MINI COOPER :: North American Motoring

mlebeau · #1 08-31-2004, 12:17 PM

Hi folks,

I'm looking for a good detailer in the South Bay (NorCal) as I will be taking delivery of my 05 MCS in two weeks and I'm too lazy to wax the car myself every few months. I have been considering going the CrystalGuard route, and was sold until I learned two things which are of some concern to me:

(1) It was supposed to be $300 for the initial application and regular maintenace to the coat every 3 months, but in fact it is $300 for the initial application and two maintenance visits.

(2) I've heard that CG can make the paint seem a bit darker, and I want to make Hyper Blue as bright as it can be.

Does anyone have any good traditional detailers in the South Bay that they go to regularly? What are the prices like?

Thanks!

-mike

miniboost · #2 08-31-2004, 12:26 PM

I go to AJ's Auto Detailing off of coleman and 880. They are very good and[font=Arial] Thorough. They do lots of high-end cars and are reasonably priced. Their number is 408-947-1111. here's a link th a yahoo map of their location.
http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypMap.py?Pyt=...r:regT:1:fbT:0

MiniBoost[/font]

mlebeau · #3 08-31-2004, 12:27 PM

Thanks miniboost, how much do you spend there?

-mike

meistersoft · #4 09-17-2004, 02:48 PM

I'm actually looking for a detail shop that will do the whole Zaino wax solution in the Bay Area. Unfortunately for me, the process is a bit too involved for me at my current location (car port). I tried giving AJ's a call, but the person I talked to there didn't even know what Zaino was. So I'm still in search of a good location to bring my new car in to. Thanks for any replies!

Darryl

PATHFNDR · #5 10-05-2004, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meistersoft

I'm actually looking for a detail shop that will do the whole Zaino wax solution in the Bay Area. Unfortunately for me, the process is a bit too involved for me at my current location (car port). I tried giving AJ's a call, but the person I talked to there didn't even know what Zaino was. So I'm still in search of a good location to bring my new car in to. Thanks for any replies!

Darryl

You might want to give Scott a call at Professional Automotive in Lafayette. He's a real nice guy.

miniboost · #6 09-17-2004, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlebeau

Thanks miniboost, how much do you spend there?

-mike

I usually just do the mini detail and it runs $35.00 and they do a great job. Usually every other one I get an express wax which is a mini detain with some wax for like $55.00 i think. Speaking of AJ's, i need to get my car washed today. MiniBoost is pretty dirty.

Again they do excellent work and pretty reasonable.

MiniBoost

mlebeau · #7 09-17-2004, 04:41 PM

Thanks for the info OctaneGuy, yeah I saw your post about the little detailing event, looked very cool. Only 5 hours to LA actually, but then driving back home would negate some of the purpose of the detailing. ;)

That PCDA is intriguing, I hadn't considered that it would be a big problem to do it manually, but I may consider this. Do you use it for applying both wax and polish?

I've heard that using this sort of tool for claybar is bad because it can catch a piece of dirt or something and completely mess up the clear coat. Is this also a concern when waxing/polishing?

-mike

**OctaneGuy** · #8 09-17-2004, 05:18 PM

Hey Mike,

Thanks!!

There are two tools that looks very similar. The PCDA (Porter Cable Dual Action (Orbital) Polisher and the Porter Cable Rotary Buffer. The PCDA is very safe and friendly and is one of the best and easiest ways to not only apply/remove wax or polish, but it will remove swirlmarks and fine scratches. It's a great beginners tool cause it can't do harm to your finish.

Not exactly sure where you heard about using a PCDA is bad for claybar. Actually not even sure what you mean by that. Heh heh. We claybarred that black MCS and Red MC before doing the DA.

Now the PC Rotary is different all together. That baby will ruin your clear coat, your paint, and everything else if you don't know what you are doing. A Rotary spins in a circle like a drill. A PCDA spins in a random orbit making it impossible to scratch. When combined with the foam pads it provides easy scratch/swirl removal along with the application of wax.

You don't need a PCDA with NXT, but it makes it easier, faster, and provides numerous benefits--even pressure means no chance of scratching compared to when applying by hand & no rubbing taking takes the elbow work out of applying wax, so I figure why not (?). =)

You can fully detail the exterior of the car in about 30 to 40 minutes working by yourself and barely break out a sweat doing so.

