This saturday my parents surprised me with a car...its an '07 MC, all decked out. Of course i'm in love with it and want to keep it in the best condition possible. any hints to help me take care of it?

 

Me too...I was about to write a post when I saw this one. What the heck is "claying"? I am probably the worst car owner/detailer ever...I just use the spray car washes, brush off my wheels, and wipe down the interior. And my mini needs better grooming. So - what do I do? Also, I live in an apartment and don't have all day to detail...it is way too hot in AR right now.

And, my parents didn't give me a car, I had to buy my own.

 

Look in the detailing forum, Detailing 101, etc. I can assure you there is more information there than you ever knew existed, or want to know. And, swinstar, can I be adopted by your parents?

Claying is a method of cleaning the car's paint of minute particles, by using a clay bar. See the detailing forum.

 

I think they are quite content with 3 kids but i guess theres always room for more. lol :P

 

Congrats to both of you... and as lynnEl said there is more info than you could want in the detailing forum... but for starters... just get proper washing equipment... some quality wax... and get the car protected... as to what products etc... everyone has thier own preferences... again... check into the detailing forum... I belive alot of the MINI owners use Zaino...

Good luck and ENJOY!!

 

who is Tuls? why is he here in the detailing forum?

jk

 

Its funny. I always thought that the guys with ridiculously modded cars (like Tuls) would be detailing 101 posters too, but thats not always the case.

 

I don't suggest burying it underground.
Not driving it would keep it perfect.
Don't listen to Tuls about stuff, unless it's mechanical. ;^)

 

no, those guys are usually involved in modding their cars and racing
them on the track so a little scratch or some oily finger prints dont
stop them.

.. but if the toe angle goes out by 0.01, they can definitely feel it and
needs to stop the car to get an alignment.

 

Check out the online videos at Adam's Polishes' web site. They start at proper washing techniques and move on from there.

Yeah, it's kinda geeky, but if you take care of your finish from the start, you'll never have to deal with big problems.

Feel free to ask specific questions any time.

Good luck!

P.S. Check out this thread, too.