I love this thread. I go through the first part every now and then and it always inspires me to go do some detailing!

Agranger, you've got a sweet pepper white.

PS Why did this ever loose its "stickiness?" I vote to bring it back!! Best detailing write up online!

 

The stickiness was lost a while after NAM acquired some detailing product and service sponsors who became active on the board. They were giving some stellar advice and visiting the site on a daily basis so new sticky threads rotated in.

 

 

This is just the thread I was looking for

Yet to wash my just one month old Mini. I knew to car washes, hence, was looking for what to buy and how to....

Can't wait to see Jango in person

Now the word doc to the printer

 

Congratulations! Good Job!

 

Always happy to help! There are lots of great detailing folks who hang out on NAM, so if you have any questions, ask away!

If you are near the Dallas area, you need to check out www.metroplexmini.org. I don't make it to as many of the club events as I used to, but I try to get out regularly. I think that it's the largest MINI club in the US and there is generally something going on every other day... happy hours, drives, events, breakfasts, etc. It's a cool bunch of folks.

 

agranger -
Congratulations on your well deserved win.
Jango is a joy to behold.
That is some crazy shine on a Pepper White!
Your pride of ownership is inspiring.
Thanks for sharing.

 

Feel free to modify my plans for your level of need, want or desire. I bought a great deal of the stuff during one month to get a basic stable of products together.

 

I just want to say that I followed the Semi Annual Program provided above using all products suggested and my car is FANTASTIC looking. All products described worked as expected and as reviewed, and I couldn't have been a happier motorer.

The clay bar process was especially easy.. much more so that I'd thought it be. The only additional advice I have on the clay bar process is just to make sure that A) well lubricated and B) work in small areas at a time. Makes it much easier.

Anyways, thanks for this amazing guide, and I am +1000 on this being stickied

 

You are very welcome! Happy to hear that the info helped.

EDIT: Holy crap... this thread is almost 7.5 years old!

 

If I were in Dallas I would take you up on it. I applied Zaino and love the look of it with the diamond black paint

 

BUMP!

I needed the link to this thread to help a friend out with some instructions. 9 years ago! WOW!

 

Has to be said.............
Your bumping a 2 year old thread?
And NO, in not upset, just a waste of others time thinking there are new posts about something current!

One mans opinion, verses another's ideals!

 

Wow. I had heard rumors that NAM had turned into a grump-fest. Now I've got proof.

Heaven forbid that I inconvenience someone surfing the web by bringing a thread (that for years was one of the most read threads on this site) back up to the top of the list, drawing away a few precious seconds of their time. A thread that took HOURS of time to document, research and link with PAGES of real useful information that was curated (by several people) and updated for years.

 

I haven't searched each page but in the initial post and the word document I don't see any details for cleaning the INTERIOR of the car. Obviously, that's an important piece of the puzzle especially to me considering that's where you spend the time driving it.

Aaron, any tips or general guidelines for the interior?


Also, love that this thread is still alive.

 

Interesting point!

I had great success with MINI leather using the Zaino leather cleaner & conditioner pair of products... plus is has a great smell, like walking into the inside of a good leathergoods store. When I sold Jango at 7 years and 85k miles, the leather looked to be in very good shape. Even the outside leg bolster was crack free (though it was showing a bit of wear). BMW and MINI leather is quite thin and papery and a treatment with leather conditioner every 3 months is very important, IMHO.

For the dash/vinyl seats, use a good UV protectant that has no silicone in it. I wiped all plastics down a few times a year with the Zaino tire/rubber dressing which doesn't smell too much and doesn't have a crazy high-shine gloss. 303 Aerospace Protectant would also be a good choice. Armor All has silicone... pass on that one.

I still use Stoners glass cleaner and a glass microfiber for anything glass.

