Hey guys...Just did my first wash on the Cooper and I'm not too satisfied. Used NXT car shampoo with a sheepskin mitt. Dried with a microfiber towel and there are little tiny water spots all over the bonnet!!! Don't know if they're water spots because when I go over them with the towel, they don't come off. Also, there are water spots all over the chrome inserts. On top of that when I cleaned the windows with Stoners, there were horrible streaks all over. If you guys, have any suggestions I'd appreciate it. The spots are bugging me and I don't know what to do at this point. I bought a bottle of quick detail from meguiars, but I don't know if I should use that already. Also, it says to use a terry cloth, but I don't have one. Just the microfiber ones. I'm thinking the problem may be within the towels that I got, but I'm not sure. They're by a company called Zwipes, I think. Anyway......Let me know what you guys think...

 

Oh also, should I clay bar the car??? I think it was made in 03/04 cus that what's on the placard inside the driver's side door. Would it be too soon???

 

Well, as far as the waterspots go, you might wanna check out those microfibers. I don't know about that company, but they may need a good washing (DONT put them in the dryer, let them air-dry). I think it would be unneccessary to clay bar the car since it was made only a couple of months ago. You especially shouldn't wax it until the paint is about 5 months old. Waxing new paint puts swirl marks in the paint too easily. Try searching stuff on NAM, there are always good discussions about detailing, you just gotta figure out what works best for you.

 

How's your water supply? Sounds like you may have really hard water!

Also, don't wash in the sun, or when you're paint is hot, that'll make for hard water spots on paint and glass. You may have to re-wash to eradicate!

 

I wouldn't do anything drastic. Less is probably best in this case. Just wash it again in the shade with a good carwash formula (I've had good results with Armorall car wash concentrate) and dry it with a real chamois.

I also like the Armorall car wash wipes for quick touch ups. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.:smile:

 

NXT car shampoo must be used in the shade and preferably with water that isn't too hard. The results will be excellent if you follow that. You can easily get rid of water spots with Quik Detailer. Shake it well, and spritz it on, and use good Microfibers. I QD my MINI almost every day, and many times multiple times--anytime I get a bug splotch, or dirt, I spray it on, and wipe it off. I do a good NXT Tech Wax application, and maintain it with QD and my MINI being garaged, don't need a wash for atleast 3 weeks or longer. I mainly wash it to remove the heavy accumulation of brake dust. NXT is wonderful stuff, and it smells nice.

 

Hey guys! Tried rewashing and no luck!!! The frickin spots are still there. Tried the quick detail and as far as I can see, they are still there. I have to admit they aren't too noticeable unless you look at the bonnet at a certain angle against the sun. However, it's still bugging me. I tried to clay bar a small section with spots and I still see them. To top it off, there are light scratches on the clear coat on the bonnet when I look at it at an angle.....I really don't know what to do at this point. Will I be able to cover up those light scratches on the clear coat???

 

I know how you feel and the hardest thing to do is to quit messing with it....at least for a little while. I would suggest trying the NXT tech wax on the spots. When I waxed my MINI with NXT the water spots, bugs and swirl marks I had all came out with almost no effort. If you don't want to wax the whole car yet just try it on the problem area....and be gentle.


R.E.

 

Speaking of, my one real chamois is as old as my 1979 Fiat Spider, still works fantastically but it is falling apart. Where can i find a real one? The synthetic jobs are just crap.

 

Most any Auto parts store has (even Target) them. Heck, I got a new one at Sam's Club and it is the best one I have ever owned.

 

Once you get those water spots, you are going to have to get a good polish to remove them, which will also help with the light scratches. Try Maguiar's Step 2 by hand, or if you have a DA, try #7 (works great for dark cars) or #31 (works great on clear coat). Or, if you have a reputable detail shop nearby, they can take care of it for you too. Once you get those spots out, apply your favorite wax (NXT, Zaino) liberly and often (once a month) and that will help keep the water spots away.

As far as your windows streaking with Stoner's, was it the first time you used it? If so, then do them again! It even says on the label that you might have to do your windows twice to get them 'invisible'. Also, use a high quality paper towel (blue 'shop' style towels work well) and not a microfiber or any other cloth that has gone through the wash.

 

nobody has brought up that Stoner leaving a streaks on your glass. It shouldn't, what kind of towel are you using on your glass??
Stoner works great and makes the glass look awesome :smile:

 

For the water spot free wash you might try that new Mr Clean product. I forget the name but it has a deionizing water filter built in. Many people report success. Here's a coupla threads on Mini2:

 

"Try Maguiar's Step 2 by hand, or if you have a DA, try #7 (works great for dark cars) or #31 (works great on clear coat). Or, if you have a reputable detail shop nearby, they can take care of it for you too. Once you get those spots out, apply your favorite wax (NXT, Zaino) liberly and often (once a month) and that will help keep the water spots away."

Just out of curiousity, what did you mean by DA? Sorry, I'm a newbie at detailing. Does it have to be applied after washing or can I do it after a few days of the car being washed? Like maybe after I use the quick detail stuff from meguiars? Reason being, I just washed my car yesterday.

As for the Mr. Clean Auto Dry, that seems interesting? Anyone have any experience with that????

 

what were your towels washed in if you use any bleach that can leave a film on the towel that will transfer to the car or glass and if you use detergent it can do the same....i have used vinegar to wash towels this does not get any residue in the towels and it will get the towels clean(except for the smell)as for micro fiber towels just rinse them out and let them dry naturally..hopee that helps some .....ps zaino products are GREAT car wash and polish products......... :smile:

 

[QUOTE=Panganiban]
Just out of curiousity, what did you mean by DA? Sorry, I'm a newbie at detailing. Does it have to be applied after washing or can I do it after a few days of the car being washed? Like maybe after I use the quick detail stuff from meguiars? Reason being, I just washed my car yesterday.QUOTE]

A DA is short for Dual Action which refers to the Dual Action Orbital Polisher. The Detailer pros often refer to it as the PCDA or Porter Cable DA since that's the most common.

This looks like a rotary buffer which is like a sideways drill, but it oscillates too, which means it won't scratch your finish like a rotary can in inexperienced hands.

This is a PCDA


You use foam pads to apply the NXT or other compound to your finish. Different pads offer different strengths of cleaning/scratch removal. Using a DA is cool cause it makes the wax go in deep without much effort, and removal is just as easy. Plus you get the benefit of buffing out minor scratches at the same time with the confidence of knowing you aren't adding any more.

 

I washed the towels with regular tide detergent and then I hung them to air dry. Would that have made a difference???

 

[QUOTE=OctaneGuy]Would using it cause swirls to appear on my brand new car??? It was manufactured in 03/04.

 

OMG - you're making me afraid to wash my car, which I just got a week ago! Please let me know how you get the water spots off!

I'm glad someone said not to wash in the sun - I probably would have...

 

Is it too soon to use this polish to remove the spots since the build of my car is 03/04??? Other than that, what can I do to remove the spots without hurting the clear coat???

 

Congratulations!

You should give your MINI its first wash right away. Sure it has already been washed and 'waxed' by the dealer but your MINI deserves so much more.

Too avoid water spots make sure MINI is not hot to the touch and find shade if possible and start with lots of water. You may need to pop the hood and let is cool for awhile if you have driven recently.

Get MINI totally wet with the hose, no special nossel is required.


Use car soap/shampoo (I like Zaino car wash) and start with the roof quickly wash the entire roof and sunroof (love the panaramic sunroof)!
Rinse the roof and rest of your MINI so no water or soap is allowed to dry.
wash the bonnet, boot and sides stoping if necessary to rinse so that no water or soap is allowed to dry. If it is hot you may need to stop and rinse a few times or go back and wash areas where water was allowed to dry.

Take care to rinse your wash towel frequently so that you do not smear any
dirt around or damage the paint and keep you bucket of soap/shampoo clean too.

:smile: Your MINI is now very clean and ready for drying. I use the 'ultimate drying towel' (northamerican car care here at NAM). It is microfiber and works great, just dry and wring out and keep on drying, it might be nice to have 2 of these towels.

Now you are ready to do the windows or if you're really in love with you new MINI it's time for wax. Use Aerospace 303 on your seats and interior to protect from the sun and shine em up (get this here on NAM while your getting the ultimate drying towels so you only pay for one shipping).

I am very happy with the products i purchased from www.Zainobros.com. I got the kit back in Oct '03 and it will definately last the entire year ($100) and I wash on average once a week and wax once a month. I probably have 30 coats on by now and my DS/B MCS looks very, very smooth and shinny!

 

Nope, in fact it does the oppose of removing swirls. The PCDA looks like a standard Rotary or you might call it a drill that operates sideways, but it's much different. If you watch it in action, you'll find that it doesn't just rotate or spin like a drill. It actually oscillates from side to side in an "orbital" action. The PCDA is the safest powered detailing tool a newbie can use to make his car shine without worry about hurting the paint. Just make sure to use the proper foam pads. For minor scratches you can even use Meguiars Scratch X and the PCDA to give a little more power in buffing out scratches.

It's been said that you can use a PCDA every week to maintain a showroom finish. I mentioned earlier about a rotary. This is just like a drill. It spins in 1 direction. When used with the proper chemicals and foam pads, these can remove scratches and swirls too, but just as well, can severely damage your paint when used by inexperienced people. For beginners, I don't recommend a rotary. I DO recommend a PCDA.

No I don't think it's too soon to use a PCDA on your paint. Whether you need to use a PCDA to remove water spots is one thing, but I do know that using a PCDA is fun, removes scratches, and makes it easier. All good points to have when polishing a car.

Richard

 

Hey...still haven't gotten the water spots off. For the time being, I think I'm not gonna let it bother me. They're not that noticeable unless I really look for it, like a few in inches away. Hopefully when I decide to use polish they'll come off. I did wax it with Meguiars NXT wax and it looks awesome so far, like glass all over. I'm even thinking about waxing the windows, but I'm not sure that can be done...

 

I did the first wash on Saturday! It was a cool, cloudy afternoon, so I thought it would be perfect timing. He came out beautiful! And all I did was wash him (with the only Meguires shampoo I could find at Walmart - it's purple, that's all I know) and dry him with a real chamois (sp?) No water spots, no marks, no nothing.

sbgobig - thanks for the step by step!! Where can I find Aerospace 303? That can be used on the leatherette? What about the leather steering wheel?

I got a California duster over the weekend, too, and it's not quite "conditioned" yet.

Ok, so this PCDA that you are talking about - that Meguires one pictured above will NOT scratch or swirl? Is that right? Thanks for the tips!

 

I used to use a California duster, but now I just use soft Microfiber towels. My CA Duster started leaving red traces of lint in various parts of my MINI. Maybe it was to old. I dunno. Microfibers are great, especially the large 16x16 ones from Costco. Some people frown on them, but the ones I got are very soft, and actually even thicker than the Meguiar ones. Great to have a supply of them--comes in packs of 12, and I know doesn't harm my finish. I'm very picky about any towels I use these days. I did a coat of NXT Tech wax on my bonnet last night, and those towels are wonderful at removing the hazed wax.

re: Meguiars PCDA
That's absolutely correct. If you research DA's, you'll find a variety of them that range in prices from $39 to $200. All the pros use the one that's pictured. You can buy the Meguiars one or the Porter Cable one---same model. The PC one is cheaper by almost half, but what you miss out on is a lifetime warranty I believe on the Meguiars one, and even better, there are additional accessories you need to buy.

For instance, I got my PCDA from a Lowes Xmas Special for $89. But I still had to buy a Meguiars backing plate, and the Meguiars Soft Polishing Pad (Yellow), which added like another $40 to that. The Meguiars one is ready out of the box, so it's up to you.

If you want to use the PCDA for more than just applying polish, i.e. you want to be able to buff out light scratches, don't get the cordless battery powered type which are the least expensive. Just something to think about. I thought the cordless variety seemed more affordable and convenient when I was trying to get my DA, but I'm glad I got the "real" thing.