it's starting... self doubt on color choice. Especially after reading the detailing thread. So, I need to poll everyone.

Will the CR MCS require more work to keep it's new car shine? Will the red swirl easier? Actually, I want it to have more than a new car shine. I want that wet appearance.

I love cars, but I don't have the discipline to wax once a month. Thoughts anyone?

 

The darker the color, the more it will show swirls.

Waxing once a month is overkill. When I use Zaino, I only play down the base coats about 4 times a year. I always keeps it clean, meaning it gets washed at least once a week, and I use a california duster on it whenever it gets dusty (living in the desert makes that happen fairly ofter). I also use the quick detailer on it after a wash and sometimes in between.

I put 68k miles on my 3.5 year old MCS in the hot searing AZ sun and the paint looks as good as new (other than the obligitory rock chips).

 

We have two MINIs, one chili red and one electric blue. The red car is harder to keep clean LOOKING. All the little metal flakes in the blue paint give it more complexity, and because of that light swirls and dust hide a little better. The red paint is one homogeneous color (no complexity), so if there are swirlies or dust, they show up.

I would also concur that the darker paint colors show imperfection more.

 

In my opinion the Silver & Pepper White are probably the easiest to keep looking good. The darker the color the more it shows dirt & swirls. I have a Hyper Blue/White & it's much harder to keep clean that my previous car. A light Grey Subaru. Although when my MINI is clean it just pops. My Subaru never did that.

 

One of the main reasons i picked pepper white is because it hides the dirt the most. The lighter the color the cleaner the car will look.

It works like this, the white reflects alot of light. It works kinda like a computer monitor. With the computer monitor on its hard to see all the dust and finger prints due to the amount of light from the screen being shined into your eyes. BUT! if you turn off the montior and the screen goes black, well...you can clearly see all the dirt and dust. (Almost like having a flash light shined into your eyes, and you cant see the person who is holding it.)

The lighter the color will also reflect heat more. Another reason i picked PW. I live in florida and it gets freakin HOT! Soooo...having a white car, and a white top really do help alot. Ever run across a parking lot barefoot in the middle of a hot sunny day? the pavement is scolding hot, but if you walk along the white paint stripes in the parking lot, its a LOT more cool.

 

Ya, this was affecting my choice of colour too. In the end, however, I just decided to go with what I really wanted and not base it on heat, dirt, etc. I don't plan on spending the rest of my life in Houston, so if I can survive here with a dark car, it will be great elsewhere!

 

Hey, whaddaya doin running around barefoot in public places? Is this brittney spears??

 

After posting my poll last night and spending what seemed like hours in the detail 101 section, I went to sleep. Only to wake up 2 hrs later in full on PANIC mode! I am talking crawling out of my skin had to get out of bed, walk around the house, take pillow to couch mode, and pop a valium! Get out of here!! Those little pills are for my muscle spasms. All I know is that I can't spend 4 mo's waiting on that beautiful little car to see if I can maintain the shine they way she deserves. What I do know is that living 12 blocks from the beach, my car get's dusty and it exposed to the elements. So, I changed my Chili red to the dark silver. I have silver gray 330 now, and it always looks sharp. I was trying to get out of my logical state of mind and order something flashy. But I guess truth be known, I love color's like gunmetal gray and dark silver. Now, i will have to search for a graphic the put on the top that is unique and spirited!

Everyone, thanks for your input about color choices.

 

Red will aso take longer to rust....

 

While Pepper White may not show dirt as readily, it has shown it does stain.

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=61996

 

Good Choice CG, that's what I'm going with too !!

 

Dave, your my neighbor!!

 

Darker = more work

As far as MINI's paint holding up, good as new after 1 year (well 51 weeks) most of which was spent in the hot FL sun.

I wash weekly and wax almost as often and drive Pearl everywhere, so she sees her fair share of bugs, rain, dirt, etc. My wax has elimated any swirl marks and left me most pleased.

If a little TLC on a regular basis keeps Jet Black looking showroom fresh the CR shouldn't be much of a worry.

BTW I washed my previous car bi-monthly; MINIs have a way of making their owners OCD.

 

running through parking lots barefoot is a common thing when going to/at the beach!

...and getting across them without getting burnt has become somewhat of an art form. Of course, i could always where sandles but eh...no thanks!

 

Hmm...so thats how I get rid of my flip flop tan lines!

 

 

Mini Mizer, I just realized that you are in jacksonville. I have several family members who live there. They absolutely love it.

 

NOOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!! Say it ain't SOOOOOOOOoooooooooo!
You gave up the color of fire, passion, the Devil, heat and all things simmering for Silver?........................................... ........ok!

 

I know i know.... but I can't live on valium for 4 mo's while I wait just to see if it swirls! I was weak... BUT, I plan on something wild for the roof and mirrors. Get this, now I have to change her name... she can't be "little hottie" if she is dark silver. Now what am I to do!

 

You could name her something dark and mysterious, befitting her color - like "little temptress" or something. Hehe.

Anybody have any opinions about how Hyper Blue holds up? Just curious.

 

its HOT!

 

I've had two Chili Red Coopers.. in fact, I bought the second one used, so I wasn't able to baby the paint for those first 17k miles. The Chili Red was soooo-oooo much easier to keep clean/keep well detailed than the Purple Haze that I have now. It shined up so beautifully with minimal work. With the Purple Haze (and I assume any dark color) I clean and clean and clean and even the slightest dead bug or bit of dust shows up so much.

I have a Dolphin Gray Audi A4 which is quite "Dark Silver-ish" and its easier to keep looking clean than anything else. I finally washed it - last week - for the first time since... uh... November?? It still looks brand spankin' new even with that kind of abuse.

From the total opposite perspective though... I hate waxing my Dolphin Gray Audi because theres no satisfaction. The paint looks pretty much the same regardless of how much work I put in to it. With the Chili Red, I got SO much satisfaction from waxing. The color looks totally different with a great coat of wax.

 

Mini Mizer, heck you guys had nothing on SoCal during the last couple weeks. Felt like I was back in the midwest. You know what I mean. You start to sweat before you are even finished drying off after a shower kind of weather. Not typical of our nice balmy cool 80 degrees with low humidity so cal weather.

ImaVunDerBrah, I test drove the dolphin gray audi a few yrs ago. Loved that car. So much fun, but then I found the 330i. I totally get the instant gratification of seeing the results of your work. you guys are making me wanna clay bar my 330 and give her a good wax!

 

Krm4h, how about "Vixen"! hmmm.... Ok, so I just looked up vixen, one defintion stinks!
1 : a shrewish ill-tempered woman
2 : a female fox
3 : a sexually attractive woman

So, I don't want my girl to considered a shrew. Thats not very becoming! 2 and 3 are ok.

As for hyper blue holding up, I had a 2000 MR2 spyder in a similiar shade of blue. Loved that color! I can't remember swirls. Seemed to wax up nicely. Sparkled