Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the boards - I just picked up my MINI from MINI of Sterling on Saturday. Please don't laugh, but I'll tell you, I'm completely hopeless and clueless when it comes to washing and detailing my vehicles.

I can't even remember the last time I ever waxed a car, if I ever have. When I lived in Atlanta I was lucky enough to have a Carnett's Car Wash which, instead of car wash equipment, your car was moved through on tracks (similar to a regular car wash) and there were about 15 guys with cleaning equipment washed your car manually in about the same amount of time as an automatic car wash. When I moved and sold the Jeep, my next car was just a Mitsubishi Mirage and I had no problem running that through a commercial car wash.

But of course, everything is different now that I have a MINI and I don't think I want to take it through a commercial car wash. So, how about it? Can anyone host a gathering at a place that has space and equipment, and give us a good show on how to properly wash, wax and detail a car? It would be MUCH appreciated!

 

We've looked at this, and actually had an event like this planned for this past April, however it was cancelled due to inclement weather.

The biggest difficulty to putting something together like this (beyond the weather) is finding a location that can (and is willing to) accomodate more than 5 cars. While we were planning on having the last event at Glenelg Service Center, there's only 1 spigot we could use which would severely limit the number of cars that could be washed at any one time.

What would be needed for an event like this is multiple water spigots so that several cars could be washed at once and a shaded area especially in the summer heat, where wax could be applied and people could watch without suffering from heat stroke....

Any members who have an idea for this or who is interested in organizing an event like this (or any other event for that matter) please send an e-mail to Paul who is our events coordinator. events@dcmetrominis.org

 

Just to add to this, I'm cooking up a run in Annapolis for August. Expect to see it next week. And if anyone has any ideas of fun roads to travel on, or a nice, interesting place to visit, please speak up and send an email to events@dcmetrominis.org!! Even if you don't want to plan a route/event, you can lend me your ideas, and I'll run with it from there!

-Paul!

 

... as we learned last weekend my driveway holds 6 MINI's, have a garage to wax in, a pressure washer and lotsa shade. Oh yeah, have two spigots out front, might have a hose long enough to come round front from the third.

...Paul if you want, let me know if ya want to. Though it might be far for the MD folks for a car wash...

 

If this was an actual event that is set up, would there be Claybar 101? Recently I've become intersted in it and have wanted to try it on my car but I'm scared to touch the stuff.

 

I did it to my dad's Saab, his hood was badly oxidized. It worked wonders. I used the Maguires system, I don't know how that ranks vs others but the result was spectacular.

It's very simple as long as you use plenty of the fluid, and turn and fold the clay often. So if nobody else wants to I could address it.

It's also great at cleaning of the little bits of stuff that you can feel on the body when you run your hand over it. I'm guessing some of it was sap but there were all these little bumps on the hood you could see and feel. After claying they were all gone and the hood felt like glass.

I'd lke to see a person do one of the zainol (sp?) or similar products. I've tried a lot of wax over the years and still haven't found one that comes off easily or cleanly in spite of all the ones that claim to or that I've been referred to.

 

Even if it happens when I don't have my car, I'd probably go to something like this. I do not think I have waxed a car in the past 15 years - and I know i can use some information.

 

Werd. I agrizzle.

HA! I think I saw you in Greenbelt last Saturday morning. On Greenbelt road in the morning sometime.

 

Would we want to consider planning an event like this at one of the those "drive up and wash your own car" places? I would imagine that if 20-25 MINIs showed up early one weekend morning, we might just get the whole place to ourselves.

Or, if anyone has one of these near their house, perhaps we could get the owner's number and see if they would rent it to us for the afternoon?

 

That sounds like a good idea Jen. A walk up car wash place:smile: There is one in Bowie. But then again there is one probaly in alot of places.

 

What teh brain said. There's like 2 in Laurel and I know of 1 in Beltsville that's really good. 1 in College Park area. So, I'm sure there's plenty more in lots of other areas. And probably a lot nicer too

 

The one off Route 1 in College Park near the 7-11 is WAY too small for all of us. Not to mention that it's always packed.

There's a rather large one up my area (near the intersection of routes 32 and 26) that has an automatic as well as self-server bays. And then there's another one on route 26 between the 32/26 intersection and the first bridge over Liberty Reservoir near a European car maintenance place.

 

Or how many stalls? The one in Beltsville behind the arby's is out of the way, I never see people there. Though it is pretty small.

 

Cmdr - Oh yeah. Forgot about how packed that place can get. It IS near the college.

sag - doesn't the one in beltsville have like 4 stalls? it IS small though.

think we're better off at ones that Cmdr mentioned or similar.

 

If we could persuade a DIY carwash to close its "doors" for an all MINI event, that would be great.

Wherever this one is held, I will be there. It does seem to offer some unique logistical problems, so I can understand why it has not happened before.

Perhaps if we caravaned to St Louis we could use Brad B's garage?

 

I'll run recon on the ones up by me to get a general feel of the size and busy factor. I can't imagine they'de be too crowded because the area isn't really really crowded (at least compared to someplace like greenbelt/beltsville/college park).

 

If you're going to do recon, you might as well check with them while you're there and see if they would be receptive to something like this...