How To Clay Bar & Wax Your MINI

For the shade tree mechanic in all of us New MINI owners.
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MUNGO
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How To Clay Bar & Wax Your MINI

Post by MUNGO »

Thank You MINIMarc for sharing your knowledge!
Step 1 - Wash the car. Soap, water, the usual, NO HYDRO yet.

Step 2 - Clay Bar the Car. Mist a small section at a time with the clay lubricant and then use the clay bar over that small section. You shouldn't have to clay bar more than twice a year.

Step 3 - Wash the car again. If there is any clay residue left over, then quickly go over that with a towel or something. DON'T LET IT DRY ON THE CAR!!!

Step 4 - After washing the car, you're all set to HYDRO. You know the routine. After rinsing off, while wet, use the HYDRO on the car and wipe away with the waffle weave towel.

Step 5 - Slick the car down with Slick and a monster fluffy buffing cloth.

Step 6 - Ensuring that the car is all clean and nice nice, it's time to start waxing! The normal order of operations goes as follows: CUT, SWIRL, FINISH, AMIGO, EPIC.
-CUT - Mainly used for cars that have HEAVY scratches and clear coat damage. Not recommended for cars less than 5 or 6 years old, or who's paint is still intact. Should only be applied by machine!
-SWIRL - This will get all of the swirl marks and lights scratches out of your car's clear coat. If you used a Brillo pad or used a sponge that was too rough on the car and now have marks EVERYWHERE, SWIRL would be the product for you! It also is quite handy for taking out rubber marks (Auto X cones ) or other marks on the car. Can be used by hand or by machine (random orbit buffer preferably!).
-FINISH - A finishing POLISH you use BEFORE you wax. Cleans up the paint and ensures that all of the very minor paint imperfections are taken care of before waxing. Can be applied by hand or machine.
-AMIGO - Best described as a glaze. Kind of in between the polish and wax stage. This also ensures that the car is prepped for waxing and will also give it a super slick feel to the surface. Ideal for waxing the car! Can be applied by hand or machine.
-EPIC - The waxing stage has finally arrived! Yay! After completely the steps above (or any combo of the steps above [only YOU can tell what YOUR car needs]), you're ready to start waxing! This is easily applied with machine like the porter cable 7424, but can also be applied by hand (although it will take MUCH longer). EPIC is a wet wax, meaning it's easy to apply and give the car a lovely wet, smooth, and shiny reflective look! Nothing can beat a reflective car!!

HOW TO APPLY PRODUCTS BY MACHINE:
-For the purpose of this tutorial, I'm going to be using the Porter Cable 7424 Random Orbit Buffer. This is by far one of the most user-friendly buffers out there, and is highly recommended for beginners and pros alike!
-BUFFING PADS!
-YELLOW PADS - The roughest pad we sell, recommended to apply products such as CUT and SWIRL. Mainly used for heavy scratches, marks, and other messed up bits in the clear coat/paint.
-WHITE PADS - The White Pads is kind of like the middle child in buffing pads. This pad is recommended for products such as SWIRL & FINISH. There is very little cutting power with these pads, so it's safe to use with these products and won't damage your paint in any way. Mainly used for light scratches and marks.
-BLACK PADS - The Black Pad is our finest, softest pad available. Mainly used for light polishes and waxes such as AMIGO and EPIC. There is NO cutting power with this pad, so it's recommended for waxes and glazes.
-BACKING PLATE- The backing plate is how the pads attach to the buffer machine. The backing plate screws into the machine and then the pad attaches to the plate via a Velcro-like surface on the back of the pad and plate. This creates a strong hold and wont fly off in the middle of buffing. This is NEEDED to use our pads with the Porter Cable or any other Random Orbit buffers (aka Dual Action).
-INSTRUCTIONS
-After attaching the pad via the backing plate, you're going to want to mask off your trim pieces (I like Painters Tape!). It's not 100% necessary, but just nice so you don't create a head ache for yourself. If you do get some wax on the trim, just be sure to get it off immediately! DO NOT LET WAX OR POLISHES DRY ON THE TRIM!! Now that you have everything ready, grab the product of choice and the correct pad (see above). Now, you'll want to start with a small area at a time. A 6' x 6' area is always good. One could go bigger, but it's really up to you and what you feel most comfortable with.
-Take out the product and put about a quarter size amount in the center of the buffer pad. You can also use the same amount and squirt the product in a circular pattern around the pad. Doesn't really matter.
-Now, take the buffer and pad with the product on it, and smear it all around the area that you're working on. This ensures that you wont fling your product everywhere around the car when you turn on the buffer. It also helps keep it even on the surface of the car.
-Using a very low speed (3 is good), start spreading the polish/wax around. Do this for only a little bit.
-After you've spread it around, bump the speed to 5 and work the product in. Go a little slower than before around the surface of the car that you're working on, to ensure that it's getting worked in.
-If there is still hazing, you'll know that you need to work the polish/wax in a little bit more.
-Once you think it's looking good, using a buffing cloth (Dual Pile or Monster Fluffy), wipe up the extra product.
*NOTE! It's recommended that you use some work lights to see how the polish/wax is doing on the surface of the paint. These can be bought cheaply at any hardware store, and really do help when you wax or polish.
Check out my website... MungoInc.com
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MUNGO
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Post by MUNGO »

P.S. Search Youtube for "How To Clay Bar" and you'll find a great video done by Meguire's.
Check out my website... MungoInc.com
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Post by MINI_Marc »

I'm gonna go ahead and add some tips.

