... and wondering if anyone has suggestions on what kind of protection i should get to keep the car from getting all dinged up from the ride across south dakota / wyoming.

I'm thinking a bug net to go over the radiator? Maybe a "bra"?

 

If possible, get a Clear Bra installed at the dealer prior to delivery. That is the best line of protection against early paint chipping. Stay away from bug nets because anything that doesn't fit snuggly against the countured and curvy MINI hood will cause damage and abrassions to the clearcoat and paint. So instead of chips, you'll get scratches!

If you can't get a clearbra installed, then as a "Plan B" alternative, you can order a new Colgan Bra (www.colgancustom.com) for around $100 shipped to your door.

But my #1 recommendation is either a 3M or VentureShield clearbra. Best $300-$500 you'll ever spend on the car. Trust me.

Here is the website of my clearbra installer in Florida, so you can get an idea of how the clearbra alternative works:

www.accuguard.biz

 

Heres an idea I use when I am traveling a good number of miles.
I use a roll of 3M autobody painters tape. The green tape I found works the best. Does it look good,no, but it works! And when you get to where you are going, just peel away, all bugs tar and crap is on the tape, and no glue will stick to the car. I dont like bra's or the clear bra. El' Naturel for me!

 

I was in the same predicament when I picked up my car in Utah last year. I bought a Colgan bra and I don't recommend it. We ended up putting contact paper under the trailing edges of the bra on the hood because it flapped and started to scuff the paint. Also you'll find dirt will make its way in through the headlight cutouts and it'll get behind the bra and scratch. More contact paper was the solution. The net over the grille flapped and created a cross-hatched pattern on some of the cross bars! It's hardly noticeable and it gave it sort of a carbon-fiber look. Still it was a pisser!

My plan was to get a full clearbra wrap once I got home so I didn't have the dealer install the pre-cut kit. The scratches from the Colgan bra were easily buffed out before I had the clearbra installed.

Griot's Garage just came out with a new product that I wished was out last year. http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?&SKU=20264 That might just be the ticket for you!

 

My wife got the clearbra on her 2004 MCS, and I did not on my 2004 MCS.

I can't really see any difference in the cars right now--and I get to wash them both!

I have noticed that the clearbra is more visible now than when it was new. Do they react to UV light?

 

Interesting idea about the spray-on protection. Does anyone have actual experience using the stuff?

For bug protection, you might try (don't anyone laugh!) - pantyhose. Seriously, when Mt. Saint Helens blew up and dumped a few billion cubic meters of ash and dust, pantyhose emerged as the best filtering medium. Pantyhose should fit the curving contours of the MINI's front end and can be easily switched when saturated with bugs

 

o-ron,

Do not get a regular bra. It will beat the hell out of the hood. I was thinking about protection myself and I figured that when it gets all screwed up I will just re-paint it. Not everyone has the ability to paint parts themselves but I am lucky enough to have all the tools and skills.

Just drive the car, don't follow dump trucks, or any cars too closely.

 

yeah, i wasn't really excited about the idea of th clearbra, both from cost and also that little thin edge to wash around and the ever so slight discoloration compared to the rest of the hood. The comment about it becoming more obvious over time just confirms that notion.

Is the official Mini nose mask no good? I know that bras if not properly attached can scratch paint, though.

I guess in the end I can just be careful.

 

Why can a clearbra type material be made to completely cover a body panel, then no crease and it won't stand out anywhere near as much, maybe to the point I'd consider it. best adivce IMO, get a few good coats of wax and then avoid trucks and poor quality roads, then learn the skill of wet sanding as the few rock chips I've had aren't all that deep, dab of paint sand dab of clearcoat sand let dry, clean and wax. Getting keyed is an entirely different story though.

 

maybe i can get the dealer to give it a good wax job..??

 

actually, speaking of which, any suggestions on a good quick way to wax the car if that's the best solution? Since I won't be out of state, I won't really have anywhere to do it.. except maybe in the hotel parking lot or the dealership.

