Just got a call from my dealer. My JB/JB is on their lot ready to be prepped!
I can't get down there until next Friday though.

 

>>Just got a call from my dealer. My JB/JB is on their lot ready to be prepped!
>>I can't get down there until next Friday though.
>>

Wow! Congrats. The owner's lounge says I'm en route and estimated delivery date is 8/14! Thursday. If that works maybe they can get it prepped and I'll be motoring by Saturday!

 

>>I bought an MCS in Electric Blue with a white roof... I got the car stripped down with Dawn last night, and then clay barred. This afternoon i'll be going Zaino crazy in my garage, as it's raining!
>>

Did your dealer do much prep on it? I've never done a clar bar treatment before but I plan on getting the Zaino kit. I was thinking that if the dealer did a decent job on the detail it might be worth waiting a while before stripping their wax off.

Also, I was curious. What is involved in a clar bar treatment?

 

Anyone have any news on the Tokyo Express? I think it's supposed to dock today in New York...

 

>>Did your dealer do much prep on it? I've never done a clar bar treatment before but I plan on getting the Zaino kit. I was thinking that if the dealer did a decent job on the detail it might be worth waiting a while before stripping their wax off.
>>
>>Also, I was curious. What is involved in a clar bar treatment?

I asked my dealer to do nothing but clean the inside, and to absolutely not touch the outside of the car. I work at a Ford dealership, and the guys that prep the cars are not well paid, and mostly don't give a hoot about your car. They typically wash the cars with a BRUSH dipped in soapy water... now if they've dropped that brush even once, you can bet they are rubbing tiny scratchs into the clear coat.

I highly recommend Zaino to anyone..it's simple to use, and won't leave any mess on your wheel arches and other plastic bits. The key to any paint protection system, whether you use Zaino, Meguires, or zymol.. whatever... is good surface prep.

Start by washing your car with dawn dish soap and a NEW wash mitt. Don't use a sponge, but an all cotton or sheeps wool wash mitt. Don't drop this mitt or set it down anywhere that it might pick up dirt besides the car! This will reduce your potential for being the one rubbing scratches into your paint. The reason you start with Dawn is it's high alkaline base will strip off any products the dealer sprayed onto the car. The idea here is to get the cleanest paint without anything on the top layer of the clear coat.

There are numerous Clay bar systems out there... I've used Mothers usually. Take the new bar and break it into thirds or 4ths, take one piece, and put the rest in a new zip loc bag with a spritz of the lubricant they clay bar usually comes with. Basically they way you work it is you spray a small area with the lubricant... (Out of the sun! A hot car will make the clay melt a bit onto the paint..if it happens, add more lube and blotch the bar onto the clay to pick it off the paint.) ...and rub the bar over the area you just sprayed. By doing so, the bar will pick up unseen contaminants from the clear coat. Wipe off the area with a dry 100% cotton towel, or microfiber cloth. You should feel a completely smooth as glass surface left behind. You may actually hear the bar pulling up dirt and debris when you rub it..and you'll see it show up on the bar itself. Now, knead the bar a bit so the dirt is hidden away, and start with the next section. Once you are done with the entire car, you can press on to applying whatever product you've chosen to protect your paint! I probably clay my car every quarter... It will help your paint stay fresh and new and pull off most of the industrial contaminants out there. Any questions please feel free to PM or IM me. I'm f15eweapon on aol, yahoo, tccoa.com, mini2, and MCO!

 

Thanks for that reply. Having never done it, I was having a tough time conceptualizing. If I have any more questions, I'll PM you but I thought the rest of the group could be benefit from that explanation as well.

Hopefully, the Tokyo Highway has already landed. It needs to be down the coast in two days. And I want to get my Mini to the dealer by Thursday.

Tom

 

I also wanted to add... if you drop the clay bar ever... chuck it! it will pick up WAY too much stuff on the ground, again, raising the potential for scratches. Good luck on your delivery Teldon! I know how excited and anxious you must be.

Ben

 

Well if I am reading the shipping site info correctly (probably not) our ship the Tokyo Highway has left New York. It had 381 MINI's when it got to NY and now has 373. It dropped off 8 MINIs. That seems odd.

Unfortantly they bumped the expected arrival in Charleston to the 15th instead of the 14th.

 

>>Well if I am reading the shipping site info correctly (probably not) our ship the Tokyo Highway has left New York. It had 381 MINI's when it got to NY and now has 373. It dropped off 8 MINIs. That seems odd.
>>
>>Unfortantly they bumped the expected arrival in Charleston to the 15th instead of the 14th.

If you followed the original date for the TH, it was also delayed a day. Originally it was to leave on Sunday, but left on Monday instead. I'm on that boat, with my MC arriving in Charleston, SC this Friday. Who is your dealer? Mine is RoadShow MINI in Memphis.

 

I'm posting in the August club because if we had HAD clubs last summer, I would have been in August!!!! Picked up my silk green cooper August 23, 2002. So everyone should wish my Penny a happy birthday!!!! Good luck to all you Augusts...and have fun!!!

Erin

 

Happy Birthday Penny

Best of luck to the August clubbers, I'm jealous you're getting your MINIs soon!

Cheers,
Ryan

 

Thanks Ryan!!!! Don't worry, the time will fly by and you will have MM2 sooooon!! You're an old pro at waiting by now!!

Erin

 

>> Who is your dealer? Mine is RoadShow MINI in Memphis.

