Today I clayed and waxed my MINI for the first time.I keep my MINI clean,washing it at least once a week,and have been using a detail polish all the time.But figured it was time.The hand test did not feel to bad after polishing,but if it had been a few days I noticed some drag.The worst areas were the rear 1/4 panels right in front of the back wheels,and the hatch.
The whole process took 5 hours,but I was ready for that.
I had a perfect day for it,overcast,temps around 60F,light winds.I don't have a garage,and the trees are still bare,so no shade.

Taping done ready to start,well the taping is part of it,took the longest of all the steps.Not many straight lines.


The claying was a snap to do,and I was pretty happy with how the car looked and felt after just doing that.You can really feel the stuff stuck to the car with the clay,but a gentle rub and is gets smooth fast.

The first time the wax hazed over was kind of scary,but I got over that once I shined it up.Rear 1/4 panel done,door ready to buff.


The final results are amazing,the car looks great,the feel of the paint is so smooth,and it feels great to know this only takes some time,but is no big deal to do.
I want to thank all those for the info,tips,and products to use.Tommorow the black trim

 

Looks great Lot. Its kind of hard to see but I don't see any small paint chips up front. How do you manage that? I've got about 4 of them just since December, and only 1600 miles!

 

They don't show up,but I have some small paint chips up front.Will deal with them once I know it won't go below freezing at night.I have a paint touch up kit from the dealer.Paint and clear coat,works great.use a tooth pick to apply the paint.

Oh,thanks,I'm going out and rubbing Poco every 15 minutes

 

Lovely finish! That's a big drawback with Pepper White: my car looks pretty much the same after I wax it as it does before I wax it.

Not sure, but it looks like you applied the wax in a circular motion. Were you using an orbital waxer? If not, I've learned that waxing in one direction only is the way to go (horizontally on the side panels, for instance). It minimizes swirls.

Post more pics after the trim is all blacked up so we can see her in all her glory.

 

Looks great A labor of love.:smile:

 

I did not pay to much attention to how I hand applied the wax,but I did hand buff in straight lines,horizontial on the sides and boot,front to back on the bonnet and roof.
Poco is a him