Or auto wax car wash machines any good at all?

 

A wax job will help to get the bugs off, but unless you hit some really acidic ones, it won't help you much long term. I usually try to wash off the front nightly when traveling through really buggy areas, but I have no evidence to suggest that it does any more than salve my **** nature vs. just a good wash once you get home.
The real buggers are the small rock chips, which are really unavoidable. If you don't go clearbra (which has it's own downsides), just learn to deal with it. We've got a really big cross section and soft paint, so there's not a whole lot you can do.
I've tried to embrace the MINI marketing philosophy - they aren't dings, they're experience marks, or just really cool scars.

If it makes you feel any better, I ended up coming home through a nasty snow storm in Kansas, and had trucks kicking up snow/slush/CRAP* for a few hundred miles, and the front (amazingly) did not appear any worse for wear. Then after I got home some kid used my MINI for target practice. A star in the windshield, and chips in the hood and roof. I felt much better about the road trip scars...

*not the JCW kind

 

So the Griotts's spray on stuff looks cool. So what do y'all think of this for use at Driving School? I did my first driving school last month and loved it and plan on going back as much as I can. Being a novice meant I didn't do all the pre-school set up and was totally baffled by all the cars with the front end covered with tape. By the second day I could see why they did it. The possible damage of gravel, debris etc worries me and I would love to have an option to protect El Kabong for track time.

Oops, sorry for he highjack, I'll go make a post in the appropriate place.

o-ron, for a temporary thing, I'm thinking the autobody tape may be a good solution, then put a couple of coats of Zaino on as soon as you can!
Annette

 

I haven't had any problems with my clearbra. I highly recommend it.

 

Get some blue painter's tape and tape up your front end and side mirrors.

best $4 invested for long trips. sure it'll look like you came off the roadcourse
but who cares.

 

Just drive it home... bra's are ugly and distract from the look of the car.. even the clear ones.. dont tailgate trucks.. and just be aware..
The money you save by not buying these eye-sores can one day be used to re-paint it when it really neeeds it.. I do plenty of highway driving and one have one small rock chip that you have to strain to see... relax and enjoy..

 

Mikem, repainting a panel on a car just to repair rock chips can have a very negative impact on its resale value.

I have had my cleabra for about 1 year and it looks fantastic. People have to really look closely to see it.

Vinyl black bras are ugly indeed, but the clear ones, specially high quality and professionally installed should not interfere with the clean looks of the car and should provide reasonable protection for a long time.

I personally detest paint rock chips and I truthfully neither have the time or patience to fill them up with touch up paint.

 

this kind of stuf should be covered by the service warranty...

 

^ and you think my post was a joke...

 

Yeah, sounds like painter's tape would be best for those gravely twisty roads through wyoming.

So it doesn't leave a nasty sticky residue?

 

but kenchan the painters tape matches your car, I have a JB MINI whichmeans gaffers tape and that goes for $15 a roll unless I'm buying in bulk. And I don't think o-ron wants to use duct tape cause that will leave a mess.

Actually good idea, think I'll do it on my next long haul from FL to Chicago. Was there any issue with residue?

 

^ no, just wax and it'll come off. the adhesive isn't that strong. i wouldn't
keep it out in the sun no more than a couple of days though. FL to Chicago
should be a breeze... ive done chicago LA /LA chicago number of times.

 

Thanks I'll give it a try,BTW you CMMC floks having any meets in May/june

 

Best thing I can recommend is a bra. it dosent even have to be the clear bras but it will help save your car.

I moved from Michigan to California with my MINI, had I not gotten a bra, my MINI would have been destroyed.

Again, this is a picture while the front was cleaned only a bit ago (everytime we got more gas, I used the windshield whipper stuff they got and cleaned the front too)

 

grass roots motorsports did an article on the mini and installed clearshield or something like that. can't log onto the website just now due to some problem with the site.