How to keep your Mini in shape underneath?

[Iamamini]

Hi, I own a Indie blue/white cooper 04 and I am still learning how to wash/wax it proplerly. When I clean the car I just use medium pressure water underneath to keep it ok. Is it correct that modern cars dont need more than that or how should I keep it clean underneath? How do u do this, I know that there are many very serious owners here and I want some advice . Here in Sweden the winter will soon start and the salted roads are not a very good thing for a nice MINI but I will use the car winter seasons also, so I guess some extra care is the way to go!

[obehave]

Quote: Originally Posted by Iamamini

Hi, I own a Indie blue/white cooper 04 and I am still learning how to wash/wax it proplerly. When I clean the car I just use medium pressure water underneath to keep it ok. Is it correct that modern cars dont need more than that or how should I keep it clean underneath? How do u do this, I know that there are many very serious owners here and I want some advice . Here in Sweden the winter will soon start and the salted roads are not a very good thing for a nice MINI but I will use the car winter seasons also, so I guess some extra care is the way to go!

The best you can do is pressure wash the undercarriage when ever possible.
I've known people that jack up one side of their car at a time and wash underneath.

Winters are quite mild here so it's not much of a problem. I have my own pressure washer with a low pressure setting I use to knock buildup out after we get some sand/salt treatment.

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by Iamamini

Hi, I own a Indie blue/white cooper 04 and I am still learning how to wash/wax it proplerly. When I clean the car I just use medium pressure water underneath to keep it ok. Is it correct that modern cars dont need more than that or how should I keep it clean underneath? How do u do this, I know that there are many very serious owners here and I want some advice . Here in Sweden the winter will soon start and the salted roads are not a very good thing for a nice MINI but I will use the car winter seasons also, so I guess some extra care is the way to go!

Hi lamamini,

When I picked up my S last year the first thing I did was spray the underneath with Dinitrol underbody wax. Took about 4 large aerosol cans to do the job and takes no time.
It gives a nice brown metallic smooth finish to the underneath, and did all the suspension arms etc too. I have reapplied the wax again last weekend ready for the coming winter. I only ever wash the underneath of the car with a standard garden hose which gives enough water pressure for me. I'm not really a big fan of pressure washers after watching my neighbour one Sat afternoon strip all paint of the rear bumper of her Fiat Punto.
I bought the Dinitrol wax from www.frost.co.uk, about a £8 a can. Worth it say to put a barrier between the underbody and the salt etc.

Hope that helps.

[Iamamini]

..for replies. To spray some extra protection wax seems like a good idea, I am just unsure where to put it but maybe I can figure that out.

[obehave]

Quote: Originally Posted by Penguinblue

Hi lamamini,

When I picked up my S last year the first thing I did was spray the underneath with Dinitrol underbody wax. Took about 4 large aerosol cans to do the job and takes no time.
It gives a nice brown metallic smooth finish to the underneath, and did all the suspension arms etc too. I have reapplied the wax again last weekend ready for the coming winter. I only ever wash the underneath of the car with a standard garden hose which gives enough water pressure for me. I'm not really a big fan of pressure washers after watching my neighbour one Sat afternoon strip all paint of the rear bumper of her Fiat Punto.
I bought the Dinitrol wax from www.frost.co.uk, about a £8 a can. Worth it say to put a barrier between the underbody and the salt etc.

Hope that helps.

Obviously your neighbor should have that pressure washer taken away.

[Peter Crowl]

Quote: Originally Posted by Penguinblue

Hi lamamini,

When I picked up my S last year the first thing I did was spray the underneath with Dinitrol underbody wax. Took about 4 large aerosol cans to do the job and takes no time.
I bought the Dinitrol wax from www.frost.co.uk, about a £8 a can. Worth it say to put a barrier between the underbody and the salt etc.

Hope that helps.

Does anybody know of an equivilant product available in the U.S.?

Peter...preparing himself for WInter .. in Denver

[KatanaPilot]

Make sure whatever you spray under the car doesn't plug up any drain holes.... Factory rust protection should be enough.......

[andyupnorth]

Be very careful about spraying any underbody protection over the factory applied coatings. Not only will you invalidate your anti-corrosion warranty, as Katana says above you can block drain holes or seize components, create moisture traps etc. Regular hosing with clean water should be enough.

[Iamamini]

Quote: Originally Posted by andyupnorth

Be very careful about spraying any underbody protection over the factory applied coatings. Not only will you invalidate your anti-corrosion warranty, as Katana says above you can block drain holes or seize components, create moisture traps etc. Regular hosing with clean water should be enough.

I will just get it a good cleaning with water when ever possible. But something struck me today, if u do that and then drive out into the cold the water will freeze and that seems like a bad thing to me. Hard to get rid of all the water but I guess it is better to clean it than not.

[obehave]

Quote: Originally Posted by Iamamini

I will just get it a good cleaning with water when ever possible. But something struck me today, if u do that and then drive out into the cold the water will freeze and that seems like a bad thing to me. Hard to get rid of all the water but I guess it is better to clean it than not.

Ice formation under those condtions really can't be any worse than normal drive and park over night icing.

Get a leaf blower and blow the water off.

That is unless Penguinblue had a neighbor blow the fuel lines off their car doing that

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by obehave

Ice formation under those condtions really can't be any worse than normal drive and park over night icing.

Get a leaf blower and blow the water off.

That is unless Penguinblue had a neighbor blow the fuel lines off their car doing that

Haha you should have seen her wheel trims as they flew over the house!!. Seriously though, if anyone is worried about salt corrosion etc, then a good wash underneath with clean water is a must. However doing your own treatment with specialist underbody wax will certainly help to keep corrosion at bay. I certainly wouldn't worry about invalidating your corrosion warranty as this will only apply where rust has started from inside and worked its way to the outside. Any rust that has resulted from stone chipping etc or from outside elements then the dealer won't want to know, hence prevention is better than cure. After applying any wax the judicial use and poke of a straw in all the drain holes overcomes any worry about any blocking. I know BMW do apply wax to the doors and some box sections, but has anyone poked their finger into the double skin of the bonnet, and looked along its leading edge?? no wax in there and none either where you can gain access to the inner wing from the boot. So for a couple of quid and a few cans of waxoil definitely worth the effort! After all it would still be nice to see my MINI being driven around in ten years time than sitting in the scrap yard as result of the tin worm!!

Cheers

[andyupnorth]

Waxoyl?? do they still make that stuff? I thought it died out with rusty Lancias in the 70s? Seriously, rust protection has moved well on from the "fill it up with wax and let it drip out" days.

[JG.26]

Quote: Originally Posted by andyupnorth

Waxoyl?? do they still make that stuff? I thought it died out with rusty Lancias in the 70s? Seriously, rust protection has moved well on from the "fill it up with wax and let it drip out" days.

Yupp I think it's still made!!, good stuff it is too. I used it on a 1989 MK1 MR2 when I bought it in 92. Still see it knocking around today and still looking pretty darn good. No the stuff I'm talking about is Dinitrol underbody wax, especially made for the job. It's a wax not a bitumen which seals itself if chipped. For me, I feel better for using it knowing
that me MINI has maximum protection!!!...........if you got a Lancia Delta Evo, I might be tempted to swap me S