Spots and bugs...Help

[gregsminis]

I recently took delivery (6/14/04) of a beautiful all black MCS. I broke it in with a nice road trip to San Francisco, visiting San Jose and Monterey on the way, I live 15 minutes from Crevier (not where I bought the car) in SoCal. I washed the car when I returned but was unable to remove all of the bug guts and water spots from the wiper fluid. I even bought the mr. clean auto dry, it does create a few spots on its own. Can you guys please suggest some products that I could use to get rid of those hard to remove spots. I would like to stay away from anything expensive, harsh or time consuming. I also have no interest in doing a 'traditional wax.' Should I be looking at a quick detail product, clay, the new 'wax as you dry,' or what?

Thank you in advance!

[JustGo4It_]

See this for bug spot removal, I found it using the search function.
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...&highlight=bug

I personally don't think much of the spray on no wax wash products.

Why did you buy black if you didn't want to spend the time taking care of it? Your "beautiful all black MCS" isn't going to stay looking new if you aren't willing to invest some time into taking care of it.

[gregsminis]

I'd say that I have a little over an hour per week that could be devoted to mini cleaning.

Anybody else have some advise to offer?

[BradB]

The response may sound harsh, but your black MINI will look bad really fast from spotting and swirls if you do not take some preventative maintenance with some quality products.

Please stay away from the spray-on, no dry, "as-seen-on-TV" products. They are junk. Your objective is to spend as little time as possible on your finish and this is possible given you prep the car with a quality polymer sealant such as Zaino or an acrylic like Klasse. There are other brands as well but these two are some of the most brilliant and definitely the most durable which is what you want. They will last months between applications. A carnauba based product will start to degrade in weeks and provides a much softer, less durable finish which is much more at risk for spotting and swirls.

Also, be sure to use proper tools when washing and drying your finicky black finish. 100% cotton chenille mitts and microfiber waffleweave drying towels are necessities! I could go on in more detail if you want.

I just want you to know there are some rules you need to follow if you want your new car to stay looking that way. You don't have to invest lots of time, but you need to do it RIGHT when you do it. And it takes a small investment in quality gear and products.

As far as bugs, there are great bug removing products that eat away at the acidic guts of the bugs before they etch into your paint. You don't have to scrub them off and scratch your finish.

Clay is used to remove three dimensional debris, not water spotting. It works wonders, however, and I always do this prior to a thorough wax job.

If water spots set in try soaking them in a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water. The vinegar will often leech the rings out of the clearcoat. The next step would be to polish the spots with a quality swirl remover. Do not use a cheap or harsh scratch remover. These are too abrasive.

Hope this helps you get started. Don't be discouraged. It can be easy once you get your list of products and your regime down. It doesn't have to be a drag!

Brad

[BostonMarkC]

I use Klasse on my BRG, which is parked outside. All I ever need to do is a once-a-week wash, which takes about 1/2 and hour, b/c everything wipes right off of the Klasse using my microfiber products.

If the car is not in the hot sun, I always finish off the wash with a nice wipe of Sunus acrylic spray, which preserves the Klasse finish. That takes about 5 minutes.

Originally Posted by BradB

Your objective is to spend as little time as possible on your finish and this is possible given you prep the car with a quality polymer sealant such as Zaino or an acrylic like Klasse. There are other brands as well but these two are some of the most brilliant and definitely the most durable which is what you want. They will last months between applications. A carnauba based product will start to degrade in weeks and provides a much softer, less durable finish which is much more at risk for spotting and swirls.

Also, be sure to use proper tools when washing and drying your finicky black finish. 100% cotton chenille mitts and microfiber waffleweave drying towels are necessities! I could go on in more detail if you want.