'06 MCS: "Permaplate," exterior plastic trim, and interior Q's
 

Hey folks,
So, I got a "new" '06 MCS. Apparently, it had the "permaplate" treatment. So, my questions...
what's the best way to clean, and condition the plastic trim, to restore the "luster" (keeping in mind that there is the "permaplate" stuff, I guess?)
Also, what's the best way to clean/protect/condition the interior leather, dash, etc.?
I just want the car to look as new as possible, inside and out (as the previous owner had done a phenomenal job maintaining the car), while preserving whatever protection the "permaplate" can provide.

Please advise, and thanks in advance, and let's motor, or motor on, err, ah heck--GODSPEED! :) <---he looks to be covered in soot.

Oh, the plastic trim I was referring to was the exterior plastic, around the wheel wells, along the bottom edge of the body, etc.

(...on a side, yet, not totally unrelated note: I'm amazed at how well MINI had crafted every detail of the car--Every part has it's own unique character, captures visual interest, and at the same time, enhances the overall appearance and personality of the car. 'Surely, one of the MOST eye-catching types of cars on the road. Not just mine. ALL MINIs.)

I use Mothers "back to black" on the wheel arches, lowers sills and lower bumpers after each car wash.

For all of your exterior plastics, nothing works, lasts as long, or looks better than my Black Wow plastic restorer which was developed right here on NAM since 2007.

www.blackwow.com

For your "permaplate"...this is nothing but a dealer applied wax. It won't protect your paint from swirls, scratches, birdpoo, or other environmental contaminants.

The best way to maintain your MINI is to wash it with a proper car wash soap...I like Prima Mystique for it's polymers that give it a shine as though you just waxed it.

If you haven't clayed the paint yet, that's very important as well and then apply a proper wax. When was the Permaplate last applied? I had a customer with a 3 year old BMW who was shocked to find that her "permaplate protection" wasn't doing anything but providing a false sense of protection to her.

For the interior...do you have leather or leatherette? The way to know is if you have a lumbar adjustment knob on the inside side of the seat near the eBrake, then you have leather. If you have leatherette, you can use a good vinyl cleaner. Prima Nero is fantastic. You area probably getting a sense that I like Prima...and I do...which is why I use it daily in my detailing studio and I happen to be Prima's West Coast distributor and retailer.

Ask more questions if you'd like or check out our new shopping site which was just relaunched a few moments ago.

www.showcarsupplies.com


Richard

Thanks for the advice!!!

Thank you! I'll look into this stuff!!!

I've religously followed Octane Guy since I got on this forum in late 07 and registered in 08. the black wow is a great product and I love it. I bought mine in 07 or early 08 and still have over half the bottle. a small amount goes a long way and it lasts for weeks through 4-6 washes before needing minor touch ups. the people over at prima used minis as test mules for their products and it's all available at showcardetailing.com. I recently got Banana Gloss for my BRG MINI and hope it wil give me a warm carnuba look on top of my epic wax. let us know how it goes for you.:popcorn:

correction, showcarsupplies.com, nice site Richard. love the new layout.

Thanks! It's still undergoing improvements, but all of the functionality is there. Just need to keep propagating the database. The only database was corrupted and lost a lot of my product info, so some products may seem to be lacking in information right now, but they will be corrected in due time.

There is also a mobile version if you view the site from a mobile phone..it's not totally ready to launch yet, as I think I encountered an error on checkout while testing last week but it might have just been me.

We've been super swamped at the shop this past week.

Richard