Having a problem I am trying to assist my mother's 07 cooper S with. She is getting what appears to be brake fluid leaking off the sides where the plastic non painted wheel well mets up with the hood. All fours areas are building up with this fluid. By the back of the headlights and further up by the doors. It has gotten so bad she actually bought and had the drivers side wheel well replaced (not by the dealer mind you!!). This isn't something a little Maguires car soup removes either. Has anyone had this issue and is there anything we can do to have it repaired?

thanks for looking,
Eli

 

What makes you think it is break fluid? If it is, there is a bigger issue and it should be taken to the dealer ASAP!

However, seeing you only have one post here, my thought would be that you just aren't familiar with minis.

Does it only happen on really hot days and the car is very new, correct? If so, it is probably the cosmoline (sp?) that comes on the car. It is a thick wax that they cover the car in for the ride over the sea to prevent any ill effects from the salt water. They can't get it out of the cracks and crevices, so sometimes it drips out on really hot days in the sun. I have always been able to wipe it right off when it is hot, little more difficult to clean once dry. A simple search for cosmoline should give you more options for cleaning. Hope that's it, if it truly is break fluid, take it in right away!.

Good luck!

 

Yep, if it's brake fluid she should take it in immediately. And if it was and that is what is getting all over the car and the wheels, then they should cover that

 

If the material is sticky like vaseline, then it's cosmoline, just use some tar remover or cleaner wax to get it off. Just put wax on after you remove it. It's a protective coating on the car and sometimes when hot can leak out. Ours had it leak out of the hood onto the front bumper.

 

yeah, mine did that too at first. It can easily be wiped away with some car soap, but if you leave it too long, you will have a harder time getting it off. I had to wipe it off a few times, but haven't had any issues with it in the last 2 months of ownership. If all else fails, take it to the dealer and ask them to detail it, that should clear it up.

 

I posted it as being brake fuild only because that was what my mother thought it was. So a little tar remover will rid us of cosmoline? Being in the hot AZ sun this is happening daily and she can not get it off. Has anyone ever addressed this with thier dealer or would that be a waste of time?

 

In all the excitement of buying a new car, we forget a lot of what the dealer tells us... and maybe they forget to tell us some things too. My dealer pointed out that this would happen and would need to be cleaned up. It will stop in time.

 

If it were brake fluid and it were really slinging around like that, it would've already eaten through the paint and control arm bushings, etc.

There are some good spray-on hose-off car wash products that motorcylce dealers use to get the cosmolene off bikes.
Try S-100; you'll find it at a good motorcycle shop. Won't hurt the wax. Be careful with your hose though; you don't want to force water into seals.

 

Most of the seeping from the bonnet happens on the front edge where the sheet metal has been rolled over to form a stiffer edge. If you raise the bonnet and follow front edge, you will see the yellowish cosmoline in that fold.

I took a toothpick and removed it, then swabbed it out with a q-tip. End of seepage.

 

MINIs don't get coated in wax/cosmoline for the ride across the pond, only BMWs. Just FYI.

 

It's probably that coating thats underneath the hood and when the engine heats up it begins to melt, cause there IS a coating there. Mine did the same thing during the breakin period.

 

Looks like cosmoline to me!

 

They absolutely do get coated in cosmoline.

 

Mind expanding a bit, that's the second time I've read that, but my dealer says otherwise? I have had cosmoline come from many spots on mine.

 

I think some of the confusion comes from this post. It has pictures and a description of a tour given at the Port Hueneme Vehicle Distribution Center (or "Vehicle Production Center" - you'll hear them called both names).

In the article, it described the wax coating, and said it was applied to the BMW 3-, 5- and 7-series models, but it said that the MINIs had plastic sheeting on the roof and bonnet for protection. But later in the article, the author (Dave, one of the admins here on NAM) mentioned that he did not see any of the MINIs until *after* they had been through the wash stage, so it's possible the MINIs had the coating as well, and Dave just didn't see it.

Also, that tour was 3-1/2 years ago, and only showed *one* of the distribution centers (I believe there are three - New Jersey, California, and South Carolina).

Both of our cars came through the New Jersey VDC, and had protective wax that dripped out of various cracks and crevices for the first few months we had the cars.

 

There's some kind of chemical splooge on the cars; call it what you will, it stinks to high heaven when you start the car for the first time and it burns off the exhaust bits.

 

glad to find this thread, i have the same issue and now i know i should probably have the dealer take of it, that is if it is still a problem when i go in next.. which could be a while

 

If you have seepage on your paint/trim already, I wouldn't wait to take it to the dealer if you're not going soon. The gunk is easy enough to remove when it's fresh, but it gets harder to remove and will semi-permanently stain the paint if left on too long.

With both of our cars, we just removed the seepage as it popped up, and after a few weeks, we stopped getting any new occurences.

 

Bringing this back from the dead.... My MA said it's a coating they put on the car in certain places to prevent it from rusting when bringing it overseas.. In the heat, it will melt off.. He also told me to bring it in and they would replace it.. *A known issue apparently, because the dealership showroom had a JCW car inside with the same problem...

 

Before you replace anything, buy some "Goof Off." I used some to remove some cosmolene (or whatever) stains that had been there for several months. The stains just wiped off with no effort!

I tried alcohol as per another post and it didn't do anything. I think a solvent such as "Goof Off" is necessary rather than just a soap, etc.

Wipe or wash the Goof Off quickly. It didn't affect my plastic bits, but I wouldn't leave it on a long time to find out if it would.

 

As previously posted , that "stuff " is a rustproofing goo that is applied (injected) into the vunerable seams /cavities of our Minis. be thankful that it is there, it does not cause any permanent staining, it will soon dry up, and is easily removed. For you owners who live in the states that salt the roads in winter you should count your blessings that it is there.

 

:

Here's a case where cosmoline oddly helps to add value -

1988 M3 with 8,000 miles currently on BaT already bid up to $120,000 with 7 days left.

YOWZA!

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1988-bmw-m3-99/

:

Cosmoline:

Most German and luxury automakers like BMW, Mercedes and Porsche rust proof their cars from the factory. This is to prevent rusting during storage and more importantly to aid against rust that may develop from sea water, rail dust, and road salt during shipping.

What they use is a product called cosmoline. It is a rust inhibitor that adheres to the military specification MIL-C-11796C Class 3. It comes in either of two forms, the first is in a greasy goopy consistency and the more common consistency that dries to a waxy like finish.

It is yellow in color and if you have ever looked under the hood or in the nooks and crannies of your E30 or other classic BMW, you most likely have spotted some of it.

To this day BMW continues to use this process for all of their new cars destined for the VDC (vehicle delivery center). Most countries/regions have VDC’s or the work is handed off to the local dealership before delivery. The job of the VDC is to inspect, clean and if needed repair your newly purchases vehicle before delivery.

One of those important steps is to remove the cosmopolitan from the outer body.

Back 30 years ago, the job was primarily handled by your delivering dealership and thus the quality of cosmoline removal varied heavily.

For example the below E30’s had nearly none of the cosmoline removed from the underbody, and only the outer body: