Josh Wardell’s MINI Cooper S

I’ve been so busy this summer that I haven’t had much chance to keep my car clean. Usually just the occasional quick wash. Today, for the first time since the beginning of the summer, I had a chance to do a proper wash and Zaino wax. It was also my chance to use some new products.

Though I still use my Mr. Clean Auto Dry for quick washes, I wanted to go back to a bucket wash with Zaino Z-7 Car Wash whenever I was going to wax. I haven’t used it in a few years and I forgot just how well Z7 suds and lubricates. I also used my new Ultimate Nozzle which is impressive and works as advertised (I added a Goodyear on/off switch and brass quick connectors from home depot). This was my first chance to use the Professional Bucket with Grit Guard. It’s pricey but feels like a great piece of engineering. Videos on NAM show how important that grit guard is, but what I really like is using the bucket as a rolling seat when waxing.

I wish I had as much time to keep the MINI clean as I used to, it always feels rewarding when it looks good as new. You don’t have to trust my opinion, just ask my assistant as she admired her reflection!

I fully intended to find the best wheel arch trim reconditioning product this spring. After I ran my first trim test, I found that all products were washed away with just a day or two of rain. I don’t think you should have to detail your trim every week so I’ve been looking for a product that lasts, even through a few days of rain or a car wash.

After the first test did not find any qualifying products, I researched in many forums and found a few more recommendations. The second round added Poorboy’s Trim Restorer, Mothers Back to Blackk, and Black Again to the products with a slight edge in the first test, Zaino Z16 and Sonus Tire & Bumper Dressing Gel.

But again, all the products were almost completely gone after a week and a day of rain. In fact, the Poorboys turned even whiter:

We haven’t had much rain lately, and combined with my lack of time with moving to my new house I haven’t been able to start a third comparison test until finally yesterday. This time, I waited till I found a product that did seem to work on its own, and am now testing it along with others in a proper comparison.

Stay tuned for the results in a few weeks–if we get some rain!

This weekend, I achieved over 30mpg on a tank of gas for the first time! Driven mostly on highway and VT “back” roads (usually around 50mph), I achieved 30.49 mpg, as well as my longest range of 370.8 miles. This was despite my car being packed full with camping gear, spare wheel and a passenger, and even some AC use. I had the tires inflated to 37psi because of the load instead of my usual 34. Also interesting is this tank was Shell V-Power 93, filled up in Vermont where there is no ethanol.

My milage has been much higher than usual this year, due in part to the commute from my new house that doesn’t have as much sitting in stopped traffic or high speeds as my old commute. While 04 and 05 I averaged almost exactly 24mpg, so far in 06 my average is 25.5mpg.

I’ve taken the opportunity to make a long-overdue update to my gas milage charts. We’ll see if the trend continues after my MINI goes in for Service II this weekend.

My lack of posting lately is because I’ve been very busy working on and moving into my new house! A new house for me also means a new house for my MINI: for the first time in my life, I have a garage! Nothing fancy, but perfect for keeping the snow off, and I no longer need to worry about putting off repairs and maintenance in the winter. I’ll still be very busy for the next month or so as I unpack and set things up.