It's the best $150 I've spent for my detailing tools and continues to pay off everytime I detail my car or any of my friends.

re: 5 hours
Oh, heh heh, I didn't realize that, but yep, it probably wouldn't be such a good idea. LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlebeau

Thanks for the info OctaneGuy, yeah I saw your post about the little detailing event, looked very cool. Only 5 hours to LA actually, but then driving back home would negate some of the purpose of the detailing. ;)

That PCDA is intriguing, I hadn't considered that it would be a big problem to do it manually, but I may consider this. Do you use it for applying both wax and polish?

I've heard that using this sort of tool for claybar is bad because it can catch a piece of dirt or something and completely mess up the clear coat. Is this also a concern when waxing/polishing?

-mike

mlebeau · #9 09-17-2004, 05:25 PM

Thanks for the info, OctaneGuy. Sounds pretty tempting, I'm going to mull it over for a bit, and I've got it on my calendar to decide before the 26th, so I don't miss the great deal.

-mike

**OctaneGuy** · #10 09-17-2004, 05:33 PM

You're welcome! Good luck and feel free to ask my any questions on this. At our garage clinic, we're always introducing newbies into the world of the PCDA and they are always amazed at how easy it is--though it does require a bit of muscle to use. The other common thing is forgetting to turn the PCDA on while it's against your paint and turning it off before removing it, cause either way will send the NXT flying. LOL.

I've been a big fan of the PCDA after Mike Phillips introduced it to me on my MINI about a year ago! Heh heh, I now offer free detailing to any of my friends/family who buy MINI's. LOL

Good luck!

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlebeau

Thanks for the info, OctaneGuy. Sounds pretty tempting, I'm going to mull it over for a bit, and I've got it on my calendar to decide before the 26th, so I don't miss the great deal.

-mike

meanboy · #11 09-26-2004, 07:43 PM

Octane guy,

Which porter cable do you have?

**OctaneGuy** · #12 09-26-2004, 09:09 PM

I have the 7336sp. The same one that Meguiars has on sale until the end of this month.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by meanboy

Octane guy,

Which porter cable do you have?

meanboy · #13 09-26-2004, 09:31 PM

Cool..do you have a link? I searched and only one polisher came up in the search.Thanks.

meanboy · #14 09-27-2004, 03:44 PM

Is 7336 the same as 7336sp? I found one place for $109 plus shipping for a total of $116.00

Okay, I think it means sander/polisher

**OctaneGuy** · #15 09-27-2004, 04:47 PM

It probably is. I don't know for a fact, but I can say I learned on the 7335 which seems from all appearances to be the same as my 7336sp. The difference from the 7336 and 7336sp might be in the included accessories.

You still need to buy a backing plate and foam pads since it comes configured as a sander. You are probably right about Sander/Polisher. =) Figure on spending another $30-$40 on top of this to make it usable as a PCDA.

I actually spent $70 last week on 3 foam polishing pads, and 2 cutting pads, and 2 microfiber bonnets, so these things add up quick!

The Meguiars deal is here for 3 more days only
http://www.meguiarsonline.com/

Quote:

Originally Posted by meanboy

Is 7336 the same as 7336sp? I found one place for $109 plus shipping for a total of $116.00

Okay, I think it means sander/polisher

**OctaneGuy** · #16 09-17-2004, 03:07 PM

Hey Mlebeau-

If you can endure the what 9 hour drive to SoCal, we can detail your car for free.

Our club has been holding MINI Garage Clinics, our first one happening last weekend.

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...ad.php?t=30713

Also, Meguiars is having a sale that ends at the end of this month on their PCDA kit that we use in our club detailing sessions.

http://www.meguiarsonline.com/forums...pagenum ber=1

Detailing your MINI with a PCDA takes all the pain out of waxing your car, and with a brand new finish, it won't take much to keep it looking good.

Good luck!

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlebeau

Hi folks,

I'm looking for a good detailer in the South Bay (NorCal) as I will be taking delivery of my 05 MCS in two weeks and I'm too lazy to wax the car myself every few months. I have been considering going the CrystalGuard route, and was sold until I learned two things which are of some concern to me:

(1) It was supposed to be $300 for the initial application and regular maintenace to the coat every 3 months, but in fact it is $300 for the initial application and two maintenance visits.

(2) I've heard that CG can make the paint seem a bit darker, and I want to make Hyper Blue as bright as it can be.

Does anyone have any good traditional detailers in the South Bay that they go to regularly? What are the prices like?

Thanks!

-mike