Washed under the hood a couple of weeks ago. Used P21 all purpose cleaner - left it on for a few minutes - pulled out the soft brush and the paint started to rub off a bit! I could actually see some of the primer below! I know some companies don't clear under there but this was crazy. I bought some spray touch up in the car's color and sprayed it back this past weekend - has anyone else seen this happen?

Matt

 

I should be more specific where the paint rubbed off... The problem was on the frame where the tag with the color of the car is located and a bit on the shock towers.

Matt

 

I had a Chili Red 2004 MCS and the paint in that car was decidedly on the "thin" side. The front end would chip way too easily and under the bonnet paint was easily rub off. However, the car was painted to perfection and I never noticed any "hidden" areas where presence of the premier underneath was even detectable.

Recently I took delivery of my brand new 2005 MCS, also Chili Red, and the paint job on the new car is much, much better and seems thicker all around in comparison to the 2004. The car is painted to perfection and the finish underneath the bonnet seems to be top quality paint job.

My other MINI, a 2002 Cooper CVT in Pepper White, has an EXCELLENT paint job and much better than that of the 2004 MCS I sold in February.

I have read about complaints of owners of 2004 MINIs painted in Indy Blue metallic similar to yours. User "Ryphile" comes to mind. He also owns a 2004 MCS IB/W.

MINI extended the corrosion warranty from 6 to 12 years in the 2004 model year. The 2005 MINI also features a 12 year body corrosion warranty but the paint job is indeed better than the year before.

 

similar thing happened to me. i was using purple stuff and when i started wiping it with a rag, the rag mysteriously turned LY. needles to say i busted out the hose and rinsed everything down. in the door jams the paint is extremely thin i can see primer and i've never messed with it.

 

Have you checked the inside section of both door jambs?

 

What year is your MINI?

 

I believe that the under-bonnet paint issue is one of those "secret service bulletins." Meaning that if you go to your dealership and show them the area, it is covered under warranty! There were batches of MINIs built that were not properly sprayed under the bonnet.


Clover

 

You guessed it... 2004. I'm just shocked at how easy the paint rubbed off. I guess I"ll keep touching things up when they start to show primer and promise to never wash under the hood again. :(

 

Like Clo says, take it back to the dealer and enforce your limited paint warranty!.

Good luck

 

I too have a 2004 in EB. The paint under the bonnet is dull but no issues as far as rubbing off. I have and still do on a regular basis, clean the under bonnet areas with water and a clean rag. I have also used a solvent to clean up some of the sealant wax they spray into the cavaties that had run onto these areas. No problem with paint lifting.

 

The paint on my 03 MC is great,I do have to touch-up rock chips on the bonnet,but under it,and all the none clear coated areas,tough as nails

 

We've also got a 2004 IB/W, and have also had paint issues. See this thread for specifics.

In our case, it was the white roof paint that was coming off.

When was your car built? Ours is May 04 build.