I frequently find that I've got a problem on the interior... it's such a strange combination of hard plastic/glass surfaces and textured rubber/plastic surfaces. It's hard to find a product that works in both places... the rubber stuff leaves streaks/prints on the glass and the glass stuff is drying on the rubber. I recently got a bottle of Meguiars Interior Detailer, which I'm liking very much. I spray 2 shots onto a fluffy microfiber towel and then wipe down the dash, gauges and buttons. It gets the touch-screen of my new car clean (removes fingerprints and is streak free) without stripping all of the rubber/plastic treatment off of the dash. I also have some Mr. Clean Magic Erasers that you wet with water only to help with anything more stubborn.
I use a clean stiff bristle brush on mats to brush out the dirt, then I hit any spots with upholstery cleaner. I had been using a general purpose product before the move (Bought at the grocery store, made by Woolite, I think), but decided to try a car specific product by Meguiars this time. It doesn't smell as strong as the Woolite, which is good, but I've only tried it on one tiny spot so far.

Do I still follow this process 9 years later? Why yes... yes I do. I just clayed, polished and layered 4 coats of Zaino onto my new car just a week ago. I've added a new step of applying a base coat of Zaino AIO (All in One) before Z5+ZFX and Z2+ZFX. Their AIO product is Zaino for the Daily driver... it doesn't need the ZFX additive and is a wipe on, let dry, wipe off sealant product with less hassle. They recommend it as a base coat under their higher gloss products.

 

Hi Aaron!

First off, let me say your guide is absolutely incredible. What luck that I chanced upon this forum and this thread today in my search for the product(s) that can clean my '02 Cooper. No doubt I will reference your post as I attempt to restore her to her factory shine.

We bought the car new in '02, but she hasn't received much special attention in cleaning and has not had any cosmetic parts replaced to date, though that will change soon. She hasn't been neglected, but she also hasn't gotten fully clay barred or properly polished and waxed ever, I think, if that helps you see the scope of my endeavor. Most of the time she gets a car wash with some cheap Target stuff once a week. So essentially I've got 12 years of embedded crap to clean and polish over the entire car.

I've spent some time researching car care and the best products to use, so I'm hopeful I will know what I'm doing regarding the body, wheels, and windows. However, I don't know what I should use for the interior. Mine has some weird cloth on the seats and the rest is plastic and vinyl, some textured. All the stuff I've read on Zaino tells me that's kind of the go-to brand for most products you need for car care. I thought that Z-14 might be appropriate, but the site states you shouldn't use it on textured surfaces, which describes the center console, doors, and top of the dash.

Would Z-14 work for everything else? What can I use on the cloth and textured plastic and vinyl?

Thanks in advance, and thanks very much for the write-up of your process!

~Seth

P.S.
What did you get to replace Jango?

 

LOL... nothing like taking 1 year and 1 week to answer a question! I don't come to NAM very often now. I spotted an IB R53 in my company parking lot while out to lunch and came back here for old-time's sake.

IMHO, the only interior plastics products you need are the Zaino rubber/plastic dressing and the quick detailer I linked to from Meguiars, 2 posts above this one. I use the Zaino stuff on EVERYTHING (including textured plastics). I use the Zaino leather cleaner and moisturizer and would look to Raggtop if I had fabric or a 'vert roof to care for.

Jango has a new life since he left me. I sold him to a club member / friend in Dallas who moved to the Pacific Northwest. He was in an accident and poor Jango was totaled by the insurance company (all the airbags went off, so I was pretty sure it would be totaled). I was watching the insurance auction site, thinking that I might get him back for a restoration, but the web page suddenly went down one day without going to auction and I lost track of him. A few months ago, I got a Facebook Message from the new owner. Jango is in PANAMA! The new owner sent me some pics of the substantial body work that was being done (now with a painted red roof and red mirror caps... not my style, but very nice work) and I helped out identifying some of the aftermarket parts and giving him some tuning suggestions. I'm assuming that the custom colored webspokes were lost in the crash... too bad... IMHO, they really set the car off right.

Here's a photo of Jango after the restoration down in Panama. Last I heard, they are still missing about 50 hp from before the accident... still trying to shake it all out... maybe a bypass valve stuck or a tuning issue.



And since you asked about my new whip... here's a photo that was taken shortly after the 4-coat Zaino treatment from a year ago.