OK I got my Jet black baby and now I find 2 things! closing the boot I use the plate to close it so I don't get icky finger prints on it BUT how you close the drivers door without getting fingerprints on it? Or do you just deal with the finger prints.

-Josh

 

i grab the part on the side, the door jamb.. BTW nice MCS

 

chrome trim between the window and the paint. i have CR but i never touch the paint, i have fingerprints show up on CR too. use 2 fingers on the trim, one on the window. never fails.

 

I use the exterior door handle. Usually I put my middle finger into the lock/circle and give it a gentle push closed. If I get some fingerprints on the chrome handle, they polish off a lot easier there than they do on the black paint. You didn't men tion the bonnet, but I'll offer my method for closing it anyway. I get it started by grabbing (take your pick) on the underside, and when it's down far enough I put one or two fingers on the MINI logo and push it closed the rest of the way.

I must admit, though, that after approximately one year of ownership I am not as diligent as I used to be. Jet Black gets dirty so quickly (especially the boot) that I get a little lazy with the cleaning (now once every week or two, rather than multiple times per week). That being said, I don't regret my color choice in the least. I love Jet Black even more now than I did when I ordered it!:smile:

 

Josh>
I do the same technique as you.
As far the door I put a finger on the keyhole to push it close.
Seriously thats what I do. It works, the problem is that pasangers would never do that (plus I dont say anything because it makes me feel like a freak or something)...thank god I am not the only one worried about these things!!

 

I thought I was alone!

I used to keep a microfiber cloth in my purse, and after shutting the door, I would wipe it down and toss it back in my bag.

I, like Bollx, have cut back but I may have to start doing the keyhole thing.

Sorry guys, I know the cloth in the purse thing may not be good advice for ya, unless you're like Joey on Friends and carry a "man bag"

 

no real good way to do a lot of things with black...but I love it soooo much.

Wouldn't think of another color. A sacrifice for the priviledge.

 

Oh, I agree!! And when JB is washed and waxed....

 

For the boot, I use the little handles on the inside.

For the bonnet, I use the same technique as BOLLX

For the doors, I use the chrome trim.

To keeping jet black clean, I keep a quick detailer spray and a microfiber towel in the boot. (Along with windex, and Q-tips in the glove compartment)

 

I love this thread! Thanks for all the tips and comments, tee hee! Duly noted, friends....duly noted!



Clover

 

I LOVE my JB/JB MCS! Whenever I buy a car, I think about getting another color for....maybe 2 seconds...then immediately go back to black!

Nothing else reflects with such luster!



As far as MINI's go, JB/JB is a pretty rare combination. What's even more rare are the 'other' blacks: Astro and Cosmo black. I've never even seen one! Just the color swatch in the brochure and the 'bubble' at the dealership. The little swatch is not enough to tell what it would look like on the car: I'd have to see it in person.

Anybody have a picture of a metallic black MINI?



My techniques:

Boot: Lower by the handle, then firmly close by the license plate.

Driver's door: I hook my finger over the door lock button on the inside to reel the door in, then shut it with a finger in the lock hole on the outside.

Bonnet: I bring the bonnet down low, then hook the fingers of both hands under the backside of the grill and give a swift down-pull while releasing my fingers. This closes the bonnet in one motion and I never touch the outside.

 

I chose black for my '05 MCS. I really liked BRG, but it would have been my third green car since 1999, and I needed a change. I liked none of the other colors, or white, so black it was. I don't dislike it although it is a bear to maintain.

I saw pics of the new red that may be introduced in '06 and I'm afraid to go look at it because I might do something foolish !!!

hs

 

Here is what I do.

For th eboot, I use the inside handle and then finish by pushing the plate...same as most

For the door I either open hand the very edge of the door ( open palm agaist the thin edge of the door ) or close by holding the outside edges of the door handle.

For the bonnet, I just use the upper slat on the grill and let it drop. ( lightly )

Black is such a killer color but also such a paint to keep clean. This weekend we had a ton of people over and someone decided to go in the garage and lean on my car...SCRATCHING IT ! Lucky for me I was able to polish them out. They were the kind of scratches I was almost sure I was going to have to live with at least part of. They came out 99%. Freakin inconsiderate people ( actually drunk and ejected from the party )

 

I too push on the lock with my finger so I don't put finger prints anywhere. The passenger door is another story :(

And the garage is completely off limits during parties. I don't know why people find it neccessary to SIT on cars.