When waxing, take the time to mask off the trim on your car! Painters tape is cheap and works quite well. This ensures that your car wil not get any wax residue on the plastic trim pieces or rubber pieces. It takes some time to apply the tape everywhere, but it's well worth it in the end.

Your trim cleaner should be applied AFTER you wax. This will make sure you get all the wax out of the trim if you have any. If you do it before hand, you'll just be ruining it again with the tape anyways. So trim is last!

I personally like saving the glass to the very end. Incase you get any wax residue or perhaps some trim cleaner on the glass, you don't have to keep going back and forth over the glass, so save some time and do the glass last.

I also apply a clay bar treatment to the glass while I'm clay bar-ing the car. Same principles apply for paint as they do glass when you clay. This is especially helpful for the MINIs with very dusty and dirty back windows.

Thanks for posting (and keeping) the info MUNGO! That would have been a PITA to type out again. :lol:

~MM
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Post by UFNavy06 »

Good now I know how to keep the Mustang clean. :P Although the fact the Mini looks like it could be washed and waxed fairly quickly which might give it an edge.
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Post by RHE »

UFNavy06 wrote:Good now I know how to keep the Mustang clean. :P Although the fact the Mini looks like it could be washed and waxed fairly quickly which might give it an edge.
don't be fooled. I spend more time detailing Zooey than my Civic and Carolla put together.
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Post by RED MINI »

It is an all day affair...and if you do swirl, polish and wax, you might want to consider two days.
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Post by MINIMAD »

MNINOLE wrote:It is an all day affair...and if you do swirl, polish and wax, you might want to consider two days.
This is waaaay too labor intensive....I'll stick with wash n wax... :wink:
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Post by 2phun »

MINIMAD wrote:
MNINOLE wrote:It is an all day affair...and if you do swirl, polish and wax, you might want to consider two days.
This is waaaay too labor intensive....I'll stick with wash n wax... :wink:
This is waaaaaay too labor intensive...I'll stick with Simoniz, then just wash for the next 5 years and skip the wax.
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Post by RED MINI »

But....but....but, it's a Mini...and a dirty Mini is the eighth deadly sin - RIGHT AFTER SLOTH...sheese!
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Post by Caveman »

MNINOLE wrote:But....but....but, it's a Mini...and a dirty Mini is the eighth deadly sin - RIGHT AFTER SLOTH...sheese!
actually, MINI is kinda like Subaru, leaving the dirt on is like a badge of honor on what u have done & where you have been. LOL! :lol:
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Post by RED MINI »

Hissssssssssssss
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Post by MINIMAD »

MNINOLE wrote:But....but....but, it's a Mini...and a dirty Mini is the eighth deadly sin - RIGHT AFTER SLOTH...sheese!
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Sorry, while I appreciate the love and care demonstrated by such a project I find it hard to rationalize that much of my limited time on earth devoted to such a transient result. I'll stick with a frequent wash. Meguire's wax. A little polish/buff when needed.
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Post by RED MINI »

Heathens you are - double hisssssssssss :P
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Post by JBKone »

MINIMAD wrote: I find it hard to rationalize that much of my limited time on earth devoted to such a transient result.
Some people WANT to spend their time doing that. Some people save all their chores for Saturday. I don't get it. I want to be doing something FUN on Saturday. I can vacuum on Wed night! But hey, some people like vacuuming too.
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Post by RED MINI »

Minimad doesn't understand I am going to live forever so there is no transient time.... :lol:
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Post by MINI_Marc »

If you wax it the way I described above, and do it right, you wont and shouldn't have to do that for about a year depending on where you live and park the MINI. A good wax done right will last you a long time. Especially with regular washing and upkeep.

~MM
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Post by MINIMAD »

JBKone wrote:
MINIMAD wrote: I find it hard to rationalize that much of my limited time on earth devoted to such a transient result.
Some people WANT to spend their time doing that. Some people save all their chores for Saturday. I don't get it. I want to be doing something FUN on Saturday. I can vacuum on Wed night! But hey, some people like vacuuming too.
I never said you didn't WANT to do it or that it doesn't have merit. It isn't for me. Of course I have less time left than most of you young'uns... :P :lol: :wink:
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trim wax

Post by MrsNelson1119 »

Ok. so here is my issue. The rubber piece at the top is DISGUSTING!!!! What can I use to clean that up really good?? I bought this used so it came that way.. And as soon as it stops raining here in Jax, i am going to wash and wax it.. So what is the recommended wax around here and what can i use to clean that piece up.. Thanks
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Post by MINI_Marc »

303 Aerospace Protectant is the stuff. Brings it back and protects it from furthor damage form UV rays and stuff (think sunscreen).

As for wax, as a former retailer, Prima is my personal favorite. :wink:

EPIC wax is their liquid wax and runs about (if my memory serves right) $22 per bottle. But if you use it with a Random Orbit buffer, it'll last quite some time. Combine that with a clay bar, some FINISH and SWIRL, and you got yourself one smooth and sexy MINI! 8)

You can buy Prima products from www.DetailersParadise.com

~MM
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303

Post by MrsNelson1119 »

Man, they sell that 303 stuff at West Marine.. Just what I need, an excuse for my husband to go there.. =) Irony at it's best.. I yell at him for going there to spend money on the boat, now I get to go there to spend money on the MINI.. TOO FUNNY!!!
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