I'm a new Mini owner (less than a month) and have never been more excited about a new car in my life. This is just the happiest dang car ever! I've been reading as much as I can about the right products to use to care for the car properly. In fact, as of right now, the Mini now has more products than I have cosmetics!

What I'd like to know is what can I use for a 'quick n' dirty' clean-up between washes? For example, it rained yesterday and when everything dried -- there was a fair amount of dirt and road gunk on the car. What can I use to spruce up the car prior to a proper washing? Am I going to damage the paint if I just 'dust' it with a microfiber cloth? Is there something I can spray on to clean it quickly?

P.S. I've just placed my first order with Detailers Paradise and went with Mystique, Hydro & Nero and lots of towels, pads, clothes, etc.

 

Yes. If you just use a MF Towel on a dirty car you will cause micro-scratches and swirls. You need a quick detailer to loosen the dirt and grime before wiping it away. I would recommend Prima Slick. If you call Detailers Paradise first thing in the morning I bet you could add it to your order and not have to pay another shipping charge.

 

I recommend only a wash unless it is just light dust.
I made the mistake of wiping down my MINI with a quick detailer and microfiber and ended up with tons of micro scratches. Most people never noticed but with BRG is showed to me and drove me nuts until I got it polished out with a PC.
If your MINI is anything more than dusty either wash or wait.

 

I was looking for the same thing... something quick and easy that my wife could do so her car wouldn't look like it's been muddin thru 4x4 country every time she goes shopping in the rain. Then, I realized, a bath for her car is a heck of a lot better than buffing out scratches every week.

For really really light dust, not rain that's sat on your car and collected dust, and then dried... I use a california duster. I think i use it every day on the boot! Seems to work much better than all the snake oil fixes for boot dust you read about.

Gluck, and enjoy the detailing... it's relaxing and my neighbors think I am crazy. I can tell by watching them give me funny looks in the reflection of my paint, lol!

 

California Duster is good for Day to Day use, but after a Rain I'd wait 'til you can give your MINI a proper Bath. We had a Rain Shower and Sprinkles for a couple of days this week, I wasn't going to touch Molly until I could give her the proper care she deserves!! I use Turtle Wax Ice, and all Prima Products, when my Ice is gone I'll most likely restock with Prima or Griot's.

 

After a rain, I would only consider washing the car. If I hustle, I can wash both our MINIs in about 1/2 an hour or so. If they are just a little dusty I use a QD, and Monster fluffy to clean them up.

Remember, most Q&D solutions just end up costing you more time and money in the long run.

Mark

 

+1 if your car is also your daily driver dont do any QD'ing. it'll just make more work for you later.

if you must, you can use the Griot's SprayOn CarWash. it's a safe system
and i use it from time to time. the trick is to use a lot of towels and
if you are using the Griot's towels, make sure you remove the tags completely.

 

Rain is a tough one... there is just too much gunk in rain for most of the quick fix techniques. The rain "gunk" often includes not only dirt and grime but also sticky environmental debris. This combo creates a big scratch risk when doing really anything other than a full handwash.

That said, if it's just a little dusty (no rain and no heavy dirt) then the dusters work great (either the California Car Duster or a Wool Duster). If it's super-lightly dusty, or after using a duster, then it's usually safe to use a quick detail spray (i.e. Prima Slick) and a thick, plush style microfiber cloth.

QDs (quick detail sprays) contain lubricants to help provide a slight chemical cushion between your cloth and paint, light cleaners to help lift the dust away from the paint, and, in the case of Slick (hence its name), add a polymer layer that is super-slick to help prevent the next layer of dust from sticking as quickly.

If you've been rained on though... handwashing is really the safest route to take!

-Heather

 

Thanks for all the great replies. Looks like I'll be heading back to Detailer's Paradise and ordering some more products , and will have to motor with a dirty car after a rain. Better dirty...errr...safe than sorry.

 

In this part of the world, it rains every other day between Oct and June . And as much as I love my MINI, I'm not going to wash that frequently.

I've found that I can give Spike a sponge bath by wiping down the black trim (wheel arches & door sills) and the rims, windows, and finish with the exhaust tip. I don't touch the body panels at all, unless I do a proper wash.

From a distance Spike looks like he went to the groomer, unless you look real close.