Okay, today was the second time I've driven my Mini in the rain, and the backside (boot, if you will) was absolutely filthy!

I read one other thread that talked about this, that this is just another "feature" of the Mini. It's not the dirt that bothers me per se, but after the first time it happened, I had a hell of a time removing the water spots after washing it (maybe a week after). The rest of the car cleaned up nicely, but the back end was covered with stubborn water spots that were a result of the dirty water from the road drying up on the paint. Being ocd, I worked for a couple of hours trying to minimize the spotting using Klasse All In One, but it's still not perfect. I'm planning on breaking out the PC and some polish when the weather clears up to go at the rest of it.

Anyway, after another rainy commute today I hosed the back end down, and gently wiped away the remaining water with a microfiber. My car is always waxed, but I'm worried that I'll have to do this after EVERY drive in the rain or else fight water spots when I detail. This is very upsetting to me, as I like to keep my paintwork pristine, as I know you all do as well. For the record, I wax with a rotating combo of Meguiar's NXT, Four Star Ultimate Paint Protection, Klasse SG, and if I'm in the mood for carnuba, I grab S100 or Blitz Wax. I haven't gotten any Prima Products yet, but it's next on my list. Also, will Epic help prevent water spotting?

Is this experience consistent with everyone else, and what have you all done to deal with this?

Thanks,
Tony

 

This will help reduce a large amount of the issue of your boot.

www.MINIWingtip.com

It's been great to have on my MINI and helped keep the back so much cleaner and in the rain almost never need my rear wiper, in fact I may remove the wiper for an even cleaner look and one less thing to keep dust on the back window.

 

And for what it's worth, this quote from the website has ALWAYS bugged me.

"Due to a manufacture cliché the R56 Wing Tip is being re-designed."

What cliché are you speaking of ??? Never heard that word used in this way. Was it a Faux Pas too?

 

I installed the factory mud flaps a few weeks back and so far they seem to help keep the back end alot cleaner.

 

OG- autoxcooper a pretty big guy. i would not mess with him.

 

The mud flaps help. Not sure what you're driving through. I don't seem to have the problem with water spots after the rain, just the dirt. I've been using a couple of different "synthetic" sealant/wax products (Griot's, Prima, others). Between washing, I do use a QD spray a acouple of times a week.

Hope that helps ...

 

Nick here.

I'm a fan of FS UPP and KSG, but application order is important. If you got a good bond, I'm surprised you had spot issues. If you had NXT down, I'm not surprised. I haven't experienced much durability with that product.

FS UPP can be a little finicky when it comes to bonding. It really, really, needs to touch paint. If you put it over NXT or a QD, it is likely you didn't get a good bond. SG is a little more forgiving, but it too should touch paint.

So in order to give you good feedback on your situation, I need to know how the paint was prepped, what was on the boot at the time of the offending water spots and how long ago the product was installed.

 

FEE LL LJHT TI I IGGE F USP UUPP P BG EEAAA GG EERR AL L LL R R E E EGR RR

 

that's what happens when you build pages late at night and don't let anyone proof read them. I'll update that part with some new info. Thanks for helping me keep my site updated and correct. Dustin

 

Haha you're welcome--glad to help. I've had to let Alta know as well. They've had a bunch of pages that mixed R56 content with R53 products. Course I only see it on the products I'm interested in, so there are probably more products I don't see, lol.

Richard

 

i see OG's polishing up on home pages now too...

 

Hey Nick,

At the time of the offending water spots, I had NXT on there for probably about 3 weeks. There was nothing under the NXT, no polish. I did clay before applying it.

I've actually had good results with NXT on my Passat (never water spotted after rain). But the Passat had a much different "backside".

I ordered some rear mud flaps the other day. Hopefully they help to keep the crud off the backend. Again, I don't care that the backend gets dirty, I care that water spots are left behind when it comes time to clean.

Do you have a favorite product / process for keeping the backside water spot free? Also how often do I need to re-do to keep the protection up?

Thanks,
Tony

 

tonyro- please use abbreviations when talking to nick at DP.
your post can be shrinked to:

a t WS NXT 3WK, NO P, YES C BD BC? , prot u?
pls exp.




your answer is already posted above... autoxcooper's wingtips.
that's wat you need. no cleaner will fix the problem due to the V...
vortex.

 

or i should say VBB... or vortex behind butt.

 

kenchan funny. kc=

I think NXT was the problemo. I've not seen more than two weeks from it...but our sun is pretty intense and mean to wax products.

I would clean, then strip the section back down to paint. A 50/50 mix of IPA/DW (LOL, I crack me up) rubbing alcohol/distilled water. Spray on, wipe off. Install UPP or KSG and the boot shouldn't need any special attention. Of course the wingtip will help too.

 

My 2 pennies

Rear mud flaps do not do much on any MINI, as there is not much car behind the rear wheels. Front mud flaps do help.

I hope this new wingtip does help, I'm sure Ken will let us know, if he ever motors his MINI in the rain

Having used Zaino, and now Epic products, water spots are never an issue. Today it rained lightly, my MINI had some light dust on it, and the rain made it look like freckles. I got home, QDed with some Slick, and not a spot

Mark


P.S I don't like the look of rear mud flaps either

 

(ha)*10

 

I've been using Collinite Insulator Wax lately... PHENOMENAL!

I've driven my MINI through rain, snow, salt, dirt, etc. and, due to the cold weather, haven't had time to wash her...

And you'd never know!

Water falls off the car at 30MPH and is nearly dry at highway speeds! I use it on my windshield... haven't needed to use windshield wipers in a while!

So yes, Collinite Insulator Wax... found it on autogeek.net!