BMW’s M-Performance division is legendary for its innovations in performance cars, but what happens when you hand them a family SUV? The X6M Competition is the ultimate blend of performance for the weekends and practicality for everyday use. With 617 horsepower and enough room to seat five adults, the X6M is almost the perfect daily.
This specific 2024 X6M Competition, finished in Alpine White over Taruma Brown Leather, received Full-Body Paint Protection Film (PPF) and our Level 2 Ceramic Coating System. Whether this client is driving to work or driving through the mountains, his vehicle will be protected from whatever the road throws at it.
Step 1: Decontamination Wash
Every vehicle that comes through the shop receives an extremely thorough decontamination wash and this X6M is no exception. To begin, our detailers will generously apply Gyeon Q2M Iron and Q2M Foam. These products will remove both chemical contaminants as well as large surface debris, making the contact wash much safer later on.
Using a common practice in car detailing called the three-bucket method, we will clean the paint and wheels. After applying Gyeon Q2M Iron WheelCleaner, the detailers will scrub them with a variety of brushes to ensure that they’re clean.
With the wheels clean and the wheel bucket out of the way, we’ll use Gyeon Q2M Bathe, a wash mitt and our two remaining buckets to clean all other exterior surfaces. Using different buckets for each step of the wash process allows us to clean the entire vehicle without introducing any scratches or swirling to the paint.
Rounding out our decontamination wash, we will clay bar the entire vehicle to remove any embedded contaminants. This is an extremely important step as it allows our PPF and ceramic coating installers to have a perfect surface to work with. Finally, we’ll use a BLO Car dryer to dry the vehicle without ever touching the paint.
Step 2: Paint Protection Film
The owner of this vehicle will be using it as a daily driver, so they wanted our highest level of protection. The best solution for this is Full-Body PPF. This means that every painted surface will be covered in clear bra, protecting your vehicle from road debris, car washes, bird droppings and rock chips. If you’re looking for a complete, long-term protection solution for your vehicle’s paint, Full-Body PPF is the choice for you.
To ensure a perfect fit and finish, we will begin by printing out clear bra patterns designed specifically for this vehicle. We do this by using a specialized computer program and a large printer commonly known as a plotter. Thanks to this process, you never have to worry about stretching, distortion or blades near your new paint job.
Now that we have our custom patterns printed, the installers will begin applying the PPF. We will spray a slip solution onto the surface of the vehicle before laying the film on the panel. The installers will set their anchor points to ensure that the film isn’t sliding around while they are installing. Using a squeegee they’ll push the slip solution out from underneath the film, adhering it to the paint.
Using the same method, we’ll work our way around the car until the rest of the film is installed. The car will now sit overnight to allow the film to finish setting and to let any excess moisture evaporate. Once roughly 12 hours have passed, we’ll walk around the car doing any necessary touch-ups.
Step 3: Ceramic Coatings
Now that this X6M is protected from physical dangers with PPF, it’s time to protect it from chemical and UV dangers with ceramic coating. We will be installing our Level 2 Ceramic Coating System as well and a full interior coating.
Ceramic coating provides a slew of benefits for your vehicle and among them are a high level of chemical resistance, protection against harmful UV rays and extreme hydrophobicity for easy cleaning. These benefits extend to the interior as well, so if there’s a spill on your leather seats, you don’t have to worry about stains since the coating will repel water.
Before we start applying a ceramic coating, it’s important that we remove any lubricants, grease or remaining slip solution from the film. For this, we’ll use both Gyeon Q2M Prep and Q2M WaterSpot. Using a microfiber towel, we’ll wipe the entire car down with these products before moving on to the coating. Similarly, we will use Gyeon Q2M LeatherCleaner Mild to clean the leather interior surfaces to prepare them for a leather-specific ceramic coating.
With a clean and prepared surface, we can begin installing the ceramic coating. As part of the Level 2 System, we will be using dedicated, high-quality coatings for each surface including paint, glass, wheels fabric and leather. Using a specialized applicator, our detailers will spread the coating onto the car’s paint, one panel at a time. They will then remove any excess coating with both a short and long fiber microfiber cloth to ensure that we are not leaving any high spots on the vehicle.
The interior coatings follow a bit of a different installation process. For Gyeon Q2 LeatherCoat, we will simply wipe the coating onto the leather evenly, without the need for a wipe-off. Gyeon Q2 FabricCoat follows a similar process with one difference. The coating is sprayed directly on and then worked into the fabric with a brush.
We’ll finish up with a final wipe-down of the rest of the interior trim and this X6M is ready for delivery!
