Winter Protection Detail on Mini Cooper S GP

RussZS · Oct 24, 2010

Today saw me spend 5 hours giving my mates Mini Cooper S GP a thorough cleanse ready for Winter, and getting some protection on it.

I'd actually never seen a GP in the flesh before - what a car!! It's magnificent to look at and work on, and the spoiler in particular looks the part. I also had a passenger ride in it - WOW they shift! I love the SC whine too.

Anyway, down to business...

A few befores:

P1030129 by RussZS, on Flickr

P1030131 by RussZS, on Flickr

P1030133 by RussZS, on Flickr

I started off with the wheels, following this process:

- Wheel rinsed with pressure washer
- G101 sprayed on arches and left to dwell, then worked with brush, then rinsed
- Tyres sprayed with G101 and worked with Envy brush, then rinsed
- Smart Wheels sprayed on wheel back and worked with Eimann brushes
- Smart Wheels sprayed on wheel faces then worked with Envy Brush
- Wheels then shampoo washed using BTBM and Dodo Captain Crevice, ensuring ALL dirt is removed from spokes, and behind them
- Wheel rinsed

I then:

- Rinsed Car down
- Washed with BTBM
- Applied Tardis to car (it was COVERED in tar)

Tardis doing its thing:

P1030136 by RussZS, on Flickr

Then I:

- Clayed the car with Elite Poly Clay and Autosmart Reglaze
- Rinsed again with Pressure Washer
- Washed again with BTBM
- Dried with Elite Uber Drying Towels

At this stage, I was ready to assess the paint, and see what could be achieved within the time available to me.

Firstly, I checked the paints' depth. The bodywork averaged about 180, and the roof about 200:

P1030137 by RussZS, on Flickr

I decided to try Lime Prime on a Megs Polishing pad, via Chicago CP8210 Rotary. The paint was VERY swirly, and I assumed quite 'hard' as it's 'German', but after a single set with Lime Prime and very little pressure, I managed to achieve this:

P1030143 by RussZS, on Flickr

Not bad at all for a 'paint cleanser'!!!

A few more correction shots:

P1030140 by RussZS, on Flickr

P1030142 by RussZS, on Flickr

These pics are after polishing, but before any LSP has been applied:

P1030144 by RussZS, on Flickr

P1030147 by RussZS, on Flickr

Despite having clayed and de-tar'd, I was amazed at how much crap Lime Prime was pulling from the paint!!

P1030150 by RussZS, on Flickr

P1030155 by RussZS, on Flickr

Another before:

P1030160 by RussZS, on Flickr

After:

P1030158 by RussZS, on Flickr

Not perfect, but impressive for one hit!

After the polishing was completed, I decided to:

- Seal wheels with Planet Polish
- Tyres with Pinnacle Onyx
- Metal with Optimum
- Trim with Megs Gold Class
- Glass with 3M Foaming: