MINI Cooper Convertible - Always Open

[Mike1]

Good Morning Fanatics

On Friday I was given the opportunity to detail a MINI Cooper Convertible at Autohaus Angel in Paarden Eiland.

The detail was on behalf of a friend (the lovely Anna Mae) who was taking delivery of this stunning MINI the same afternoon as the detail.

The car itself is a 2007 MINI Cooper Convertible with 79 000km on the clock. Although well looked after and in extremely good nick she insisted I did my magic on it before she took delivery even with the manager growling in the background. :rollsmile:

Annah Mae booked car in for my Showroom Enhancement, instructing me to make her car sparkle like the blue BMW I shared on my Facebook Page.

The car was clean on arrival, however had a small layer of dust on the paintwork. To ensure the best finish I decided to give the car a thorough clean before commencing with some correction and cleaning.

The MINI on arrival:

Initially I began with scrubbing the fabric roof with a light concentration of fabric cleaner, followed by giving the rims a once over with some degreaser. The car was then foamed down and allowed to dwell for 10 minutes whilst I went off at the badges, weather strips and door shuts with degreaser.

Much better!

The paintwork was in exceptional condition with very minor swirl marks and almost no other defects. To provide further clarity and to refine the finish I used Chemical Guys Pro Polish doing one pass with a cutting pad followed by two passes with Megs Ultimate Compound on a finishing pad.

Happy with the finish under a LED Spotlight I decided to pull the car out and double check the finish under direst sunlight...

That is the finish with no wax, just polished and wiped down. I was extremely chuffed with the finish and set to work waxing.

Much like the E90 Le Mans Blue BMW I used Chemical Guys XXX Hardcore Wax Paste applying two coats allowing 20 minutes curing time between layers.

The mags were given a coat of Rim Wax, trim dressed with Smart Dressing, leather moisturised with Smart Leather, carpets cleaned with fabric cleaner and exhaust polished with Megs NXT metal polish.

Furthermore the engine bay was treated and the windows were cleaned with Autoglym Fast Glass.

Happy with the finish and sure that Annah Mae would love it too I finished up and took some after shots. Unfortunately the sun was hiding so the pictures are not all that great...

Needless to say, Annah Mae called me later that day to thank me for the amazing work on her beautiful new MINI. I love it when that happens. :joy:

So what do you think?

Mike

Definitive Detailing & Valet
www.definitivedetailing.co.za
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[v1p3r]

Looks great Mike :thumbs:. , like a new car

You up for a bit more of a challenge? A 2000 E46? :=):

 

[Mike1]

Of course I am, what do you have in mind?

I would love to pamper your E46. :thumbs:

 

[TheMo]

how many days ahead must we make a booking?

 

[Mike1]

Mo, at the moment there is no waiting list. :fencelook:

I only re-launched about 3 or so weeks ago so although I have been getting cars I am far from fully booked.

I have a Porsche 928GT tomorrow, Mercedes Benz 560 SEC on Tuesday and in two weeks I have a Porsche 911 Turbo and a Mitsubishi Short Wheel Base Pajero booked in as well as a VW MK5 GTI.

Otherwise, you let me know and we make a time. I am mobile so I come to you.

Got lots of interest but clients are still deciding on when. :=):

 

[hiltonfa]

Great job, car looks like new :thumbs:

 

[Legacy]

Looks good! raise:

You missed (or made some new) some holograms!

:rollsmile:

 

[Mike1]

:rollsmile:

Good eye for detail there, it is actually polish residue that hasnt been completely buffed off.

I wash the car with soap after polishing specifically because of this and to ensure a clean surface for the wax.

With the 928GT Porsche I did I made loads of Holograms which were a bugger to remove due to the abrasiveness of the original polish I used. :flyfun:

 

[Legacy]

Just pulling your leg dude :rollsmile:

BTW how abrasive is the CG PP ? I see that you finish with Megs UC which according to me is a 9/10 in terms of cut so wouldn't it be better to finish with something like Megs #205 or Menz PO85RE5 for a more glossy finish? It just seems that the UC is a waste on the finishing pad since it is intended for light to heavy cut pads IMO.

 

[Mike1]

It all depends on the car and the paintwork.

I find I get very good cut with a green medium cut hex pad and the CG Pro Cut No.2 but it doesnt refine very nicely and that is where Ultimate Compound comes in. One or two passes with a red finishing pad and voila!

Ultimate Compound on a Medium Cut Pad is actually a bit much on softer paintwork as it loves to leave micro-marring.

The Pro Polish is extremely good, breaks down quickly, has good workability and finishes nicely. I just find that it not only smells awful but also clogs up the pad. In terms of cut it is pretty good - But I dont often use it.

Mike

 

[Legacy]

You should get your hands on some of the Megs #205, from the above it sounds like it is the perfect product for you.

BTW how is the hex logic pads holding up? I have never tried them but I have heard that they don't last very long and in some cases a brand new pad doesn't even last one car. How is your experience with them?

 

[Mike1]

Quite contrary, I have done 9 cars with these pads and they still look brand new.

Cleaning is done the same night and usually is just being chucked into a washing machine with the rest of the clothes followed by being spun dry at 3800RPM on the Rotary. :rollsmile: