[DaveT]

Washing the car today using the pressure washer to loosen of the dirt followed by a snow foam coating then a thorough wash using the 2-bucket system and guess what, Yep, the paint started peeling off the rear bumper.

Not just a small spot but full strips, I reckon that if I had really tried I could have stripped the complete bumper back to the base coat.

Camera out, photos taken and Mini contacted, fast response from the Service Manager, he will contact Mini on Monday supplying them with the photos and then request an answer.

I did tell him that I wash all my cars the same way even my 80 year old Austin 7 Ruby and I’ve never lost any paint.

I measured the paint strips and they were 40 microns thick Not a lot but unsure what thickness of paint plus lacquer is considered normal.

Not a good start for a new car with only 3200 miles on the clock.

 

[MAC99]

Oh my word that's bad!
No argument with that one though, no doubt it will be sorted for you.
I guess Mini will sort it out very quickly to avoid the potential embarrassment and publicity.

 

[siriuszero]

Yikes!

 

[donnaj1dlh]

Holy cr*p! First time I've seen that! Let us know how you get on......

 

[jay524]

Whoa! That's very unfortunate.

 

[MsGTS]

OMG my heart would have jumped into my mouth!
A good friend beseeched me never evr to wash my car with a pressure washer and now I can see why

 

[jeremybingham]

Oh dear, not good let's hope they sort it very quickly.

 

[MAC99]

I reckon its nothing at all to do with a pressure washer.
Is there a note in the user manual that says under no circumstances use a pressure washer to clean the car??
Something went wrong in the paint shop.

They put cars into all sorts of rigorous weather testing etc, no manufacturer would get away with selling cars if the paint kept peeling off.

Definitely a fault in the painting, but I would question the entire painted plastics parts as it could be paint related as opposed to the actual painting process etc.

 

[jeremybingham]

Quite right jet wash on normal setting should be fine. This is a fault,although behave seen somewhere it state that you shouldnt use pressure washers . Either paint shop issue or more likely imo a repair due transit damage,done badly! No one will admit to that though.

 

[Hat]

Yeah id go with this being a dealer repair of transit damage. If you ask them directly if this is the case they are obliged to answer honestly. Up to you then as to how to proceed - accept further repair, new bumper or reject the car

 

[DaveT]

Yeah id go with this being a dealer repair of transit damage. If you ask them directly if this is the case they are obliged to answer honestly. Up to you then as to how to proceed - accept further repair, new bumper or reject the car

I'm going to wait and see what the reply is from Mini once they've had chance to study the photos.

As for pressure washing I've been using one for 18 years on my 1935 Austin 7 which has 50 year old paint work which also has age cracks and I've never lost any paint of that car or any other car i've owned and as I live in the country the roads get seriously filthy and a pressure washer is a must.

 

[Kiwi]

You don't use a presure washer to loosen dirt you use low presure and then some warm water with car wash added to the water. What's with people and high presure water blasters. You can cut steel or concrete if the presure is high enough.
Look after the cars surface.

 

[DaveT]

You don't use a presure washer to loosen dirt you use low presure and then some warm water with car wash added to the water. What's with people and high presure water blasters. You can cut steel or concrete if the presure is high enough.
Look after the cars surface.

How do you then remove several mm of hardened cow sh*t from under the wheel arches and around the lower ½ of the car where you can not even see the colour of the paint plus a DIY pressure water couldn't cut steel and the lance has a variable flow twist at the end.

As for our water pressure it's got a serious prostate issue!

 

[MAC99]

I'm going to wait and see what the reply is from Mini once they've had chance to study the photos.

As for pressure washing I've been using one for 18 years on my 1935 Austin 7 which has 50 year old paint work which also has age cracks and I've never lost any paint of that car or any other car i've owned and as I live in the country the roads get seriously filthy and a pressure washer is a must.

Ah, but in them days matey they used a paint brush and painted with coach enamel paint which ended up about an 1/8 of an inch thick

Lets have a pic of ur Austin 7, always fancied one of them myself.
Do you have the headlamp dip beams operated by solenoids that go with a clunk when operated?

 

[DaveT]

Ah, but in them days matey they used a paint brush and painted with coach enamel paint which ended up about an 1/8 of an inch thick

Lets have a pic of ur Austin 7, always fancied one of them myself.
Do you have the headlamp dip beams operated by solenoids that go with a clunk when operated?

Hi, I've got a photo of the Austin 7 Ruby in the Garage section and no the Solenoid used to only dip one light now I've got twin filament Halogen bulbs fitted but with only 6v electrics you don't have a lot of amps to play with so you tend to avoid night driving.

There are plenty of Austin 7's around but you've got to watch some of the fancy prices that people believe their cars are worth. Good fun though and spares are easier to obtain than those for a modern car.:laugh:

 

[caveman dave]

I have always power washed my cars, even MINI accept people do, that's why they say you should not direct the washer at parking sensors.
My local MINI/BMW dealer use power washers also.
This is probably down to the bumper being contaminated prior to the paint being applied.

 

[MAC99]

Hi, I've got a photo of the Austin 7 Ruby in the Garage section and no the Solenoid used to only dip one light now I've got twin filament Halogen bulbs fitted but with only 6v electrics you don't have a lot of amps to play with so you tend to avoid night driving.

There are plenty of Austin 7's around but you've got to watch some of the fancy prices that people believe their cars are worth. Good fun though and spares are easier to obtain than those for a modern car.:laugh:

Dave,

Your Ruby looks very nice indeed, and my Dad used to have an old Ford Pop like yours!
I remember as a kid when new had a lot of snow that even the Milkman couldn't get round, but my Dad's old Pop started first time and drove through the snow no problem, ah those were the days

 

[johnan]

The pressure washers the dealers use seem to be a lot more powerful than mine.
When I got my Mini home for the first time, I checked the exterior over again more carefully than the inspection I gave it in the dealers, and found a bit of the black plastic trim under the rear windows had been folded back on itself and looked like it was missing.
I rang the dealer and sent a picture, to which the service manager said their pressure washer had probably deformed the plastic when they were preparing the car, and it could be "undistorted" with care.
Which it was.
There is no way my pressure washer could deform plastic like that.
I now decline the offer of a valet service if the car has to go in for any work, like recalls, etc.

 

[DaveT]

The pressure washers the dealers use seem to be a lot more powerful than mine.
When I got my Mini home for the first time, I checked the exterior over again more carefully than the inspection I gave it in the dealers, and found a bit of the black plastic trim under the rear windows had been folded back on itself and looked like it was missing.
I rang the dealer and sent a picture, to which the service manager said their pressure washer had probably deformed the plastic when they were preparing the car, and it could be "undistorted" with care.
Which it was.
There is no way my pressure washer could deform plastic like that.
I now decline the offer of a valet service if the car has to go in for any work, like recalls, etc.

Whenever my cars are at the garage I always leave a note on the dash telling them not to wash the car or grease the hinges as with the hinges all they do is use a grease aerosol which goes everywhere.
My Mini dealer also uses a very powerful pressure washer for car washing but they don't wipe down afterwards resulting in loads of water marks. I never use a sponge or leather and my Mini's black top is 100% swirl & mark free.

 

[Another Mini]

A pressure washer? No, No, No.

Probably a bad paint job though.