[jamesbeaumont]

I have just been out washing my new mini and have very clumsily added some swilry light surface scratches to the paint work. Theyre on the sill in the boot, on the top part of the bumper. They were caused by not using enough soap and a cloth with some muck on it... Sooo stupid! Only on this part of the car but any advice on the best way to get rid of them would be most appreciated!

[burns863]

Quote: Originally Posted by jamesbeaumont (original)

I have just been out washing my new mini and have very clumsily added some swilry light surface scratches to the paint work. Theyre on the sill in the boot, on the top part of the bumper. They were caused by not using enough soap and a cloth with some muck on it... Sooo stupid! Only on this part of the car but any advice on the best way to get rid of them would be most appreciated!

James, firstly, replace your washing technique to use a Sheepskin/Microfibre wash mitt, along with two buckets; one with soapy water, and one with clean water to rinse the mitt free of dirt before each dip back into the soapy bucket. The clean rinse bucket should include a grit guard to keep the grit washed from the mitt at the bottom of the bucket. This is the best way to wash your MINI

Secondly, to remove the swirls it may be very hard by hand, although this depends on how light they actually are. When i first started detailing I had a go at removing the swirls on my Cooper (induced by the previous owner) and it was a no-hoper. After 20minutes of elbow grease in one area I had made no impact. Machine polishing was the only way to remove them and achieve a defect free body

Since then, I have come to learn about some newer and more powerful polishes on the market, by a brand named "Menzerna". Top notch polishes, some for machine, and some useable by hand. I have yet to use these first hand as my MINI isnt due for her second detail till this summer; in which she will be machine polished using Menz products.

By hand, you could have a go at them with Meguiars Scratch X, however, unless the swirls are very light you will get no-where. From there, you can step up to many polishes however I cannot tell how effective they will be without seeing the swirls. And even then, everyone seems to have different experiences. Some MINI2'ers will tell you they ahve removed swirls on their MINI by hand, and I respect that However I find it incredibly hard to believe with the MINIs rock solid paintwork.

You can learn a lot and get help from a great bunch of enthusiastic detailers with knowledge far beyond what I can give at A world for detailers... . Free to register and you wont regret it

Hope I have been of some help.

Dan

P.S. It may be worth investing on having your MINI detailed at a professional level to remove defect, bring out the flake and bring out the shine. But the most important aspect being that your MINI would be protected from the elements and when it came to washing, all you would need to do was wash carefully (to avoid any further marring / defects) and dry if you wish. No polishing for around a year, when I would recommend everything is stripped off and re-detailed Only thing you will have to do is top up the wax every few months (top ups depend on the type of wax used. I am currently still using Collonite 476S to which I used for the winter, its durability is incredible and I top up every 6 or 7 months whilst still retaining a great deep wet shine after washing )

[jamesbeaumont]

Wow thank you so much for such a detailed answer! Im going to look into the Meguiars as the scratches are light and the car is new so would only need this area done. Im really looking for a product I can use myself, you mentioned the step up from the Meguiars being polish, what polish do you reccomend?

[burns863]

Quote: Originally Posted by jamesbeaumont (original)

Wow thank you so much for such a detailed answer! Im going to look into the Meguiars as the scratches are light and the car is new so would only need this area done. Im really looking for a product I can use myself, you mentioned the step up from the Meguiars being polish, what polish do you reccomend?

Firstly, this link might be of use to you. It shows the range of polishes from good brands, catergorized by how much "cut" they have, meaning how abrasive they are. So obviously the more abrasive polishes should be able to remove deeper and more intense swirls/marring int he paint work. However, not all of these polishes are intended for use by hand.

As I say, it is hard to recommend a certain polish for you as I havent seen the defects inflicted on yuor paintwork. However, I can still suggest a few So... if your swirls are light and you havent gotten anywhere with the Scratch X then you have a few options. Either go for a betterpolish (which is still workable by hand) or go for a polish which contains "fillers" which effectively fill scratches/marks, making them invisible if done properly. This may be the only option if you are not successful in removing the defects with the first option.

If you want to try and remove the defects then a good polish workable by hand would be Menzerna PO91L ( Menzerna PO91L Intensive Polish 500ml ). This is easier to use by hand than a lot of the other and newer Menzerna polishes and you can see from the chart I linked you to at the beginning of this post that PO91L Intensive Polish has a light cut. I would use this to remove the defects by working the polish untill it has gone clear, work in small sections at a time and completely break down the polish before buffing off. After this you should have a nice refined finish and could top with a Glaze and a good wax to finish.

If you have no joy at actually removing the defects (as the MINI paint is rock solid) then you could try switching to a more commerically available product: Autoglym Super Resin Polish (SRP). This contains a high amount of fillers and is very very effective in hiding defects. Again, it would need to be broken down completely before buffing off. However, once you have finished with the SRP it will need a layer of sealant over the top. if you want to stick commercial you could go with AutoGlym Extra Gloss Protection (EGP) which is a really good product to use in conjunction with SRP. This will leave a really nice finish, which in turn will be ready for an LSP layer if you wish with something like Chemical Guys XXX Wax or a similar wax of choice (see Clean and Shiny - Perfection in Reflection or Clean Your Car - car care products UK ).

I would like to stress I do have a limited knowledge of detailing products when compared to the proffesionals over at Detailing World, and by no means am I a proffesional. It would be worth you asking for further advice on their website as they may be able to give you some further and even better advice than I have tried to

I hope this helps James

Dan

[jamesbeaumont]

Well I picked up some scratch x this morning from halfords. Im glad to say it worked a charm, Im amazed at what it did There was one slightly deeper scratch where I will try one of your reccomended polishes on and see if I can fill it over. Thanks to you my mini looks like new again!

[Keano]

Im thinking of getting my car detailed. Are there any good places I can get this done in the Ipswich / Colchester are?


Keano

[burns863]

Quote: Originally Posted by Keano (original)

Im thinking of getting my car detailed. Are there any good places I can get this done in the Ipswich / Colchester are?


Keano

Very good idea You need to make sure you choose a reputable detailer who you can trust to make a good job of your MINI.

As suggested to many people I would advise you to sign up at A world for detailers... and ask on there. I can recommend the following: DaveKG, Engine_Swap, Brazo, Finer Details, L200 Steve. Of course there are many other members whop are more than capable of doing a professional job for you. The usernames I have put forward however are the ones that spring to my mind from reading their previous details and in the case of Engine_swap dealing with him in person.

Post up on DW and ask Any help you need just page or PM me or post in here.

Dan