I've had my car for about 3 weeks now and still have not washed it. The reason being is because I afraid the paint is going to get those ugly swirl marks on the paint. I want to keep it looking new for as long is I can. So have some of you that have washed it already, noticed any difference in the paint after the was. Did you hand washed it? Or did you take it to the wash? Anyways I've been keeping it clean by dusting it and using spray polishes. I use this stuff works great gets rid of grime, bugs, and dust leaves the paint like the first day I got the car. (I've used it on my bike for years).

 

Wash it with car soap and water...use a soft cat mit and make sure you wash it in the shade if it is a dark colour. Mine is BRG with a black top and is more then 2 months old. Also get some wax on it. No swirl marks on mine from washing.

 

OK thanks for the advice. Guess I'm kind of paranoid about those ugly swirls. I do know though that I'm gonna tell them not to wash it when I take it in to the dealership for anything.. Probably will give it it's first wash this weekend then.

 

Don't EVER take it thru a car wash or let the high school cheer leaders wash it. Primo, Meguiar's or Griot's are top shelf car care products broadly used by MINI people. Visit the Detailing 101 section for tons of experiences and advice. Richard Lin, aka Octane Guy is a detailing guru and has been a frequent contributor to Detailing 101.

 

I took my Mini to Detailers Domain in New Jersey where they put on Opti-Coat. It is an amazing protectant for the paint. When I wash my cars I take them to the touch free car wash. After the wash I use Meguiars Last Touch Spray Detailer or Meg's Quick Detailer. I spray it on then wipe with a microfiber towel and then I go over the whole car with another MF Towel so that I can rid the car from any leftover residue. So far, so good.

Now go and wash your damn car

 

lol!! I do want to wash it.. So if you don't mind me asking how much does the opt-coat go for? I might be interested in that.

 

Got it! Good advice! lol about the high school cheer team.

 

Yeah, I think Octane Guy likes products from Prima Car Care Products like Hydro. I have been happy with Hydro Seal and Slick from them.

Use micro-fiber cloths for applying polishes and waxes. Some cotton fabrics can leave tiny scratches/swirls.

I had been pleased with how dishwashing detergent had cleaned off dead love-bugs, but was told that those products are too harsh and remove "oils" from the paint. Get a good carwashing detergent.

 

We only have touchless car washes around here. What's the problem?

 

Invest in a set of 2 5-gallon buckets with grit guards, a nice plush wash mitt, and some decent car wash soap (I prefer Meguiar's Gold Class because it's reasonably priced and actually very good for the money).

Only use clean microfibers to dry, use the terry cloth for drying the glass. If you drop a towel, stop using it immediately.

Touchless washes have stronger chemicals that strip the oils and waxes from paint.

I'm not a huge fan of using them, but they're great for a quick wash in the winter.

 

I have had amazing luck with a lot of chemical guys products. This is clay barred with the chemical guys light clay, used jet seal paint sealant (CG), and some butter wet wax (CG). Plastics , trim, and tires done with VRP dressing. They also have great buckets and clothes and such. They also have a lot of great tube vids if you are new to detailing.

 

You also have to wipe off the scuzz that the water jets failed to remove. That water dripping on my car as the "dryer" goes over it irritates me.

 

Boars hair brush with fine hose spray at 45 degrees.
Then blow dry with leaf blower
The Mini has more nooks and crannies than most.
Be sure to open the hood and hatch, blow dry the door sills as well.
Well broken in synthetic chamois if necessary.
I always wash in the early morning to avoid SUN.

http://www.autogeek.net/trbohawabr.html

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/autodetailing

Everything you need to know about detailing a car. Make sure when you wash that you wipe in straight lines, and not circles. That will prevent swirls.

 

Yes! Only wash and wipe your car in straight lines. I live near Griot's garage and have gone to some detailing clinics there, they stress straight lines when wiping and washing your car, to prevent swirls.

Dave

 

Pretty much what everyone else has said. I find that the leaf blower is great (get an electric as the gas blowers will spray a bit of oily residue). I caught my neighbor looking at me funny, then he walked over to see what the hell I was doing blow drying my car...a few weeks later I drove by and he was doing the same thing. Works wonders!

