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I have had my Chili Red MINI Cooper S for about 4 and 1/2 months and I really want to keep it looking as nice as I can for as long as I can (although I don't think I can be as devoted as some ).
I want to know when I need to start waxing my car after I wash it? Or, to put it another way, how long does the finish from the dealer actually last?
Also, I have a vinyl Union Jack flag on the roof and I want to know how to take care of it. Should it be waxed with the rest of the car? Is there another treatment I should be doing?
i would wax it as soon as you want to. the vinyl should be fine on the roof, just be mindful of the edges of it (i think they are tucked into the gutters, but i dont have a MINI so i could be wrong)
If the dealer waxed your car, they used a synthetic one. It would last about 2 months treating it right without concern. For me, it would last about 5 hours max and I would strip the car and beat my dealer senseless for touching the car.
There is a substance called Paint Prep from griot's garage. I know of no other treatment that removes all the previous coatings from a car besides this. You wash the car with car soap, while wet you spray on this stuff, with rubber gloves or a small soaked cloth, rub this liquid over the paint, blam, removes all the contaminants, then rewash the car. Dawn doesnt removes synthetic dealer waxes/sealants.
All new cars need to be Washed, CLAYBARRED, and waxed. I learned all about this on here from folks and then talking to octaneguy for the gritty details of it. I have a beautiful car on account of doing those things from day one.
Thanks, WannaMini_, I am checking out that thread.
So when the weather warms up a little I should wash it, clay it and Zaino it. Do you have any recommendation for particular waxes to use? How often should I reapply the wax?
Upon further review:
After looking at the Zaino site, they talk alot about show cars. Are their products mainly for show cars or do that have things which work well for people who do not plan to show their cars?
Wax, like wine, seems to be a matter of personal choice. My personal choice is the Prima line from Detailers Paradise. I last put on Epic in October and under all of the salt and crap on my car it is still there.
You're welcome, Rick! I thought that thread would be a good place for you to start. I haven't tried any personally, but the consensus on this board is that Detailers Paradise's Prima Epic is the way to go. Zaino is another type of wax that a lot of people here use. I think the claying is a must. And then you can come back and smack all of us when you become addicted to detailing and detailing products as we all have.....
Brendan, I think it's about the same here...oh! I checked, and it's 9 degrees. ONE......MORE.......DEGREE.....and we are out of the single or negative digits!!!
__________________ HOME!!!
'10 CR/B MCS "Snape", black 16" bridge spokes, SS, DTC, Xenons, racing stripes
and nothing else!
epic is a solid choice. zaino isnt bad either. Meguiars has their own nxt polish that is cheap and easy to find, OC guy sees no difference in this vs zaino from what I remember.
I use carnauba paste. It is protecting it in the winter months and still is on there. carnauba sounds like natural which equates with weaker, but really, it is like iron on my paint. I like it on account of my mini is BRG/BRG and too much shine makes it dark looking.
I would go with epic OR (no one mentions this) Griot's Paint Sealant. It is amazing stuff and super resistant to daily driving. They down play it so as to make their other products that last 1/5th as long seem much better. After putting it on my mothers camry, I think its superior stuff. Clincher: 1x a year needed. (spraywax on top of it after a wash to get a gleam but not necessary). just thought id add that
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