One Week Old 'Baby'...already got a scratch...help?!

[MiniDaze]

My dear hubby who just was kind enough to wash our 1-week old Mini,
prior to an Anniversary 'getaway'....confessed as we were about to leave,
that just after washing it, there was a little 'accident.'
His tripod he was loading into the boot, hit the rear & left a scratch.

(Man, what a way to start a getaway!) Was tough being 'gracious' about it...
didn't succeed, I'm afraid...eventually got there, but not at first.

Anyway, since I'm totally new at this, what can we do, to see if we can get this scratch out ourselves?? What would you attempt first?
He said, maybe we could buff it out, but it doesn't look like a surface level only scrach, I'm afraid. SUCH a bummer....
Then, he said, maybe we could take it somewhere later to have it addressed.
But, where? And, how much does such stuff cost?

Admittedly, this scratch is not too big...or terribly noticeable (which I realized later in the day, when thinking it would be oh-too-easy to see all the time)
Thank goodness it's not 'the worst.'

But, as I read elsewhere here, I guess it will just be the first in a long line of potential scratches..esp. w/my colour Cooper! So, would love advice
so I don't have to work so hard to not act majorly 'ticked' next time.

[TT_Convert]

They all get scratches in the end... stone chips and wotnot. But, if there's somethig you want removed, as it's bugging you, any half decent dealer can remove it. Depends on the size, and depth of the scratch as to how much - and i don't know labour (sorry, "labor") rates over there, but I had a massive scratch take out the front bumper of the TT when I hit a large stone (don't ask). £250 (about $500).

[mtdave2]

id say take a deep breath and be glad the first scratch is over. dont worry too much about it, its the first of several im sure. i understand how you feel, but there is no way to avoid these things other than putting your mini under 2 feet of blankets.

fixin it? depends on how deep it is. if it is like your huby think, buff it! does the deal have touch up paint? comes in a bottle that looks like fingernail pollish. if so get the matching color and do so delicate painting.

if not, find some paint thats close, or dont do anything! the first scratch is the worst.

[Jim Ray]

I understand how you feel, I am the same way.

One thing to look for as a stopgap, not much cost, is that some auto parts places have colored car wax. It fills the scratch, and minimizes the eye catching quality.

This will hold you till someone in a pick up truck dings it , then get it all sorted out on his insurance?

[dantay999]

I have a BEP Cooper too and have become a seasoned pro in the art of scratch/chip removal First thing is buy yourself some scratch X (by Maguires) and a BMW/MINI BEP touch-up paint stick. I would also recomend getting a couple of super fine bristle art brushes as the ones supplied in the paint are way too thick. Work the Scratch X into the marked area and see how much of the scratch you can get out that way, if your through the paint than carefully fill the area with paint missing with the touch-up.....allow to dry...then polish flat with some more Scratch X. For such a small mark there is no reason to get it re-sprayed and I would imagine BEP is quite a hard color to match. Hope this helps. Dan

[MiniDaze]

Wow! Thanks everyone for the quick feedback, advice & empathy. :-)
Appreciate it!

May I also ask...is it best to 'get on it' right away? For aesthetics,
would like to.
On the other hand, since my car & paint are so fresh....
perhaps it's better to wait before applying touch-up paint, etc?

Anyway, truly thankful for all your replies!!
You've helped to take the 'sting' out a bit.
And I know, you're right....
this is most likely just the first of many scratches,
so I best get used to it, eh?! It's just she's soooo new.