So I picked up Marissa today at 10am. Went over the car and took her home. I got home and upon closer inspection I noticed 25-30 black spots on the bonnet. They are underneath the clearcoat. I called my MA and he said to bring the car in on Tuesday to try to have them waxed out. I don't think that is going to work, so my question is what should I do?? My bf told me not to accept a repaint because it would cause future problems and also lessen the resale value. Do you think Mini would give a new hood??

 

I used to work for a car dealership doing car detailing and I have to say I never saw a car that had spots under the clear coats....and this was at a Ford dealership....you are talking about a BMW (far higher quality). I would wait and see what happens after they have detailed the car for you. If they clean it and the spots are still there I think they should replace the bonnet with a new one. Repaints might not match, but I don't think it would lower the resale value at all though.

 

I agree, a repaint is NOT good... If I were you and new a GOOD local paint shop - stop by there and ask them to give their thoughts on this issue... then go to Mini and see what they say... If you push hard enough they should take care of you... if not, ask to talk to the regional manager...

 

Mine has one black spot as well on the hood. Seems like a metal imperfection or dirt that got under the paint. Pretty minor to me so i didnt make a big deal out of it, but there definately seems to be some qaulity control issues with the painting on the new MINIs. Not really surprising since they have really boosted production at that factory.

 

yea unfortunately it kinda of dampened my excitment today because now i am worried about having to deal with it. i will ask to speak to the regional manager if they wont replace the bonnet.

 

NOOOOOOOOO What ever you do - never ever let any dealer near your MINI with wax and a buffer. I had a paint spec on one of the hood humps and the sales manager said that they could take care of it by buffing it out. One week later as I was washing my MINI, I noticed dealer installed swirls (washing away the wax hiding the swirls)

I would suggest living with the spots..... they're probably far less noticeable than swirls or a bad repaint.

 

Live with the spots on a brand new auto? I wouldn't do that even if the guy that suggested it bought the auto for me.

Best advice offered so far is to swing by a paint shop to see what they say.

If you can post some photos, you may get better advice here.

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much just yet, and for sure, *don't* agree to re-paint until you're certain the specks are actually *under* the clearcoat. Considering the conditions under which factory paint is applied, and the quality-control checks at the factory, I doubt that dozens of spots under the clearcoat would have left the factory.

They're probably just rail dust or other contaminants on top of the clearcoat (possibly underneath a dealer-applied sealant). I would pick up the Mother's or Meguiar's paint clay kits from one of your local auto-supply stores (Pep Boys, AutoZone, etcetera) and work on a small area to see if you can get them up before you even consider letting the dealer try to buff them out or re-paint the panel.

 

Parts sometimes get repainted at the VDC to repair damage that occurs during shipment.

My MCS arrived with a scoop that didn't was not quite the right the color for the hood. MINI paid to have the scoop repainted by a bodyshop. At the same time I had the rear bumper replaced because of a fender-bender in a parking lot. When they used the color they developed to match the hood, they found it didn't match the rear of the car. The guy at the body shop said he suspected that part of my car got repainted at the VDC.

 

Do the spots look rusty? If so that is probably rail dust. Tiny metal specs that get stuck on top of your paint and literally rust.

Clay bar is about the best thing to get rid of them.

 

if they have to paint the hood, it can certainly be done to look as new.
The new paints are amazing. If you find the right body shop/detailer (make sure
they heat cure the paint) you would never know and the car should not have diminished value.

I had work done recently on my wife's Audi and son's Boxster. Both cars had paint blended at wheel well area and I can not find any signs of where they were painted. I am very , very picky and the work looks like factory paint. PS both cars are 2002s.

 

I have to agree with Paul. Don't let the dealer touch your cars paint. Find the local detailing wizard & have him look at the spots. He will know the correct way to fix them. Have them fixed & hand the dealer the bill.

"My name is Chuck, I'm a victim of dealer installed swirl marks".

 

i second or third the not letting the dealer buff the car. A brand new car should not need to be buffed as there should be no scratches and there should be no oxydized paint. They can wax it if they want, no harm can come of it, but I don't see how that would help get any paint defects resolved. Clay bars can work wonders to pull imbedded or stuck in dirt off of the paint without causing any damage to the paint surface at all.....i'm big fan of clay.

Don't let them buff it, or if they go ahead and try it, take the car out into direct sunlight before leaving the dealership and look at it at an angle. If they have screwed up you will see these weird line paterns.

 

I only suggest that because the car has already been purchased. There's just something about repainting a brand new MINI.... chances are the bonnet will be peppered with little nicks soon enough

Hey Chuck, can I join the club?

 

Which club would you like to join? Old Fart, LAME or Swirl mark.

 

I think trying the clay bar is a good first option. It seems unusual that the car left with something under the clear.

If it has to be re-painted then I would want a whole new hood and I'd want it done somewhere that follows all the procedures for the use of MINI paint.

 

Im going to try to pick up a clay bar this morning, i'm going to head over to the detailing forum to figure out how to use it then I'm going to head to the dealer to see what they say. I tried to take some pictures the other day but I just couldn't get them to come out right (i really am awful at taking pics) but i will keep you updated on what happens.

 

clay is really really easy to use. If you have an automotive window cleaner that is a foam spray not a liquid you can use that, if not you can use quick detail wax sprays. All you need is to lubricate the paint, and rub the clay on the car.....thats it really. If you spray some of the window cleaner or quick detail on your hand it will be easier to work with as it won't stick to you.

Just rub the clay on the car, you can apply a firm amount of pressure, just make sure the surface is well lubricated. And of course clean the area up after you are done.

any questions let me know.

 

Per my hubby of whom I have just consulted (he paints at the largest auto collision center on the west coast), if you cannot pick out the spots with your fingernail (i.e., imbedded road dust) than the dots are under the clear coat of paint. It is probably dirt that adhered to your paint while between coats.You need to be sanded, repainted, and recleared. If you do not trust the dealer - go to a "very" reputable auto paint shop. He says that you get what you pay for. It is my impression that the paint should be under warranty.

 

The dealer I am working with has the "perma-coat." Is this the same as the clear coat everyone is talking about?

 

The clear coat I am talking about is the clear paint that is put on most painted cars for gloss and protection.

 

Sounds pretty much right. If the dealer doesn't have an in house body shop most contract out to a local shop and, in my experience, that shop is very good.
This seems like a very interesting situation as the car shouldn't have cleared either the factory QC or the VDC's QC if the spots are noticeable (and I'm sure they are). Hopefully the dealer will honour the paint warranty.

 

Well the spots could never be felt which is why I always thought they were under the clear coat, even with the glove test. Alas I went and bought a clay kit and nothing changed. So I am headed off to the dealer shortly. I am also surprised the car was cleared thru vdc and such as there are 25 to 30 black spots. They are definitely noticeable.

 

So I guess the options are repaint or replace poor Marissa's hood (though this is what you get for naming a car after a problem child, just kidding).

I wonder if the dealer could return the car to the VDC for the repaint. That would be as close to factory as you could get and an option I would be happy with.

 

Is Clear Coat the same as the Perma-Coat? Still confused. I am thinking of having the dealer put on the perma-coat (which is not on the configurator). Anybody know if these are the same? or if the perma-coat is worth the extra money?