My BW arrived yesterday, and I immediately ran out to the car to apply it to all the trim. The trim was in nasty shape after a week of rain, and a rushed Epic job with many white spots that I couldn't wait to remove. I wiped it all down with a wet mitt to get the dirt off then started to apply the BW.

Previously I only had a sample and only applied it to a few small test spots, so I didn't concentrate on things like spreading it. (One more thing: though it appears to have visibly washed away a week ago, those spots still beaded water when I wiped the trim, so it really is still protecting!) I used the included foam pad and put a drop on at a time. It really is amazing just how far it will spread with a little bit of scrubbing. After a while, that scrubbing-plastic-with-foam motion did generate plenty of static just like others have reported. I was amazed as it really did scrub away all the wax marks. My trim went from horrible to spectacular. To repeat my testing (but inversely, I guess), I left a few spots untreated so I can get a good idea of how long it lasts and hopefully photos this time.
The bottles did take me as being on the small side for the price, but when I finished completely treating all of my very thirsty trim, I had barely used any, so in fact it will last a while. Manufacturers often water down a potent mixture in cases like this so you feel like you are getting more value. As long as you remember just to use a drop at a time and spread it as much as possible, it should last a while.

 

Can I be the surogate driver???

 

My Lexus IS250 is the same way. Takes 1/3 the time the Mini does to detail. The Mini does have a lot of nooks, crannies, and seams to deal with. The grill is the same mess between them both.

I will be armed with my Q-tips and BlackWow this weekend for final pass detailing on Romi though.

 

Skuzzy- congrats on the new MC! yah, even the chrome trim along the bottom of the windows retain some water... And if you're not careful drying it, water stains/leftover wax begins to dry up.

Even though I thoroughly dried the car 3 days ago I still saw water drippage after my trip to the dealer this morning!

 

I use my air compressor to blow out remaining water, and for the Lexus, it is usually just around the trunk lid and outside mirrors.

On Romi, I felt like I had given her another bath after spraying the water off. It came from everywhere! Around the plastic in the arches, the bonnet, the boot, the lower door jambs, and the outside mirrors, water just sprayed out of there. I got a pretty good bath myself.

 

I bought one of these from HarborFreight.com and no more water dripping problems!



Just blast all the areas that hold water--inside mirror caps, behind emblems, around headlight and tailights, under spoiler and brake light, and best of all for the plastic grills on the MCS--just blast it with air and blow out all the water. No more dripping.

What I do is hold my drying towel to catch the blow back water. Hold it behind and slightly to the side as you blow the crevices, the water will blow back onto the towel keeping you and your MINI dry.

 

Oh, I know. It takes a bit of trial and error to get the angles right the first time. I can do the Lexus in minutes and not get a drop anywhere, except on the driveway.

Romi is a bit more challenging as she has lot of places that catch water.

 

yah, i'll have to try that hold the drying towel trick next to the parting
lines while blowing air on the crevises trick. water tends to hide back into
the crevises when there's more of them inside the trim...so the dry towel
is a nice idea to pull it out.

the BW arches dusted up a little bit, QD'ed and re-applied a tad more
where i saw uneven treatment. and wiped it down again with a paper
towel. a few more wipe downs and i think it will get pretty even. (i dont
usually wash my car).

 

No way man

 

Had a question...I'm noticing a discoloring around the roof trim - looks like mold or mildew - but nothing I've tried seem to get rid of it. Will BW clean or remove these blotchy spots or could you suggest a way to remove them

 

It "may". The cleaners in BW are mild and were chosen to remove polish & wax residue. It's also proven to be effective on cosmoline. However for mold or mildew, have you tried maybe some rubbing alcohol instead??

The hardest part about applying BW to the trim around the roof is that because it's so thin, it's far too easy to get BW on the paint and that might make things even more frustrating.

Richard

 

yes... tried rubbing alcohol but no effect at all. It seems as if it's embedded in there. Any other suggestions? It's spreading faster than I imagined it would. Help!

 

If it's a living organism, have you tried either Bleach or heat from a hair dryer?? I don't know what Bleach might do to your paint, but I've used it to kill weeds!

Not sure how much heat it might take to kill it without melting the plastic though. Do you see this anywhere else on our MINI???

Do you have any pictures??

 

Sorry no pictures. It has only been on the roof trim especially above the windshield and now I've noticed it above the doors. Do you think mineral spirits or acetone would be too harsh?

 

Woohoo I'm all caught up on NAM. All orders to date--both VacuCam and BW have been shipped. You should have received a confirmation email about this today.

If you placed your order through SCD, I expect to have those completed by tomorrow. Thanks everybody!!!!!

Richard

 

great news! got BW last saturday but haven't tried it because of all the rain we've been having lately. THX

 

Thanks for your hard work, Richard! I received my confirmation email last night so I'm looking forward to using BW in the unforgiving Florida sun... I'll keep ya updated!

 

Got my notice today, come ooooooooonnnnnnnnn mail man!

 

You're welcome! Last night one of my friends came over--Benny--he helped me detail MINIs at AMVIV this year--and we cranked out the rest of the orders on SCD. Unfortunately, I am now temporarily out of stock of BW, but I will have more by next week.

All boxes are being shipped by 1st Class Mail which says 2 to 3 days. Since I dropped them off at the Post Office yesterday that means you should see it by Saturday!

 

Out of stock! Congrats on a successful launch!!

 

If were in OC can we pick this up at your shop or would you rather stay mail order?

 

You're welcome to come by the shop anytime and you can save on some shipping, though sales tax kinda makes up for it.

If you stop by, I can demo it to you as well.

My address info is at www.ShowCarDetailing.com, I'm here 5 days, and on Saturday--every other Saturday--like this coming Saturday.

Richard


I actually have a couple bottles that I'm saving for my class on Saturday.

 

you socal people have it made.

 

Richard - keep us informed about when you have more Black Wow in stock... I'd like to suggest it in an email to people in the local MINI club here and you are bound to get a few orders from that.

By the way, I did a wash this weekend... I washed the black trim as part of the overall Mystique car wash and then went around with a towel to dry it off and it still looks very good. So I haven't really reapplied any since the application at your house on March 29!

The only spot that needs a bit is right where the door closes... there always seems to be a drip mark showing there from when it rains, etc.

[edit - can i hear a 300th post in this thread... kenchan... anyone?]

 

I've used a compressor for the past 3 years to blow out water before drying...but you know what? Taking the Mini around the block as fast as possible is the ONLY way to get all the water out...