I use a sheep mitt (or a rat as everyone else call it ) to wash mine, never used a sponge on this MINI

If its a quick wash over then 1 bucket, if a proper wash and polish job then 2 - not sure why i do that though

 

i always thought i took great care of my car, then as you said, i saw the 2 bucket thing etc etc and know i feel ive dun naf all. best website interms of products to use/buy for your car is Car Care - The finest products, the best advice - Polished Bliss They carry all the very best products to wash a mini with (and any car for that matter). Also, give them a ring and they can give you advice, i.e. depending on the colour of your car and wether it's solid or metallic will determine what kind of polish/sealent you should use to best show off the depth/sparkle of the metallic flakes. There's also loads of easy step by step guides on how to wash, wax etc etc. These guys even do car valet services themselves on ferraris so they really know their stuff.

 

ive just purchased a bunch of new cleaning stuff as my mini is now black and a black car looks awesome when cleaned perfectly,

and in there wash a lambswool wash mitt.

does any of you go in to real detail on the swirl removal side and how do you do this??

 

I prewash mine 2-3 times before i even start my standard wash..
rinsing with warm water each time..

 

If you've got some cash to burn this place is the best car wash in the world, you can't buy products from them but they will make your car look like its never looked before and they'll come to your house if you need them to Miracle Detail

 

TBH if you put enough time into it yourself you can get the same

 

miracle detail will also get rid of ALL swirl marks

 

I removed all swirl marks from my Black S got some expensive wax at £72 per tub.. a small tub at that.. Used a pro buffer from a friend at a body shop then spent a whole weekend doing it...

 

the whole weekend it must be blinding other drivers in the sunshine lol

 

I then apply the wax and leave it to set for an hour or so...

buff it all off and check for any missed areas.. you have to repeat the waxing to the whole panel if you miss a bit


Cleaning before I wax

Final Car wax

 

did you check for swirls with a halogen lamp?

its like when you park in the petrol station when you walk towards ya car it looks great but on close inspection ya can see swirls, looks great there tho mate thats what finish im after.

the process im going to do as ive just got the car and i dont think its had a detail before, im the 2nd owner!

1, rinse with water
2, foam wash the car with Meguiars Car shampoo
3, Sheet the water off (take the nossle off the hose and rinse)
4, use Meguiars detaing clay to remove contaminants
5, rinse
6, dry using Microfibre cloths
7, De-Swirl using a a rotary polisher and meguiars scratch X
8, Apply Auoglym Super Resin Polish to fill swirls and polish the paint via machine
9, Apply Meguiars Deep Crystal Polish to glaze the paint,
10, Seal the lot with Pourboy's Natty's Blue wax

its guna take a few haours but ill have to do it now ive seen other ppls cars looking impecable!

 

the guys over at the detail world forum (the kings of detailing) recommend the following for mini (in this case it was dark silver).

Washing

JEFFS Werkstatt Auto Body Wash
Meguiars Lambswool mitt
Poor boys Waffle Weave Towel

Second Stage

JEFFS Werkstatt Prime Acrylic (wax)
Ultimate German Applicator
Poorboys Super thick and plush towel

Final Stage

JEFFS Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger (Protection)
Poorboy's Deluxe mega towel

For Polishing Tail Pipes

Meguiars NXT Generation All metal polish
poorboy's work towel

Plus 2 gritguard buckets

However whats the best thing to do with wheels interms of should you wax/polish them with same as the stuf you use on the body work or should something else be used??

 

the guys over at the detail world forum (the kings of detailing) recommend the following for mini (in this case it was dark silver).

Washing

JEFFS Werkstatt Auto Body Wash
Meguiars Lambswool mitt
Poor boys Waffle Weave Towel

Second Stage

JEFFS Werkstatt Prime Acrylic (wax)
Ultimate German Applicator
Poorboys Super thick and plush towel

Final Stage

JEFFS Werkstatt Acrylic Jett Trigger (Protection)
Poorboy's Deluxe mega towel

For Polishing Tail Pipes

Meguiars NXT Generation All metal polish
poorboy's work towel

Plus 2 gritguard buckets

However whats the best thing to do with wheels interms of should you wax/polish them with same as the stuf you use on the body work or should something else be used??

