I absolutely do the same thing.

However, I don't think coming to a MINI forum and asking everyone if they baby their cars like you (and me) is the best place to get a concensus. I mean most of us baby our cars way more than what the vast majority of people would consider to be normal.

I will repeat myself though, this is totally normal (for people who post on this forum).

 

Yesterday after picking up my daughter at a friends I told her I was going to wash the car to get some of the bugs off. She replies dad you just washed it the other day. So I told her no that was last Thursday. I had worked late on Fri and Sat, Sunday it rained all afternoon so it was time. She says you know mom only washes her car when she can't see out the side windows anymore. So I said yes I know, but thats her choice. So I asked her what her plans were when she gets a car this fall. .......and she said that I could take care of it for her. I laughed and said that I would show her the ropes but she would have to learn herself. Lifes choices, clean or dirty.

 

Mark, are you serious?!?! She pre-cleans Barney before she takes it to be detailed That's gotta be worth something the next time she asks you about your industrial hair drier

 

I don't think she wants to make the detailers throw up so she cleans it up first...


Mark

 

As a woman, I see nothing wrong with drying your car that way. I almost always either dust the MINI when I get home or dry her off if she got wet. I even keep microfibers in the car so she can be dried off if I am out and it gets rainy and then sunny (it is so much easier to dry off then instead of get off water spots).

I like the leaf blower for 'vacuuming". I guess it isnt really vacuuming but it sure does get all the dust out of the nooks and crannies...

 

hahah I say she should be happy at least she knows were you are at

 

Seems I belong to this club. I wash mine every week, I've washed at least one in the snow, I wash behind the wheels, I wash the wheel wells, I have 4 sets of wheels for the '02, and recently doubled my MINI-washing pleasure when I acquired a 2010 (TOBFRE2). Life just gets better.

But . . . I don't remove wheels to wash behind, I use the floor jack so they spin for easy washing and use my long arms to reach around the wheels to clean the inside whilst I spin them slowly around. When I am lazy I use the special brush instead of the floor jack. Dear MINI Corp., please rebalance the Gen2 so both wheels come off the ground per side together. I miss that on the '10.

 

A floor jack on the front lift puck raises both wheels on my 2010.

 

+1 on my '07

 

Completely normal, as a matter of fact, if your not spending money moddifying it, the least you can do is to keep it clean.

 

i would say normal, i don't own a mini but i do work on them, my bmw though gets a bath once a week and spend a good amount of time on it too. but its not overkill to keep the car that clean, and for when you wash it it rains i feel your pain.

 

Behavior is perfectly normal, it is possible your wife is suffering from some momentary mental defect, give her some wine, or better yet, some good Irish Whiskey,and she may possibly regain her sanity. Good luck!

 

I only look to get the tyers up to spin freely, not much higher. Let me rephrase the Gen1 does it better with the front puck.

 

Normal!!! I may come home dirty but I never leave home dirty.

 

I think y'all are absolutely insane.

But I can understand your madness. So carry on.

 

That's normal. I use a leaf blower on both harleys and the mini.

 

ToBFree,
Gotcha. The gen 1 is more level when raised.

 

Put it this way, when I saw the photograph of you and said leaf blower, I thought to myself, "Wow, that's pretty very clever"...then I thought, "I wonder how much it would be to invest in one of those??". Remember, this is coming from a bona fide city gal! I say the wife seems a goodly woman, maybe seek couples therapy? Has she driven it? Does she know? I just realized this is an older thread, how did I miss this one?

 

Personally, I'm shocked to think that someone may have missed one of "my" threads...

And yes, the woman of my dreams has driven it and she could care less. In fact, we discussed last night the (re)purchase of a supercharged, convertible C5 Corvette I used to own. The seller wants to sell it back to me (he's owned it for 2 years and has put on less than 1500 miles on it)

Point is, she is ALL EXCITED about buying it back.




I'd love to buy it back but I'm afraid now I would do the same thing that the present owner has done... that is, allow it to sit there.

I WON'T get rid of my mini and love to drive it.... so what's the point of buying the Corvette back?

Anyway, back to topic.... yes, she just isn't a mini person and thinks I'm just strange.

Last night we went out to eat and after hiking 3 miles back to the restaurant from where we parked it, I assured her it was for her health.

My explanation was I was trying to have her to cardio after eating.




Mark

 

<rocking back and forth in bed> Can't sleep. MINI's dirty. Can't sleep. MINI's dirty. Can't sleep. MINI's dirty. Can't sleep. MINI's dirty.</rocking back and forth in bed>

 

I have an image of rainman in my head... lol.

Mark

 

Agreed.
I have never been a car washer. My cars get a bath when it rains. After 6-9 months (or more), I will drive through an automated car wash just so it can get some new 'wax'. Or maybe during the winter when it's covered with dirt and salt from the roads.

EDIT: more horror...I don't park my cars in my garage either.

I just got my Clubman less than 2 weeks ago so I'm hoping I can change my pattern and wash it regularly, though I have yet to do it (dealer just washed it for me a couple days ago when it went in for an accessory). It has some dust on it now, so I may wash it this weekend, though it IS supposed to rain tonight. *sigh*

 

I do that all the time lol. By the time its time to go (usually next day) rain is done.

I usually do what Mark does with the 'ol air compressor.

 

I wash my car almost daily, and some times more than once a day!

I purchase an unlimited annual pass to Mikes Express Car Wash. They have 6 local locations and I can go to any of them. I know this is a no no, but I detail twice a year and have no issues with swirls or hazing. I use either Meguire's 21 or Klasse sealants to protect the paint. It only costs about $450 a year and I pay for my pass when I get my tax refund.

I feel the benefits far outweigh the negatives. This is also very handy in the winter with all the road salt used here. Plus it gives me an hour of my time every week and allows me to spend that time keeping the Miatas clean.

 

Damn, I don't even wash my johnson that often....




Of all people, I'm one to **** away some money but 450 a year for a car wash? Wow, that's dedication....


Mark