I just spent a few hours Saturday cleaning my MINI. Please forgive me for letting it get so dirty. I mean, it was pretty bad. It was also the first time in at least a year that I actually washed my MINI in the driveway. And it needs some serious help.
Small scratches everywhere plus the big scratches on the drivers side door. Rough spots in the paint. Wheels are scratched and dirty, inside and out. I’m not even going to go into the interior.
So I have decided to tackle the exterior of my MINI and try to get it looking as good as it can. I’m going to need do a bit more than claybar and wax this time and wonder what you, the enthusiastic MINI owner, uses when it’s time for a serious polish on your ride. Would a D/A be ok, or should I go orbital? Have a good polish that you like?
Of course, when it’s done, I’ll be giving her a coat or two of Meguiar’s, but I’ve got a long way to go before I get there.
Comments are open! I would love any suggestions you might have.
DB,
This may be WAY over the top, but it comes from a guy in PhillyMINI who has the cleanest Chili Red MCs I have ever seen. Also know, he is a Computer Geek who works from home in his garage and can put his laptop on the roof of his car and buff while he works.
Use in moderation:
So you want to know about cleaning products and how to clean your mini. You need to be very careful because this can be addicting as you will see below so I will try and keep this short. (ha ha , riiiight)
A good rule to follow is: Do not use anything from Pep boys.
Except: Meguiars Hot Rims® Aluminum Wheel Cleaner, Tire Shine, and Rain-X
I buy all my products from a few vendors listed below:
http://www.autogeek.net < detail tools and supplies.
http://www.showcarsupplies.com < Black WOW #1 and Prima Wax
http://www.brilexsolutions.com < Prima wax local and they have Black WOW and you get a 15% discount @ online store by being a Philly Mini Member.
My evil little Mini is Chili Red with a Black roof 2005 MCS with all kinds of mods (Motor, Suspension, Audio…) Yes, the two worst colors to keep clean and scratch free. UGH!
Ok let’s start with the fact that I am very anal and clean (Wash and Wax) my car like twice a week since I work from home and have a garage and some down time during the day. Let’s face it my Mini is a garage decoration that comes out when I need to distress from work, go to see Eric @ Helix for more power , or play on the weekends.
For big details I start with Dawn Dish soap and clay. Yup Dawn in warm water in a little spray bottle to lube the clay as I strip the car clean. Dawn removes all the wax and the clay makes the paint class like smooth and ready for polishing. (Power tool time)
I use a Makita polisher with 2 different wool pads to remove all scratches. (Caution) If you have never used this polisher you can and will burn the paint.
Next I use a Porter Cable 7424 power orbital polisher to apply and remove paint sealant and wax. You will not burn your paint with this tool. Since this is 2009 I see no reason to do any waxing or removal of wax by hand. I have embraced technology and power tools are the way to go. In the end you get a nice even application of wax and nice even removal of the wax to get a perfect shine with no streaks or smudges. You can get many different Pads to apply wax and Microfiber bonnets to remove the wax.
As far as wax goes I have used Zanio on my car in the past and it is good stuff.
Right now I am only using Prima products: Cutting Cream, Polish, Sealant, Wax, and Glass Cleaner.
I also have some Pinnacle Souverän™ ($95.00) Carnauba Paste Wax and it is the wax for perfectionists.
I only use Microfiber towels to clean my car and wash them in distilled white vinegar with a tea spoon of Tide. ** Never use Bleach or Fabric Softener on Microfiber it destroys them.
I also use Rain X on my wheels inside part of the rim and out. (Yes Rain X) It makes your wheels repel brake dust and the dust will not etch your wheels. It makes rim and wheel cleaner also work really well since you do not need to use as much to clean your wheels.
Ok I am done for now as you can see I could go on for hours. hahahaha
Use all or none of the above,
Joe
I have a Griot’s Orbital, but it seems to only handle minor stuff. It sounds like your going to need a good old fashion high-speed buffer. Be careful though and then run over it with the orbital before applying the final coat of wax. This will help remove any swirl marks the high-speed buffer may have left behind. Good luck!
I would start off with a bloody good wash! lol Clay, polish, not used a DA yet – only ever done by hand so far. then a coat of wax. My current fav is Finish Kare’s 1000p this stuff is soooo durable its unreal! Made in the USA so it should be pretty cheap to pickup! The guys on detailing world should help with polishers. What I do know is that a DA is safer than a rotary as it creates less heat and less chance of cocking up your paint work! Meguiars do a DA called the G220 everyone says how good this machine is!
Happy detailing!
Wow. And, Holy crap! Thanks for all the great info fellas! I really appreciate it.
Hey DB,
I ran up to visit Richard (OctaneGuy @ NAM) at his ShowCarSupplies.com office/garage in Anaheim last weekend and spent several hours with him. He taught me the proper use of detailing products and tools and the best way to take care of my new Mini. Great guy and very helpful for a novice like me.
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/forums/2795047-post16.html
Take care,
Mark