>>Cheers, and good luck (and if I was a Mod I'd move this to Detailing 101, hint, hint)
>>Ryan

Ryan,
I posted the exact same question in the detailing forum and got no bites. I think people just don't read that forum as much as MINI Talk!
Chris

 

Hi there,

Suffered same problem with bird droppings. I inadvertantly 'grazed' the bonnet while cleaning one very large direct hit. After banging my head against a wall at my own stupidity, I had been warned to watch out for bird lime, I consulted the car oracle, namely my dad, who recommended t-cut, a slightly abrasive fluid which evens out the paintwork, before buffing.
As I have owned the car for less than six weeks, I've held off from giving the bodywork a full going over with the polish, as I am advised that the paint can still be 'soft' after its application, and needs at least a month-and-a-half to dry fully. So at the moment, I have a slight difference to the finish on the bonnet, which is perceptible to human eye, if you get down on your haunches in the right light and squint.
Sorry to hear about your troubles.

Sloan
:evil:

 

I'm a nanny. . . yesterday I saw the three-year-old take a rock to her parents' van while I was trying to get the door open - she managed to scratch it before I could stop her. Today I was loading her up in the MINI (since it was just the two of us, not the other three also) and looked at my right door for the first time in days - and to my horror saw this:


What should I do? Can I minimize the damage myself? Take it to the dealer? I'm new to the area and don't know of any good non-dealer garages/shops.

They aren't horribly deep scratches; I can just barely feel them with my fingernails. There's an older scratch in the same area that definitely went down to the paint, and these aren't that deep. My 05 PS MC has his share of dents and scrapes (many from his life before I got him) but this is damage I want to get rid of.

 

I swear by "3M Perfect-It II Rubbing compound" (Fine Cut), this stuff works magic on any paint job, I just got done taking a nasty scratch out of my fender. Its not completely gone, but its really hard to see now. If this stuff doesnt work, then you need to repaint. I have used this on several cars, and its just amazing what it can do.

 

I went to get emergency service by BigO Tires in Sedona AZ - Yes I must out them - 2 weeks ago.

They hung the work order off the driver mirror and drove off.
I shreaked a bit, but figured they knew what they were doing and the little plastic sleave would not harm it.

Long story short - I am getting into my car today and notice what looks like a cloud of wax that was not buffed in yet under my mirror.
To my horror, upon close inspection, it was a million mircro scratches in a u-shape - caused directly from that damn plastic work order envelope.

I am in Phoenix and not going to drive 2 hours each way to scream at them, but dag, what a drag!

My car is at the scottsdale dealer today for wiper replacement, so I am going to ask them about it.

If I dont get a good solution that does not cost arm-n-leg (this flat tire has already set me back $300+) I'll look into one of the solutions above, unless someone else has any updates.