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It seems like after everytime I wash my MINI, the whole backside of her gets really dirty within the first days of being clean . Now I guess one reason for this is from the back tires being placed as far to the rear of the car as they can go, so every bit of dirt or water I drive over gets kicked up onto the back. Does anyone else have this problem Now I've heard of and seen actual mud flaps put out by MossMini made just for the MINI that you can put back there to stop this and the pictures didn't look that tacky. Does anybody actually have these mudflaps?? and how are they working out for ya?? In the meantime I'll just keep using my California Car Duster.
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-Ashley(a guy), and Penelope(a 2003 DS/W MINI Cooper S)
You should see how fast a jet black car gets filthy...it seems like if you let it sit outside after being cleaned, your mini becomes a "swiffer" and sucks the dirt out of the air...
sorry, but mudflaps won't make any difference. All hatchbacks suffer from this and all you can do is wash regularly or learn to live with it between washes.
__________________ Disclaimer: No claim is made that the quality of the MINI-related advice offered by Yucca Patrol
is greater than the quality of MINI-related advice offered by other NAM members.
Hi Penelope,
All the boots are dirty, never fear... It's not a MINI thing so much as a hatchback thing. The "let's put the wheels out at the corners of the car" design, just exacerbates (yes spellchecked that) the "problem".
Constructive suggestion:
Grab some quick-detailer spray at any old Target or Pep Boys etc, and learn to love rubbing your MINI's boot ! It IS weird to have to QD the hatch 5 times for every 1 time you wipe off the rest of the car, ya.
Mud-guards look not-so-hot, in my very humble opinion... I don't mean it makes a nice looking car into a not-nice looking one, they just don't "enhance" the car. I never have tried them, but I doubt they would do that hot of a job at keeping the hatch and rear bumper cleaner.
You should see how fast a jet black car gets filthy...it seems like if you let it sit outside after being cleaned, your mini becomes a "swiffer" and sucks the dirt out of the air...
I have the front mud flaps, they work fine at keeping stuff off the sides of the car. The suction caused by the design of the back of a MINI will not be helped by rear mud flaps.
Just get used to the fact that the boot will get dirty, and then motor as much as you can to make it dirty
I use a duster...and I use it just about every time I drive anywhere, assuming it is dry out. I use it in public, too. Frequent (and therefore light) dusting keeps the boot looking good 90% of the time. I use either the large or small OXO duster (California dusters would work, too) depending on if I want to do a large sweep of the boot or more "nooks and crannies" dusting.
I believe the mudflaps are only available for the Cooper and not the S. Check 'em out at Moss MINI. And yeah...our black MINIs are definitely dirt magnets!
The front mudflaps will fit both the Cooper and the S, but the rears are just for the Cooper. I have the complete set...don't feel as if my car's "look" has been compromised at all, but DO feel that I could have gotten by with just the front flaps as the rear flaps do no really cut down on the dusting problem at all. They do help some when the snow flies, though.
Not only hatchbacks, remember old school station wagons had that problem. They added a metal deflector on the top roof edge to help keep the back window clean.
Sweet, I think I'll bolt on one of those to annoy the ricer crowd.
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Anything Made can be Made Better
The low pressure area created by the flat backside kinda sucks stuff of the road and onto your car. Happened on our '58 Dodge wagon and the wheels were NOT pushed to the corner on it.
Back when station wagons were popular (remember when the Olds Vista-Cruiser was the mommy-mobile of choice?), lots of dealers sold curved aluminum wings that deflected air from across the roof to down across the back window to break the suction and reduce the dirt on the rear window. See, you have an age old problem . . .
Here's a picture of a wind deflector on a mid 60s vista Cruiser . . .
sorry, but mudflaps won't make any difference. All hatchbacks suffer from this and all you can do is wash regularly or learn to live with it between washes.
And station wagons. Back in the 60's some of them had wind deflectors on top in an attempt to keep it cleaner. Did not work.
Your not alone by far, however, two words come to mind California Duster. By far it is the best thing I have purchased (car wash wise) for my mini. I wash my Mini every Thursday and about every other sunday too. So about twice a week usually. In between, I use the duster and it is awsome!! It's well worth the $11 I paid for it.
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05 MC-S (Spike)RIP 2/2/07
07 Lightning Blue Cooper S (Dori) w/black stripes Premium, sport, lsd,auto everything, HiFi, comfort access.
2010 Midnight Black MCS (Shadow)W/ Premium, HK, 18 inch JCW Star Spokes, Carbon black / Rooster Red GULFSOUTHMOTORING
If you are as OCD as I am about the looks of the car, do what I do: Get one of those California Dusters and use it on the car every day. Also, I recommend MacGuire's Quick Detail spray. Just squirt some on the back end after dusting, and wipe clean with a micro-fiber cloth. It takes about 5 minutes a day to touch up the car.
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ROB SAUNDERS
2004 MCS Chili Red with Black/Premium/Sport/Cold Weather/17" Kumho SPT's with Konig Reason Graphite wheels/HK with Aux In and MFSW/Pantera Grey Leather Interior/Black Bonnet Stripes/M7 Extreme Scoop/Everything except Sat Nav, but added Garmin Nuvi 350.
Thanks everyone for the input including that sweet little graphic. (you MUST have been bored ) So I guess I Will just keep using my California duster every other day. That's okay though, I like checking out Penelope's backside.
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-Ashley(a guy), and Penelope(a 2003 DS/W MINI Cooper S)
I've noticed a few complaints about black being "swiffers" after a wash, so I'll share my nutty habit.
After the wash, and after the final application of wax or polish, fill a spray bottle with cold water. Lightly mist all painted areas, and let it air dry. Once dry use a quick detailer spray (I use Meguiars) with a microfiber towel. Now that you are done, your black MINI will be less of a magnet. I have noticed a significant change after I started using this method. Try it and let me know!
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Jet black to Chili red ain't so bad if you get a JCW intake in the process.
. Now I guess one reason for this is from the back tires being placed as far to the rear of the car as they can go, so every bit of dirt or water I drive over gets kicked up onto the back. Does anyone else have this problem
Now I've heard of and seen actual mud flaps put out by MossMini made just for the MINI that you can put back there to stop this and the pictures didn't look that tacky. Does anybody actually have these mudflaps?? and how are they working out for ya?? In the meantime I'll just keep using my California Car Duster.
! It IS weird to have to QD the hatch 5 times for every 1 time you wipe off the rest of the car, ya.