For wheels, I would suggest poorboys wheel sealant. Apply 2-3 coats w/ a foam applicator pad. This will help prevent brake dust, rubber, road grime, etc etc from sticking to the wheel and make cleaning much easier.

 

You should treat the wheels just like any other painted part of your car. They should be waxed and the wax will help the dust come of the next wash round.

I have a PC myself and have attempted to remove the swirls on my Solid Black Hartge S. However BMW paint is rock hard and although I improved the finish it wasn't what I hoped for. When the weather gets better I will be purchasing some stronger polish to get rid of the swirls fully.

It is amazing what can be achieved with the PC. My fiancee had a 4x4 reverse into her car causing the spare wheel to put a dent and scuff into her bonnet. I got a paintless dent repair guy out who removed the dent. I then polished out the scuff with the PC. You'd never know there was any damage now at all.

 

You should treat the wheels just like any other painted part of your car. They should be waxed and the wax will help the dust come of the next wash round.

I have a PC myself and have attempted to remove the swirls on my Solid Black Hartge S. However BMW paint is rock hard and although I improved the finish it wasn't what I hoped for. When the weather gets better I will be purchasing some stronger polish to get rid of the swirls fully.

It is amazing what can be achieved with the PC. My fiancee had a 4x4 reverse into her car causing the spare wheel to put a dent and scuff into her bonnet. I got a paintless dent repair guy out who removed the dent. I then polished out the scuff with the PC. You'd never know there was any damage now at all.

Whats PC???

 

Oh I forgot, another project I did was my mates wifes Escort rear wing. It was red and faded and he had tried everything to restore. I restored it properly and it was still good when it was sold.

Detailing World

 

did you check for swirls with a halogen lamp?

My Garage is full of Halogens so yes... and no I had no swirl marks what so ever..

7, De-Swirl using a a rotary polisher and meguiars scratch X
8, Apply Auoglym Super Resin Polish to fill swirls and polish the paint via machine

TBH I wouldnt use scratch X its not really that good for removing swirls... also super resin is an abbrasive polish but if youve already removed the swirls in step 7 why fill them in again in step 8

 

TBH I wouldnt use scratch X its not really that good for removing swirls... also super resin is an abbrasive polish but if youve already removed the swirls in step 7 why fill them in again in step 8

I have been using Scratch X and it does nothing, What would you recommend? (I will be working by hand)

I've been looking at Poorboy's swirl removers SSR1 and SSR2 but I don't know which one to go for; i'm new to all this detailing stuff and don't want to do any more damage whilst trying to correct a tiny swirl mark...

I have Super Resin polish; You say it's an abrasive polish, is that a bad thing?

 

a simple question....why are you meant to rinse off the soap by sheeting the water off the car with the end of the hose rather than properly washing it off with a pressure washer like you do when you first rinse the car??? I don't see how it gets all the dirt off by just sheeting the water and soap off if you have a really dirty car??

 

If you are washing the car correctly the soap stage should remove all dirt from the surface and keep it from sticking back to the surface. If you rinse off and there is still dirt you need to go with the soap again. There should be no need to rinse with a pressure washer as you will be firing all the dirt and grit across your paint work potentially causing swirl marks on the surface.

The reason for sheeting the water off is to reduce the amount of water on the surface after you have rinsed thus making it easier to dry and less likely to end up with water marks. This can be especially important in the summer months.

Remember detailing is all about reducing the potential of causing damage to your cars surfaces.

 

Little addition.... I cant remember who posted it but someone said you should wax the wheels?

Its actually better not to go for wax on the wheels. Dedicated Wheel sealant is what you need like the CG or PB ones. Simply because the melting points of wax is too low and the brake dust will just melt it

So... take off the wheels, give them a nice polish up and then seal them and that will really help them to stay clean and be easier to clean in the future

 

What should you polish wheels with??

