I will be picking up my new MINI and immediately driving it home 3000 miles. I have read all the threads about how awful dealer wash and wax treatments are. But I am also afraid of driving it so far without wax. Dealer is Mini of Peabody.
Advice?

 

eh

The clearcoat is actually a replacement for wax. THe only things that arent protected would be the trim exterior and interior. I use griot's vinyl and rubber treatment for all of that. 3k miles isnt that long in nice weather.

Depends on where you drive I guess . I live on the east coast NY NY NY NY NY **** word you know that place. We dont have loads of crap on the roads, dirt, etc, just truck gunk suv polution grime.

I would think most dealers would give you spider web swirls. They hire crack adicts to wash and detail your car normally.

If you cant do a fast carnuaba spray wax somewhere along the way, such as you find in the phonebook an open air do it yourself place, then I probably would let the dealer do it. I had to add this as an edit. They mess up stuff possibly, but, if you want to detail it like octaneguy, it wouldnt matter as first you would strip it, claybar it, then get out a PC and orbital polish it with the lightest grit, and then wax the paint, treat the synthetics when you get it home.



What about a naturala carnauba spray wax? I only know of griots in that category. That is super fast. Personally, I would do a 1 hour detail somewhere before you head out long.

Side note: why the hell are you driving 3k miles to your dealer?

 

i would do a quick wax on the front end, side mirrors and roof using
NXT (very easy on/off wax) and put painter's tape blue on the front
bumper, front part of hood, front part of roof, and side mirrors and
drive her home.

once you get home, remove all that and start fresh.

 

If I had it to do all over. I would Skip Dealer prep. (mine didnt hurt the car but it wasnt worth the cost)
Wash at nearest old school car wash or first touchless carwash if those can be found. Otherwise bucket wash.
Kenchan nailed it use your favorite quick on/off wax and tape it off.

 

Thanks for the help and good advice!

 

Because West Coast dealers make you wait 6 months and charge over sticker because they can.
Besides,
Road Trip=One of life's Great Pleasures.

 

Not so, the clear coat is a paint just like the base coat. It needs protection just like any other paint.

I'd skip the dealer prep & give it a good going over once you're home.

 

That wouldn't happen to be MINI of Peabody in Massachusetts, would it?? I got my MINI from there not even two months ago! (I live in MA) Honestly, their dealer prep/cleaning isn't that bad. Some swirls, but I mean, you can get those out easy with wax and polish. *I believe* they have a special power wash system, but not entirely sure. But, I'm sure your MINI will be okay to drive without anything "protecting" it back to your home state. Congrats! They are a great dealership!

 

I would do it myself as well, even if it meant a little extra before your big trip back. All it takes is one detailer having a bad day to leave some swirls in your paint with the buffer.

 

Yep, that's the one. I am happy with them so far...
glad to hear a vote of confidence.

 

"Because West Coast dealers make you wait 6 months and charge over sticker because they can."

This was not my experience in northern CA earlier this year. I even ordered exactly what I wanted.

 

The painter's tape is a pretty good idea. Looks a little goofy, but if you don't subscribe to the 'dings are signs of experience' school of thought, it's a good way to keep the new baby looking new for when you get home.

Definitely don't worry about the wax. (But don't park under any bird filled trees!)

Enjoy the trip! I did 3K from VA to CA, and really enjoyed it (in spite of hitting a blizzard in %#^#*^ Kansas)

 

^^^ Yes X10. That happened to my new car. Although not the same dealer you are buying from.

 

I had the dealership NOT polish/wax my car for delivery,and was delighted with the result. I was up until 2am that night cleaning and hand-applying Klasse SG & hand-waxing the next day. Zero swirls.

A few days in the elements on the way to the first detailing should not be a problem. I would wax the leading edges of everything (nose cone, mirrors, etc.) to make bugs easier to wash off.

 

You shouldn't have to worry with MINI of Peabody. They have a separate wash-only bay, and they do a good job and wax your car with Meguire's Gold Class carnuba before delivery to you. Only if you are super-**** like just a handful of us around here and plan to Zaino it within a day would I bother. In my case I told him I couldn't wait to get it home and wax it, and they were like gee, we wasted our time waxing it. They do take their time and do a nice job. Not "crack addicts" in "NY NY NY **** word" like El_Jefe has! :p

If you are driving such a long trip after delivery, then you want as much protection as you can get for the drive. If you can't wax it yourself before, than you absolutely want the dealer to wax it. You'll have plenty of rock chips by the time you get home unless you are getting a clear bra, or many people I've seen actually cover the front of the car with blue painter's tape.

One other thing see if you can meet up with some of us in Mass when you come to pick up the car. Check my web page to see if there is a scheduled event if not just stop in on mini2 and I bet a bunch will meet for lunch or something.

 

Depending on the date, you could also detail your car at our place (about 45 minutes south of Peabody) if you'd like...just PM me. We don't have any special setup, and I do my detailing outside, so it's weather dependent, but it would be fun to have a detailing party with another MINI owner!

 

I always wanted to have a detailing party around here where everyone can share their advice.

 

Ooh, let's!

Your driveway or mine? Something tells me you have a much snazzier setup...

 

Not really...I do have a garage for the first time in my life, but it's really just a metal shack, and I can only fit one car in my driveway. :(

 

I agree with most... don't let the dealer touch it! Even if they've been pretty good to others so far, all it takes is for them to have a bad day to mess up your paint. Plus, dealers tend to have pretty high turnover on their detailers... yesterday's detailer may have been good but today's might stink!

I also like the idea Kenchan had about taping the front a bit. Might as well avoid the roadtrip chips and gunk. It would be worth looking funny.

The offer for cleaning/waxing it at Blue Baby or jwardell's place sounds like fun! I don't think it would need the wax for the relatively short journey but it certainly would help and the detailing party would be fun!

Whatever you do yourself, my vote is to tell the dealer to keep off your precious paint no matter what.

Have a great trip!

-Heather

 

If you ever get the chance to do this, DO IT. Detailing should be a social occasion... good food, nice people and several hands to spread the load. Not that Minis take a lot of effort, being so dang small, but with 3 or 4 people working at a time, the process goes really fast, and you always have plenty of folks to talk to.

 

That reminds me, I think it's about time I set up another clinic for my club. But as for the original topic, not all MINI dealers are bad, but few if any are great. I'd say skip the dealer as well, but I'm curious how dirty the cars are as they arrive at the dealership. If they are dusty, since we all know about the potential for rail dust, anybody who services the car before it gets to you could scratch the finish simply by touching the car as they work around and in the car prepping it for you. And you won't see this until after it's been washed. If the dealer washes it, and notices these kinds of flaws, they can buff it out before you see it.

My point is, that don't expect a pristine perfect MINI just because you asked the dealer not to wash the car before pickup.


23 MINIs from a past clinic


That's me while Mike a guest for this clinic looks on


My supplies laid out

 

That looks SO fun! I would love to do something like that.

 

Thank you all for the great advice!

 

For your trip home, I agree with Ken's suggestion. Use the NXT (great product) and the painter's blue tape on the parts he mentioned. I'm sure you will love the road trip home...nothing like motoring 3,000 miles to get to know your MINI!

Once home, read up on Octane Guy's methods...you can't go wrong!