I wanted to warn folks not to get too close to the finish of your Mini with those power wash nozzles at do it yourself car washes. I was trying to get some dried on bugs off the front of my Mini after a cross country trip, and got quite close. It took the clear coat off a good section of the front end. Very stupid and very upsetting when I realized what I had done.

 

Holy cow that was some powerful car washer !

You can use WD40 for those bugs next time. Dab it on with a rag let it stand for a minute then wipe off. Maguires auto polish dabbed on with same method letting it sit will work too, especially for decal glue...

Could be an Auto body shop may just do some sanding and re-spray of clear to fix that...

 

You probably had a chip in the area that you were trying to remove the bug guts which allowed the high pressure water get under the clear and once that happens there is no stopping it, Grey is correct never use high pressure to remove deposits on paint, there are many ways to do that without damaging the paint.

 

WD40 does work, but believe it or not some of the best bug removal I have used is a nylon stocking and some sprite.

Sorry to hear about the bumper. Guess it is time for a respray....

 

Sprite for bugs....

Coca Cola for rusted bolts.....

What's Root Beer good for

 

Floats!

 

That isn't normal. I would place more of the blame on a defective paint job. In fact, if the car is still under warranty, I would try to get it covered.

Those self service wash bays with spray wands are the usual way I wash my MINI, and my 2006 R52 has gone through at least a couple of hundred washes without a problem. In my experience, those wands are not industrial high pressure (like pressure washes used for sidewalks) and not so much different from what you might get from a touchless automated wash, or maybe even driving in the rain at 60 mph.

 

Wow...Thank you for warning everyone! Maybe there was already a little chip or tear and the power washer just blew it open more? I hope you can get it repaired easily.

 

I was just a couple of inches away from the paint though at this point. And it did seem very strong. Mini has a warning in the manual you get with your Mini about high pressure hoses so I think they have covered themselves, but it doesn't hurt to try. I've had the car almost 4 years so doubt there is any warranty at this point.

 

If it is under warranty ya they will cover the paint. Acctually look at your warranty I wouldn't be suprised if it isn't a 6 or 8 year warranty. I know my rust warrant through MINI is 12 years. I have had to use it already.

 

Thanks, Porthos. I will.

 

If they find any sort of sign of a chip or paint damage it will not be a warranty item as they can say the damage caused the clear to loosen up.

 

Yeah, that was the reason I didn't recommend taking it to the dealer. If you caught a rock at some point and then used the high pressure sprayer too close, it can rip the clear coat off. It is worth a try I suppose but I wouldn't bet on it being covered.

 

A couple of inches.....
I guess that was way too close....
Sucks...but just proves, stand back, and use some elbow grease and/or some bug+tar remover (or wd-40), then water to clean up.
Thanks for the headsup!

 

Onetip....bumpers are so easy to remove, you might be able to carry it into a bodyshop and get it fixed for just a bit....save the unmounting/remounting $$$.
A wetsand blend and rattle can of clear coat might work....on a cool day,no dust/pollen....like a garage with a wetted floor.....depends on how high your standards ate for cosmetics...

 

i did the same thing to mine a month or 2 ago ... not as bad, but still need a paint shop to go at it.

http://twitpic.com/5foa8k

 

@eaglebeagle - It makes me feel better that I'm not the only one to experience this. I sent a photo to my service rep but am not really expecting them to cover it since they warn you in the manual to keep a good distance....I read that after the fact though.

 

O.k. I'll bite, why would you think of nylon stockings and sprite! Just wondering was the girl still in the stockings? Because this I can completely understand in the heat of the moment. Wait what was this thread supposed to be about, I've gotten off track.

 

Too funny!

 

i plan on going in for the sunroof stickage soon, and i'll see what they say about the paint then, I won't fault them if they can't cover it though.

 

LOL, I read it someplace else to be honest and it thought I would give it a shot. I pulled the Mrs out of the stockings first... I'm not that kinky.

 

Just an update, especially to EagleBeagle who also had paint damage from a car wash wand, I got an estimate to fix the front bumper from my body shop. $672! It's not just a matter of removing and reapplying the clear coat. So I was quite depressed but the body shop owner said that this type of damage should not occur on original factory paint. He said they use high pressure washers on cars they fix....shouldn't be a problem. I contacted my service rep at Mini and he had me bring the car in when a rep from Mini was there to look at the damage. Bottom line: Mini is going to cover the damage even though my car is 4 years old and is out of original warranty. I can also have the damage fixed at my local body shop which is great because I live over 50 miles from the Mini dealer. So EagleBeagle, you should take your car into your Mini dealer but call or e-mail first so you can come in when a Mini rep is there.

 

That is awesome but, I would check just in case it might be a warranty on the paint. Just a suggestion see if that is why they are covering or if they are just doing it out of the goodness of their heart.

 

I'm not too sure but I'm assuming it's a paint warranty issue. The car's regular warranty expired a year ago. My service rep indicated that basically it was a no brainer as to being covered. They just wanted to make sure that area had never been in an accident and it was original factory paint.

 

States clearley in it not to powerwash