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As you may have seen in the "Name OctaneGuy's Sauce thread," I was a very lucky MINI owner and got to spend the day observing the master detailer and doing a little work myself. After reading and observing Richard here on NAM, I had hoped to watch/learn from him in Vegas, but since I was selling t-shirts, I didn't have time.
After motoring from Memphis to Vegas for AMVIV, I decided to motor out to Los Angeles to spend a few days. I was staying at a friend's house in Venice, quite near Richard's place, and he was kind enough to invite me over as he buffed out a client's BMW M3, which looked great in the garage, but was swirl city in the sun.
It was a great learning experience, to say the least. I learned a ton! Richard showed me how to clay more efficiently than I have been doing, and then I watched as he worked on a test spot on the BMW, buffing out one side of the top of the trunk. He used a Rotary buffer and then a Porter Cable and the result, compared to the not polished side, was amazing (be sure to look for his post with pictures). I also took a few pictures of him in action. I then tried using the PC a little too with his instruction.
Fortunately, I had my MINI with me, too!
After taking a break to have lunch together, Richard said I could pull Grover up into the driveway and give him a much needed bath. The MINI was still pretty dirty from the 3-day drive from Memphis and some "dirty rain" that had covered it the previous day. While OctaneGuy continued to work on the BMW, I used his bucket and wash mitt to wash Grover. Then I pulled out the Hydro I was keeping in the boot and used that to dry the car. Richard let me use some of his wheel cleaner to get some stubborn stains off my wheels.
There was bad news, though. There was a "drop" of some kind on my driver's side door. I couldn't tell whether it was bird poop or some kind of sap. It had a very defined edge. It had been there for a day or two and I had not been attentive enough to wipe it away with some quick detailer. The result: It did not come off with the wash. So I tried some clay. After a few passes, most of it came off, but the outline was still there. I gave an SOS to Richard who brought his Rotary over and buffed most of it out. The outline of the etching is still there, though, so as a warning to all... keep an eye out for any bad drips or drops like this on your paint. Get it off fast because it etches the paint fast! (My car is only 5 months old!) If I had not been at Richard's house, this would still be a very noticeable defect. Instead, Richard minimized it so that most people will not see it.
He then worked on some scratches on the rooftop that have been there since the 2nd day of ownership. He minimized those very well. He also showed me how to quickly tape up certain parts of the MINI and how to use the PC on the curved parts of the bonnet and around the door handle. Most important to note here is how great his PC Guard is, which enables the user to get the PC up against certain areas (such as the door handle) without scratching anything.
And last, but not least -- I was again lucky enough to try Richard's new Trim Sauce on my black trim. It looks great. I'll be watching to see how it holds up over my drive back to Memphis and any bad weather that I might encounter, but it looks like it is going to hold up well.
All-in-all, it was a fantastic day, and I learned a lot. (I'm sure I left something out). I felt quite lucky to be able to watch Richard work... he does great work. I didn't want to delay him too much from his work, but he was always willing to answer my questions and eager to share his knowledge.
Here are a few pictures. These are somewhat moody beach shots I took after I left Richard's place. This really is to show how good the trim looks. Although these pictures aren't the best represenation of the results, the trim looks really good. Also, please don't take these pictures as a representation of Richard's work. Although he buffed out a few rough patches and I think my MINI looks pretty good... I know it would look 100% better if he had detailed it completely.
Thanks again Richard! Your hospitality and teaching are much appreciated! And if I mis-represented/remembered anything wrong, please let me know!
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Click below for pics
www.myminiac.com -- mini-themed t-shirts (unveiled at AMVIV and MOTD 5!!)
^ hey vargasgal... i can probably show you some things, although Tom does pretty well keeping his MINI in tip-top shape. Also, I don't have a PC.... yet!
I am planning on going to the Dragon, just looking for a room now. Know anyone that has a bed, couch, or floor?
__________________
Click below for pics
www.myminiac.com -- mini-themed t-shirts (unveiled at AMVIV and MOTD 5!!)
I waited for the sun to move before asking mini_dreams to bring his MINI onto the driveway. No fun washing in the sun!
Of course with my MINI in the sun, the water overspray left major calcium deposits on my windows and side, but that's ok--I wanted to do some tests anyways! LOL
Hmmm, something just occurred to me. What are the odds of mini_dreams "Max" coming to visit on the same day that I buff out an M3 that also belongs to a "Max"?? Wild times.
So here's mini_dreams inspecting the drip on his door
And using my "Sauce"
That's the same bottle that I used at AMVIV. 8 MINIs at AMVIV + mini_dreams and there is still almost 1/4 of the bottle left.
Thanks for the nice words Max. I was really glad to have you, and as much as it was a treat for you, it was a treat for me to have finally met you, and was super glad that everything came together that I could help you with your MINI. You did a fantastic job on it! And to be totally fair and to give credit where it's due, I did nothing on your MINI that would impact the beauty of those pix except to point you in the right direction! Good work!
Richard
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Hmmm, something just occurred to me. What are the odds of mini_dreams "Max" coming to visit on the same day that I buff out an M3 that also belongs to a "Max"?? Wild times.
strange!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaneGuy
So here's mini_dreams inspecting the drip on his door
wow, look at the reflections on that paint!
Quote:
Originally Posted by OctaneGuy
Thanks for the nice words Max. I was really glad to have you, and as much as it was a treat for you, it was a treat for me to have finally met you, and was super glad that everything came together that I could help you with your MINI. You did a fantastic job on it! And to be totally fair and to give credit where it's due, I did nothing on your MINI that would impact the beauty of those pix except to point you in the right direction! Good work!
Richard
p.s. - I drove to SF today and now there are bugs all over it again! looks like i'm searching for a car wash tomorrow.
__________________
Click below for pics
www.myminiac.com -- mini-themed t-shirts (unveiled at AMVIV and MOTD 5!!)
You can come down to my house! I gots all the stuff you need!
hey ML - apologies for the very late reply! I had a whirlwind trip with no time to wash the MINI (let alone myself ).
anyway, thanks for the offer. I would have liked to swing by to say hello, but time was against. and, since I am now back in Tennessee, the car is filthy again anyway. it hit some icy rain/snow in New Mexico and took lots of bugs to meet their maker.
time to start from scratch. I gotta clay and reapply the Epic! it's been about 6 months anyway!
if I'm out in the bay area again, I'll make time to say hi!
__________________
Click below for pics
www.myminiac.com -- mini-themed t-shirts (unveiled at AMVIV and MOTD 5!!)
