Complete 2006 Dark Silver MINI Cooper S & Wetsand

This 2006 MINI lives in the desert and is exposed to the worst conditions imaginable. The client had tried to schedule me unsuccessfully over the course of a year but our schedules kept conflicting. Then he got into an accident and had a local paintshop, recommended by his MINI dealer fix and repaint half of it. He said after the paint job that it just didn't have the same shine or look and wanted to know if there was anything I could do!









The swirls were not evident on the bonnet which surprised me considering the condition of everything else.


It actually looked ok!


This is a cleanup job for PreWow


Wheels needed cleanup


The rain gutters need help


Another job for PW


Is that a scratch on the boot handle?






Roof is dull




Cleaned up with PreWow. Note the uniformity, not just the darkness which is a temporary benefit of PW.






I spent about 2 hours claying the roof.


I polished the paint with my Makita rotary using an LC Orange pad and Prima Swirl. I worked from the passenger side around the back to the drivers side. As I worked the bonnet, I realized why the paint looked so dull. Half of this car had been repainted.


I told the owner that I could probably save the paint if I properly wetsand and compound the unfinished painted areas. Because there was clear bra on the bonnet, I had to wetsand around it. I taped it off.

Using my electronic PTG (paint thickness gauge), I took measurements and found the bonnet measured between 6 and 9mil. The passenger side was OEM and measured between 4.5 and 5, typical BMW/MINI thicknesses. Using 2500 Unigrit, I wetsanded the passenger side fender, compounded with wool and M105.


This is how the bonnet looked before wetsanding and compounding

This is a reflection from the original OEM paint, nice sharp and distinct. That's what we wanted the bonnet to look like.



Closeup of unsanded bonnet


Side by side of wetsanded/compounded side on right, and original side on the left. Can you tell how sharp and distinct the finished reflections are?

I removed the windshield washer jets. I had to remove the lining from under the bonnet, then unplug them. I lay a huge blanket on the engine bay to keep from losing any screws. I've done that a few too many times on my own MINI!


While I worked the exterior, my assistant Stephanie worked the interior. Many of you have talked to her when you called or emailed the shop.






The entire bonnet has been wetsanded, minus the clear bra area


Ready for compounding


Looking great!

Bonnet looks fantastic now

Using Black Wow, I restored the arches attached to the front bumper cover. Notice the Pre-Wow already worn off, but it was clean!

Difference between Black Wow and original but clean arches




PreWow on wiper arms


Much better


Pre-Wow on the rear wiper arm and followed with BW


Using the Trim Masking card on the R53




Working that drop in


Looking great with that single drop


Move the card and repeat


Finished in seconds


Tips were polished with NXT Metal Polysh.


All finished!


Sorry no daylight shots, the client had to race back to his work, 3 hours away at 3AM, by the time I finished. He will bring the MINI back to finish the wetsanding on the driver side door, and rear quarter panel. We will take proper pictures then! Especially useful is that he's an amazing photographer!

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is ur helper is that ur wife or girlfriend?

 

Great turnaround. Is this Pre-Wow product something that just hit the market?

 

Neither, she's a fulltime employee. She helps me on the interiors for details and currently being trained on using the buffer. She's got a 5 Series BMW she just acquired recently and learning on her car. She also is my office manager and does the manufacturing for me for my products. We both wear a lot of hats around the shop. Some days we are filling out products, packing orders, and or just detailing cars, lol.

 

Thanks! Pre-Wow was quietly launched in November 2010 in the MINI community. Much like Black Wow was launched in 2007 about 6 months before the rest of the world which gave me plenty of feedback and additional testing. I've been a part of this community since 2003 and they have been very good to me.

My retailers are just starting to stock it. Currently you can find it at ADS, Detailers Domain, AutoGeek (very soon), MC2 Magazine, Way Motor Works, and MINI Mania. I expect others will pick it up shortly as well. I will also be shipping some to my UK distributor next week.

Richard

 

i love to see women detailing . thats great . wish more would be into that ... great details by the way!!!!

 

Great work Richard I can not wait to get my hands on some Pre Wow

 

Can I help out at your shop too:giggle:

I put in a order for PW yesterday on you're site I can't wait to give it a try I have some trim on my Porsche that needs something serious.

 

Haha...thanks for the order! It'll go out on Monday.

 

Richard,

Nice job, looks much better. Never get used to the poor quality that most paint shops put out. Horrid clarity in that clear after they finished with it.
Can you tell us a bit more about the PW product? How it works, do's/don'ts of application etc...

 

Thanks!

PW aka Pre-Wow was created to solve that problem that we so commonly face...removing dried wax and embedded polish residue in textured trim. Our approach was different from others in that, it's safe on your skin as well as your paint. It works so well that you can stop taping your trim before polishing it.

PW also removes Black Wow, so if you get some BW on your fingers, a spritz of PW followed by soap and water will leave your fingers clean and non greasy. In that same regard, if you use PW first on some plastic, make sure to let it thoroughly dry before using BW on it.

PW is compatible with many dressings too. I personally like to use Prima Nero after PW on rubber areas. Like the window seals on the doors, a bit of PW on a painters rag will clean them up and can then be dressed with a rubber dressing.

PW also removes paint transfer. With a painters rag, and a few spritzes of PW on the offending paint, just spray and wipe.

There are really only two recommend applicators for PW. The painters rag that you buy from Home Depot for $6 for 12 towels..they are rough and feel like Motel 6 towels. These towels work great with PW although they do lint a bit.

The other applicator is the included PW brush. Every bottle of PW comes with this $5 trim brush. This works great for getting PW into textured plastics, cleaning around the sunroof seals, and other parts of the car. Just spritz on some PW and scrub for a few seconds, then wipe dry with another towel.

Here's a MINI I worked on a couple days ago. The previous detailer got wax/polish everywhere.


PW and painters rag took care of the problem


Another example


Using PW Trim Brush






Wiping dry with painters rag


After it's dry but no dressing


Wipe off any excess overspray with MF towels


All done in probably 2 minutes or less


The brush is great on these rain gutters.


Hope that helps!

Richard

 

Nice job, Richard.

I have yet to try BlackWow or Pre-Wow but after seeing Stephanie in the pictures, at least now I have a reason to call your shop.

 

Haha by all means!! :thumb: