BMW M5 detailing in Houston

What we watch for

Paint and interior on the M5

Paint and exterior

Dark colors dominate, with Frozen matte finishes on some recent cars. The F90 has a carbon roof, and the much wider body of the latest car leaves the front fenders and rear quarters most exposed.

Interior

Full Merino, M seats or carbon buckets, and on the newest car a curved display and lit interaction bar. The rear seats get used, so the back carpets wear like any family sedan's.

Living in Houston

Commuting on I-10 and doing the occasional run to Austin, an M5 picks up road tar and brake dust like any family car, just on more expensive wheels.

• Hard clear coat: swirls take more cutting to remove, so correction is slower, but a corrected finish holds up well afterwards.
• Black and dark colors are common: they show swirls, water spots and pollen film first, and benefit most from a coating.
• Factory matte or satin paint is offered: it is never polished or waxed; it gets matte-safe soap and a matte-specific sealant or coating.
• Exposed carbon fiber: clear-coated carbon is polished like paint; satin carbon is cleaned and protected, never polished.
• Nappa or fine-grain leather: cleaned with a pH-balanced leather cleaner and a soft brush, then a non-greasy conditioner.