This thread is for those members who are too busy turning wrenches to worry about washing/waxing/rubbing on their cars.

Chime in if you love a clean car but just can't find the damn time to keep it that way PlayPlay - I'm calling you out. SIX MONTHS with no wash?

 

Oh ahh...I'm all for this...

Drove thru a big puddle where they were cutting concrete about 3 weeks ago with track tires on. Car is covered with dust and white splotches...

Oh yeah, the track tires and pads are still on, talk about some DIRTY wheels.

 

is it bad that when I wash my car, the front bumper is 10x smoother than the rest of the paint? shouldn't it be the other way around?

 

Jet black is horrible. I love it when it's clean, but can't stand it when it dirty, which is about 10 minutes after it's washed. The OZ's take as long to wash as the rest of the car. Not to mention I'm still getting Jan's go-fast magic dust on the back.
I wish there were a good detailer around here. I'd just drop it off once a month.
But, washing it doesn't make it go faster, so washing comes second.

 

A clean car is lighter since there is no extra dirt weight...

but

A dirty car has less drag since the boundary layer is broken up by the dirt..

hmmmm

Makes ya wonder

 

Me been real bad.

No rub-a-dub-dub for Mini in the tub for over 3 weeks.

We have the GWR 500 Mini event in Virginia coming up this weekend too. I'm sure I'll be nicely escorted off the grounds due to being an embarrassment to the Mini community.

I must hit water and soap to bucket, sponge to bucket with sudds, followed by sponge to Mini, over and over again this process must happen. Did I mention my Mini's really dirty!

I'm not even sure what color I painted my brake calipers. That darn brake dust from those stock pads suck. Oh, that's surely why my Mini looks so dirty.

 

Try some track pads for real dusting...

Toss in the rubber bits that stick to the hot wheels when on track for more fun.

 

Well PGT is judge and jury but here's my tale. Had some Griots laying around from other cars. Bought the MINI and got the whole Prima setup. PC kit, towel kits, bottles of this, gallons of that. Used the buffer for about 20 minutes on the hood when I got it. Never been touched since. Too much time, effort, etc. Wash every 4-8 weeks(closer to 8) and dry it with some Hydro. Go hit the road again.

 

/\ that's what I'm talkin bout!

my paint is so rough, the chamois doesn't want to move over it when I dry it. I bought another claybar kit....lets see if I can actually use it this week as there's a big car show on Saturday (good thing they don't score paint)

 

I've had the car detailed by a pro a few times, Richard - Octane Guy has done the exterior. the interior has been cleaned but not well.

I too have a shelf full of good intentions. There is the $100 Griots portable kit that was opened once and put on a shelf, no products ever used, didn't take the kit on the road to AMVIV, MITM, MOTD or any local drives. We can also find the Zymol MINI specific kit on the shelf, not 1 of them but 2. The stack of microfiber cloths that have seen the washing machine once when new and then stacked nicely on the shelf. Lets not forget the Griots wash bucket, the rectangular one with the shelf to hold the mitt when washing. Then there is the fancy hose reel thing that sits in the garage, professional quality Goodyear hose with leakproof swivel ends wrapped around the reel. Top that off with the container of Zymol concours wax, bought on sale, that graced my office credenza since delivered. Yeah, I had the best intentions. Now it gets a 5 buck laser wash now and again to knock the big stuff off.

 

Hmmm...I happened to be in the metro area on business about 5 weeks ago and dropped in on the DCMM'ers for ice cream at Dairy Godmother's. PlayPlay was nice enough to give me a ride back to my hotel. As I recall, his MINI was lookin' pretty good at the time. Hard to believe it was just the rain that got it into that condition...

 

perhaps, but he just posted it had been six months since last time it was cleaned

 

Hi. I don\'t have my Mini yet, but I would like to keep it as clean as I can. I suffer from OCD and am supposed to take pills for it which were prescribed by my doctor, but I found that they greatly decrease my sex drive so now I don\'t take them anymore and sell them at a discount to other people in my OCD support group. But what do you guys recommend that I should stock up on? I really hate all the dust that I can see through the A/C vents in my Ford pick up and I don\'t know how to clean it. Should I get those long Q-Tip looking things? Or should I just use regular Q-Tips and just tape them to a long stick? How about underneath the car? It is easy to clean on my Ford since I had the 36 inch lift on it, but I think the Mini would be harder to clean. Should I get 4 ramps I can drive on to for proper cleaning? Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

simple way to clean it....



+



It's a Ford...probably an improvement after it dries out.

 

 

i used to clean my car weekly..wash..armorall and vacumn..i used to be sooo ocd...lately i havent been..been about a month since ive cleaned my baby..just been too lazy...oops

 

If it wasn't for the Hydro mine would never see any wax. The interior? Hah. I can spend hours and hours wrenching, fixing, replacing, putting it back because it didn't "perform" right. But I can only take cleaning and scrubbing for so long. Thanks PGT, I thought I was a bad owner for not "claying" my MINI!!

 

Big Howe... I can't believe I'm hearing this out of your mouth. Heresey!

Haha, just messing with ya. If you have been nominated to be in the Hall of Shame you shouldn't have bought a JB car! We need to see some pics of your car with those OZ's, I'd drool. (clean car pics if possible )

 

i'm turning you all in for MINI abuse

 

Well, JB is the best vert, but there is something about the MINI clear coat that is extra soft and makes it much harder to maintain than other cars. That being said, yes I'd rather play with it than wash, but the honest truth is, my driveway has sun most of the day, so there really is not good time to wash without fighting the water spots.
Now as for the cutting and buffing, I'm just lazy and would rather pay a pro to do the job right, but finding one is another issue.
So, I would wear the Hall of Shame Badge with honor, if it was bestowed upon me, and I would guess that I'd have to put it on the back of the car(along with PGT and Nate) as that's the view most would be getting of it.

Here's a fuzzy iPhone pic from a couple of weeks ago. It's about due to be washed again, maybe I'll take some pics this weekend.

 

I often refuse to wash it because every time I do there is always another new chip scratch door ding or flaw found. besides here in Windy CA it's dirty before I'm even done, esp when the air is filled with ash

 

amazingly, I had not washed the car in weeks for this pic

 

but what's this waxing everyone is talking about?

Matt

 

^^^SOMEONE NEEDS A BIKINI WAX

 

Better than a back, crack, and... I'll stop now.

Pollen is the DEVIL!!!!