[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]Hi there,[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3] [/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Arial][SIZE=3]I just ordered a Mini S and would like the Cliffsnotes version for dummies of car care. I do not have hours to devote to washing and waxing nor do I have the inclination to do that (I know everyone is going to bash me for saying that ). I’m getting the car because I liked the look and found it incredibly fun to drive. For my current vehicle, I just run it through the gas station car wash every once in a while (Ok, now I know I’m going to get bashed ). The fact that I’m willing to wash/wax this car by hand is a big step . Time is a precious commodity and I would rather use it doing other things. I want to know what I should do as a first cleaning/waxing/etc. to protect the car for the longest period of time possible and what the minimum amount of things I should do thereafter to keep it looking good. I would like to know which products are the easiest and quickest to apply. I am willing to put the time/money in for the first treatment in order to put on a good protective coating but don’t want to spend too much time after that. I’m looking to maximize the time interval between major cleanings. What should I buy? The car will be garaged overnight and will be exposed to the FL sun during the day.[/SIZE][/FONT]

 

Hmm, non OCD...ok. Here is what you are probably looking at doing to accomplish what your looking for.

1. Wash with a car wash soap (not dish detergent.)
1a. Use a good sheep skin wash mit.
2. Get a few Micro Fiber towels for drying.
3. Look at a spray wax, Hydro is loved by many here on NAM

Once you learn your MINIs knooks and crannies, this process will take you 20mins. Hydro lasts about 4 weeks in a single application. Hope this gives you an idea of where to start to keep your MINI looking good with minimal effort.

 

I have always just run my cars through the car wash. And that is what I intend to do with my MINI.

 

http://autopia.org/forum/guide-detailing/

 

OH NO!! PLEASE NO! Us OCDers will cry (maybe) Those auto car washes put all sorts of nasty ugly swirls all over your paint! Buy a bucket, its worth it in the long run.

 

I bought a bucket once. It just sat there looking stupid. Didn't do a damn thing.

 

When do you think they'll come up with the self washing and waxing option. If that's not possible, maybe Irobot can invent one that washes and waxes cars. I have one that vaccuums the floors which works pretty well.

 

Try these links...you'll probably be amused :

When I was like you:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=91153

Now:
https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...ad.php?t=95816

Bottom line, car washes and even places that specialize in "had washing" will damage the paint. I have three cars. A 10 year old Sebring, and 4 year old Minivan, and my 7mon old MINI. The Sebring looks like c__p, the Van is on it's way to looking like c__p but salvageable...I've decided it is way cheaper in the long run to take care of a car right rather than fixing it later.

 

Hound:
Wash with good car washing soap (read that to be: Prima Mystique) and a nice sheeps (lamb? whatever) wool mitt; dry (with microfiber! fluffy!); wax with a good synthetic (read that to be: Prima Epic). Next washing, wash the same way, but while drying spritz with PRIMA HYDRO! From then on, until the next waxing, that's pretty much it. Unless you want to go into wheel/tire care, interior, glass, etc. etc.
I am the same as SinMini: when I started, I just thought I would wash every now and then, keep the MINI clean.....and now I can't let a week go by without washing/hydro-ing, doing the trim, wheels, .... it grows on you.

 

Ok, so what you are saying is that they put things in this hydro product that are addictive causing you to actually want to wash and wax your car.

 

They are also in your MINI, and those activate when wet with hose water.

 

i guess if you want to be SUPER lazy, you can run your car through
the touchless wash and then apply Hydro yourself while you dry the
car.

 

For ease, Klasse AIO is your friend. Hand wash the car, apply the Klasse (can be done by hand in less than an hour) and you get 3-6 months of solid protection.

Try to hand wash at least every couple weeks for the sake of the brake dust and bugs, etc. but if you are really lazy at least use the coin-op to spray it off. The Klasse will keep a lot of stuff from "sticking" to the finish.

 

i dont think SUPER lazy people dont want to wash their own cars... the
best they would do is wipe it down. so hydro and waffle weave might
be best.

 

I think many new MINI owners simply find that once they have a cool, fun car like a MINI then they actually have more motivation than they thought they would to keep it looking good. Thus, the high "conversion rate" of non-OCDs to OCDs.

I think everyone else has already made some good suggestions to get you started on your journey to be OCD in car care so I won't repeat those.

However, there are some who are permanently non-OCD and really just want the ultimate in the lazy way. To each his own!
So for those who want a quick shine and paint protection only, I would agree with Kenchan... a waffle weave and Hydro for after your touchless drive-thru wash.
It's not ideal and sort of hurts to say it (drying by hand after anything other than a full hand-wash can cause fine scratching) but it will do the trick for shine and protection in one easy step. Plus, Hydro will help fill some of the fine scratches that you will likely create by not hand-washing.

And yes it's true... there are chemicals in Hydro which, when added to MINI paint, form an addictive substance!

-Heather

 

this is what we all used to say!

personally, i used to run my "old" cars through car washes, but those were cars that were just "cars" and didn't have much character.

once you hand wash the MINI a few times, you'll find it addictive.

and if you just buy Hydro and Clarity you'll be a very happy camper.

 

With all of these glowing recomendations for this Hydro product, can I buy stock in the company?

 

All you need is be willing to spend a few hours claying & waxing you MINI twice a year. The rest of the year just wash weekly using a good carwash soap, dry with a good waffle weave MF towel, & spray on Hydro every few weeks when drying. I wash my MINI every week & it only takes around 30 minutes so that's really not that much time to spend to have a spiffy looking MINI

 

meh.

The laziest thing to do is buck up and pay a pro to do it for you 2 times per year. You can probably get a reputable detailing shop to get it uber-nice every 6 months for under $400 inside, outside, and the engine compartment. All you nned do then is the weekly or bi-weekly wash and dry and the vacuuming of the interior when it is dirty. The question is, is your time or your money of more "value" to you?

A lot of us here use our detailing OCD as "therapy" for daily life and stress. Even with a PDCA, QDs, MFs, NXTs, Z-7s, glaze, ICE, and any number of other accronyms it's a bunch cheaper than seeing a good PhD or MD. LOL!

 

Yeah, but keep that up and you'll be compromising the paint ...if you have to have it aggressively polished every 6 months anyway.

But I agree, for the lazy-man's care I would say:

Mystique (wash)
Epic (3-4 times a year)
Clarity (glass)
Hydro (spray-on wax)
Nero (interior, trim, and tires)
Couple of waffle-weave microfibers

The first time do the full wash, wax with Epic, etc just to get a good coat of protection on there.

Then weekly or every other week you can do a wash and once in awhile spray down w/Hydro before you dry.

Every 3-4 months, recoat w/Epic.

Pretty easy.

 

yes, you should buy plenty of inventory right away before it all runs out.



yah, yah, different "stock."

 

sure, very simple maintenance plan: Z7, Z10, Z7, Z-PC, Z-AIO, Z6, Z5 + ZFX, Z6, Z5, Z6, Z2 + ZFX, Z6, Z2, Z6, Z2, Z8......what could be simpler?

 

Prima rocks. This says it all.

 

So you are super lazy and want to do the least amount to take care of your MINI eh? Or maybe you're just strapped for time, whatever the reason, just consider that most NON OCD people will be lucky to wax their car once every few years, and if that, they probably only wax the hood, or some small portion of it. Notice I didn't call our "hood" a bonnet here, because I'm talking about the car care of all cars in general, not just MINIs.

Consider that no matter what steps you take to take care of your paint, from the day it leaves the factory, it's on a path of deterioration. Your paint is only about 5Mil thick--that includes primer (for 2002-2006 MINIs), basecoat, and clear coat. The more you neglect your paint, the greater your chances of leading to clear coat failure.

What does that look like? Well check out this Mazda that was severely neglected. It was relegated to car washes and rarely being waxed, eventually the clear coat was eaten away and suffers from what is known as "clear coat failure". Once this happens, it's irreversible.


Your MINI will get like this too one day if you don't take care of it.

Everytime you take your MINI to the car wash, regardless of whether it's a hand wash or touchless wash, your finish will soon look like


If you're lucky enough to find a paint polisher able to restore your paint, you might be able to fix your neglect for a few hundred bucks.





But it will cost you both in terms of money and time. Sometimes, the paint is too far gone to be fixed by a paint polisher, and you will have to repaint. That will cost you thousands of dollars.

If you don't plan on keeping your MINI forever, then maybe paint longevity isn't important to you.

There are many different levels of care you can provide. Washing your MINI doesn't have to be time consuming. I wash and wax my MINI in 20 minutes. I use the two bucket method with Dirt Guards and a Lambswool wash mitt and properly measured out car wash soap. I wax it with Hydro before I dry it off. Because I've got a Jet Black MCS, I take these steps to keep my car looking great with minimal effort.

Every few months when I have the time and energy, I will buff out the swirls with a PCDA polisher and then apply a good sealent. That will no doubt take me a few hours to do, but it's worth it, because not only does it keep my MINI look great, I know that I'm doing everything I can, within my own means to protect it.

Richard

 

Richard,

Since you obviously take very good care of you car and you only wash it by hand, what else would cause swirls?