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washed my still very new MCC this weekend (waiting for a full free day to do the whole zaino thing...) and found:
black specs along rear bumper that would NOT come off even with some probably ill-advised scrubbing (wool wash mitt). the car is PW so these tiny things can be seen. is this the sort of stuff I'll have to clay bar out? if so, can one do a spot-clay-barring or do you have to do the whole car when you do it?
little bitty chip on front bumper. i did hear some hard pebble hits going down the highway so that's probably what did it, and i figure i'll acquire more as the car ages. :( this goes through the paint. should i get touch up paint for it? or just zaino over it? how to prevent rust?
bug bits that were very hard to remove. ok to spot-scrub after you've washed a panel? if not, how do i get this sort of stuff off?
Black spots are likely tar or something. Clay bar is what to use, you got it! Spot claying is acceptable for things like this, but since the MINI is so small why not take an hour or two and do the whole car? The paint's SOOO smooth afterwards, I bet you'll think it's worth the effort. Get a friend or SO to help and be done in half the time, plus have someone to talk to.
You can get the wool mit scratches off afterwards with a polish like Meguiar's ColorX after claying - clay bar does nothing to remove scratches, just contaminents and dirt.
As for the chip, if it's through the paint to the base then yeah, your options are limited. I personally hate touch=up paint (it always looks blobby, like nail polish), but if you know what you'e doing you can always wet-sand it after touching up... I'd Google "wet sanding paint chips" or something similar and read as many sites as possible before taking such drastic action, though....
Good luck and welcome!!
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~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
A very dilute mixture of Simple Green and water can be spritzed onto the bug bits; let it sit a while, then rinse off. You'll have to re-polish/wax as the SG will remove the existing polish/wax. Clay-barring is amazing! You'll enjoy doing it and love the results.
if the clay doesn't work, try some scratchX or even CleanerWax.
make sure you use wax on the front of the car and re apply at least
every month on commuters (even sprayon type waxes will do). that
will prevent the bug juice from penetrating the finish like it did on yours.
Washed my MINI yestarday since it was very dirty from the drive to Dallas. I found a 12 inch long mark that probably came from one of the many cones I hit at the driving school I attended at last weekend .
I too have a PW, and after a good claybar by myself and MINIMaybee it took off a TON of stuff off the front and back. Black specks were everywhere from rubber, tar, brake dust, who knows what, etc etc...
i am looking forward to a full clay-barring--the problem is finding the time, since while it may only take an hour or two to clay-bar, if i understand the whole process correctly i'll ALSO have to do 2 washes (before and after) and then multiple coats of z2/z6...seems like an all-day project at LEAST! do i have that right?
if i just clay-bar, would i spot-clean w/ dawn, rinse, then bar, then z2/z6 over it?
Dawn will strip any old wax, so wash the whole car with that, first. After washing, clay all the painted surfaces. You can use detail spray or soapy wash solution with the clay, whichever you like - the trick is to lubricate the clay so that it glides across the paint and does not stick at all.
No need to wash again after - it will be super clean by then. After claying, apply your sealant/wax as instructed on the bottles. Most of the time will be spent waiting for the wax to properly dry and cure, so you can use that time to detail the interior if you like.
EDIT: forgot to mention... After waxing DON'T USE DAWN as a car shampoo - it will remove all the wax you so laboriously applied. When buying Dawn, buy the "classic blue" stuff, as it contains no hand lotion or other greasy stuff intended for hand softening. After waxing, use a car shampoo like Meguiar's, Zaino, etc. They wash away dirt, not wax. Save Dawn for those times (2 or 3 times a year) where you want to strip off any remaining old wax and do a thorough re-claying and re-sealing.
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~Matt Cook | Dublin, Ohio | '92 Classic Mini Sprite: "Fiona" + Purple Haze 2005 MCS Cabrio: "Dawn". See old MODs from "Nano" HERE - post #166 - many with How-to links!
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