 

As long as the wheels are not clearcoated, go with mothers billet alum polish or clearkotes metal polish.

 

well, there are a fair few dependicies. Have you got standard alloy wheels? After market? Chrome?

Generally for cleaning my alloy wheels (which i have yet to get around too! i would take then off the car and give them a good shampoo wash and scrub off as much dirt as possible.

The next stage depends on what you need to remove. If there is tar then white spirit is always a good option. Should bring it off no problem and same with the brake dust.

Any over spray should be able to be removed with some clay.

Finish off the wheels with Poorboys wheel sealant or something of the likes (CG Wheel Guard etc).

Just to add...I havent used it but I have heard the P21 Wheel gel is a good product!

 

Well i finally got round to detailing my mini this weekend hers a few pics!

 

the stages for the interested were!

1, rinse with water and apply a pre rinse solution
2, wash the wheels with normal car shampoo while pre-rinse solution is soaking in
3, wash the car using 2 bucket method with turtle wax wash
4, sheet of with the end of the hose removed ( saved loads of time by sheeting)
5, dried using microfibre towels
6, used SSR2 with a silverline rotary polisher and a blue compounding pad
7, SRP applid with megs applicator pad
8, buffed off with microfibre towel
9, applied Natty's Blue wax with Megs app pad
10, buffed off with MF towel
11, used Back to Black on the trim and wheels

 

Your MINI is looking nice! Love the shine that Nattys blue gives to dark paint (thats what it was created for ). What i would say though is for the trim get some Poor Boys Trim restorer. I dont find back to black at all worth while as it only lasts untill it rains (hopefully it worked for you though ). But the PB TR is great stuff, leaves them really black and lasts!

 

i Agree it rained the day i done it and its washed away already, just ive spent enough on Detailing products for a few weeks so ill be getting some stuff for the trim soon as!

 

I wash my car down with the hose (cold water), use a sponce & Maguiars Shampoo & Conditionar. Dry off with Auto Glym shammy and blade and apply Auto Glym Super Resin Polish. Comes up great.

 

Sponge :aargh:
Chamois :aargh:
BLADE :aargh: :aargh:

Seriously mate. I would be wary of any further use with these items. The amount of damage you will do to your paint with them is unbelievable. Especially the chamois and the blade.

Also, you need a sealant after the SRP really as it will just get weaked and washed off after a couple of rainy days.

 

im glad i started this thread as alot of people are relising were the swirls are coming from!

and the amount of people still using a sponge

ohh nooooo damage is waitinf for them!

 

Im glad too.... like to educate people in the ways of treating their MINI's paintwork right and not damaging it. Its awful when you see a MINI thats absolutely ridden with swirls and holograms, makes me want to clean it up for them!! hehe.

I personally think a lot of the swirls come from the drying stage. I pat dry to stop it

 

Im glad too.... like to educate people in the ways of treating their MINI's paintwork right and not damaging it. Its awful when you see a MINI thats absolutely ridden with swirls and holograms, makes me want to clean it up for them!! hehe.

I personally think a lot of the swirls come from the drying stage. I pat dry to stop it

I think its great how much you all care for your MINI's, i mean, i love mine to bits but i just can't keep it clean for longer than 1day. My problem is that i live out of town and drive about 7/8 miles into town. (daily) The roads around here are always covered in mud/salt (time of year aswell) etc cos of the farmers making a dam mess!! . I would love to be able to care of mine as much as you, but as soon as i spend a bit of time detailing, i drive to town and its filthy! What would you recommend i do to try and keep on top of it, easily but without causing to much damage i.e swirls etc. Any advice would be appreciated greatly.

My mini is pepper white btw, shows every spec (my own fault for chosing that colour, but i love it sooo much - lol

 

Just walked throught tesco car park and seen a car cleaber fella cleanin someones Audi A4 2.7 TDI with a SPONGE, was amazed that people doing that sort off job dont actually read up to find the best products available!

and i couldnt believe someone with a car like that will let them loses on it!