So it started with a PM here on NAM about removing some stripes and seeing if there was anything I could do to fix some defects in the paint. When I saw it, the swirls were blinding!!



But back inside the shop getting ready for a bath. I did a traditional wash and rinse, and clayed using Meguiar's C2000 clay which is my favorite clay. I used some spray detailer for lube.


Not too bad here in diffused lighting right? Paint must be in pretty good condition?




Upon closer examination, you can see that the trim has been severely neglected and the paint looks splotchy.


Even before looking at the door jam, I knew this was pre 2003


The stripes to be removed are in bad shape.




Out in the sun





Remember how nice the boot looked in diffuse lighting?









There was a dent here that I was going to have my dent guy repair, but the owner said he wanted his own guy to do it.










After a bit of work





Paint was washed and during the process decided to remove the vinyl


Look at the difference. Paint doesn't have to look this bad and people never really seem to understand that this is preventable through proper care.



PreWow applied to trim


Wiped with a rag




Dried


Paint was first compounded with Meguiar's M105 with a wool pad. Then it was polished with Prima Swirl and an LC Orange Pad on my Makita rotary. This was followed by the PC with Swirl and an LC White Pad. The PC with Amigo with LC White Pad. Then PC with Epic on LC Black Pad.

Total time was about 10 hours. There was NO retouching or enhancements to this photo. I know it looks super bright and colorful, but I can assure you, this is how it came out of my camera.








I don't see any ghosting of the stripes, do you?

The paint isn't perfect...but it's pretty good for an 8 year old car that's never really been taken care of!




The trim was cleaned with PW and dressed with Black Wow. I didn't even bother taping off the arches since PW works so well at removing polish residue, there was no fear of not being able to clean the trim. That means, NO MORE BLUE TAPE on the arches!!!


The LSP is Prima Epic. Love that shine and richness and the protection!


And there you have it. This is my special complete detail for the MINI. The interior was cleaned and the space cloth seats were extracted using my Hot Water Extractor..which pulled some stains and discoloration. Plastics were dressed with Nero. Tires were dressed with Meguiar's Insane Shine. The front and rear grills were dressed with Meguiar's spray on Trim Restorer.

 

Classic MINI color. Hope the owner puts the stripes back on.

Starting to _really_ want to try PW :-)

 

looks better then new !!!!!!

 

More like Red Wow! That looks great. I am glad you are local... I am close to needing a detail.

 

Octane Guy:

You are 'da boss man of shine'; thanks for the before & after pix. I want to go home right now and start detailing my Mini.

 

Heh heh cool...anytime! MINIs have a special deal.
Always a pleasure to inspire.

 

No other closeups of the trunk to compare? Looks really good. I'm glad I've taken care of my paint. People still think it is a new car, and are amazed to learn that it is 8 years old. My engine bay is about as dirty as that though. I see no reason to clean it. Sure I've wiped it down a little bit while working under there, but my car is a good honest car. Not some garage queen or show car.

 

Customer is picking up the car tomorrow, so I'll take some for you. The MINI is blocked in by another car that's in progress and can't really move it right now to take outdoor shots.

 

about how much does one of these washes cost:]

 

A lot less than you would think. It's a fraction of what another respected Detailer on the east coast charges. My MINI special is 50% of the price of a normal Complete detail for any car other than a MINI. PM me for what that is lol.

 

I already ordered the stripes & JCW grill.
I really try and take care of my cars, I wax at least 2x yr but I commute through the desert and the sand does a number on the paint, especially the flat nose of the mini. The front end and dirty stripes were my real motivation, but i can't believe how bad my paint looked after seeing the close up shots. And that is after a fresh hand car wash from my local guy. I am picking it up today, can't wait to see it in real life. The pictures look amazing! I'm sure I'll be even more impressed once I see it in real life and feel that smooth glassy finish.

 

Is the PreWow available yet??
Dennis

 

It will be by the end of the month.

 

Just got a call from someone who wanted the results they saw in this thread, but wanted a lower price than my already heavily discounted price....amazing.

 

The front end was pretty sandblasted. Not much that can be done about that. I put on another coat of wax this morning cause I had the time.

So now it's been polished with M105, Prima Swirl, Prima Amigo, waxed with Prima Epic, and Prima Banana Gloss. The trim has mostly absorbed the Black Wow, so its not wet and glossy anymore like in the original photos.


Richard

 

Here's the part I like best.
Gives hope to the lazy man! Just take it in for a detail every 5-8 years and good to go!

 

Or detail it once a year and learn to maintain it! The paint will last longer and look better all the time, instead of just after the detail.

Btw, maintaining it is as simple as spending 30 minutes to wash it properly and even add a spray wax every other week.

 

That is amazing, people just want everything for free now days.

I just picked my car up and let me tell you the pictures don't do it justice! It looks and feels awsome. I can't even see a ghost image where the stripes were (which have been on for 8 yrs). Yes there is still some pitting from the rock chips but there is no way to get rid of those without repainting. The paint is so smooth and glossy. The color is amazing, It almost looks new again, I am afraid to drive it! I swear a clear car is faster. If you are in the area and need to revive your car give him a call it is well worth what he charges. You can get a cheaper detailer but let me tell you, I have had my car "detailed" several times before and NEVER have had a result like this. I wouldn't even call this a detail, restoration is a better word. He told me he spent 14 hrs on it and it looks it.

Needless to say I am very happy with it, thanks OctaneGuy.

 

That's pretty disgusting - if I remember right, your "MINI discount price" works out to an hourly wage for you of about $2.50, and then you have to pay for your supplies! Frankly, even your "full-price" detail would be a bargain.

I noticed that for the defect removal, you did two passes with Prima's "Swirl" using progressively softer pads and then went straight to "Amigo". How does that process compare to doing one pass each with "Swirl", then "Finish", then "Amigo"?

I'm asking because I don't currently have any Prima polishes finer than "Swirl" (I'm using up my last bit of Menzerna "Final Polish II" before I get anything new), and after seeing your post, I'm wondering if I really need "Finish" at all. Our two MINIs are "Cool Blue" and "Pepper White", so nothing as dark or rich as the Chili Red in your writeup.

 

I personally rarely use Finish. I find that Swirl when fully broken down gives me the results I want. For instance, although there are 4 polishes in the Prima line from Cut, Swirl, Finish, Amigo from most aggressive to least, I don't use them in that order.

I'll always use Swirl, and sometimes finish with Amigo. If the paint is white or silver, I will skip Amigo as I find that it does offer any benefits for that color.

When I use Finish, it's because the paint I'm working on isn't responding well with Swirl because it's too aggressive. That rarely happens for me. Most of the time the car's I get need a lot of help.

So personally, I use Swirl all the time, and Finish and Cut only when needed..which isn't very often right now. To go more aggressive, I choose my rotary.

Richard

 

I'm glad you brought that up. For the initial pass with the M105 and wool bonnet, was that with your rotary or with your orbital?

I have a DeWalt DW849 rotary and wool pads, but thankfully I haven't had to use it in years. (unlike you, I'm usually only working on my own cars, so I'm not faced with the kind of defects you deal with on a daily basis.)

 

Oh most definitely the rotary with M105 and wool. Next to removing paint with sand paper, that's the most aggressive combo I ever need.

The DW849 is a good tool, though much heavier than my Makita. You should try it with a white LC foam pad at 1,200 RPMs with Swirl. Try the same with Amigo. The results will be stunning!

 

Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad you are happy! If you need help changing out the steering wheel, just ask! The most time consuming part is removing the airbag and that's not difficult.

Richard

 

Here's all that I could really capture..had two cars to deliver a the same time and didn't really have time to take proper photos.