Yeah, it is a pretty UGLY spot! It was even more apparent in the early morning sunlight.

A coworker saw it yesterday and he concurs. He said I ought to have it fixed or it will drive me crazy. Actually, it might drive everyone else crazy too, having to listen to my whining!

The fact that someone saw the blemish and did such a poor job of "covering it up" is what bothers me more than anything!

 

As in politics, it's the cover-up that is bigger than the original incident.

What bothers me is that someone tried to slip this by you and probably figured that they could put the blame on you if you noticed the chip after taking possession.

Sure lucky it was under the clearcoat to where the dealer could not say it was your doing.

 

Agreed! It was actually a relief in a weird way. Who knows? Maybe the "repair" job would have been satisfactory to a normal person. Me? Not so much. I 'aint normal.

While walking through town with a buddy last night, I just kept pointing out cars saying "See? That doesn't have a blemish!" He just kept telling me to shut up.

 

Oh that's great news!!! Worth the separation time in the end, because - it would have drove you NUTS!!

I too emailed my MA about the little bubbles, and he has made a note of it so that it can be addressed when I go in for my first service.

Good to know MINI dealers are doing the right thing!!

 

Glad to see that the dealer agreed to the total repaint of the door. Anything less is unacceptable. BTY, your CR/White would look good with a set of OEM driving lights..

 

Yep, I think I'm in good hands. From what I've read, it sounds as though all your finish will need is a good wet sanding and a buff. Keep us posted on your repairs!

Actually, I'm hoping a "total" repaint won't be necessary! I'd rather they confine their repairs to the spot itself, but I suppose they'll do what they need to do. I just hate the idea of seeing overspray on the brightwork or weatherstripping!

And you're right; those driving lamps would look choice on my MINI!

"Hey man, nice car!"

 

What a bummer! But glad the dealer agreed that it was a factory defect and not your fault and is agreeing to fix it.

Guess that'll teach the workers at Oxford to have fish n chips for lunch (greasy fingers)!

The OEM driving lights are awesome - got mine on yesterday. When I can get the covers painted out, I'll post pics. You should get a set!

 

OMG that's so funny! That's exactly what I was thinking. New rule: NO, repeat NO fish & chips allowed in Plant Oxford!

Well, I just got my car back and I'm completely satisfied with the body work!

The blemish is gone and the car is looking better than ever! The body man told me that he was able to isolate the repair to the immediate vicinity of the "damage," which lessened the impact to the car's overall finish and removed any potential problems arising from poor blends into the surrounding panels. They did a pretty remarkable job on the door; you have to look pretty closely to see any sign of repair. In fact, the only way you can tell anything has been done is by examining the door under fluorescent lights at just the right angle. Still, those signs are barely visible to the naked eye. Works for me!

I'll post pix tomorrow, but there probably won't be much to see, as the door looks good as new!

 

That's great to hear! Glad you're so satisfied with the work (seems like Niello MINI is doing great things for you so far).

Can't wait to see the pics.

 

Congratulations. Glad to hear this one was worked out to your satisfaction, and that the dealer came through.

 

I'm so glad they got that fixed for you! Can't wait to see pics of your repair!

 

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to reintroduce you to "The Wee Beast"! Now back in action, in all his chili red goodness...



Here's a close-up photo of the area that was repaired (I realize that I didn't post a wider view of the damage in relation to its position on the door. Trust me when I say "it was there!"):



Here he is in the harsh light of the California sun... Lookin' good, keepin' his cool!





I'm a happy man again!

I know I shouldn't sweat the small stuff, but this blemish really bugged me. I only expected the finish to be "like-new" because the car actually was new! Needless to say, I'm glad I had it repaired under warranty.

 

Now that my baby is back, I want to give it some much needed TLC. Is it too early to wax the car? There was a lot of chatter on Mustang forums about the importance of clay barring the vehicle before waxing because there was probably rail dust on the finish from being transported via railways. But with the MINI, all we've got to worry about is cosmoline leaking out from every body orifice (Tikes that sounds gross! ).

So should I wax the whole car or everything BUT the driver's door?

 

First off, I'm really glad that the blemish was fixed to your satisfaction and that the dealer seemed helpful in getting the problem resolved.

I'd give it a couple weeks before you wax the area that was repainted, just to make sure that all of the solvents have off-gassed.

You can still claybar and polish the new paint, though - just don't apply waxes/sealants.

 

Thanks for the tip, Scott. I was concerned about that whole "how-long-does-it-take-to-cure" issue. I just want to do what's right, and not make things worse.

More often than not, my O.C.D. yields unfavorable results!

 

I would ask the body shop guy who told you about the repairs.

Personally, I would not use a clay bar ever. But that is because I would probably screw it up. My understanding is that if you put too much pressure on the clay bar one can damage the paint and/or clear coat. Clay barring sure looks cool though and I like the concept.

 

Clay barring really wears me out and I always debate as to whether it's as effective as everyone claims. I suspect it's overrated.

 

You can always watch some YouTube videos and get clay barring out of your system.

Warning: watching the videos may cause you to clay bar your beautiful new MINI. IMHO you don't need to clay bar a new car. Maybe if it was five years old and you were parking next to a polluting manufacturing plant, or driving to Fresno and back on a daily basis, but now? I don't think so.

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...=0&oq=clay+bar

LEAVE YOUR CAR ALONE and just drive.

 

I think I will. I've gone through enough already!