...it's time to think about winterizing my MINI.

Anyone have advice about doing this? What should I do BEFORE the harsh winter, and how do I keep my MINI looking good in the cold, rain, slush, snow, and salt so common in the Northeast. Gotta get it done soon, so thanks in advance for your help!

 

This time a year I do one of my two complete detailings of my MINI, Expedition & CR-V. I begin by stripping every thing down to the paint by washing with Gold Class (this year I have P21S Total Auto Wash to try). Then I spritz with alcohol/water at a 50/50 mix. Then I clay, polish with Swirl, fill with Amigo and wax with Epic. Throw some Black WOW in the mix and I'm good till spring.

 

im keeping an eye on the temps on weatherchannel and waiting
for the last day that will be above 65F to do the clay and Epic app
before winter.

i have minor swrils on my commuter but not really enough to do a full
detail...so will wait until next spring.

 

Put it to bed in a garage for the winter.

 

now you're talking my language.

 

ahhh the lucky ones...but, I actually like driving the MINI in the snow

 

I actually have no choice.

 

As a fellow resident of the Northeast, I can tell you what I do. I have not yet tried the Prima products, though I intend to when the weather gets nicer next year. I do a pretty normal wash, clay, polish, and wax routine at the end of the year to get ready for winter, but for winterizing I have always waxed with Collinite 845. It is extremely durable and usually lasts me all the way through the winter. It does not have the glossy look that many others do, but for a New England winter, that is the least of my concerns. The Collinite will last close to 6 months with some minor maintenance.

 

Wasn't Superman susceptible to Collinite?

 

maybe.. but good enough reason to switch to Epic.

i've yet to try the Griot's sealant which i hear lasts a full year, but
need to use up my existing waxes before they expire....

come to think of it, do these Prima waxes have an expiration date
or shelf life expectancy?

I know carnauba waxes tend to separate over time (2-3yrs) and
become kinda chunky... then i just spread it on my bread and
have it for breakfast. jk

 

Honestly... If I were to Clay and polish I personally would do it at the end of winter (if you only do it once a year).

Winter will have salt and grime and when you wash it you will probably have a higher risk of swirling the paint. I am going to polish again after the harsh winter to get it looking great for summer. Another wax job will be in order for me before this winter.

 

yah, i don't really understand why people would do a full detail before
winter unless the car was going to be winterized to be a garage queen.

just clay and wax would be fine, imho. it's going to get swirled up from
ice, autowashes, etc. especially here in chicago.

 

I'd spend some special attention to the wheels. Get them clean and protect them with some Wheel Shield. I'm surprised Kenchan hasn't mentioned using Hydro on those rare times the temperature gets warm enough to boost thel protection. Or does that never happen up there. Looking forward to a nice Alabama 'winter' my self

 

In do time, in do time...

 

it doesn't happen much in the winter here so i don't waste my
Hydro. i just use my winter wheels.

 

You don't Hydro your winter wheels - The HORROR!

 

Yeah I just switched back to my 5-stars for the winter...they're just a lot easier to clean.

Anyway, I do a full detail this time of year. I do one now, and one in the spring. Right now I have to wait because of the new paint, but I'll be doing it in a few weeks. Clay, polish, rewax, the whole deal. I mean I HAVE to wax before the winter, so I may as well do the whole shebang.

 

Steelies!
I love winter because I can totally ignore my black steel wheels and still feel good about myself.
Now using the logic of "It's just going to swirl up again by the end of winter" argument - why bother at all? It's just going to swirl up again any way.

 

Didnt Griots Best of Show hold up well on your daily last winter? I used their paint sealent and was very please with how it held up. I am unable to put my MINI to bed this year because i sold the jeep. I use the one step in the winter because its all about protection. Who cares about finish and clarity if your not going to see the sun for 7 months. Not so sure this was a good idea to move to the Pacific North West. :impatient

 

last Fall i put on Best of Show on my Legacy and Epic on my Civic.
both in the same 24/7 outdoor lives. the Legacy was driven more
by the wife by about 15K miles.

both waxes lastest to about Feb (4months in chicago salt weather,
still beaded water), but by the 5th month it deteriorated. i did an
alcohol test on both and neither one had wax left.

i washed them both and used PaintPrep (griot's), spot clayed, and
began using just Hydro. that's when it hit really me that Hydro is
fantastic stuff. i did not even polish or further clay the
car since right after winter... which means car hasn't been polished
over a year. cars still look beautiful.

and since Hydro's on there right now, im just going to put Epic over it.

 

well, i do WheelShield them though.

 

I knew I could depend on the "detail 101" gang for super advice. This is my first winter in a mini, and I want her protected and looking good all through the yucky winter. can someone please give more detail on the paint protectant -- what it does, how to put it on and when, and where I can burn a bigger hole in my credit card to get it? Thanx!

 

Well, I detail my car twice a year as well. The winter one I do wash, clay, a very quick polish while looking for scratches and the like, and then wax. I spend a lot more time on it in the spring, and use different materials then. I look forward to trying the Prima products in the spring, but until then, the Collinite is by far the best winter wax I have ever used and I will probably continue to use it for my winter wax. Last year I applied it in early November, and it was still doing its job at the end of April when I did my spring detail. It is durable and super easy to apply, and not terribly expensive. A lot of people on other detailing sites rave about iut for it's protection, but again, it is not something I use in the spring since I want my car looking better then.

Now, as for the Prima stuff, if someone is looking to get me a Christmas present...

 

I assume you are talking about an LSP or Last Step Protectant. This is what used to be called a wax Most folks use synthetic versus carnuba waxes now, especially in this scenario of winter protection. The best of the synthetic LSP's can last up to six months. I personally use Epic from the Prima line. It can be ordered from www.showcardetailing.com in California or www.detailersparadise.com in Colorado. Both are good people to work with. The zaino line has a couple of different LSP's (z3 and z5) and a new topper that even goes on top of that (CS I think).

There is also Hyrdo that is a wax as you dry wax from Prima that some people (Kenchan) use in place of an LSP. I use it to boost the wax between applications and if you're in a climate that allows occasionally washing during the winter then it is a great way to keep the Mini protected and looking great longer

Hope this helps.

 

Sad, so sad. . . .