I will be getting a 2006 MCS in Oct and I live in the boston area. I'm pretty new at waxing so need some advice on what I should do to prepare it for the winter season. Do I need to wax or clean the new car at all in October before the winter snow comes? Is there any wax on the car already when it's brand new? I'm thinking of getting zaino based on reading the boards here. Thanks in advance.

 

I think dealer puts on wax when they are prepping the car.. You can ask the dealer not to put any wax on the car.

AFAIK, car does not come with wax from the factory..
What you might want to do is to start your cleaning/waxing session with a dilluted dawn/water mix.

 

blitz64,

First off, welcome to the neighborhood!

To really jump in and get your feet wet take a read through this thread:

My Detailed Detailing Process

(disclaimer: not my writeup)

Now that you're sufficiently terrified...

Don't sweat it too much. There's a LOT of good information in that thread, but take away from it what you're comfortable with. Personally I adhere to about 75% of that process and I find that's sufficient. My MINI is a daily driver here in New England, so keeping it spotless all of the time would be a full-time job.

I picked up my MINI last December and ran it all winter without waxing it at all. Took me about 8 hours this past spring to bring it back up to par (wash, clay, wax, etc.) but no permanent problems. I would definately get a couple coats of Zaino (if that's your choice) on the car shortly after picking it up. This will make both keeping it clean during the winter as well as your spring detailing a lot easier.

Best of luck with your new MINI!

 

First and foremost. tell your dealer NOT TO PREP. That is, unless you like swirls. =)

from then on, follow the instructions of agranger, they bascially go as so:

wash
clay bar
wash
wax.

I dont think you need to polish yet, as it is brand new, but that is your choice.

since you are getting it quite late in the season and I'm guessing you are not sure about the whole zaino yet, Just go for meguiars NXT. This is easy to get and should last you most of the winter. However, one important thing is to try to get rid of the salt that gets on your car whenever possible. For this, I usually use a touchless drive thru.

 

As my detailing process referenced above would suggest, I love Zaino. The Klasse sealants also have a great rep.

If you don't want to take the full plunge, I think that the NXT idea is a good one. For the price (and availability as you can get it at Target and most local auto parts stores) its a good first step and basic line of defense. I think that Zaino gives a better shine and it definately lasts longer than NXT, but NXT would be my first choice other than Klasse or Zaino. (Don't tell the NXT lovers that I said this... they are never going to let me live it down :smile: )

 

I have signs (posted in another thread) so dealers don't get their grubby mits, rags and buffers on my cars!

 

Definately!!!!!

Any wax the dealer puts on there can be assumed to be of questionable quality and durability... definately not up to the Northeast's weather and definately not for 4-5 months of use. The combination of the long winter until Spring cleaning and the cheap wax will mean an awful season for your new paintwork.

Get thineself to your driveway and wax/seal as soon as you can! Show your MINI that you love it!

 

I went in recently and told the guy no wash. I had my worries since it was a new guy in training. In the end, my instincts were right and it was WASHED!!. I was angry, but luckily, I haven't perfected my skills with my PC, so I still need to remove the ones they installed during prep. Just more work and practice I suppose. Now if they did it AFTER I got my car swirl free.. that would be very troubling.

 

I notice alot of link about buying towels points to yahoo store/autopia. Especially from Bradb. Does he work there or someone else? I would think there would be more links to North american car care...

 

I believe he is a moderator for a forum that they sponsor. However, i'm pretty sure they are the same store?

 

Autopia and NorthAmericanCarCare.com are owned and run by the same guy--David Bynon. If you search his name, you will find a bunch of links to different car sites that he sells his products from.

Richard

 

I had noticed the similarities between the sites, but never knew that they were one and the same...

I have a lot of links pointing to Autopia in my detailing guide thread because I've ordered from them before and they have great products offered. The service has also been top notch. I'm a manager at a Telco in Dallas and I have no relationship with Autopia, Zaino or any other car care association.

If any of them want to send me free samples for review (a pandering plea in the style of David Letterman), I'd be glad to send a shipping address!

 

Living in boston, I just clean and wax with quality products... I've used zymol which works well but is expensive, opinions very about waxes/cleaners almost as much as oil brands though....

Enjoy your car, and be ready for the inevitable scratches and dings, which are unfortunately reality.... The waxing is really to protect the paint from environmental hazards but in reality the paint can't be fully protected unless you detail very frequently

The dealer will wax and prep, thus tell them to skip it if your a perfectionist.... and you want it initially waxed with no swirls.... I was upset initially about some very minor dealer installed swirl marks during prep, but came back to reality when realizing cars and paint jobs are not perfect if the vehicle is to be driven.........

 

While I don't know for certain, I would imagine that NAM gets a percentage of sales when products are purchases through North American Car Care--and in my mind, I would much rather purchase from NACC instead of Autopia just to support NAM.

Richard

 

Yep, I am a Detailing Moderator for Autopia, but have nothing to do with their store. Other than the fact that I shop there a lot!

I have my dealer trained not to wash my car! It's always printed on my ticket when I get service done. I never have to ask!

I once saw a wash mitt they used for washing cars lying, filthy, in the middle of the asphalt wash area. The attendant just picked it up without looking and started slamming it against a BMW. I cringed like I just saw a scene from a horror movie. I had to walk away.

 

autopia.org is a large forum for detailers.