Rust Stopper (rotors)
CarPro PERL 5:1 (tires)


BODY
Clean/Decon:
Foam with CarPro MultiX 5:1
Contact wash: Dawn dish soap w/ small amount of Koch Chemie GSF added
CarPro IronX (two rounds, one before contact wash, one after)
CarPro Bug Out

Surface Prep:
Polish with CarPro Essence
Wipe with straight 70% IPA

Coating:
Gtechniq Crystal Serum Light (one coat)
Gtechniq EXO V4 (one coat 2h after CSL, second coat 20h after CSL)


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Very nice. CSL + EXO is a great combo.

Some (perhaps unwanted) advice: 70% IPA is way too strong. A 10-15% solutions with distilled is recommended and I find it works better than stronger solutions. Polishes are water based and if the solution evaporates slower you can get more into your towel and off of the surface.

High percentages of IPA in your solution can also cause the paint to swell temporarily, which can make polishing frustrating if you're wiping after each pass to verify correction.
 
Very nice. CSL + EXO is a great combo.

Some (perhaps unwanted) advice: 70% IPA is way too strong. A 10-15% solutions with distilled is recommended and I find it works better than stronger solutions. Polishes are water based and if the solution evaporates slower you can get more into your towel and off of the surface.

High percentages of IPA in your solution can also cause the paint to swell temporarily, which can make polishing frustrating if you're wiping after each pass to verify correction.
Thanks. Haven't had any issues before but what you're saying makes sense and I'll knock that down a bit next time I do a car.
 
Thanks. Haven't had any issues before but what you're saying makes sense and I'll knock that down a bit next time I do a car.
I'm curious to see how your wheels do.

Do BMWs still throw dust like crazy? The front wheels on my E90 and E83 would be black in two weeks.
 
I'm curious to see how your wheels do.

Do BMWs still throw dust like crazy? The front wheels on my E90 and E83 would be black in two weeks.
I've used the Pinnacle Diamond Coating on these wheels before. It's OK. The dust is more than many other cars but the wheels would actually take quite a while to get black. Usually they get 85% clean with just a blast from the pressure washer. Hyde's Serum Rust Stopper helps right off the bat preventing the first layer of dust when you drive off.
 
She's a beauty. I have a love affair with the ;) 19, 20, 21 X5's
Thanks. It's a tremendous car. We drove Merc., Audi, and the RR Velar and this just felt more special than the others. It is more responsive than the others while being just as comfortable. Plus the great infotainment and all the ways you can interact with the car was a selling point (in contrast the Velar only had touch screens which required you to take your eyes off the road).
 
Where would he have gotten iron on his finish? His car wasn't shipped.
The fact that you're asking that question tells me your car is probably loaded with iron deposits! They don't just come from rail dust or industrial fallout, a car's braking system is a major contributor to iron deposits that bond with the clearcoat. That applies not only to one's own car but these deposits can be picked up from other cars and trucks as well.
 
Can you use it in lieu of claying?
The Critic answered correctly. I'll just add that this car gets washed regularly so my assessment of the finish plus a small gamble led me to the decision not to mechanically decon. and jump from chemical decon. to polishing. I'll also add that the front clip is covered in PPF.
 
The Critic answered correctly. I'll just add that this car gets washed regularly so my assessment of the finish plus a small gamble led me to the decision not to mechanically decon. and jump from chemical decon. to polishing. I'll also add that the front clip is covered in PPF.

I’m assuming IronX and your PPF “play well together?”
 
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