 

Mine was off limits too, I think in his drunken-ness he was looking for a place to pass out without anyone noticing.

I dont get that sitting on the car thing either, or fot that matter the need to touch the car or windows? Its a sickness I tell ya!

 

I've got Black with white top and wheels. I get alot of comments on this combo. Just last night I heard "Mommy, Mommy... I like this one" I was parked with a group of fellow MINIs for a fireworks display.

Anyway, Closing techniques:

Boot: License plate frame or I pull down hard enough with the interior hatch cups (don't know what else to call them.

Door: I usually pull on the corner of the glass to close.

Bonnet: I push on the headlamp glass

 

This is so funny...I do this, too!. I also push w/ my palm on the extreme lower edge of the window glass. My son has perfected a technique pushing on the rubber trim below the glass on the door 's side edge.

Boot: yup, interior handles, then the license plate.

Bonnet: hmmmm, for the bonnet I almost always have a polishing cloth in hand so that's what I use.

 

Well, I am the happy owner of an Astro Black/Astro Black MC, checkered mirror caps, white bonnet stripes. Only other mod I might consider is adding a checkered roof decal but I really like the simplicity and beauty of the car the way it is. In photographs, the AB/AB looks just like a JB/JB. It's not until you get close to the car that you see it's beautiful deep deep blue color. It really is die-no-might! You are right...JB/JB's and AB/AB's are a rare breed and even though they do show the dirt, I think these 2 color combos show the car off better than any other color combo out there.

 

is what it says under my bonnet, on the plate on the side of the strut tower. Cosmos/Astro Black is a great color and I'm glad I splurged for the metallic. Much respect to the JB MINIs too, though. The metallic hides some of the fingerprints and gives a great silvery-blue sparkle in the sun when she's clean. Apparently, JB is being cancelled and the astro will be the only choice on both the MC and MCS. I think it's crazy, having so many blues and greys, but as long as the palette keeps changing it will stay interesting.

Rear plate; headlights; and glass edge for the doors, or the handle. :smile: Funny, I never thought about this driving a Ford Escort!

 

Boot, handle and plate

Bonnet, Flange under the front, headlamp glass.

Had not thought of the keyhole, I'll start that today, but what's the passenger too do?

 

The Boot: the handle and the plate.
Wife version: reach up and grab something while she's looking somewhere else.

The door: the door handle. I grab it anyway to get in, might as well grab it to close the door. I leave door locks alone except to make sure there's no junk on them when I use the key.
Wife version: shove the window glass or the door while she's looking somewhere else. Never kicks it, though.

Bonnet: push on something chrome that feels solid. The thought of pushing on the headlights to close the bonnet doesn't appeal to me.
Wife version: bonnet? what's the bonnet?

Threads like these make me feel like such a slob.

 

Not to be mean but she wouldnt be driving my car or should I say we wouldnt be sharing a car if she does those things. My wife knows I freak out on stuff like that and really tries to think about it when she drives my car or a car we share.

 

Yeah, I woke up after a long night of partying and went into the garage to do something and found a towel on the hood. When I questioned my roommate he was like "oh, the girls were sitting on it. I put the towel down to protect the paint." oh, wow, WHAT ABOUT THEIR WEIGHT BEARING DOWN ON MY HOOD

urge... to kill... rising

 

Bonnet: I grab the grill from the undrside and give a quick jerk downward, usually latches properly.

Boot: Pull down with interior molded handles, close with pressure on the license plate.

Door: Either push on door handle or swing close using trim/edge of glass.

Now I have to teach the kids to not touchor Kiss the Mini with sticky/greasy hands. YEAH RIGHT!!! (Yes, my kids like to give the mini kisses!!)

 

No offense taken. I only own half of it.
She even drove it once, 2 days ago.
I look forward to road trips where I sit in the passenger seat with a cool drink, taking snapshots as we motor down the highway.
(and remember, I said she hasn't yet kicked the door shut)