Ok, so ive had my MINI for over a month and a half now and at first i noticed that the paint around the wiper jets was messed up but i didnt really think too much of it as i was just too excited with the car. Now, after a few rainy days, i noticed severe water etching from just rain... i wiped off the car within hours after the rain with a microfiber and QD spray. It wasnt like i let the paint bake in the sun with the water still on it. Im starting to think there is an issue with the paint on the hood.

Aside from the weeping jets, which have just gotten fixed, the paint seems to be very weak on the hood. Nowhere else on the car are there water marks or anything. I waxed the car with epic about a couple weeks ago and now the etching shows up...

Do you think this is something that is warrantable? What sucks is i have stripes as well as a clear bra on the car so if they do need to repaint, those two things are gone... oh well, i may just go stripeless and get a CF hoodscoop instead.

 

Do the spots have an edge? If you ran your nail over it do you feel it? If it does have an edge its pretty bad. I would have a detail shop or paint shop take a look. They might be able to give some info on what could have happened. If not try using a clay bar and polish via a RO polisher.

 

Are you sure it isn't washer fluid that is somehow eroding the clearcoat? That might explain why it is only evident around the washer jets.

 

Its the washer fluid, I have it on my cooper s also, and I bought mine at Niello in Sac, I can barely see mine, only if you look at an angle and stare at it, but I did call the dealer about it, and they said that it if does get worse, its covered under warranty.

 

could be leftover Cosmoline (sprayed on all BMWs before the transAtlantic cruise) from the washer jets staining yr bonnet, this was a problem in the older cars. VDC simply cant get all of it out in their power washes. My 05 still has Cosmoline stains from the rear washer/wiper assembley after 3 years and 24k; I just use Klasse AIO and that does the trick

 

Sorry to hijack your thread, what was the fix for the weeping jets? Just curious. I don't use mine but noticed they leaked when I first got the car and used them.

 

Sounds like a trip to the dealer is on the menu.

Warranty issue is what I would think.

Check this out too, if you turn it in as warranty work, maybe they'll also be responsible to put it back to like new, or excuse the term, pre-accident condition.....meaning, if the stripes and clear bra should be replaced, they too would be covered?

Just a thought, I work with this type of stuff everyday and you'd be surprised what some places will cover if you press them hard enough.

Good Luck

 

I've *heard* there's a check valve service bulletin. I think there's a thread about this, and the fix.

Guess I'm lucky--never had the problem.

EDIT--the weeping thread was just "below" this one:

https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...d.php?t=108615

 

well thanks for all the advice... i will let the dealer know of this next time but i think i will just polish out the etching and see if it happens again. If does, then i will try to warranty it but id really rather not go that far....

 

Yeah, one thing I failed to mention. Some dealers have there own body & paint shops while others don't.

Wierd thing is, I find that the ones that have there own, tend to not be as good as they ought to be, while those that don't, and send the work out, have a tendancy to get back much better results.

I think it's because they can be more demanding of others when there the customer. When they jump on there own people for similar reasons, it always seems to turn into a whole lot of headaches for everyone.

Just my thoughts.

 

I had a really good body shop tell me that the "worst" jobs come from dealers. Of course, he had a vested interest in saying that, but he did do great work on a few of our cars (when we had a teenage driver).

 

fI got mine a month ago and noticed the wiper fluid stained the stripes on the bonnet and seemed to affect the clear coat as well. I reported it to the dealer and they said it seems the washer fluid was a concentrate that had not been diluted with distilled water. I suggest you take a sample of your washer fluid and then drain the rest and replace with ordinary blue washer fluid. Take this up with your dealer and expect a complete repair or repaint.

 

We do quite a bit of business with several mini dealerships, and the ones I am at personally in California are experiencing severe problems with the HEAT generated from the turbo. This is resulting most comonly in the coatings from the under-hood hoses actually melting. Check the front bottom of your grill and see if there is any orangy resudue. They have also had to replace several trim rings (scoop) on the hood from heat warpage. We have been told mini is now buying the motors from puegot without the turbo and they are going to replace with a bmw unit to remedy the over-heating problem (which does not show up on your temp gauge) its just the internal under hood heat. You should contact mini usa, ontario california, and get in line for all repairs needed, past and future....
Geoffrey, Palo Uber Mini, California

 

I've also been told that somewhere along the year the scoops started coming with actual ventilation holes to reduce the temps. I have a week 3 build, so mine is blocked. I've got a very slight dip in the center of the scoop, which I have shown my SA to document possible future replacement. Am also considering opening up the scoop on my own, although I'd rather not do this on my own.