Background: After taking delivery of MM2 almost a year ago, usually the first step is to claybar and then wax. Well, turns out that even though the paint was a month old (from production to delivery) the claybar (brand new Mother's bar) scratched the paint horribly! Not just hairlines, but deep too. Ouch; I spent the next few hours SWR'ing and polishing to get the finish back to non-scratched. That sucked, but I wrote it off to a fluke, perhaps the paint wasn't really cured yet?

Yesterday: Ok, MM2's been through some tough stuff; the paintwork needed to be brought back to perfection. I whipped out a brand new Zaino claybar, kneaded it, lubed up everything (yes, everything, lol), and gently went about claybar'ing the bonnet. Turned out that the paint was pretty clean, the headlights were the dirtiest part. I go and buff off the lube/detail spray and what do I see? SCRATCHES everywhere! Repeat of a year ago, spend the next several hours buffing and polishing to get most of the deep hairlines out! We all know that claybars, when used correctly, should never scratch the paint!

Anyone that's seen the underside or doorjambs of MM2 knows that my car was very poorly painted from the factory in terms of coverage. (primer visible everywhere except the "shiny side up") Is there something wrong with MM2's paintjob from the factory? It has always seemed that the paint was exceptionally easy to scratch (even very quality microfiber towels will scratch with more than moderate pressure)

Should I persue compensation from MINI?
Thanks for reading,
Ryan

 

sounds like your paint never cured properly.
I don't know if they use a clearcoat on MINIs or not, but maybe yours never got clearcoated.

i've noticed that the claybars leave little scratches but nothing that a light polish wouldn't fix( menzerna or the like) or Klasse AIO wouldnt fill in. of course my mini is light colored so that stuff doesn't show up as much as your dark blue would.

but i clay barred my black car this weekend and it didn't leave any larger scratches than were already there proir to polish:smile:

It sounds like you got a lemon of a paintjob.

 

one more thing --- keep in mind that hairlines will show up ofter claybarring too because you've just stripped off any sealant/wax/optical brighteners that you put on the car to protect it.

that said, i still think you have a lemon paintjob

 

You might be right on the paint never curing properly. You can see my paint "pooled" alot before "drying", so I have little raised lines along every edge of body panel. MichiganMINI had a Spring Clean up event earlier this year, which was sponsored by Meguair's. The representative had a very expense "paint thickness" gauge he used on my car, and he said the thickness is average. It certainly is clear-coated, at least on the top-side exterior, where there's also base-coat

 

sounds like there is something not right with your paint, I have done sooooooo many cars with clay and had no problems except for a couple rare instances on a repaint finish and I can say I doubt it was as bad as what you describe. It is possible your mini had some paint work done at the vdc and its sub standard quality. Only problem is the lenth of time you have had the car I doubt they woul honor a paint quality claim but its worth a try.


Good luck and let us know what you find out.

 

Factory paint is baked and cured before it leaves the factory. I just took delivery of a 2005 Audi S4 Friday night. I clayed it last night in prep for Zaino coats. No problems with paint curing. That's not your issue, I'm sure.

I have clayed literally over a dozen "different" MINIS of different years. I know I have done a couple '02's, several '03's and '04's and even an '05. I haven't had one issue.

I have used several brands of clay. I personally prefer Zaino, but Mothers is fine. (Made by same manufacturer, FYI) Sonus, Pinnacle, 3M, ClayMagic to name a few I have used.

Proper lubrication is critical. Hard to over emphasize this. I prefer to use a heavy mix of a quality shampoo and keep lathering it on in my working area. This is MUCH better than quick detailer.

Proper application pressure is critical. Flat, even pressure is key. Use several fingers or even consider using a small piece of applicator pad to even the pressure and reduce PSI of your finger tips. Most people also rub too much. It just takes a few strokes in any given area.

But of course the fact that you say you have issues with even MF towels is worrisome. I assume you have something better than those crappy K-Mart or Costco quality towels. Those DO scratch. I can't use those on my black roof without marring the clearcoat.

So, assuming you have good MF towels then you do have problems. And I wish I could help. Let us know what MINI says.

 

No worries Brad - I use Wizards and Microfiber Tech products, no scratch-prone microfiber here (well, on any other surface, lol)

I must confess, I use "only" detailing spray to lube my clay. I can only defend by stating that I use it like it's goin' out of style

Agreed on how much pressure to apply to the clay - as little as possible, and distributed through the whole pattie.

 

Dang, I wish I had an answer. We all know clay is super safe stuff. And you are using great brands. So you definitely are having some sort of defective clearcoat issues.

I would love to be a defense witness at the "hearing"! Go get 'em!

But sorry you have to even deal with it.

 

Thanks for the support Brad (and everyone!)

It seemed only fitting when MINIUSA released the statement that all MY04's get 12 Year Rust Warranty. First thing that popped in my head was "well DUH, my car has no paint!"