My dealer is
MINI of Charleston!

Nice sig. Mine is a IB/W MC with 1,2,3 wipe and xenon.

Can't wait!

 

I'm new to the board here, so I thought this would be a good time to speak up.
I'm expecting delivery very soon. Owner's lounge says tomorrow. But dealer is less optimistic about it. Early next week?!!!! Hopefully.
I'm going crazy! The wait is torture!

MCS, all black, cruise control, front fogs, OBC, H/k stereo and JCW.
It's going to take every ounce of self control to break it in proper.

 

When the ship docks tomorrow, the cars will be loaded onto a train (Norfolk Southern) and will be transported to our facility (BMW Manufacturing in Greer, SC). The car will spend 2 days here in prep, then they will be transported by truck to their locations. I don't know how Charleston works because it would seem odd that it could come from Charleston to Greer, then back to Charleston. My car will be here on the 18th. It should be at Century Mini on the 21st of this month. I will take delivery sometime next week.

Take care

Cabbage

 

>>Well if I am reading the shipping site info correctly (probably not) our ship the Tokyo Highway has left New York. It had 381 MINI's when it got to NY and now has 373. It dropped off 8 MINIs. That seems odd.
>>

Rcase 13- I would seriously like to know how you got the information about how many Minis were dropped off in NY- I can't find that info on the shipping site. I am expecting my Cooper S to come through NY (I live in PA), and it seems like a waste to have it go all the way down to S.C. and trucked back up here.

 

>>Rcase 13- I would seriously like to know how you got the information about how many Minis were dropped off in NY- I can't find that info on the shipping site. I am expecting my Cooper S to come through NY (I live in PA), and it seems like a waste to have it go all the way down to S.C. and trucked back up here.

I do a search by booking number. It shows all the MINI's on the boat. I remember checking right after the boat left Southhampton and there were 381.

 

>>When the ship docks tomorrow, the cars will be loaded onto a train (Norfolk Southern) and will be transported to our facility (BMW Manufacturing in Greer, SC). The car will spend 2 days here in prep, then they will be transported by truck to their locations. I don't know how Charleston works because it would seem odd that it could come from Charleston to Greer, then back to Charleston.

Arrrggghhhh!! How do you know this?... I was thinking I would get it quicker because I was in Charleston. Now it seems I must wait even longer.

I thought the vehicles were rough prepped at the VPC and then final prepped at the dealer.

 

>>>Arrrggghhhh!! How do you know this?...

I work here at the prep facility in Greer. I'm really not sure if the cars destined for the Charleston dealership come here or go there. I have e-mailed the manager of ICP to get clarification on this, and I will PM you when I know more.

Cabbage

 

rcase13,

I just got clarification from the Import Car Processing manager. ALL of the cars come here, and are then delivered to the respctive dealerships. That means your car will get dropped off in Charleston, come here on train, and then go back to Charleston on train.

Thanks

Cabbage

_________________

 

>>>> Who is your dealer? Mine is RoadShow MINI in Memphis.
>>
>>My dealer is
>>MINI of Charleston!
>>
>>Nice sig. Mine is a IB/W MC with 1,2,3 wipe and xenon.
>>
>>Can't wait!

Yeah, the waiting is tough. But I just try to keep an optimistic point of view. Friday will come as it always does, and the ship will dock. Only a week later, and our MINI's will be ours. Can't stop TIME! Can't hurry it either, but why worry? It's coming! Heh heh. Yeah I know it's still unbearable. I'm a complete mess at work!

Thanks regarding my sig. I have 1,2, Xenon, Leather, and Nav, Custom Whalen Shift Machine. =)

 

>>
>>I do a search by booking number. It shows all the MINI's on the boat. I remember checking right after the boat left Southhampton and there were 381.

Thanks, but I'm hoping that that information is incorrect. It doesn't make sense to me that a large, expensive-to-operate freight ship would make a stop in NY to drop off only 8 cars and take the rest down the coast to S.C...

 

>>I'm posting in the August club because if we had HAD clubs last summer, I would have been in August!!!! Picked up my silk green cooper August 23, 2002. So everyone should wish my Penny a happy birthday!!!! Good luck to all you Augusts...and have fun!!!
>>
>>Erin

Happy Birthday to Penny. It does raise an interesting question tho. I was wondering if the Mini's birthday was back in July. Does Mini life begin at production or delivery?

I've always loved the Month club idea on here. I bounced around quite a bit. At first, I thought I would be September and then I hoped it would be July. So here we are in the middle of August and my Mini is somewhere in the swamps of Jersey.

 

I just called my dealer (geez, that sounds pretty bad ) and he said that from what he could see my car should be in New Jersey and will probably be here in Annapolis and ready sometime next week. Cool! We have a road trip to Augusta, GA planned for the 23rd. Quick 3 day trip but it will be a great break-in for Monty if he makes it here in time.

Laurie

 

>>I just called my dealer (geez, that sounds pretty bad ) and he said that from what he could see my car should be in New Jersey and will probably be here in Annapolis and ready sometime next week. Cool! We have a road trip to Augusta, GA planned for the 23rd. Quick 3 day trip but it will be a great break-in for Monty if he makes it here in time.

I think I'm going to give ASK-MINI a call tomorrow around noon to see if it caught a truck to Sterling. I'm really, really hoping for Saturday but if I was betting, I would say Tuesday.