So today I decided to wash my car myself instead of going to a handwash place. I went to a Chevron that has one of those touchless car washes where you just drive in and it dries the car out at the end. But to my disbelief, my hood scoop went flying just after a few seconds under the dryer. I'm going to the dealership tomorrow to see if they would replace the scoop for free. I have a 2009 black MCS.

So moral of the story, MINI owners, beware of the automatic car wash! I'll take a pic tomorrow.

 

Couldn't you pop it back on after it came off? Only 1 screw holds it in along with pressure clips.

 

Wow, was the dryer set to "tornado" force ?

 

How is going thru a car wash.......... washing the car yourself?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOP86SLPBaQ



And your scoop was loose and missing the safety screw already - would have blown off first time you hit 100 MPH+

 

LOL, I thought the same thing.

 

who ever installed the hood scoop did not use 100 mile hour tape!!!!!!!!

 

hahahahah sorry but i know i would die laughing, i can imagine the face of "WTF"

Talk to the gas station owner, if it is that powerful im sure it has had other issues with other customers. If not it was a bad hood scoop and your warranty should cover it.

 

Don't let Octaneguy catch you saying that. Automotive shampoo, fleece or microfiber wash mitt and two buckets is the only 'wash the car myself' method that doesn't create an oxymoron.

 

Hand washes only for my baby and washed only by me.

 

Emphasis on MORON! Sorry I couldn't resist! I have to agree with OctaneGuy... Gas stations are called gas stations for a reason! Kind of like going to a seafood restaurant and ordering chicken!

 

Have you ever taken your scoop off before? I could see this happening pretty easily if you broke any of the clips that hold the scoop on.

 

Lol, I do that all the time. Im allergic and the wife loves seafood.
But yeah those car washes are dangerous. My aunt had a new car for only a month and took it through one of those carwashes that guide your car through on a track. It went through fine but at the end theres a blower mounted from the top with a soft wheel (rubber)thats supposed to guide it along your windshield and that thing smashed her windshield. The wash place took no responsibility cause it said she drove through too fast???? The car was in neutral on a automatic track!!!!! She never went back for gas or washes or even followed up with a report just claimed it on her insurance.

 

If you took it out of context then that's how it is gonna sound like right? Washing it myself versus having some dude take it through the washer and handwash the inside and outside of the car.

Car has 12,000 miles. It's the cheap materials they used for the scoop :( read another thread, apparently this happens a lot often that it should.

 

Not everyone has a garage or time to use those coin operated places.

 

Looks like it, haha.

 

No, one of the sides broke and everything else looks loose. Dealership is replacing the scoop in a few days for free. Car is a year old. I'm trying to research now on how to prevent this from happening again. Read a similar thread here about how the thing breaks loose sometimes when you drive a littler faster than usual. Sigh.

 

Nope, not at all.

 

Yikes! Our MA specifically told us to avoid automatic car washes, perhaps for good reason!

 

Okay, stupid question for anyone: is it okay to leave the car scoopless for now? I live in LA and it is drizzling outside but not hard at all. Is it okay? Or should I cover the place where the scoop used to be to avoid the inside from getting wet? Thanks!

 

Yeah, I'll have to not ever go there again. I used to take my old car there all the time without problems. Then again, that thing didn't have a fake intake on the hood

 

Very true... Although I would offer that using one of those coin operated places is also pretty bad when it comes to keeping your MINI looking shiny. But, I say that from the vantage of owning a garage and apparently having more time!

So, do you! If touchless car wash works for you then so be it!

 

I know. It sucks, I wish I have a garage. I live in a colony with subterranean parking with painted sign that says "DO NOT WASH YOUR CAR HERE".

LOL

 

My scoop is open 24/7, no big deal that amount of water will not cause damage. I have gone through terrential down pours and been ok and i have an nm intake setup(open filter), you might get some steam coming out of the nose from where water hits the heat shield.

makes your car look

 

Thanks for the info. I don't know sh*t about cars

 

No big deal , thats what the forum is for