Detailing your MINI (Cleaning)

[ScottyBoy]

how many of you are aware of the indepth cleaning methods of a detail and have any off you done this to your mini?

im a regular cleaner as i like to keep my car in tip top condition,

well until i sat down for ages and read through a forum about detailng, i ddnt relise that i could be causing harm to my beloved MINI other than cleaning it,

like simple steps of using 2 buckets to wash it instaed of 1! this is common sense after you read about it!

any off you do this or not???

Scott

[supa-dupa-cooper]

I use a sheep mitt (or a rat as everyone else call it ) to wash mine, never used a sponge on this MINI

If its a quick wash over then 1 bucket, if a proper wash and polish job then 2 - not sure why i do that though

[Dazmac13]

i always thought i took great care of my car, then as you said, i saw the 2 bucket thing etc etc and know i feel ive dun naf all. best website interms of products to use/buy for your car is Car Care - The finest products, the best advice - Polished Bliss They carry all the very best products to wash a mini with (and any car for that matter). Also, give them a ring and they can give you advice, i.e. depending on the colour of your car and wether it's solid or metallic will determine what kind of polish/sealent you should use to best show off the depth/sparkle of the metallic flakes. There's also loads of easy step by step guides on how to wash, wax etc etc. These guys even do car valet services themselves on ferraris so they really know their stuff.

[ScottyBoy]

ive just purchased a bunch of new cleaning stuff as my mini is now black and a black car looks awesome when cleaned perfectly,

and in there wash a lambswool wash mitt.

does any of you go in to real detail on the swirl removal side and how do you do this??

[:: Jon ::]

I prewash mine 2-3 times before i even start my standard wash..
rinsing with warm water each time..

[Dazmac13]

If you've got some cash to burn this place is the best car wash in the world, you can't buy products from them but they will make your car look like its never looked before and they'll come to your house if you need them to Miracle Detail

[Dazmac13]

miracle detail will also get rid of ALL swirl marks

[:: Jon ::]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dazmac13 (original)

If you've got some cash to burn this place is the best car wash in the world, you can't buy products from them but they will make your car look like its never looked before and they'll come to your house if you need them to Miracle Detail

TBH if you put enough time into it yourself you can get the same

[:: Jon ::]

I removed all swirl marks from my Black S got some expensive wax at £72 per tub.. a small tub at that.. Used a pro buffer from a friend at a body shop then spent a whole weekend doing it...

[CC07ERS]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jonmorgan (original)

I removed all swirl marks from my Black S got some expensive wax at £72 per tub.. a small tub at that.. Used a pro buffer from a friend at a body shop then spent a whole weekend doing it...

the whole weekend it must be blinding other drivers in the sunshine

[ScottyBoy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jonmorgan (original)

I removed all swirl marks from my Black S got some expensive wax at £72 per tub.. a small tub at that.. Used a pro buffer from a friend at a body shop then spent a whole weekend doing it...

i have a black s 2 and thats why ive been looking in to this so much as a black car when done looks awesome,

have you got a pic of it when you finished, i shud hope so for a week ends work as i take them after a 1hr wash !

can you post what products you used and etc at what stage???

that would be a great help

[:: Jon ::]

I then apply the wax and leave it to set for an hour or so...

buff it all off and check for any missed areas.. you have to repeat the waxing to the whole panel if you miss a bit


Cleaning before I wax


Final Car wax

[ScottyBoy]

did you check for swirls with a halogen lamp?

its like when you park in the petrol station when you walk towards ya car it looks great but on close inspection ya can see swirls, looks great there tho mate thats what finish im after.

the process im going to do as ive just got the car and i dont think its had a detail before, im the 2nd owner!

1, rinse with water
2, foam wash the car with Meguiars Car shampoo
3, Sheet the water off (take the nossle off the hose and rinse)
4, use Meguiars detaing clay to remove contaminants
5, rinse
6, dry using Microfibre cloths
7, De-Swirl using a a rotary polisher and meguiars scratch X
8, Apply Auoglym Super Resin Polish to fill swirls and polish the paint via machine
9, Apply Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish to glaze the paint,
10, Seal the lot with Pourboy's Natty's Blue wax

its guna take a few haours but ill have to do it now ive seen other ppls cars looking impecable!

[Dazmac13]

the guys over at the detail world forum (the kings of detailing) recommend the following for mini (in this case it was dark silver).

Washing

JEFFS Werkstatt Auto Body Wash
Meguiars Lambswool mitt
Poor boys Waffle Weave Towel

Second Stage

JEFFS Werkstatt Prime Acrylic (wax)
Ultimate German Applicator
Poorboys Super thick and plush towel

Final Stage

JEFFS Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger (Protection)
Poorboy's Deluxe mega towel

For Polishing Tail Pipes

Meguiars NXT Generation All metal polish
poorboy's work towel

Plus 2 gritguard buckets

However whats the best thing to do with wheels interms of should you wax/polish them with same as the stuf you use on the body work or should something else be used??

[Root Ginger]

You should treat the wheels just like any other painted part of your car. They should be waxed and the wax will help the dust come of the next wash round.

I have a PC myself and have attempted to remove the swirls on my Solid Black Hartge S. However BMW paint is rock hard and although I improved the finish it wasn't what I hoped for. When the weather gets better I will be purchasing some stronger polish to get rid of the swirls fully.

It is amazing what can be achieved with the PC. My fiancee had a 4x4 reverse into her car causing the spare wheel to put a dent and scuff into her bonnet. I got a paintless dent repair guy out who removed the dent. I then polished out the scuff with the PC. You'd never know there was any damage now at all.