Once I've blown my car mostly dry I'll finish drying with a good microfiber cloth and some quick detail spray. Just spray the car as you're drying, if you've missed some spots or if there is still some grit that you don't see that lubricants in the spray should keep you from scratching up the paint.

Check out the Autopia detailing forums for more info than you can wrap your head around for more advice: http://www.autopia.org/forum/

 

The Opti-Coat is expensive, but well worth it I'm my book. If you research it you will be amazed. Not sure what it will cost in your area, but my clubman and an extra set of wheels was about $1k. I'm pretty sure the hatch would cost less...

It isn't for everybody, but for me... Makes me smile every time I look at my paint

 

All great advice. Be very careful dusting your car or using detailer. Wipe in one direction, and constantly fold the micro fiber towl to a clean spot.


I use Griot's Garage products. They have some excellent instructional videos.


If you want to go hardcore and really learn how to take care of your car, check out the Junkman:

 

I use my shop vac in blow mode. Nice thing is that it is filtered air.

 

The best thing to do is take your car to a professional detailer while it is still brand new. Have them go over the car and then have it Ceramic coated. Two good coatings I've used is OptiCoat Pro and CQuartz Finest. These coatings are freaking awesome. It's like permanent wax and protection. I had my GP done and it makes washing it soooooo easy as I basically have to just rinse off the dirt. Plus it will protect from tree sap, bird droppings, acid rain and so on. Warning doing these coatings is not cheap, but well worth the investment.

 

When winter ends I'm going to get some GTechniq applied by a professional detailer south of the border. Before that, gentle hand washing - with chamois dry: dabbing at the piano black. And no leaf blower -FGS!!- think of the neighbors

 

I wash my Mini about once a week and use a micro-fiber sponge. I dry the car with soft terry towels. I've had the car now for 4 1/2 months and no swirls. The polish my dealer put on is holding up exceptionally well.

 

If you're interested in Opti-Seal why not just buy it and apply yourself? I get most of my detailing supplies from AutoGeek. Pick up a bottle for $25 and give it a go, Mini's are such small cars so you'll be done in no time: http://www.autogeek.net/optimum-opti-seal.html

I've been using BlackFire Wet Diamond on my cars for a few years and like it so much I've ordered some for my friends as well. Super easy to wipe on and off. Easy enough that sometimes I'll throw another coat on the car after a wash just for fun. The 'slickness' you'll feel is incredible (probably similar to Opti-Seal although I've never played with that one). One thing to note, any sealant just protects the paint and provides that nice slick feeling. If you're car's paint has swirls or any imperfections then you'll have to correct that first by polishing.
Even if you have a pro detail you car you'll still need to have whatever they use re-applied anyways. Might as well learn how to do it yourself and save some money. Or use that $1,000, or just $500, and pick up some quality detailing supplies for yourself.

Basic Detailing Kit:
- 2 wash buckets
- Good Car Wash Soap (this is what I use: http://www.autogeek.net/poorboys-super-slick---wax.html)
**Don't use dish wash detergent as it'll remove all of the wax or sealant you just spent a few hours applying**
- Some good micro-fiber cloths (big ones for drying, smaller ones for detailing, and only use once before washing)
- Microfiber detergent (regular detergent is pretty harsh on mf)
- Pick your favorite sealant
- Quick Detail Spray (I use the BlackFire Polymer one as I feel it reapplies about what I've removed by washing)
- 2 wash mitts, one for the top 2/3 of the car and one for the lower portion. Don't wash from bottom ->up as you're just dragging all that grit from the lower portion of the car up. Wash top down.

I'm probably forgetting plenty of stuff, check the Autopia forum for enough info to make your head spin... At the end of the day I always enjoy washing and detailing my cars, kind of like therapy for me.

Watch the Junkman videos too, he's probably forgotten more about detailing cars than I know. Has some pretty good tips on where to pick up products for a good price as well.

 

OptiCoat 2.0 is only $70 and pretty easy for folks with some detailing experience to do themselves. I too really like Blackfire Wet Diamond, especially topped with a good wax like the Dodo Juice choices.

 

I originally intended to top BlackFire with a good wax but was happy with how it turned out without. Plus if I ever wanted to reapply more BF I could easily do so. What's your experience with topping with wax?