imported_Astral
New member
A friend of mine just bought a 2006 Mini Cooper S in British Racing Green color. I figured it should get waxed properly while it's very new: it will be easy and just in time for the New England winter.
The dealer prep was crap. Charged $180 for this? The car had dealer-installed swirl marks (although quite mild), wax residue all over the place, some more noticeable swirl spots on the hood (as though someone carelessly wiped a dirty sandy rag against a couple of spots). Also glue residue in some spots from the protective sheets (or whatever they are called). The wax was very poorly beading as we washed and didn't look that good for a 1-week old car. So must've been pretty poor wax.
I was impressed with the British Racing Green color! The flake/mica in it was beautiful. I love my blue colors, but I could definitely see owning a car of this green color.
So the process was:
* wash with Zaino Z7
* clay a little glue residue off with Claymagic clay
* buff off some noticeable marring on the hood with Blackfire Scratch Resistant Clear Finishing Polish and a 4" white spot pad via PC
* wipedown with Zaino Z6 after drying
* wax paint with Meguiar's #21 wax, one layer, waited 20 minutes before removing
* wax wheels with Zaino Z2Pro x2 layers
* tires shined with Meg's Insane Shine, wiped on w/ a foam pad (my current tire shine favorite, leaves a low sheen that's dark, yet reflective)
* trim dressed with Poorboy's Trim Restorer (a lot of black plastic trim on that mini! this made a big difference).
Unfortunately, the sun was setting as we finished, and I don't have any full sun photos. The Zaino'd wheels look gorgeous in the garage in the 1000W halogens, but their shine doesn't really show up in the pics. I assure you they were nice.
OK, here are the photos. Click each pic for full size.
Now to check out some more reflections:
The dealer prep was crap. Charged $180 for this? The car had dealer-installed swirl marks (although quite mild), wax residue all over the place, some more noticeable swirl spots on the hood (as though someone carelessly wiped a dirty sandy rag against a couple of spots). Also glue residue in some spots from the protective sheets (or whatever they are called). The wax was very poorly beading as we washed and didn't look that good for a 1-week old car. So must've been pretty poor wax.
I was impressed with the British Racing Green color! The flake/mica in it was beautiful. I love my blue colors, but I could definitely see owning a car of this green color.
So the process was:
* wash with Zaino Z7
* clay a little glue residue off with Claymagic clay
* buff off some noticeable marring on the hood with Blackfire Scratch Resistant Clear Finishing Polish and a 4" white spot pad via PC
* wipedown with Zaino Z6 after drying
* wax paint with Meguiar's #21 wax, one layer, waited 20 minutes before removing
* wax wheels with Zaino Z2Pro x2 layers
* tires shined with Meg's Insane Shine, wiped on w/ a foam pad (my current tire shine favorite, leaves a low sheen that's dark, yet reflective)
* trim dressed with Poorboy's Trim Restorer (a lot of black plastic trim on that mini! this made a big difference).
Unfortunately, the sun was setting as we finished, and I don't have any full sun photos. The Zaino'd wheels look gorgeous in the garage in the 1000W halogens, but their shine doesn't really show up in the pics. I assure you they were nice.
OK, here are the photos. Click each pic for full size.
Now to check out some more reflections:
